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Prepare to become a job search strategist as we unravel the enigma of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) with our guest, the Career Hacker himself, Nate Wylie Are you unsure of your worth on the job market? No worries, Nate equips us with the tools to assess our market value while viewing ourselves as a coveted product. Together, we shine a light on the Level Up and Tech program, an intense 24-week journey sculpted to catapult you into a cloud career.
Ever wondered if your personal experiences could shape your career path? Our boot camp stories from the Air Force Reserve and our college journeys reveal how this can be a reality. We take you down memory lane, discussing our steps into the world of recruiting, the influence we sought to have on kids in our environment, and we even touch on the power of role models for the less privileged youth. Strap in as we trek the rugged terrain of talent acquisition, sharing insights from our time at job fairs and counseling roles.
In the third act of this enlightening discussion, we focus on career advancement. We provide advice on strategic career moves, discerning when to bid farewell to an organization, and the crucial career-path questions you should be asking. Our guest, Nate Wylie, weighs in on his transition to a startup while emphasizing the benefits of networking. From our collective experiences, we underline the importance of documenting achievements and experiences for future planning. This conversation is a treasure trove of insights for job seekers, career hackers, and everyone in between. So, don't just listen, become a part of the conversation.
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For the job seekers out there. Can you explain to them what ATS is and why it's not the end all be all to their job search issues?
Speaker 2:So ATS is just the acronym for applicant tracking system. Essentially, this is just a system where companies are able to promote their jobs and collect resumes. The biggest myth is you need to create a resume that's going to beat the ATS. That is. That is not a thing. I don't. I don't know where that came from. There's still a human behind the ATS, people like myself who have access to view the resumes, and they are typically going through these resumes one by one. What should job seekers be doing in this market? It's not just one or two things. First thing you want to do is do a self assessment, like where are you now in your career, so really getting an understanding of? Is the job I'm doing today or the skills I have today? Are they even valuable enough to take me to that next level? I'm sorry, I hate to bust people bubbles, but just because you feel like you should be making more money, it's almost like but what is your actual value? And tell people. You should really think about yourself as a product. Like what kind of product are you Like? Are you a high value product or are you just sort of a product where I feel like I can find hundreds of you if I wanted to at any time.
Speaker 1:Are you interested in starting your career in the cloud? Well, if that's you, then I got some for you. Level Up and Tech is a comprehensive 24 week program guaranteed to help you land a high paying role in the cloud. Some of the skills that they teach you in Level Up and Tech are server config and troubleshooting, AWS infrastructure as code, CI, CD scripting, containerization and more. Level Up and Tech has helped over 800 people start their career in the cloud. So if you're interested in the program, click the link in my bio, click on the tech resources and click on start your cloud career. And I guess you are you born and raised in Carolina? Yes, Okay, so you are you a Panthers fan?
Speaker 2:Nah, I'm a Broncos fan. See, I should have my certain Jersey young man, you know, let's ride.
Speaker 1:Matter of fact, a bold proclamation they are going to beat the Jets and I'm going to say they're going to beat them by 10.
Speaker 2:I think they'll get the Jets. I think they can get to just cry.
Speaker 1:As it's kept them messing around and beat KC next Thursday Like Casey been well. Yeah, I think about.
Speaker 2:KC has actually been struggling KC.
Speaker 1:They've been getting it done but they've been getting some gift cards. And if you go to some of the games, like even last year, the first year probably Broncos ever looked, russ was cooking against Casey and our safety is especially if Justin Simmons is playing. Justin Simmons know how to play against my homes, so they still. I think they're. I told my one of my homeboys he's a chief fan. I said y'all need a legit number one before I think y'all offense click like you used to, because I mean, of course Kelsey is a safety blanket but them boys not getting open like they used to, they not. So which would make my homes actually do have to go to all his different reads and no proof. He, that dude which I, which I think he is, but I think Peyton got the offense going. We're going to mess around, not messing around. I'm also saying that right here we're going to trade Jerry Judy. We're going to get some stuff back for him, because I don't think he's, I can't say he not need on the offense. But that young dude, marvin, what's his name? Is it Marvin Memms? I don't know. He's a new cat man. He didn't ran a kickoff back. He didn't he the reason why they kicked the score at the field goal and beat the Bears last week. He been balling since like week one, like he's doing all the speed, so you need for Judy at a cheaper price and he probably, you know, doesn't get hurt as much. And we got the little running back McLaughlin. He called like they got a little squad on office now Like you know they just it was cool to just pick on Russ and just put a son Peyton was going. They, they had a whole bunch of games. It was cool. They could be what three and no right now. But it's really the defense part. It was getting taught by Jimmy G and no boy from Washington. But they could have won them games Could have. I don't know if they'll beat Miami, but it was competitive in the beginning until defense just stopped caring Like, but that's neither here nor there. Let's get everybody into the. Let's get everybody into the episode. Welcome back to the sexual talk podcast. I'm your host HD and I'm going to separate. Came in right there, the number one tech podcast on YouTube, where we talk about careers, how to get into tech, interview strategies, anything you can think of. We talk about it here and we got a special guest for you today Career hacker Nate, aka Nate Wiley, is in the building today. Let's go ahead and give him a round of applause, please. Yeah, man, hey, nate, appreciate you for rocking with us today. First things first, listeners or watchers. If you're on YouTube, you know what to do Hit that thumbs up button and subscribe, hit all the notification bell. And if you're listening on Apple podcast, spotify, anywhere else, please make sure you leave us a view, share the podcast, follow it to help us out with those downloads and those podcast algorithms. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. This is beautiful. What grab me on this? Yeah, no-transcript. Boys and girls can withdrawal.
Speaker 2:We're doing, content about what we shoot for our price no-transcript.
Speaker 1:We had to get it done. I just want you to briefly introduce yourself to the listeners and just tell them a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 2:But well, definitely appreciate the invite. Yeah, like I said, we had the reschedule, but we here we're gonna have a good time with it. But Curry, hack and Nate is the alias I've been going by for the last couple of months now we can get into a little bit later how that came about but been in town acquisition for about 12 years now, started off in staffing, moved into but I moved to distribution, manufacturing and into tech startups and now I'm doing my own thing as an independent contractor and working with a couple of different startups, trying to help them do some headcount planning, implement ATS systems. Really, just honestly, I've been working towards it, just need a break from being managed for a while. I kind of do my own thing consult, hop in and hop out, but that's what pays the bills, but kind of I don't wanna say that in my free time, but in addition to that I've been probably dedicating maybe six to seven hours a week to like speaking with different job seekers or people just kind of need a little bit of direction in their career path and I just meet with them for about 30 minutes 45 minutes to help them get a better understanding of where the value lies and how they should be looking at their careers and maybe what's a better career choice if they're looking to level up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, that's dope. I'm glad you have been doing that. I think that's always needed from people that are in town. Acquisition, which we're gonna talk about a little bit more later, but before we get into the episode, I thought about asking the new question here as far as saying what's one random interest and effect about yourself.
Speaker 2:You don't took me back to like New Ireland but I always hate these questions. I think I was in Air Force Reserves for six years. A lot of people don't know that. It's on my LinkedIn but it used to get looked over. But I think that was kind of random because I'm not I don't talk about it Like you don't never see me with like Air Force veteran hat on or anything like that but it was actually a time in my life where I needed a reset and it just came at a time where I literally just jumped up out of nowhere. I didn't tell my family about it, I didn't tell really any friends or anything. It was just like a couple of weeks. I was like, oh yeah, I'm headed out to the boot camp next month. They're like what? Like I just signed up, I just need to dip. I needed to change the scenery. So I'll say that's pretty random, but I took some learnings from it. It was cool, nah, so I did the reserves and so just real quick. So what happened was I'm the type of person I just like personal challenges and so I was just interested in the boot camp side of it and the tech school. Once I passed everything and I was actually in the Air Force, I was like, yeah, this ain't all that Cause. After that it was just like a job, it was just like work. But nah, I was actually able to start my recruiting career like as soon as I got out of tech school and that's what really kind of threw me off, because I was all in on town acquisition at that point and so like the military just became like an obligation. I had to finish out, but I was making more money on the town acquisition side and so they was trying to get me to invest more time and effort into the military. But I was like, nah, I'm kind of good with what I got going on civilian side.
Speaker 1:Definitely, and I know you kind of skip right into the Air Force thing, far as like when it came to high school. Because we all know and I'm a stunts believer of this I think it's pretty hard to ask a 17, 18 year old boy or girl what they want to be when they grow up, right, knowing how much things change from there, like if you ask anybody when they're a kid like I've told people plenty of times, hey, cause I posted the meme the other day on my IG story I used to want to be a power ranger. When I was a kid I thought power rangers was real. I was like, when I get in high school and be a power ranger, I'm gonna have a little motorcycle. I used to be at my part of my motorcycle right here, cause I thought it was real. Then after that, I loved wrestling. I was like I'm gonna be a wrestler. You know what I'm saying. I'm gonna. I like the rock stone cause my favorite. So I'm gonna be a wrestler, I'm gonna do this and that. And then I realized it wasn't real. Y'all seen a trend here a little bit. But after that I want to be an architect and that didn't go how I needed this to go. So I was like you know what I'm gonna go to some I'm good at, but coming out of high school for you outside of like going to the Air Force, did you have any like extracurricular activities that you did or things that you want that you pursued, like while you're in high school that maybe you thought you might do as an adult?
Speaker 2:So let me set the timeline. So I actually was. I think I was like 25 when I joined the Air Force. I had already been yeah, I had already been to college. I had already tried to make my degree work and so that's why I called the Air Force like my reset, because I tried to. I wish I tried, I tried so hard to be an officer, but they I had a psychology degree and so they was like we're only accepting people for officer school who have like a degree in like computer science or physics, something they feel like they can use on the tech side. I think I just didn't try hard enough. I talked to like two people and that's what they told me and but then once I got in and started talking to other people, I learned I just didn't try hard enough, I didn't do enough research. But to answer your question, very similar to you, I think. Also, I wanted to be a ninja, like that was my thing. We're growing up. But when I kind of got into high school I had no clue what I was going to be. Brother, I ain't gonna lie. I just knew I needed to get to college and I thought college was going to have all the answers. And then once I got into college I realized that wasn't the case, changed my major from, I think I was trying to be like an electrical engineer, chemistry with my ass. So I ended up changing my major to psychology, which was cool. I liked the behavioral piece of it. And then that's when I got out I was trying to do like youth counseling, home healthcare type stuff, but that just kind of wasn't hidden the way I wanted to. And that's when I ended up going to the military. But I always had recruiting in my mind, because trying to find a job was so frustrating that I wanted to be on the other side of the table and kind of understand what was happening behind the curtain. And so that's where the recruiting idea was kind of planted and that's what I pursued once I kind of finished up with my school in the military.
Speaker 1:Cool. Speaking of college. What college did you?
Speaker 2:attend. I went to a USC upstate in Sparnberg, south Carolina, okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, and how was that experience for you?
Speaker 2:It was cool. It's a small school man in comparison and so it was to be honest, I couldn't really even tell you a lot of people who went there other than, like the clique that kind of hung together, got it. If I'm being honest, probably all the black people knew each other.
Speaker 1:No, that's how it was in LA Tech If you was black?
Speaker 2:Yeah, all the black people knew each other, but the classroom of course it was majority white folks but I just kind of knew the ones that was in that class. It wasn't a lot of mixing and mingling that I saw, and I'm not saying that to be negative. I think people just kind of associated with people like them. But it was real cool man, we had a ball, the college was fine. We still a lot of people from college still hang out and stay and test the baby.
Speaker 1:A little bit same here. Everybody kind of went their separate ways, but when we see each other it's all love, like like nothing ever happened. But I wanted to actually get into the fact that you were. You already kind of explained that some of the other jobs you wanted to do kind of went hidden and you have recruiting kind of in your mind. So first of all, how did you get introduced to recruiting? And then we'll get into like your first time acquisition gig.
Speaker 2:If I had to put my finger on it. I think recruiting to me sort of came into focus or like an idea, when I was going to job fairs after I graduated and usually the people at the table are recruiters and so I will be going to these different tables and they're trying to pitch me on. You know, come be a customer support professional or enterprise was a big one. You know, come be a management trainee. And I would just be asking them, I was sure, job. They're like oh, I work in recruitment. I like how do I get that job? How do I get to that? They never really had a hand. They was like um, I mean, you know, you got to get in with a company and get to know the right people. They could never really tell me how they got there, but right, right, but that was always my thing. I like this seems like the best job in the world. Like you, you have the jobs. Like you're the one trying to hire other people, and so that just always stuck with me. And then when I was working in one of those, like you, counseling type positions and I was working for the small, the small company, they needed to hire some more counselors and so the owner of the company. I was in the office doing something one day and it was like, hey, you got some time. Can you go through the stack of resumes I printed out? And it was like just pull out resumes of people who look like they have a background like yours, who got a degree, who maybe have like one or two years of experience in this. I like cool and so I actually enjoyed doing that more than like meeting with the kids, and so I wouldn't. I wanted to do that more and so I was like what Bruh? It was crazy, and like all of them was like in the hood to I had to go visit. Yeah, that wasn't, that wasn't the best days of my life, but it helps me now to look back on like man, you know, came a long way.
Speaker 1:But you know what, if you can explain things to kids, then explaining to adults should be super easy.
Speaker 2:It was. But you got to think about and not to spend too much time on that. But you got to think about, like, what I was trying to accomplish. So the kids were in a program because they had behavioral issues. I would spend maybe like one to three hours a week with them, whether it's going to see them at their home or in the school. What I had to say in that point in time, just it wasn't going to stick, like what they were seeing in their environment. You know what I'm saying. So I was literally trying to, you know, tell them, you know, don't fight, don't cuss the teacher out. You know, sit there, learn your lesson. But I mean it was, it was who is this guy right, like I? Just I just pull up for for an hour and then I pop out like I wasn't sort of that, that steady person in their life, like really in their ear about it. And then I remember one time I walk, I was walking up to the house to meet with them. The grandma was in there telling them you know, the fight back and whoop ass. I'm wasting my time. There's getting bullied or something I mean yeah, I mean yes, I mean you got to do what you got to do in the context of things, and that's what I mean. Just older now, looking back, I just don't think that that was sort of helpful in a way. It was just bigger than what I was able to offer and I'm just I'm just a very realistic type of person. If you're really trying to make some change, you got to change in multiple areas of a person by dropping me in, just to drop some some. You know a little bit of knowledge on. If you keep heading down this path, it's not going to work out. Or you know, don't you want to pass your grade? That type stuff. I just don't think it was. I don't think it was. It was registering in the way that the program felt it would.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, I think and and we won't spend too much time on this, but it was a tweet the other day was talking about they pretty much been doing these things where it's this mean where somebody told Nasda somebody's neck or swords and it's like one of those what's Monday opinions that get you killed like this. And some woman was like black schools, with two focus on materialistic things and something else, and I quoted it. I was like no, all this stuff started at home, is not the school, and I was like that's typically what you, we find out. I normally tell people Sometimes it's easier to reach the kid when they're like a certain age versus when they are at the age where it's like, like you said, whatever you say ain't gonna matter, they just gonna have to see, for they so fat mean, I agree, and in the, however, that may happen to them, that's what they're gonna find out. But that's typically how it goes with kids and unfortunately, the environments, like you said, are crazy. But the good thing was people like you and me in this space now and all the other black faces that they can see, they can see there may be a different way for them and now they got most of our kids got social media and smartphones and they got access to this stuff. So maybe they can see this versus some of the other stuff that they watch on social media and maybe that gives them a different route on how they need to act and what they would need to do if they want to live a certain lifestyle.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I definitely believe each generation it gets a little easier. The rate at which that's moving, I couldn't necessarily tell you I haven't done any research on that but I can just tell, like the kids now, to be able to get rich and make good money, like all YouTube videos and following stuff like that, I'm all for it, man, I'm all for it. Why not? If it's there, I mean if you get in brand deals and you make more money than your family ever saw just because you funny and entertaining and go for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I think the hard part about that is, unfortunately, everybody's getting like a lot of money fast sometimes, and they never knew how to handle a little bit of money, so sometimes they get a little bit more than they could choose. So it's like one of those things like hey, as all these things elevate, get the right people around you to help you out so you can make sure you keep this and not be a flash in the pan, because we've seen everybody was around when people was going crazy on Vine and now you got Tik Tok and Instagram Reels, youtube Shorts, whatever. But so we've seen all these different things come and go. We have my spaces that it's ain't here, no more. There's not a guaranteed thing you two be here tomorrow, even though I don't find that to be true, but sometimes you just never know. So this is one of those things where, like hey, just have some skills to fall back on sometimes too. But one of the questions I was going to ask you is, before we dive into like the first recruiter gig, I want to ask you how have you been able to have a career in recruiting, sourcing, talent, acquisition that spans pretty much a decade plus, like how you've been able to do that.
Speaker 2:That's the career hacking man. If I'm being honest, I didn't. I mean. The career hacker term, I think, is something that's kind of trendy right now. I actually first heard about it. I saw a growth hacker position and then I just started looking out like what else is like hacking and then saw career hacking. But it's really just, I've always tried to stay a step or two ahead of of what's going on, whether that's even. I feel like to very simply answer your question. Even if I feel like I'm in a good place at my company, I'm looking at what's next and can I move up here or do I need to make a leap, and I'm good at sort of quickly identifying where's the ceiling at my organization, my first in-house recruiter job I literally actually talked to my boss the other day, but me and her still real cool. But she was cool and she told me you know, it was essentially a distribution company, it's a real sales, it's what drove the company and she was saying the owner had made a decision that we're going to stay flat and that included like increases and promotions and things like that. And so I start jotting down on a notepad If I get a 3% increase every year, you know for the next three, four years what my comp would be, and I'm just satisfied with what that number was. Okay, I need to make a move. Although I really love the organization, I was only recruited there. I kind of had a lot of autonomy to do whatever I wanted to do. My boss wasn't know me about anything, so I could have just sat there and, you know, just rolled that out for as long as I wanted to, but I just knew that wasn't going to give me to where I wanted to be financially. So I started interviewing around and I made a leap. That was, you know, like five, six K above where I would have been if I sat there for another three or four years. And so that's. I've always tried to run that play, went to the next company, try to become a manager, or so. I didn't see a path towards that. My director wasn't really having it, whereas he liked the work I was doing. But I think he was just in his mind. He just can see promoting me into that role. And then I got my sights on tech at that point. So I kind of knew I've always I always keep my head on the swivel for what? Which direction do. I need to be moving in, and that's that's what I try to tell folks that you should always be entertaining new opportunities and having those conversations. Even when I was with Lyft, all those years I had opportunities to lead, but I saw a path towards management and I wanted to get that management title on my LinkedIn before making a move because I knew if I went to another company too soon, I would have to come in. It'll be, I'll get more money, but it'll be a lateral entitled, and so I would never be able to to get like that more strategic management type of experience and I would just be filling wrecks. Like I said, I'll probably be making money, but I'll have to go in and kind of started at the bottom again and work my way back up, rebuild my brand, you know, figure out when the people are, played a politic game, all that kind of stuff. I already had did that at Lyft and so I wanted to kind of cash in on that before I made a move.
Speaker 1:Man, I'm glad you said that. Listen, guys, if y'all take none else away from this conversation. What he just said is key Because, ironically, I asked this to the woman in HR the other day about a what's what I'm married raises look like every year, and she told me what the amount was and I was like that's kind of low to me Because I came from another company. Like I mean, my first year at Goldman Sachs I wouldn't even dare much. I started in November and then in January, so yeah, we just going to a 5% increase. I was like cool and I think I got 7% or 8%, like every year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's legit and it's, but but to your point even that I think a lot of people don't even ask those questions. I don't think they they know that you work there as part of the company. You can send an email to HR or have a sit down with your manager to talk about your career path. I feel a lot of people are just very reactive to what companies tell them or the position they put them in, whereas if you can be a little bit more proactive and actually understand, should you, should you make a move or should you sit tight? Maybe? Maybe you are in the best possible place for you right now and there are some, some good strategic moves you can make internally. But it's important for me to understand, like what are all my options? But a lot of people don't get that information to really understand. I made a pose as well like understand, like what does what would it take for me to get promoted? Am I even in a position to where I can get promoted, or is the, the organization, not even structured in a way that there is anywhere for me to go from here? That all that is very important if you're actually trying to be intentional about your career.
Speaker 1:That's why I think the other day one of my snippets was about like not focusing too much on company loyalty. Like I was at Optifal almost four years but I stayed there because I kept on getting new challenges and pretty much like promoted and doing different things. The only reason I was there that long because they were showing me a path of what I could do there. Or like, right before I left, like my manager was going to be the pretty much going to like a director level role and she was like, oh yeah, you should manage this team. But I was like I don't want to manage this team. And then that's when I left to the finance industry, because I want to try a new industry out, which is also like a gym you can do, like you can find out different industries got different pay bands. So when you get one of those industries on your name Now like the floodgates start opening up for different opportunities for you just because you went with a good name in the industry that pays a certain way, and so that's that's one of the things that we can always circle back and talk to because, like you said, I tell my clients hey, you don't have to have the green banner on believe you open to work on, because sometimes offer or come into your inbox that you can't refuse, like even your manager would tell you you'll be a fool not to take that. So because they'll tell you they listen, we can even match, like sometimes they like you'll get an opportunity that they probably can't match and it would take you probably 1020 years to even try to get that amount and by that time you probably won't be at the company anyway. So man.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you what one thing I do regret. I should have taken more calls just to build my network at the time, but I was so busy because because the market that kind of bounced back in 2021 town acquisition was popping. I mean, I look at, I look at some of my messages now I was getting hit up at least like four or five times a week for, like TA manager jobs, like all these new startups popping up out of nowhere. But to your point, I stayed at live, kind of the way, saying what you say. You say that octave, just because I saw a path like they were giving me a lot of opportunity and I literally was able to gain so much valuable experience because they were just letting me, you know, run with different projects, manage different teams, recruiting different organizations, and I mean I was just like a sponge, like I'm learning away this whole industry operates, just because they were giving me all these different opportunities. And so Money is very important. I love the money, but I think also you have to always be trying to play that balance between, okay, I can take, you know, some money now or this experience they can never take that from me and I can always sort of leverage, that for more, more value and more money in the market, and that's that's kind of where my mind was at that time.
Speaker 1:No, that's, that's facts. Because a lot of times, people which I'm not against you, early on your career, job popping. However, if you keep job popping but you're not getting skills that take you to the next level, then Eventually you need to just stay somewhere for a year to and really get those skills down, those accomplishments down. Like I said in the last episode, a couple episodes ago and I'm doing your resume and you don't have anything you achieved it's hard to make you look like one of the ideal candidates when you apply this role if you can't tell me what you did, if you were just there. Like those are the things people not paying attention to. Some people just going to work. And some people are there. They're trying to make a name for their self. They're writing everything that I tell everybody. Listen, the day you start, write everything down, big or small, I don't care how big or small they write it down. So we have some stuff to work with. Like you got some ideas. Like I got a one note field with stuff right now, ideas to do at work, just because, like they asked me, oh, what you think? Oh, here, you got this thing right here, we can do this, this, this, this, this, this, this. So the project has ever come up. I've been notating it for a while.
Speaker 2:And not just the impact part is important and the achievements, like that's great. But even, like you say, just not even being able to remember what you've done, because you just get in a mode of of working and it's so many times myself included like I'm not exempt. People just actually, oh, what do you do? And you have like Like, because it's you don't just articulate it on a daily and like you just kind of, you know, clock in and get to it. But individuals who Aren't sort of like in the space where they're always so focused on their careers until something, until something clicks with them where, okay, I need to make some more money, or they feel like the company may be getting a little bit unstable now they're trying to play catch up and they've been working for three years and they can't even tell you what they've done. And yeah, I've talked to individuals with those same problems and I catch hell trying to help them put together resume because they can't tell me anything. I can't make this up for you, like I don't. I can look up job descriptions but that's not going to sell you as an ideal candidate because the, the actual achievement, the data points, aren't going to be there to for someone else to read and really understand the impact that you had.
Speaker 1:Totally agree. But I want to segue into the question about your first recruiting gig in Dallas. What was that like? How was that? Was this your also your first time in Dallas? Like just how was that like for you overall?
Speaker 2:That was cool man that was. That was part of my part of that reset. So when I joined Air Force I picked Tinker in Oklahoma City. That's my base. So we joined reserves. You get to choose where you want to want to be stationed, and so I picked Tinker. But I knew I didn't want to live in Oklahoma and so Dallas I think it's like a three hour drive. And so I like, ok, I can, I can do that On my, on my weekends and the two we see or whatever the deal is. And so I knew I wanted to get into recruiting and I didn't have I didn't have really any money to like just move out to Dallas and start looking around. I knew I needed a secure job. First, my sister at the time lived in Pine Bluff, arkansas, and so I actually went and lived with her for a month while I was looking for positions in Dallas, because I was thinking like at least that's like close enough, I can drive, I can get down there if I get an interview request, but it's crazy. So I was looking for like a month, reached out to this guy at Pinnacle he was the recruiter at the time. He responded quickly. He was like he actually like, hey, can you come in this afternoon for an interview? I knew I couldn't make that work, so I'll be there, I can be there in the morning. He was like OK, so I woke up early, drove down to Dallas, interview for the job and then I think I got an offer like the next day. Like it was like quick. So staffing is it's almost like a sales roll, and so I actually had to, and then they want me to start pretty quickly too, so I had to drive back, pack up. I signed the lease at an apartment fairly quickly, but it wasn't going to be ready for like a week. So I stayed at like one of those like residence and something for a week. Like man it was. It was one of those times in my life I look back. I was like, but you know, I was trying to get it, I want to make this work. But man I was. I was stretching every dollar because, putting down, you know, application fee and all that kind of stuff, I didn't have a lot to work with. I hadn't started working yet. But yeah, man, it was cool, I loved it. I loved it. It was, I think, staffing for anyone who has a desire to get into recruiting. Like staffing is a great, great place to start because it does give you recruiting experience and is without like all the. It's almost like taking a certification course instead of going to college. Like it just gets straight to the point of what we're trying to do. We're trying to fill roles. So all that, all the extra fluff even you know recruits may hate me, but like the whole Canada experience and all that, they don't care nothing about that. It's all about them dollars. It's about getting butts and seats as quickly as possible and you start billing and so it teaches you diligence because you on the phones all day like cold out reaches, trying to negotiate people, trying to tell people to leave full time jobs for contract opportunities that may turn per. I mean it. You got to have a little greed in you. That's why I want to go in house like I was good at it but I wasn't like I wasn't a shark with it. Like like some people that I work with.
Speaker 1:Speaking of, that made me think about this question that I did not give you beforehand, but when you said that about the contract positions, that made me think about and I hate to say it, but this is my pot and if anybody gonna say it, I got to say it because I'm just perplexed about every time they reach out to me but don't recruit us from India. Man, what are they doing without information? Because why not just me, but so many people every time they send them an A their, their resume, anything else they never hear from again, like what is going on.
Speaker 2:I Don't think it's anything, don't get me wrong. Like I'm pretty sure some of them are like a, like a scam, like a fishing scam. But you gotta think about, just like customer support, like the, the, the labor for lack of a better term over there is cheaper. And so I know, I even know some people who own recruiting agencies who outsource, they're sourcing efforts to India To reach out to individuals for positions that sit in the US. But you can, you can pay those sources like a third of what a source it would want to be, and so that's what it is. So, but even Even US Sources will go, she quit, cuz, like I said, it, sales like it's whatever, it's whatever is gonna hit the quickest and what's what's probably happening is they're going through LinkedIn, just like you know any other recruiter saying like, hey, I got this opportunity to send me a resume, I present you, they present you, the Client doesn't like you or doesn't respond, and so you don't hear anything back, like they moved on to whatever's gonna make the money. So, yeah, I don't, I don't think is anything like super Scary to worry about but Now some of them work for some oh yeah, a little bit reputable, I think we're sometimes.
Speaker 1:To get a little sketch too is when they want you to put out information so they can represent you.
Speaker 2:Bruh, let me real quick on that note now. When I first that job is to mine, dallas. So Some of the clients that we work with Because they worked with so many Different staffing firms and they wanted to make sure, like candidates weren't being duplicated, duplicated in the system. We had to get individuals Social security numbers over the phone. Now you talking about tough man, bruh, like you tell them all, tough telling somebody that you just calling out the blue in order to get you submitted over, I'm gonna need your social. I Felt terrible every time I asked cuz and we knew that internally we wouldn't even get mad when a candidate wouldn't give it to us. Like all we could do was just try to explain to them why and send them over information to show that we're reputable. I mean we would do anything like hey, like here, call, call the main office line and you'll get you know. Transfer it back to me just to show like I'm not trying to scam you. Like this is a real opportunity. But I don't blame them, I wouldn't get anyone. My social just called me about a job, like why do you need my social? Just to submit my resume. But that's what some of the clients required. Yeah, that was. That was a crazy time been about plenty of times.
Speaker 1:Like you said, there are people out. There will be in my LinkedIn, by spotlight, two or three recruiters. They are working for the same role from different staffing agencies and they're like trying to headhunt you and now? So the benefit of knowing about this? It's like if you want to go through it it, hey see which one of these companies is often you the best rate.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's which one's off the best rating is some of them. And that's where, like the whole, like account, exact Relationships get into play, because even the clients like have like their favorites. But that's what, like a MSP is set up for. It's where everyone has to. It's supposed to create fairness instead, but the, the good aes I will call them the good account execs like they try to go around it. They're working to the hiring manager and buy hey, I found somebody cannot send it straight to you, and that's where the MSP would, honestly, they'll get pissed because that's why they're in Place to cut all that out. But it's, it's, I mean, it's good spread, it's good money and staffing. That's that's why they, they fight so hard to get people placed.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't care. Like I said, I just talked to these people, just to talk to them. See what they gonna do.
Speaker 2:All right. I mean it's good for the network is usually they'll you talk to a good staff and recruiter. They may, you know, jump in house somewhere one day and and they'll remember you. It's all about playing no C, so it's definitely nothing wrong with having those conversations, especially if you know you're valuable and you're not. Desperate is like you know. I'll cut it short if I want to like.
Speaker 1:Touch on that a little bit later because I was talking about that on Twitter to the people about the desperation play is getting owed on LinkedIn. But I want to ask you about the other job. Right after the first staffing gig you were, I guess she was like a regular let's see you a technical recruiter to national recruiter. Was that just a title or is it something different within the scope of your job that made it be a national recruiter versus just a technical recruiter?
Speaker 2:That's just what they called it. So when I was at a pinnacle, it was a technical, a technical staffing firm, and so everybody was a technical recruiter and those were the the type of positions that we specialized in. So when I went to the next Staffing organization actually went with my account, exact. So he got a offer to come over and he brought me and like two other people with him I'm sure he wasn't supposed to do that, but we we did it and so, and so this staffing firm was different. So the the main arm of it was technical recruiting, but they had actually had like a startup within the staffing firm that went after all the non technical business, and so it was smaller spreads but higher volume, and so With that side of the business there we were actually trying to feel like all the GNA positions, project manager roles, we would get like you know, they need to hire like 40 calls center representatives on contract and we would try to get you know, 20 or 30 of those, and so that's why they right, right, right and but it was, it was Easier contrast that these individuals would be more open to that type of work Versus like trying to to get like a senior software engineer to lead their job. But they just called it a national recruiter because it was literally like almost Anything anywhere, and so they just called it a national recruiter. Now this next question.
Speaker 1:It's probably a question you get asked all the time, but you saw that I asked you. Could you explain to us what's the difference between recruiting, sourcing, talent acquisition and also, I guess the better part would be, what place does it play in HR? Or is it like a subset of HR, like they all are different and have, I guess, some overlap, but in your experience, what's the difference between the three?
Speaker 2:So they, they all sit under like a HR or a people umbrella. I like to carve it out, but if you, if you talk to HR professional, they they don't like that. Like they, they want to maintain that ownership. I Bump heads with with HR and almost every job I worked at because it is it's different. It's different like we have different mindsets and and we are trying to accomplish different goals. Right, I'm trying to hire people, burn out, trying to accomplish different goals. Right, I'm trying to hire people, bring them into the company. You're trying to make sure they follow the rules and or terminate them if they, if they start to be a problem. So we're not thinking about the same way but to break down the, the different Sort of sets within that. So sourcing is really just like a, like a lead generator, if you think about it in sales terms. So they don't necessarily Stay with the candidate throughout the, the, the whole journey from application or from initial outreach to offer. Usually a sorcerer is going to pass a candidate off to a recruiter and a recruiter is responsible for Maintaining that relationship with them and or closing them. If they get to offer stage. Sorcerers usually aren't going to extend any offers, scheduling interviews or or do any further engagement. Now most recruiters are responsible for sourcing as well. Usually at larger companies is where you'll see they actually have like a team of sorcerers and then like a team of recruiters. A lot of companies get by just fine. We just have a recruiting team and the recruiting team is responsible for doing their own sourcing. Is they call it like running a full desk, like being like a full cycle recruiter? Talent acquisition talent acquisition depend on who you ask like. Recruitment and talent acquisition are interchangeable, but for me, the difference is talent acquisition is just a lot more like robust and comprehensive of what all goes into Acquiring talent to an organization. So you have to look at how are we writing our job descriptions? What sort of benefits are we offering to attract the best talent? What sort of marketing are we doing to you know? Do we have like a social media profile that we're trying to, you know, show life at this company? Or you know what's the inside of? It actually looks like, yeah, it's more salesy, but it's like it's like big picture for me. Talent acquisition, yeah, so so even you know, depending on how large the organization is and how much they're looking to invest into talent acquisition, you can have individuals who sit within talent acquisition that just focus on recruitment marketing. You know that are responsible for going to all the different afro techs events and things like that to attract, like they sit within talent but they only focus on like events and marketing. Early career is something I would call. That's different than actual recruiting because they're only focused on like how do you get that talent as soon as they graduate? But that would fall under the town acquisition. So it's town acquisitions. Like big picture, if you're looking at all the different channels Individuals can come into the organization. That's town acquisition. So, even getting down to which systems do we use? Which sourcing channels are we gonna pay for the analytics that goes into it. Like all that falls on the town acquisition but that may not necessarily Be recruitment. If that makes sense, cool, that's a good question cool.
Speaker 1:That's a. That's a great breakdown. I know that's gonna help a lot of people. And, while I'm on a subject, ask about the difference of those before we kind of get back into your kind of story and work history. Out of those three, which one is the most entry-level friendly?
Speaker 2:Definitely probably a sorcerer. Usually People will will get an opportunity to be a sorcerer before they'll get the opportunity to be a recruiter, just because being a recruiter requires Having the ability to source, if that makes sense. Sourcing is just more so, honestly, it depends on what's required of them. Sourcing may just be Going through LinkedIn and creating like a project and LinkedIn recruiter Just so that the recruiter doesn't have to do that part of it, and then the recruiter is actually the one doing the cold out reaches. Or the sorcerer could Do the cold out reaches the people that respond. They just do an intro to a recruiter and they never actually even hop on the phone with them. And so sourcing kind of just teaches you how to actually find qualified candidates to match with the requisition, whereas full psycho recruitment you have to have relationships with hiring managers, you have to Try to make sure the candidates having a positive experience, you have to negotiate offers at the end. So it's a lot more sort of skill involved in actually being a recruiter. So most people go from sourcing, then they get promoted to a recruiter.
Speaker 1:What you're right, because I have no difference between some people that kind of just source me and then the people that were cruders that I, you know, making my own relationship just because they're with me, like every step of the way, the process, the process, or they're checking on me hey, how's everything going, or they're always the ones to give me updates, like the team loved you or so, yeah, I agree, and I believe that also, I Tell people this and and you could probably agree with this but I was like sometimes your, your process and how you treat that Talent, it can make or break you on getting better talent into environment, because if they had a, like you said, a horrible time, they'll go back and say, hey, don't even bother to apply to them, I had a trash time. They trash, they didn't do what they supposed to do. When it comes just to simple things in the process, versus, if I have a very good experience, then I tell people all the time by certain recruiters I work with in companies I say yo dope company, dope team. They put the right amount of effort in hiring the right recruiters. They also put the right amount of effort in having the right type of interviewers, because that is an issue in itself and those are the type of companies you want to work for. So when companies pay attention to like small details like that, there's actually a good sign, versus if they don't care at all.
Speaker 2:For sure. On that note, though, and I think, just cuz I got an order and a little bit more jaded, I think it's also it's also about what you're looking for, I think, because I Can't lie like they're, it don't? It doesn't matter which company I've worked for, or you know how good or bad the reputation may be, because sometimes it it goes up and down. Right, you can find somebody to take that job, because because people gonna need a job, you know saying so. So maintaining a positive reputation is, it's always gonna be the goal, that should be the goal for the company and the person. But I'm sure you also know, I know some shitty people who always get jobs, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like the other two really companies, like I've said in plain interviews, but I was really how Yahoo and Microsoft last year. I was really how in their process, as I'm going through everything with them, even target to. I was how on target as well. I was how on target as well emotional.
Speaker 2:It's emotional when you, when something makes you feel good, you're like, hey, man, no, you know, that was dope, like I really enjoyed it. Even it's been times I haven't gotten the job and still like, hey, let me know, you know, if you all reconsider.
Speaker 1:Technically got the job, didn't have to put stuff on hold. But even like just the beef time we actually talked and just Small talk between us you know me checking in with her even now, like oh yeah, how's everything. A yahoo, you know how's the baby, because she had a baby. So even things like that, and everyone who's Interested with that specific recruiter is like yo, like like she's dope, like she is, she's good, she's she's like that.
Speaker 2:But there are poor pieces is important. One thing I do know from 12 years in recruiting up Whoever gets the offer, they always say it was a great experience. It's everybody else, it don't matter how long it took. They're like I don't know Everybody was great, I get it. Y'all gotta make, y'all gotta take your time. It's an important decision. I like yeah, you got the job, so it's all good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, cool, but if it's not, I probably will let you know, just because, like, hey, yeah, I need it, but y'all should do distance and this while it's going on. And that reminds me that channel that I sent you. He touches On like a lot of that stuff about a here's why it's taking so long for you offer to come back or here's why this is happening. I think that's some stuff you might can touch on outside of this, but I put in the questions all saying after that role, you went back and forth between talent acquisition and recruitment work. While you were doing those, what industries were you doing TA working and recruiting in?
Speaker 2:That's what I say. It's kind of interchangeable depending on the company, and so One of the main factor in company I think you probably referring to where I was a like a talent acquisition partner that's just what they called it, like they that was the term they use, which I like that term. I like putting partner with it right, I like putting partner with it. But when I left that company and went to lift, my title was recruiter and I was making a lot more money, I had equity, I was actually doing more you know talent acquisition Related duties like I was involved with, like projects and and process implementation. So Liv just decided to call it recruiters. So, yeah, that's why I say you kind of can't get stuck on the title and I think it's an important point to make to your audience is you should also understand your job function in your industry and all the different types of titles that you know may may be involved in in the world that you live in. So I know for sure, like looking at Job descriptions or looking only then I know the titles that are relevant to me in my world, regardless of what they, because it's tech, like they'll. They'll come up with something fancy out of nowhere and call it something crazy. I know what you're doing like. I know what it is. You're just trying to be a little bit different, and so I think it's important for people to always be understanding, because there have been times I've talked to people Helping them trying to understand which way to go in their career, and they were. They were missing like a whole segment of jobs because they didn't know that other companies call it it's something different. Oh yeah, you got to open your eyes, like just because they call it this where you work Doesn't mean they're gonna call it that at another company.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Listen, I Tell people that all the time when we're consulting, let's not focus so much on job title in this function. Let's focus on, like, the functions and the job skills, because that'll lead you to the roles that you want to do, because if it's the same Type of things you were doing here, it might have a different title. Or you might have a super specific title here that doesn't line up somewhere else, which I had a top of the clown right there I said how many, how often do you see that title anywhere else? So we may want to change that on LinkedIn, because if we don't see that that much, we need to change it to the high-level term that everyone searches for, just for us to be more searchable with that turn.
Speaker 2:Right, right, what I, what I've been telling individuals, especially that sort of like a section under your name on LinkedIn. Just go ahead and drop all the different ones that it could be referred to. That way you'll come up in more searches. But I see a lot of people use that space to put like a sentence right or what?
Speaker 1:People because I'm happy they were like on different platforms trying to get skills, post like there's no job description, you're gonna find out there to say we're looking for the top 1%, or try hack me. I told people that playing time say that's a cool thing that you accomplished, but that's not all. Nobody cares. Your interview is not gonna care. Nobody cares. And so that's one of the things too is like just being brutally honest with With applicants to just let them know like hey, I know you may think I'm sounding wrong, you want to think there's a fairy tale, but hey, no, this thing is a goal. You may find a person that's not even as technical or as good at the job as you work like you work them with them. The smartest person is not always the person that's getting the promotions or getting the big salaries. They're most, probably most of time, the most resourceful or most effective or they're the most social. They got the most visibility in the company.
Speaker 2:I must say, the most personable like this. I've learned to admire people in organizations who who know how to finesse. At first, at first, I remember younger in my career, they used to piss me off. It's like, oh man, that man don't know nothing, this person is doing all the work for them. Then, as I got older, like they know how to play the game, they, they kill them it. Like they they not doing any work. They keep getting promoted. They bulletproof, like they say whatever they want to say I like. Okay, you don't figure it out, I get it now.
Speaker 1:Yes at all time. Like man, he's gotta play the game. I mean, you know triple A's told you best. Let's see Now. I think we got some fun stuff coming up now. So let's focus really back on job seekers, because I know job seekers gonna need a lot of this stuff and I think this is one of the biggest ones that I wanted you to attack for yourself, for the job seekers out there. Can you explain in them what ATS is and why is not the end all be all to their job search issues?
Speaker 2:So ATS is just the acronym for applicant tracking system, and it's an infinite amount of them out there greenhouse lever, or probably like the most common work day but essentially, this is just a system where Companies are able to promote their jobs and collect resumes. The biggest myth is you need to create a resume that's gonna beat the ATS that is. That is not a thing. I don't. I don't know where that came from. There is still, to my knowledge, there is still a human behind the ATS, people like myself who have access To view the resumes, and they are typically going through these resumes one by one. That's why it's important to format your resume in a way where you're putting the most important information at the top quickly, because it is true that we're taking like less than 10 seconds and People can get mad and say oh, how are you really on? Listen, unless you done had hundreds of resumes to look at, you wouldn't get it like I don't. Just think about it. How am I gonna spend two, three minutes per resume and I got hundreds to go through? I wouldn't be efficient, and so that's why we're really scanning, looking for, you know, those key accomplishments and achievements that are relevant to the role that we're trying to feel it's not the end all be all, just because, as I just said, we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands, especially during the market right now, and so networking is still. I've been, I've been preaching that for a while now. Now is the time to really dig in and and start to get in some of these circles and communities that can put you in a position to talk with the right individuals that they don't even have to know you intimately. But Familiarity goes a long way, and, and so if this, versus me looking at hundreds of resumes and hoping to find someone, or Henry telling me hey, I see y'all have an opening for a project manager I actually work with the still project manager Can I introduce y'all? I'm gonna say, sure, I know Henry, I know he legit, I know he know what he's talking about. So I'm gonna trust you that you're gonna send me somebody. If nothing else, like, even if I don't hire that person, you're, you're gonna get to talk to an actual person. And so that's why I tell people Don't. And and you have to work all your, all your channels and all your networks. And so I try to be clear, because sometimes people take things too literally all Nate said don't, don't apply. I didn't say that I'm like, definitely apply, but you should also be taking the extra effort to try to find individuals within those Organizations to connect with as well. And so it's tough. It's tough Like, it's not easy, and People try to act like you know, I want six figures, but I want it easy Like if you try to get some big money, you're gonna put some work into it, and I mean that's just kind of what it comes down to. I don't feel like we we're not in a place now to where we can just Think we can just coast into making 150, 160, 170 thousand dollars, like, no, like. Most people will never see that kind of money still, and so you still got to put some effort into it If you want to see those kind of dollars.
Speaker 1:Excellent, because people definitely do believe they can just coast and do that, and we'll talk about it. So what? What should job seekers be doing in this market? So I already heard you say the Most important, if not the most important thing Networking what, what else should they be doing?
Speaker 2:So it's, it's not. It's not just one or two things, honestly, if I, if I think back on it and I've really been putting a lot of thought into this as I've been having more of these conversations but I always tell individuals first thing you want to do is do a self-assessment I where are you now in your career, if that's anywhere? You know, some people are late. All some people you know feel like they're stuck in a job. Some people don't feel like they have valuable skills and so really getting an understanding of Is the the job I'm doing today or the skills I have today, are they even valuable enough to take me to that next level? Because sometimes it's just not like I'm sorry, I hate to bust people bubbles but just because you feel like you should be making more money, it's almost like but what is your actual value? And I tell people you should really think about yourself as a product. Like what? What kind of product are you like? Are you a high value product or are you just sort of a product where I feel like I can find hundreds of you if I wanted to at any point in time? And so taking that self-assessment is important. Once you understand, like, where you are and what your actual skill set is and how valuable you feel like you may be in the market you should be seeking Okay, how can I increase my value, whether that's through experience or, you know, some sort of certification or just up leveling in some sort of way, or just Getting in different circles with different people and networking with different individuals could. Maybe your circle just isn't Putting you in a place to really be Advantages to your career. Every everyone is kind of like just trading water is what I like to call. Like. You all Can't help each other in any certain way and so you need to attach yourself to someone else, and that's why I really encourage individuals to Internally at your organization. So you should know who those high performers are and try to. I ain't saying kiss ass, but you want to get to know them, because there are people who I've met in my career moving. I was like I know this person is always gonna be legit, like everywhere they go, just because I can tell the way they carry, they sell, they get shit done, and so you want to make sure that person knows who you are, because they're gonna go to another company. I might, I might want to follow them there, or at least when they have another job opening and it may not even be in the same department, but y'all know each other. Like hey, I saw you all are opening for recruiter. I might be reaching out to somebody in engineering and the recruiting role may be on the business side, but they know me and so they'll refer me for the role and that I know that person probably has juice there because they always a high performer everywhere they go, and so increasing your value through your network is a thing as well. And then I think people need to just start to be a little bit more strategic about how they go about their job search. I Was talking to a lady other day and she was I feel like she was kind of ignoring when her value lie, like she wanted to break into tech but her background was in healthcare but she wasn't looking at health tech positions. I was like this is what you know. I like this is what you know. This is actually the value right here. Like because you can try to Picture self to these health tech companies as someone who has actually been within the industry for a number of years. They're creating technology, trying to solve for problems within the healthcare industry that you yourself have experienced. So, if nothing else, you can help them understand how to build a better product in order to Sell to the customers. Like yourself, because you've actually been in some of these roles, in some of these positions and I can just saw, or see like the light bulb go off Because she she hadn't even thought about it in that way and she was just trying to find entry points through, maybe like something more popular or, you know, more well-known companies. I like now, like you're missing, like a whole segment of companies that you're probably a lot more qualified for. So that's like three or four things, and that's why I say like it's not easy, it's not, it's not an overnight fix. When you're trying to up loving your career and it's actually ongoing, and I really like to compare it to fitness. You can't just, you know, go to the gym for a weekend and, thank you to shake now, like you really have to stay consistent with it, and that's how our careers are and that's why you have those individuals who never seem to panic when, when a layoff may be looming or something like that, because they have confidence in their network, they have confidence in their value as a team member and they know they'll land something else pretty quickly because they are always Sort of trying to look ahead and make sure they're sort of in a good spot career-wise.
Speaker 1:You said a mouthful especially. I'm glad you touched on how people want to pivot but then they won't pay attention to what their strengths lie, Like I have a guy he's been doing IT and radiology for like what 15, 20 years and I was like bro, you probably been doing a lot of security stuff already. Let's stay in healthcare and let's figure out those roles that meet your expertise. And I was like so what we're going to do is we're going to reverse engineer this thing. We're going to network with the people we need to network. We can figure out what type of skills you need, and he's been doing that and he's been happy about the results he's getting. From talking to people who in the industry with similar backgrounds of him, where they say, hey, focus on this and this we're looking to add to the team soon. You know, if you're trying to go out of something that you weren't really a part of, you got to upward battle You're going to be dealing with a lot of different things you don't even recognize. Like it's things that he's touched in healthcare that I don't have any clue about because I've never really worked in healthcare and that's how we're trying to get you to understand. Like, even if you're an education, like you do antics.
Speaker 2:Right, and I think what people to your point of that uphill battle is you also have to look at. Now you're competing with people who've been in this industry for years, and it's like that's that's going to take you a step back, and not only do you have to learn a new industry, but you're having to compete for those jobs with individuals who already have a network within that industry, and it's and I'm the type of person I don't think anything's impossible, but at the same time, you have to be smart about it. Right, right, let's, let's be smart about it. And and I'd like to tell people you're trying to jump from you know over here to over here like you should take a step. Take a step and then maybe you can get closer to where you're going, and it may take you a little bit longer, but I promise you you're going to be making more progress versus right now. You're just standing still looking way across the hill trying to figure out, like, how do I get over there? And you haven't even started walking yet.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, definitely a thing, man, and even sometimes with clients like it's one of the reasons why I actually prefer to have a consult before you just stop do coaching with me is just because I'm going to make sure I got something to work with. If I don't, you may feel like you may not be getting the most value out of me, but then you have to realize it's really not on me. I can only work with what I can work with. If you don't have any skills that I got to help build you up and tell you what your weaknesses are, like you would do if you had a personalized coach like this basketball and I started coaching you when you were like five or seven hey, I'm going to look at you and say your deficiencies, hey, you don't shoot that well, you can't go to your left auto difference, you can't do. And then we're going to start having to put a plan together. Okay, well, today we're going to work on doing nothing but dribbling with our left hand so we can get like our right hand. All right, today we're going to work on coming out, screen shooting. Like that's the stuff you got to do when it's coaching is like if you don't have the skills that I already. I have to tell you where you can go to get those skills from, and that's one of the things that people sometimes don't want to wait for or they're getting destroyed about. I'm like it takes time. Like you know, I'm on the call with you now, so you've been a person that's been in the industry and I'm pretty sure companies should reach out to you with big money, like I, literally this year. It's probably the year where well, really last year is where the companies actually started really reaching out with the bigger money. And I tell people hey, it takes time, it's one or two things time or you got elite level skills early on in your career. I was like it pretty much took time to where I started getting companies reaching out for the six figures. That didn't start with a one. That ain't something that just happened just because you you spent like six months doing something. Now it can happen, but most of the time it don't happen like that. You rarely find somebody unless they already had a very high income level skills come over to a different industry and get a very high paying six figure role, unless they were doing like they did in 2020, where they were just hiring people, just to hire them. That's the only, that's the only caveat in the outlier. It's like 2020 and 2021 where the bigger tech companies were just hiring people, so the competition wouldn't have people to hire and they weren't doing work Like that's documented. That's why a lot of those people unfortunately had to get laid off, and some of the good people got laid off as well, with some of the people who really weren't really adding a lot of value when it was costing the company too much in payroll.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean easy come, easy go to, and you have to be mindful of that. Like there, there have been. I mean, even in my own career, there have been times where I've been afforded the opportunity to coast just because I was able to. I was just just aware of my surroundings. Like okay, like I'm good, and it depends on what you have going on personally, right, like sometimes you, just I don't, I don't feel like being Nate the great recruiter you know this month, right, it's just kind of like man, I need to take a break, like I'm chill, I'm gonna get work done, but I'm not, I'm not implementing like any sort of like I'm doing this action because I know it's going to level up my career. And so there have been times in my career where I know I took my foot off the gas and it was intentional. But then there have been times where, all right, right, I was like, okay, I know, let me get my name attached to some some, some big ticket items now because I need to. I'm probably it's probably going to be another year or so I'm going to be looking to make a move and I'm going to need some fresh interview material to pull from to say what I've done. It's all about those achievements and accomplishments and I tell people you can keep your head down and do nothing if you want to. And right and to your to your point earlier if nobody really knows your name at the organization, yeah, like it's, you'll stay off the radar, like you won't get bothered. But you probably won't get promoted either. And I've had a real conversation with people I worked with before and everyone on why they not get promoted and I was like nobody knows you, like I mean right, like literally like you you're just doing the job that they hired you to do and paid you to do, like you're not making good waves.
Speaker 1:A lot of those different things in my advanced your cybersecurity career is like hey, shoot, I want to present at one of the weekly calls or monthly calls, knock it off the park. Somebody going to ask about Jay who's. That it's just, it's, it's simple stuff you can do. You know, like you said about coasting like for me now I'm in the gang decade in. So younger me, no kid me, I was. I had at that time I didn't have a separate work phone, so everything was on one phone, so I was always replying to stuff at any time of the night. If I was up, I was doing a whole bunch of extra stuff. Now, the times between two and 10, you can get what you're going to get, because that's the level I'm at now, unless it's a big incident that I got to come here for I'm not going to get promoted. That's not going to get me paid anymore on my check. You know funny, you know you realize that was like, but I know how to be effective in that. I know, hey, and the times are working. If something big come up, oh, I'm volunteering for that. Oh, I did the documentation for this. I did this. So I knocked out different things in the course of doing my work, highly effective, yet figuring out how to constrain it without doing too much. Like when you can figure that out. Like you said when you you know you're not going to get promoted. You said when you you look at somebody, say, man, hold on, how did I keep on moving better than me. That's how, like, super, super, speak up and speak up on call and say this don't make sense. Like when people want the, they want the people, that's going to give them pushback. Like I don't. Like when you just shaking your head, shake your head. Nah, like, hey, you got an idea, because if not, if you tell somebody and you get to say it, they're going to take your idea and take credit for it Because you didn't want to say it. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:You say it after the call over, like, oh, we should do this. Yeah, that person definitely still got idea. But now you right in. Like I said, a lot of things do come with time, that that not just intuition, but being in corporate America or, you know, in a corporate role long enough to to understand what is actually worth your time and, like you say, what is going to add value to you comes with time as well. Because there are there are times they'll ask for volunteers to run with a project or something like that and I'll sit there nice and quiet like nah, because I know it's not going to go anywhere. There's been times I've seen the same project get spun up and sat down. You know two, three times like. I'm not wasting my time on that. Like every, every time you know we run into a specific challenge or a specific problem. Someone has a grand idea to do that same project and it never solves anything, and so you kind of get to understand and learn that now, if something new, that you know the company is moving in a different direction and in order for the company to be successful, they need to hire a team of these types of individuals. Yeah, put me on that one, like because this one is going to, this was going to be in the paper, like this is going to be an article about this new product that's coming out and I want to be able to say you know, I hired the team that was able to launch that specific product. Like that's kind of where you have to think about versus. Oh, I don't want that kind of pressure or that accountability. I'm going to keep my head down and just just working this little section over here. Like that little section may be the one to get laid off and now that's what you've attached yourself to, just a step further.
Speaker 1:Let's go on some simple you can control. Hey, I refer these people who are killing it at the company this person got to offer talent. Or now my manager saying, hey, I got the best team in the whole company we were. We are responsible for probably a fourth of the company revenue of one contract and we've renewed this contract every five, three years. All of these, all the simple things, matter, yeah.
Speaker 2:But I wanted to, if you can articulate it and speak it at the right moment to the right person, like, and that's what's important. I don't think people might say I don't like to generalize Sometimes this with this podcast, for we generalize here. People have to understand the audience and who they're talking to and like what's what's attractive to that individual Like this. I heard that know your audience. Yeah, the experience or or what you're let's say you're in an interview situation, what I say to the hiring manager may be completely different than what I say to the hiring manager's peer, because they're they're coming at it from the top. I'm looking to make the hiring manager's life easier, so I'm going to, I'm going to talk to him or her in a way that, oh, I can take this off your plate, I can take this off your plate, I've done this, I can run with that, whereas their peer may not necessarily care about that kind of stuff, but I can let that person know, like I'm very communicative and you don't have to worry about following up because, like I sent out weekly reports, like you don't know exactly what's going on, and I'm going to talk to him or her, and I'm going to talk to him or her, and I'm going to talk to him or her, and it's it's those kind of interview tactics that I try to help people with. And I, because I feel sometimes and I know it because, of course, like I've been in the recruiting space for a while, but I've sat in debriefs with interview teams and one of the the things that they may ding a person for is like they use the same example, like for every person that they spoke with and so, like they only had, you know, like a one trick pony, like they only had that one thing to say, whereas candidates who had stronger interviews were able to appeal to each individual interviewer in a way that was attractive to them, and then they, they put it all. They put it all together in a way like, oh, he actually gave me a good analytics example. Oh, they gave me a good leadership example. They gave me a good product example. That person seems like a, like a better candidate because they were able to speak to all these different components of the role. Yeah, man, you cooking.
Speaker 1:We got this section on here for you, though I want to know if you want to get it off or not, and it's the hot takes section. So you got any hot takes you want to. You want to get off your chest?
Speaker 2:I think at the end of the day, I don't. I don't like. I think when I'm, when I feel like on on LinkedIn, like when I'm bashing a company or something like that, I'm really just doing it to be, to be funny, whereas there's some individuals on that who are really like going at company's throats and it's just you just mad because they didn't hire you. It's like. It's like if that, if a company was, if you got rejected from a company and then they sent you a email and say you know what? We actually opened up another role, are you interested? Your ass would be praising the Lord, saying how you know, like I'm so thankful. I just don't understand that and I try to. I try to make sure I'm clear with people. I'm like I am not anti-company. I'm like they got the money. That's where we get all these nice products and services from. And not only that what is a company if not just a collection of people? Like, once you get that offer letter, you are then the company Like and so there's no need to kind of go so hard and say all companies are doing this. Companies just lay out companies that. That is like that. I feel like we've seen it enough. Now we understand y'all. That's, that's capitalism. Like that's the way, that's the way the world operates. It's up to you now to put yourself in the most strategic, advantageous position to where, no matter what any one company is doing, how they're operating, how their bottom line looks, you know you, your family, your situation, you're secure. That's that's the point I try to push across. Individuals, like there's no need in you shouting to you know, this hypothetical company that they're not being fair. They did you wrong. It's it's up to you, like it's really, it's really your responsibility. And I just, I just think we all need to take ownership and accountability for our own success and future.
Speaker 1:Man. Let's see. Reason why I was talking about early to sob stories is I got a friend of mine. He'll find when people say, oh, I applied to 100 or 300 jobs and nobody's sitting there and I'm back, and then he'll find another post where somebody said the same exact things. So it was like there's linked there in full of bots where people just put in the same thing and want people to feel sorry for them. Or now you got people saying hey, I need to pay my bills or something. Is I get it? Now I was going to say I totally get it, but some of the stuff isn't making sense of, like why you can't find anything on even on the lowest level. Like, are you asking yourself the right questions? Am I actually a good interviewer? Why am I not even getting called back? Why do they keep on rejecting me instead of complaining about why so hard? Like, what are you doing wrong? That's hurting you in the process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I'm with you. I'm with you a hundred percent. A couple of points on that. If you're applying like hundreds of jobs and you're not getting like any bites no responses, no something you are definitely doing something wrong. Even if that one wrong thing is you definitely aren't leveraging anybody's network or following up with individuals. Like I just find it hard to believe that you've sent hundreds of individual DMs to people and they haven't even responded to it. I find that hard to believe. And if that's the case, you have either a very low value skill set or you're not. You're not appropriately like articulating your experience in a way that's attractive to people. I can only imagine looking at your resume tells me absolutely nothing, that you haven't gotten anything or, like you say, a low level. Now if you, if you're applying to hundreds and hundreds of positions and you're going out the Microsoft, the Googles, all that kind of stuff, maybe you need to apply to some of these mom and pop shops and see, is that the problem? Like maybe your skills are, you know, misaligned at this point and like there's so much talent out there that maybe just have a lot more experience and they're getting like the big fish and you need to secure some sort of income and start working on building up your value. But I actually talked to this lady the other day Young I think, she just turned 30 and she just got a job as a chief of staff or startup. But she says she applies over a thousand positions. But mind you, that's crazy. But I say that to say she wasn't hurt about it. She was like she don't like all that, all that pity me stuff only. Then she was like I. She was like I tracked all my stuff and she was like yeah, I was getting some by. She was like but there is a certain value I know I offer and so, like I was like trying to get a role that I know was going to pay me a considerable amount or at least increase my value in the market. But she, she, oh, yeah, yeah, she is, she is, yeah, yeah, she is, she, she legit. Like she impressed the hell out of me. Because for her to say I wish I could get trying to partner with it on some stuff, but for her to say I applied to a thousand and was like you got to do what you got to do, she was like the market rough. She was like but what else was I going to do? Just sit there Like okay, you got the right mentality, like I can respect that. I can respect that 100%.
Speaker 1:Certain people do and certain people also, like I said, they just apply to anything. So some of us that they apply to don't even fit their skillset and that's an issue. Like I did it before years ago when I still have the Excel sheet, now I can show people the jobs I apply to. Some of them I just applied to them when they have security in it because I was just trying to get another gig and some of them had me a little jaded because there are situations where I was like yeah, I was giving me the run around or telling me one thing, you know verbally telling me something, which is I tell my clients out of time. I had a client that got an offer. Technically it was like a one of them offers that's contingent if they get the contract or whatever. I was like cool, I mean that's cool and we're going to keep interviewing until we get some actual physical in our hand and say we got to offer, we got equipment, that's our start date, we not stopping interviewing because a lot of people make the mistake. They stop interviewing and some happens they come back saying we got to pull the offer, money looking funny, the economy and all this other stuff. So it's brutal, it's brutal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you definitely got to keep going. I'll tell you what I said. I would keep going today If I was, like, actively on the market. I'm going to keep entertaining companies and taking calls until that first direct deposit hit, because you never know, I just saw a guy on LinkedIn going off because he got laid off. I think he'd only been with the startup for like a couple of weeks and money dried up that quick and they had to. You know, lessen folks and that's what people want to break into tech, breaking into tech. A lot of these startups are operating on debt and you know, like and don't get me wrong Like that's just. I mean, it's literally like a, an entrepreneur, like that's, that's all it is. And so, yeah, like you still can, I think people, a lot of people, want to get to a point, to where they can just feel like they can just sit and be easy and be like I don't have to worry about a job for a couple of years. You got to have some situational awareness and just understand the state that we're in right now as as a market and as an economy. You know, the big, the big wigs are laying off, the small companies are laying off, and so you just kind of always have to be prepared for that. I, just for me personally, like I just don't. I can't just sit and just be comfortable right now. I just don't think now's the time for that. And I'm not saying that you should live in a constant state of like stress or fear that you're going to get laid off. But what I am saying is why you do have stable income. That's where you should be increasing your value and building out that network and connecting with individuals so that if something bad does happen, you get laid off unexpectedly or something like you don't panic, like that's why I try to tell people now you can't control that you get laid off or not, but you can control that panic phase that you go through because you're like oh okay, that's fine. I'm like I'm a pivot to this. I actually been in some conversations with these individuals. They've been asking me to come over here and I've seen people get jobs very quick. I don't see some people run some plays. They get a severance package and then they get like a sign on like within a couple of weeks because they saw it coming. I'm like man, that's a come up.
Speaker 1:Google, the shit. We know. She had a good severance with Google and she bounced back a couple of weeks ago with Metta. Well, months ago, months ago with Metta. So I was like, hey, you just got to know how to finesse it, man. And that's the other apartment ad. And then we're going to get into the questions about your company, your network. I was gonna put on TikTok today that you'll probably be underpaid if you don't have any high performers or anybody closing your network at different jobs. Having a good networker will let you know if you're getting paid fairly or unfairly, because they can lay nigh. That's too low, bro. You gotta go somewhere else. I don't know if somebody over here on this team they making this. Let me see if they got some openings. That's how you find out always.
Speaker 2:That's how you get information. Yeah, I mean, if you're running a circle and, like you say, you all are exact peers and nobody is asking those questions to HR or Proven, or at least just trying to be like very ambitious, somebody gotta share the information to your point. Somebody has to be saying, hey, y'all, we getting shit it yeah. Yeah, we need to be doing this, we need to be doing that, like this company over here is paying this and yeah, like when everybody just kind of has their head down and nobody wants to talk about it. That's how you get stuck like that and you fall behind. I think that's one of the points I try to kind of live by. I don't want to get too far behind because I know that catch up here.
Speaker 1:But, man, so you got your own company, and I want to make sure I'm saying it right Infinite, is it infinite talent or infinite talent? Okay, infinite talent. And so I wanted to ask you what made you want to go into business for yourself and start your own recruitment company?
Speaker 2:Bro, I've been wanting to do this at least for like the last year and a half, but I ain't gonna lie, I was scared to say I've always been on somebody's payroll and so I had a lot of fear, which I feel, like most any entrepreneur probably will right Like, is this gonna work? Can I do it? All that kind of stuff. But I finally built up the confidence and, honestly, a couple of things that happened that just really put me in a good spot. I was one to transition from Lyft and I really wanted to start my own company. I thought Lyft was good to me for four plus years and so I was like, okay, this has been great, I can just leverage the Lyft name and value the experience I have and I can just roll into something else. I still wasn't quite ready. I feel like confidence wise, and then I got presented with an opportunity to go be head of talent at a startup through my network, somebody I actually had hired a couple of years ago at Lyft she had went to the company and then we got reconnected and she was like, hey, we need somebody to own recruiting and you know, boom, I'll just kind of slide into that. And then that actually was. You know, I was kind of like I really want to do my own thing. They wanted me to come in house, but I was like but I've never had the experience to be the first TA hire at a startup and build everything from scratch. I knew the value of that experience and would take me so far in what I was trying to do with my own company that I got started up. So now, like, I can pitch myself to start us to say, you know, I recently worked directly with a founder, helped them do head count planning, you know, helped them understand, you know how to allocate sources appropriately. Should we be shifting people around internally in order to save money versus, like hiring externally, like should we do contract and so whatever, and so that's been awesome, and so just having that experience to put in my LinkedIn and sort of like in my business bio has really gone a long way. Or else, honestly, I wouldn't have had such the best pitch versus like I can get the job done if that makes sense. Now like I got some receipts, but I don't know. I think now is just the time I kind of wanted to take a break from being managed. I'm not even gonna sit here and say I wouldn't take an opportunity to come back in house full time because money talks. And I've just learned like people change their minds too right, like there's been seasons I've gone through where I wanted to do this and now, if you would offer me that, I'm like hell not. And so now I just kind of know like I change over time as well, but I'm enjoying it, man, trying to build something on my own and waking up every day knowing I gotta hold myself accountable, as I mentioned early, like how I joined the military, like that personal challenge, like I really enjoy that and I haven't had that in a while, I feel like. And so this has been fine.
Speaker 1:Cool. So what type of roles are you recruiting for? Is it just what comes your way, or what?
Speaker 2:Right now. So I'm targeting startups and so I'm only been I say only, but I'm like six, seven weeks into this entrepreneurship journey and so I'm still doing a lot of business development. I ain't a lot, but I got some things swirling around. I see now how it feels to be in sales for real, Like everybody's like oh yeah, we love to work with you. Oh man, we got plenty of wrecks Once we get this budget approved, all that kind of stuff. But what I'm fine with, though I've already had a couple of small businesses. I was doing some contingency recruitment for it, so I got dollars coming in, but I'm looking to like land like some whales, yeah. Yeah, the goal is to build up the company to where I can kind of pull myself out of actual recruitment and just have like an operations manager and maybe just work on like business development. That's the goal to kind of scale it to a point of where I don't really have to touch it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I'm getting a little bit to some of that point. So, companies, if y'all are watching or listening to this, please get out here if you need some help, we'll probably, hopefully, hopefully I'll be able to help them somehow get away with this platform and marketing. That's what I've kind of been doing now too, like I was telling a friend of mine shout out to Christie. We talked about brand deals and all this other stuff. Sometimes I was like you know I'm. I told us I'm not really trying to chase all the big brands. I was like there are people I know with their own companies that we can establish relationships where I could possibly help them. You know as well with the type of content I make with my, my branding, where we can do business versus me just trying to like I was telling you earlier with with whoever the people are. That's playing games. You know I was like there are people you know with smaller companies that pay me you know more without the hassle. So it's like one of those things is like that's what you're talking about, the network of pieces, like it's just a network, like they know, like type person you are, you've been brought them on. There are many different things you can do, especially with how many people reach out to me for a need to help find the jobs and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So Bro, that networking pieces is is priceless. I mean hell. Like just just me and you chatting now like it was just a connection made and like, oh man, we'll shoot something. Like I mean it really goes far in. And since I've been in this, you know this, this heavy business development mode Just, I've just been joined. How many dope individuals I've been able to meet? Who who got so much motion for real, like I mean like just sort of, and I never come to. I'm not one of those people like I want to hop on people's wave, but I do like to hear about what you have going on. If nothing else, I want to learn. How did you get to this point? Like what, what moves did you make? Now, I will follow blueprint, I will do that shit. I'll ask some questions and I'll follow some footsteps now, like, oh, that's what you did. Let me, let me look up this person. Who was that?
Speaker 1:Like stuff that I did traveling early on, whether it's content or business stuff. Like I'm there to say, hey, well, you can do this or try to do that. Like you know, even like when we first met months ago, when I was like, yo, you got the stuff on the channel, I think you should do this or that. Like I've been there plenty of people, I've met people at the podcast studio and record that, and I've said the same thing. I said, yo, your content is dope. I was like, but the marketing piece of it, of just knowing the YouTube side, of the thumbnails and the descriptions and all the other small stuff that goes into making your YouTube grow before you can finally like either hire a team to help you with it or you just get big enough to where you don't have to worry about the small details, cause that's what I'm telling somebody. I said we can't name our, our videos like the big channels because they got so many people that are going to watch regardless. You have to be strategic enough that someone may take this in as a search term so they can find it through search, or YouTube recommends it and you just got to make sure the content is good. So all the long drawn out stuff that you could find, or like trying to find evergreen content is different. Like these you could figure out when it comes to the story content.
Speaker 2:No, that's smart. I need to start putting more effort into that. I do know I took your advice. I posted a couple of things on YouTube. I still haven't been marketing my channel that much, but I am trying to put some of those words where, like job search or career tips, like just something that people may be searching in general, versus you know, nate talking to Mike Like no one's going to be looking for that.
Speaker 1:Life with the layoff of YouTube channel Cause, if you start typing in like what I do sometimes, like I got a video that I'll probably be doing like a solo part episode pretty soon on like, like, why are you not having a thriving career? And so I just went and found different articles that I may talk about and bring up different points to help me craft it, so I can know that it's going to be beneficial to my, the people that are watching my channel, and so that's sometimes what I do too is okay, what I want to talk about, what I know people struggle with. Like you said, hey, why say it can solo for me to get an offer. The thing that you brought up that you could probably do a video on is different people on the team and not overusing the same story for everybody, but trying to use a different story that may fit to what they do at the company, what they're looking for. That's something everybody doesn't know. So it's always like for me, like I said, you don't really don't even have to worry about some interviews. Like the content is good, people like people coming on stuff from like three years ago. It's like man, I'm so happy I found this channel or something. So I was always just playing like the long game or just making sure the content is good, getting better at the content, getting better with the quality, the audio. Like I got a cloud preempting, whatever this thing is called but now, like this mic is even louder because I had noticed, like man, I got it plugged into my Scarlet thing but it's not as loud as it needs to be. Like my game was turned all the way up, so now this preempt on here is boosting it. So even stuff like that, like this light is over here, got a light right here, got a light right here, all this other crap. So that's the other part of me just wanting to help people with their channels and seeing if I'm able to help people. There's some people that's actually better content creates than me and it wore their niches better than mine and I want to help them with that as well, just because I like doing that, I like helping. I think that's probably like my calling about just being a helper.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's why I like the career hack and Nate side. The infinite talent that's, that's the money, that's. I'm gonna be greedy with that. But career hack and Nate anybody that's shooting something on LinkedIn by hey man, can you look at my resume? Or I would like to, you know, talk to you about trying to break an attack or whatever. I usually set up some time with them, like I have learned to be more mindful. I may send them my links like, hey, find something, you know, middle of next week, something like that, just so I can make sure I'm knocking out some prioritized stuff. But it feels good to see that light bulb go off on people and be like, oh, thank you, like I hadn't even thought about that.
Speaker 1:Nate podcast. That's like that's what you're going to see entrepreneurs push on YouTube Say, hey, if you're an entrepreneur, just start your podcast, because free marketing Like literally I wake up. Sometimes the people have gotten services. I was like because somebody asked me like oh, where you want? I said I really don't run ads. Like I might put a something in the mailing list or on LinkedIn or on my story, but for the most part, like my marketing is mostly like YouTube, to be honest.
Speaker 2:Hey, bro you doing it, I saw you hit a 20 K subscribers and 20 K in 1.5 million views.
Speaker 1:So I'm trying to push. That's the thing too. Sometimes your channel gets to a point where it actually starts hitting that stride, like last month, like the biggest amount of subscribers I gained in a month. So, yeah, I've just been focused on like putting more content. I get better. Like met with a VA this week to maybe see if they can help offload some of these things. Like I have like snippets of episodes I need to put out, but I've been so busy I need mad time to cut them and just drop them on YouTube. So that's so much stuff going back from my episode we're broadest that I need to just put some good stuff on there, like in my episode with Bobby. Like I didn't get a chance to cut that up. This is a lot of crap that I'm going to get cut up once I get some more help and let them do it, because it is pretty tough. I ain't going to lie to you, but I want to. I want to ask you, man, you know what are some things you want to leave the audience with? Like, if you want the two or three important things you want to leave them with, what would it be?
Speaker 2:Number one, I would say I do believe you can strongly do, like you can do whatever you want to do. I think I know that's very cliche and sort of like basic, but I've just learned, like even myself, like I have to talk to myself sometimes we live in a world now. Like you have access to all the education, all the resources, like whatever you want to do. like you can literally like live the life you want to live if you willing to put in the work. But I also, in that same you know same phrase, I like to say don't stress yourself out about things that aren't important to you. I think sometimes getting caught up in social media make everybody think like, oh, I need to be selling houses, I need to be doing Airbnb, I need to break into tech. Be happy. Like, live your life. Like, don't put no undue stress on yourself If you're not into that, if you don't want to do that, then cool. But if you do want more, then strive for it. Like you can get to it. I think networking, regardless of your career field, I like to be don't get me wrong like I love tech. Tech changed my life and I and you know, if you have a desire to get there, you can. But I don't. I don't want people to dismiss the rest of the world, these other companies out here cutting checks too. Like, don't, don't think that just cause you don't even got a tech company. I've actually seen individuals get an increase going to like a traditional company after being in tech because your value has increased and so like. So now you're going from this big popular tech company to this, you know old school company and they want you to come in and change and implement process and all that kind of stuff. So it's however you want to. You know, package your experience, you can. You can get the bag either way, let's see. Final thing, Final thing, I would say definitely continue to learn and read and get smarter. I think that's what I'm on now, like getting smarter, and by getting smarter, you ain't got to sit down and, you know, read for two, three hours a day or something like that, but just start taking in some of this content, some of these articles on LinkedIn, white papers, like sign up for newsletters, like that little bit of knowledge every day consuming. That continues to, at least for me. Like it just opens up your mind to the possibilities out there. When you start reading about these 20-some-year-olds starting companies, getting grants and making investments, all that kind of stuff, it just shows you what's possible. Like these people are not super human, they're not you know anything special, like they didn't come from another planet or something. Like they just really started putting into work and found a niche and ran with it. So, yeah, like I just love the way the world is moving. I see more people of color, getting money. I still see some people kind of lost, feel like they don't know which way to go with it. But I think I've seen you post a couple of times, man talk to somebody else Like there's nothing wrong with asking for help and getting some direction and getting some coaching, and oftentimes you don't necessarily even have to pay for it. Like I can say me and you, we like to help people. Like if you just need a little bit of direction or even just a little bit of encouragement, I feel like that goes a long way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I totally agree. A lot of times people reach out to me. I'm like well, you know, check out my free stuff first. Or sometimes I've made a video exactly for them. Like when I made the post yesterday about going from 50 to 75k, a young lady reached out to me about well, how did you do this? And I'm trying to do the same, but I can't. Yada, yada, yada. So I found the exact episode that I did when I was telling people about us. Like title 75k changed my life. Just send it to us, and this will probably answer it better than me trying to type all this stuff back to you.
Speaker 2:Nah, that's facts, bro, and I get caught up with that myself. I think we live in a world of so much content and it's it's. It's hard to I like speaking myself, it's hard for me to say. I mean, one day I caught myself. I was like on my phone watching like a YouTube video, and I minimized the YouTube video, start scrolling on Instagram. Then I click like an email. I'm just like, damn boy, I'm overloading. You know what I'm saying? Like I can't even focus on. I was like it was like is this video not enough? Like I'm sitting here watching a little podcast. That's not enough. I also want to see what's going on on Instagram. I was like, yeah, and I just learned I have to reset myself and that's why I post so many things on my Instagram about like focus and and just kind of dedicating yourself to something, because that that's what will change your life. Like, as long as you're, you're so distracted by so many different shiny things, like it's hard to get that one thing done. And so I've really tried to implement some of the stuff that I share about like setting a timer and doing like some focus, work for one or two hours and saying, no, I'm going to upload content at this time and I'm going to cut off everything else and just focus on that, because that's the only way to get things done these days and we've got so many options and how we could be spending our time Like you really have to be intentional, so man, where can the listeners and the viewers, where can they keep up with you at Like?
Speaker 1:how can they keep in contact with you?
Speaker 2:LinkedIn is always going to be my go to. I'm trying to build my other platforms up, so it's at career hack and Nate on Instagram. Definitely follow me there. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Nate Wiley W, I, l, I, e. I accept all our followers and connections. I don't know why people be hiding on LinkedIn. That bothers me.
Speaker 1:I told you I don't connect with everybody Really Because I'm I can I tell them? If they want to connect me, just send me a little note, because sometimes I might not want to see what you posted. So for me it's kind of like I try to. That's how I keep it Because, like I have a surprisingly, even though it's not super big, I almost got like 10 K followers like on Twitter. So I don't follow everybody on there either, cause it's like the people I want to follow, I want to learn from them or keep up with them, cause I liked them.
Speaker 2:I think for me, so many of my connections are like town acquisition and so like that's what hogs my news feed and it's all relevant to me. So I feel like, when I'm connecting with everybody, like it's not enough to like disrupt my news feed in a way of like I'm seeing stuff I don't want to see. But yeah, I connect with it. I connect with anybody you can. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel. It's not where I wanted to be, yet We'll we'll circle back to that one, but it's a career hack. And eight on YouTube. Yeah, it's career hack. And eight on YouTube as well.
Speaker 1:And y'all already know how to keep in touch with me. Look, we always dropping hot stuff on Monday, so hopefully this is going to come out Monday. Say for the dogs is out now. Lower your windows is getting a little cooler. If you got your chick with you, y'all listen to. For the dogs drink some wine, watch some good on TV, but like your boy, I always say let's stay sexual, we're HD and we out until next time. Peace.
