You can thank me by kicking ass

Recently, I've gotten to connect a few job seekers with people I know are hiring. And they always express gratitude, which is nice. But here's how they could really thank me.

Follow up on the lead promptly. Research the company, so you know what clients they have. Research whoever's interviewing you, and show interest in the work they've done. Nail your interview. Show up on time, book or resume in hand. Be positive, be competent, be smart. If you get the job, work your butt off. No dropped balls, no missed deadlines.

When someone refers you, they're laying their credibility on the line. Maybe even risking a professional relationship. If you look good, they look good. And that's the best thanks of all.

These three things will define 100% of your success

[Ed. - I've given this talk to just about every intern class that has ever walked through the doors of Karsh Hagan, but never bothered to write it down. I'm publishing it for anybody who might find it interesting. Crossposted to The Denver Egotist.]

Think about the person you want to be in three years. I'm not talking about your lifeplan here. Just the medium-term future. Three years from now. Do you have a clear picture of who that person is, what job they have, what they stand for? If not, your only job is to figure that out. Leave this room immediately and go do that.

But let's say you do. There are only three things that are standing between you and being that person.

I hate to tell you this, but the first one is luck. Many of you are too young to understand just how important a role luck plays in your life. Maybe you never will. For now, take my word for it. If you leave this room and get hit by a bus, you're fucked. That happens. And there's nothing you or I can do about it. But this is the gift I can give you. I can take it off the table. It's at least one-third of your success and you don't even have to think about it.

The second one is your innate talent. The spark you were born with. Now, you are kind of responsible for making sure the talent you have syncs up with the life you want. (I could say I want to be an NBA superstar in three years, but I'm 40 and I can't jump, so that's not going to work out for me.) But if you have an honest understanding of your talent and if it ladders up to your dreams, you can forget about that one, too.

Which means the third one is the only variable you actually have control over. And it is how hard you are willing to work. Work is how you turn talent into skill. Work is how you turn skill into a career. I would encourage you to work on all fronts - planning, networking, creating, learning, everything. Do it with passion. No facet of your life is going to take care of itself. Put in the time. If you want to be a great creative director, put in the time. If you want to be a great surfer, put in the time. If you want to be a great parent, put in the time.

So my advice to you is to quit listening to me ramble and get out there and work your ass off. It's all you got.

The most important lesson I've learned at Karsh Hagan. So far.

"You need a new job every three years."

I don't know where I first heard that advice. But it's true. Careers are like sharks. You swim or you sink. You need a new client, a new promotion, a new responsibility, a new agency, a new something every three years. Or you're drowning and you don't even know it.

I joined Karsh Hagan five years ago. The agency offered me the chance to do something I've never done before. Take on new challenges and responsibilities without job hopping. And my time here has been all hopscotch and kisses.

Not.

These years have been a whirlwind. Often exhilarating. Frequently exhausting. Sometimes tragic. And they've taught me something that everyone needs to know.

Character is not revealed through victory. Or at an office party. Or over coffee.

You learn what people are made of when you're climbing into a production van together at 4:00 a.m. on three hours of sleep because you have to chase the sunrise.

And when you're sweating at the agency at midnight pulling a deck together for a presentation that's happening in nine hours. Tick tock.

And when you realize that if you don't win a pitch, a friend is going to lose his job. So you find a way to make it happen.

You learn what people are made of when you're all standing in the same room staring up at the ceiling or out the window, trying figure out how you can bear to go on after someone you all loved dies.

Celebration is nice. And important. But it doesn't teach you much. I've learned to welcome the foxhole. To be inspired by it. To let it bring out my best. To trust my team. To find ways to win.

And you should learn that too.

[Also posted on the Karsh Hagan blog and the Egotist.]

Is experience a good thing?

The Egotist is running a series of posts from jobseekers. In one, a designer named Kammerer included his 21 years of experience without citing any brands he'd worked on or awards he'd won. I posted a comment that read, in part:

Is citing how many years of experience you have really a plus? At a certain point, people look at your resume and say, “If you have that many years of experience, you should have won a certain number of awards, made creative director, worked at some great shops, and so on.” Your experience starts to work against you.

For instance, Anomaly ECD and 2007 Denver 50 judge Mike Byrne starts his bio this way:

Mike Byrne is a former Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy Portland, where he served as the co-creative chief for the agency's cornerstone Nike account from 2000 - 2006. During his tenure, W+K Portland amassed more awards than any other agency in the United States including two 'Agency of the Year' honors.

I'm not trying to call anyone out, especially not the designer in question. I'm just wondering how many years of experience you can have before people start to raise their eyebrows and wonder why you haven't been promoted.