barrettabrooks

A long-form interview with Steph Smith, former head of Trends at The Hustle and current host of the a16z podcast. Steph talks writing online, building community through shared experience, and curating the internet with Internet Pipes.

I try not to submit my own writing for conversation very often, but I honestly think this one is applicable to the crowd here. I served as director of member success for the past year at Fizzle.co, where we're teaching people how to build small businesses. We've learned a lot about what makes entrepreneurs succeed, and I tried to share most of what we've learned in this post. I'd love to hear experiences you've had that confirm, contradict, or add to what I highlighted in the article.

It was a company that went through several iterations, like many startups. The latest iteration was built on a recurring revenue model for professional development training targeting Millennials at work. Think Lynda meets CreativeLive for people under 35 trying to figure out how to navigate the professional world, especially within corporations and agencies.

The shutdown was a direct result of misalignment of vision with our main investor.

Just posted some context here: http://livingvalues.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/what-was-living...

I don't think a personal brand and integrity are mutually exclusive ideas. In fact, I think the people who have great "reputations" or good "names" in their respective communities base that on their honesty and integrity.

I'd be curious to know how you would alter the wording of one of the templates to be more honest and integrity-based.

I absolutely agree with you. I get to the shop talk and neighborly language asap when I'm building a relationship. But I also build up to that point rather than coming right out of the gates swinging.

Nice. I get your point.

Interesting point. That's good to know there is such a gap there. I do think most companies have one goal in rejecting candidates: don't get into a lawsuit.

I mentioned this in response to another reply, but, seeing your point, I do feel a second set of templates is in store. It's a matter of personal preference... But I never recommend that people be false or fake in their communication.

The bottom line in this article is this: you can be a jerk to the recruiters and therefore blow future chances, or you can thank them for their time and move on without closing any doors. I always recommend the second because I've seen far too many candidates accept an offer and then hate the job, at which point they have to go crawling back.

Well, I suppose if you were lucky enough to have 30 offers then you might be in a slightly different situation and I would love to tell your story on the blog. In my experience, especially in the recent economy, candidates are lucky to have one offer. Those that receive multiple are in great shape, and I have yet to hear of anyone that has trouble with too many offers to respond to.

Again, if that's you or you know someone, I want to interview you to find out how you did it.

Really glad you called this out. Thank you.

This is a huge challenge, especially when we know it's the case. Most companies simply don't respond. It's personal preference, but I always err on the side of turning the other cheek and doing what I can to build new relationships.

I noticed on your blog you referenced a recruiter that screwed you (or someone over). Do you think that experience and others has fundamentally altered the way you view recruiters and HR-types?

Great point here. I do agree that having clearly conflicting information flowing is a bad thing. I may go back to the drawing board and see if we can draw up alternative templates with different language so we're providing for people in different cultures.

Thanks for that feedback. I do sincerely appreciate it.

Perhaps we have some industry gaps between my professional experience and yours. I have experienced many recruiters and professionals who have wanted to know about specific competing offers and the reason for taking the offer.

I see your argument on relationships and I respect it. I think we differ slightly in personal opinion, which is perfectly ok with me.

The logic being that the acceptance should come last to account for any potential alternative outcomes?

Tell me specifically what you're referring to. Would love the feedback.

I can definitely appreciate the bullshit detectors. I'll have to keep that in mind in the future, for sure. It's hard in a field like career advice not to sound woo woo from time to time. It's easy to get lost in the industry and forget how it gets interpreted by the people you're actually trying to help.

Thanks for having the patience to call that out to me.

Agreed. That would be a bad call. In this case, if there are two offers on the table and you are confident in your choice, then there would be no further room for negotiations.

If you have two comparable offers and you want to test the negotiating waters, it would be best to approach that company first (before accepting an offer).

In some cases, however, you may have decided to turn down an offer as it stands, despite a lack of competing offers. In this case, if the employer opens up negotiations, it would be a good time to have the conversation.

I do believe there is a difference there, however. A brand is what people perceive of you before they know anything about your reputation. What do they see around the web? What image do you put off when you walk in the room? How do you treat people? What do your correspondence cards look like? How do you communicate? Those are all elements of a brand.

A reputation is all about what other people have to say and how you are preceded by what those people say. That includes things like LinkedIn recommendations, hearsay, references, etc.

Thoughts? What other terms would you use to describe the two different aspects? I do think it's important to distinguish.

Thanks for your feedback. I would perhaps agree that if handled incorrectly, the notes or calls to various people might not be taken well. On the other hand, they also represent a valuable opportunity to continue building relationships.

As for explaining your reasoning, that is perhaps the case. I would then be curious to know what you would recommend when the recruiter offers the inevitable question of: "Why did you decide to take another offer?" Planning an answer and being proactive about the reasoning in a judicious way can avoid even bigger snafus in response to an unexpected question.

I would be curious to know how you typically offer to help others. I have found in my personal experience, as well as that of others, that asking how I can help is one of the single greatest ways to build trust and respect in a relationship. Now, perhaps "reach your goals" takes it a step too far. If so, simply remove it from the phrasing.

As for the brand. Call it what you will. You have a reputation, or brand, in the eyes of other people. Maintaining a consistent reputation is the point, rather than the exact phrasing of the words.

Again, thanks for offering constructive criticism. I enjoy a healthy debate about career search tactics, and I am always open to continuing the conversation.

Completely agreed here. Perhaps I should have been more specific in the article in saying that a phone call is almost certainly the better option. As you mentioned, most people are uncomfortable with the phone call, regardless of the situation, which is why I built in an email option. I will keep this in mind, especially as I teach this material within college settings.

Great suggestion. I have an entire section on responding to a low offer and negotiating the offer, with specific scripts in the upcoming book. I'll make note that it would be good to write about negotiations on the public blog as well, as I realize the book may not be the right match for people who aren't looking for jobs.

Can't find encoding issues on my end. Any specifics on that?

Great feedback. Thanks for that. I'll keep it in mind when I write articles in the future.

The quality of production is high and Nathan's food knowledge is excellent. Definitely worth the support!