Who Am I?

In a society where people often define themselves by their work, I guess you could call me a tad schizophrenic. I’ve been a newspaper delivery boy, a cancer pathology research assistant, a pizza maker, a bouncer, a drugstore cashier, a newspaper editor, a web entrepreneur, a kindergarten teacher, a nonprofit recruiter, a venture capital screener, and a techie product manager. And most recently, I’ve found myself in that lowest-paid of all professions: Student!

But the one thing that’s defined me more than each of these occupations individually is my approach to all of them. You see, I’m a bit of an efficiency nut. Whether figuring out faster ways to deliver newspapers or the most cost-effective method for marketing software, I hate to waste time and resources when there’s a shortcut that delivers better results quicker, cheaper, and more easily.

And that’s why I was so excited to learn about Steve Dalton’s approach to the job search. Through years of experience – both in his own searches and counseling hundreds of others at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business – Steve has figured out a basic efficiency formula for getting a great job:

• There’s literally millions of pieces of advice deluging would-be job-seekers:
o Use social media!
o Talk to your crazy aunts!!
o Work on your cover letter until your eyes bleed!!!

• But there are only a few things that actually matter for getting the job:
o Figuring out the firms you want to work for
o Connecting with people who work there
o Nailing the interview

Thus, having the aforementioned few resources to pursue my job search, I’m excited to employ Steve’s method in my hunt. And this will blog will chronicle the adventure – the good, the bad, and yes, even the inefficient!