85% of the people get to a senior role credit asking for help to help get them there. 85% of the people in a junior role say they're afraid to ask for help because they think it's a sign of weakness.
Phyl Terry
Author of Never Search Alone, CEO of Creative Good
12 quotes across 1 episode
Land your dream job in today's market: negotiation tactics, job search councils, more
During job interviews, Terry recommends creating a draft OKRs document for the role and showing it to hiring managers and company leadership.
By doing the job mission of the OKRs, and by showing them that draft, you are showing them. Not telling them, showing them that you take initiative, that you're accountable, that you can make things happen.
I'm going to slow you down to go fast.
If you were in my shoes, how would you approach this? I call that the golden question. It's such a creative question. It really opens the conversation.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of confidence. It both requires confidence and strengthens it.
Lenny refers to Lenny Rachitsky, the podcast host who co-founded LennyBot and runs a popular product management newsletter and community.
87% of the time, Lenny, when you ask for more money, you get it.
Are you open to 450? That was really what I was hoping for. What I think I'm worth, are you open to that? Is that something we can talk about?
"This" refers to the job candidate's practice of creating and presenting a mission statement with OKRs during job negotiations.
This is great. I want to talk about money, but before we do, I want to think about some of the things that will set me up to see succeed in this role.
Everyone, I mean everyone, and I work with some of the most senior people in Silicon Valley, I'm talking about CEOs of public companies, I'm talking about chief product officers, VPs of product at great brands, everyone, no matter who they are, Lenny, feels insecure and anxious in the job search.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of confidence. It both requires confidence and strengthens it.
Terry is discussing asking for help from colleagues, mentors, or other professionals in your network.
It's not a taking activity, it's a giving activity. If you do it well, you're actually being giving to the people you ask.
You actually end up, when you ask someone for help while you've done your homework, you're thoughtful, they want to help you even more. They become invested in you.