Holy grail of Personal CRM Tools

(Photo credit @stilclassics)

#careertip

One of the biggest challenges I see for my clients in their job searches is staying organized, when you have multiple applications out, you’re networking with all types of people, and then juggling interview prep + offer timelines. Most people are job searching while still working a full-time job & doing all sorts of other personal projects. And job searching in tech & startups is already a non-linear process – so adding structure on your side will help you feel more in control & help reduce stress. 

When you look for a tool(s) to support you in keeping organized, there are 4 important steps to keep in mind: 

1. Track everything: You will need to keep track of (a) all of your job applications and (b) all of the people you engage with (whether during networking or the application process). Then you can use that data to identify your conversion ratios (from application to 1st interview, from 1st interview to 2nd interview, from cold email to networking call, etc). 

2. Develop your process steps + cadence: Most jobseekers send out a flurry of applications or networking emails & then wait for…ever. You should plan to stay proactive wherever possible, and make sure to outline a specific process whereby you keep these tools updated and you have a cadence for follow-ups. 

3. Build in time for analysis + reflection weekly:  If you’ve done the first two things, you’ll have some good data to analyze your job search process. What has worked well? What hasn’t worked well? Try to stay objective here – I have had multiple clients who immediately assume that no response means no interest. Stepping back, it’s easier to observe that the company just got a round of funding and might be overwhelmed with processing the flood of applications. Then, you can decide how to strategically raise your profile to a recruiter, via a referral or a direct InMail or some other option. 

4. Ask for objective counsel: We all stress during a job search. Am I a good fit? Will this be the right next move? Did I apply to too many places? Or not enough?? This is where a coach or a networking contact can be helpful. A networking contact can help give you insider information about the company you are applying to or in process with (for example, the recruiting team is overwhelmed or there is a hiring freeze, etc). A coach can help you stay objective while processing that new information & help you evaluate your best next steps. We can also help you assess your overall process, so you can stop worrying & rely on the strategies & processes you’ve built. 

Now, let’s look at some specific suggestions on tools you can use to stay organized, depending on your level of time and investment. 

• Simple

  • Best: Google Sheets

    • We all have gmail accounts & Google Sheets make it very easy to have 1 tab for tracking applications, 1 tab for tracking people, and 1 tab for tracking your stats. It’s also accessible on any device to make updates on the go.  And it’s free.

  • Runner-up: Paper or Excel

    • For some, just using 3 simple pieces of paper will help you get started without getting lost in trying to build out the best-ever job search application tracker. And for some unknown reason, others like to use Excel (ugh). 

• Intermediate

  • Best: Notion or Todoist

    • I love how clean Notion looks and how easy it is to add various kinds of objects to a page (like a database on the same page as a bulleted list). It’s also free. You can find job search and CRM templates in their Template Gallery. My only drawback is that it has limited integrations, so you will need to visit it daily to view tasks (vs having them appear in your Google calendar). Todoist is a great, clean task manager. It has multiple integrations to other tools/platforms to help keep you in sync. 

  • Runners-up: Coda, Airtable, Trello

    • I’ve used all of these at some point. Coda has online docs but seems more geared towards teams/enterprise these days. Airtable has always felt just a bit too complicated to build upon. And Trello drove me nuts with only having the one view of my work (the kanban) vs offering the ability to toggle between multiple views.  

• Deluxe

  • Best: Dex + Clickup

    • I have found the holy grail of personal CRM tools after a long & arduous search of the entire Internet. Dex is an incredibly simple, powerful & affordable personal CRM platform. It is a YC19 graduate & the founder is very responsive to product feedback. I use Dex to track my people engagement and Clickup as my project tracker. I love how flexible Clickup is. And while it can be overwhelming at first to navigate all the features, I’m happy to share a job search template if you’re interested. 

    • Note: I highly recommend both of these tools because of the features they offer, not so that I can make any $ via my referral links. But if you like them as much as I do, it can’t hurt to share a hat tip for the info. 

  • Runners-up: Relatable 

    • With the shutdown of my former CRM Contactually, I was invited to join Relatable’s beta. While I enjoyed the intros feature and the focus on building a personal (not business) CRM, I wasn’t a fan of how it displayed your follow-up tasks. Others are raving about it so I wanted to share (tip: mention you used Contactually and you’ll get off the waitlist quickly).

• Others to consider

  • Project Trackers: Asana, Monday, Smartsheet

  • Free CRMs: Hubspot, Zoho CRM

How to best leverage one’s network in job searching

(Photo Credit @linkedinsalesnavigator)

Stay in touch with your advocates and ‘weak work’ contacts to have success in your job search

I get a LOT of questions about how to best leverage one’s network in job searching. We’ve all heard the adage that ‘weak ties’ help you find jobs -- but it’s not quite true anymore. These days, you need to leverage both your strong advocates and your ‘weak work’ contacts to be successful in today’s job market. 

• Let’s define these two types of contacts.

  • Strong advocates are individuals who know you well and can speak in specific detail about your work. These can be current or former managers, direct colleagues, or even those who have volunteered with you on a significant project.  

  • ‘Weak work’ contacts are individuals who know you and your work, but probably not very well. You may have only had a brief interaction with them, or they may be someone you met via a work-related networking event. 

• Why keep in touch with both types of contacts? 

  • Strong advocates are important as companies are always seeking references, and SAs can provide a strong reference. These individuals are also invested in your success, and can help you with in-depth advice that could help you make it through an interview process. 

  • ‘Weak work’ contacts are also important as they can let you know about roles at similar companies, often moving in similar circles as you do. Often, these are people who will become future colleagues again or future collaborators, so staying in touch can be useful for both of your careers. 

• How do you keep someone as an advocate or build a stronger bond with a ‘weak work’ contact? Stay in regular contact with them and show gratitude. 

  • Did you know that the vast majority of people who network during their job search never follow-up with anyone they networked with? Don’t let that be you!

  • If you're still in your job search process, send a quick 1-2 line update to just let your contacts know what’s happening. Especially if it’s been a few months, they will appreciate the quick note, updating them either about your status with their company or your general search. No real ask is included - just an update & a quick thanks for reading. 

    • Sometimes it might yield a spontaneous offer of help. But its purpose is to lay the groundwork for growing and maintaining this relationship - and to show it's not just a transactional interaction. 

  • If you’ve received and/or accepted an offer, make sure you follow up with ALL the people you networked with, especially if they are in the company that gave you an offer. 

    • No one does this -- so you’ll stand out!

    • Say thank you for their help, mentorship, guidance, regardless of the level of support they offered. Tell them if anything specific that they did was particularly helpful. If you didn’t accept an offer with their company (and chose to go elsewhere), still thank them!

    • If they went above and beyond to help you, you could consider a gift (like a nice candle or flowers or a pen or a college-related item if you’re a recent grad). A nice thank you email or handwritten note are also well-received. 

    • If you are joining their organization, ask for a meeting to discuss tips on how to be successful within their organization. If you are going elsewhere, ask them for one tip on how to be successful when joining a new team. Either way, you’ll be building the relationship to show you value their mentorship outside of just the job search process.

Tips for managing the communication flow with a tech recruiter

(Photo credit @linkedinsalesnavigator)

If you are in the midst of interviewing for a new job, make sure you understand the process and are owning the communication flow as much as you can. 

• In many job searches but especially in tech, communication with recruiters can be highly variable. Because of the volatility & dynamic nature of tech, hiring can be a messy process with twists and turns that look super confusing from the candidate’s perspective. Some recruiters are very good at keeping candidates informed along the way, and others...are not. 

• What you might see: 

  • A recruiter reaches out, you do a screening call, the recruiter says we’re interested in moving you forward...and then nothing. Nada. Zip. Days or weeks can go by. You get frustrated waiting for them and send a frustrated ‘what’s happening?’ email, slightly singeing that relationship. Or worse, you just wait for them to get back to you, and nothing ever happens. 

• What’s likely happening on their side (a common scenario): 

  • A hiring manager said they need to hire someone with X skills into a new role that never existed before & within 2 weeks. The recruiter found a few A candidates who matched that X profile & did a series of recruiter screen calls. The HM has since changed their mind and wants X + Y skills. Some candidates have X+Y and move forward, or more likely, no candidate has X+Y but it took a few weeks to see that & convince the HM that they need to reset their expectations. So now the recruiter has to go back to A candidates weeks later, apologizing for the delay, & trying to restart the process with them without really being able to explain any of the delay. 

• What can you do?

  • Advocate for yourself by keeping on top of all recruiter communications.

    • During the interview, make sure to ask about next steps and the timeline for those next steps at the end of the call. 

    • After any interview, you should send a follow-up thank you email within 24-48 hours. 

    • Then the wait begins. If the recruiter said s/he would get back to you in 5 days, email them in the AM on Day 6 to check-in. Show them you are abiding by their timelines but also keeping on top of the process. Still no answer? Check out my ‘No-Ask’ email below. 

  • Understand at a basic level how the recruiting process works in tech. 

    • You don’t need to be an expert on recruiting - but when I explain scenarios like this to my clients, they immediately start to understand who the players are in the process and how to work with each stakeholder. Do you know the difference between a recruiter, a sourcer, a recruiting coordinator and a hiring manager? Do you know what unique role each of them play in the recruiting process? If not, stay tuned for a future newsletter to find out more! 

  • Activate your internal advocates. 

    • Many times, you already know someone who works at Company X where you are interviewing. Sometimes they referred you, sometimes it’s simply a 1st or 2nd degree connection you have via an alum or former colleague. They can be great resources to help you understand what’s happening inside the company, whether there’s a major reorg happening that is delaying everything, or simply a small hiccup in the process. 

  • Send my favorite email: ‘The No-Ask, Here’s an Article’ email.

    • You have all been out in the world and on the receiving end of a variety of good & bad networking emails. Those who are really pushy and ‘need’ me to do something for them tend to demonstrate low EQ. This makes me much less likely to help them -- and that is similar for a lot of people. 

    • Instead, send an email where the entire message is: I was thinking about our last conversation on topic T. I’m sure this is a crazy week for you but wanted to share this article/video/podcast/whatever that reminded me of a point you made, or that built upon our discussion. [Insert 1 sentence on why it reminded you.] Thank you for engaging in that discussion with me - I really enjoyed our conversation! I look forward to connecting again sometime soon. Have a great day/week! Thanks, Liz

    • The benefits of this approach: your name appears in their inbox. And it appears with no strings attached - you just want them to have a great day. There’s a subtle nudge about connecting again sometime in the future - but nothing overt. Most emails people receive require a response - so low-lift ones like this often break through the inbox chaos. 

    • Note: Don’t use this email when you need a specific answer (like ‘I haven’t received my call-in details for the next interview.’) Use it when you’re in comms limbo and aren’t sure what else to say. 

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Vincent Callebaut's stunning twisting tower finally nears completion 

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