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I think these hiring managers are playing in my face. Ive been on the hunt for a new gig for a large chunk of this year, and it feels like Ive seen it all. Ive watched some appealing job listings be pulled down within hours, while others sit stagnantly for months. Ive heard tales of scammers trying to dupe job seekers; legit employers advertising phantom roles to collect talent data and present an illusion of company growth. These days, the job market is feeling like the wild wild west out here and theres no catchy Will Smith bop to dance along to. Navigating that treachery is hard enough. But Ive managed on a few occasions to escape the black hole of applications and get some interest from potential employers. With those strides, the churn has become so exhausting that it has me desperate for a much-needed Bali getaway that I ironically need a job to afford. The slog of these intricate application processes is to blame. A popular meme once asked, What feels like begging but isnt? My answer is what I refer to as the corporate Hunger Gamesa process infamously associated with startup and tech culture in which youre put through rounds and rounds of interviews, tests, and various submissions. When you go through enough of these, which can take weeks at a time, its hard not to feel burned the hell out. A few months back, I threw my fedora in the ring for a marketing role where I clocked that my experience was a perfect fit. I cooked on that cover letter, calibrated my resumé just right to fend off the ATS filters, and said all the right things on the phone screen. But that was only the beginning. Next was the video entry, which involved awkwardly responding to a series of prompts like Tell me about a time you failed via self-recorded one-minute clips. If I wanted to do an audition tape, Id sign up for America’s Got Talent, but whatever. An IRL meeting with the hiring manager followed, then two panel interviews on Zoom, and an (unpaid) assessment that devoured a whole Saturday. Several weeks later, I made it to the final boss. But it didnt matter. After much consideration . . . they went with the other guy. Same as the last two applications, where I was on the unfortunate end of a really tough decision. Its giving always the bridesman, never the groom. After a few of these corporate decathlons, you start to feel it in your spirit. The rejections sting, sure, but its the grind that really takes its toll. Every time you toil away at a resumé revampor pull another weekend shift on a pro bono case studyyoure investing pieces of yourself. And when it doesnt pan out? Its hard not to take that L personally, word to His Airness. The job hunt has a way of chipping away at your confidence until you start questioning whether the skills youve sharpened for years are obsolete. Its a solitary experience. Telling your friends or family youre still looking sounds passive, like youve just been sitting on your sofa waiting for a gig to land in your lap. They dont see the spreadsheet of job trackers. The hours of prep for interviews that go nowhere. The facepalm moment when you realize the role you were excited about is paying $25,000 less than you deserve. Im not one for sob stories, though, so this definitely aint that. Put that violin back in its case. Ive managed to maintain my sanity by treating my mental health with as much discipline as my job search. Its the boundaries for me. Three applications per day, max, and then I shut the laptop. Short walks and gym time are booked in my schedule between those virtual calls. And sometimes, yes, sitting on the sectional on a Wednesday afternoon with Highest 2 Lowest playing on the TV is acceptable. Its all about pacing yourself so you dont crash (or crashout) before reaching the finish line. Searching for a new gig in this economy is not for the weak. Do what you can to secure your bag. And give yourself grace for the things you cant control: the hiring freeze you didnt know about, the manager who already had an internal candidate in mind, the flaky recruiter. Youve got something to offer, and its only a matter of time before someone armed with hiring power (and hopefully a signing bonus) recognizes that. The Only Black Guy in the Office is copublished with LEVELman.com.
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The room is silent. All eyes are on you. Your heart races, but as you take a deep breath, confidence replaces the nerves. You begin to speak, not just to inform, but to captivate. Public speaking isnt an innate talent; its a skill that can be mastered. With the right techniques, anyone can transform into a compelling speaker. Research shows that 77% of people experience anxiety around public speaking, yet confidence and clarity can be learned. I frequently speak publicly, addressing teams of executives, industry leaders, and students. As a seasoned financial services executive with two decades of leadership experience and the two-time author of Wisdom on the Way to Wall Street: 22 Steps to Navigate Your Road to Success and The Deep Dive: 7 Life Rafts to Survive Career Currents, Ive seen firsthand how the right techniques can turn nerves into influence. In this article, I share practical strategies to help you thrive as a speaker. Know Your Audience: Speak to Their Needs Every great speech starts with understanding the audience. Are they professionals seeking insights? Students hungry for inspiration? Tailoring your message to their interests and level of understanding makes your speech engaging and relevant. Connection begins with comprehension. Practice Until It Feels Effortless Rehearsing isnt about memorization more than its about familiarity. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or present to a friend. The more comfortable you are with your key points, the more naturally they will flow. Confidence is built through repetition. Structure Your Speech Like a Journey As you Tell Stories A powerful speech has a clear roadmap. Start with a hook that grabs attention, navigate through your main points with seamless transitions, and conclude with a message that resonates. A well-structured speech is not just heard: It will always be remembered. Facts inform, but stories inspire. A well-told anecdote can turn abstract ideas into vivid experiences. Stories create emotional connections, making your message more relatable and memorable. Make Eye Contact: Engage with Your Voice, Dont Just Speak A true connection is made when your audience feels seen. Scan the room and make direct eye contact with different individuals. This simple act makes your speech feel personal and creates an invisible thread between you and your listeners. Furthermore, a monotonous tone can make even the most compelling message dull. Vary your pitch, pace, and volume to emphasize key points. A strategic pause can add drama, allowing your words to resonate. Your voice is your instrument: Use it wisely. Be Authentic: Speak from the Heart Audiences resonate with sincerity. Dont mimic another speakers style; be sure to embrace your own. Speak with passion, be genuine, and let your enthusiasm shine. When you believe in your message, your audience will too. Leave a Mark: Own the Stage, Inspire the Audience Great public speaking isnt about perfection, its about impact. By mastering these techniques, you can transform from a hesitant speaker into a commanding presence. Whether delivering a keynote, leading a meeting, or giving a toast, the ability to speak with confidence and clarity is a powerful asset. As you step onto the stage, own your voice, and leave your audience inspired.
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As AI talent salaries soar into the stratospherewith new graduates commanding $200K+ and Meta dishing out $100M+ compensation packagesmany early-stage founders are wondering: How can you build a frontier technology company when single individuals are getting paid well more than the average Series A total financing? As a partner at Bison Ventures, I back founders working in deep tech, particularly those using AI. Ive seen firsthand the challenges startup teams are experiencing competing with Big Tech compensation packages flush with stock options. Assuming the only way to win is to outbid is a losing strategy. Heres the advice I share with founders. In this piece (for paid subscribers only), you will learn: Why your company mission is more important than ever The one type of AI expert you dont need to try to recruit How you can use compensation strategically even without Big Tech resources 1. Be honest about which AI talent you actually need While many early-stage founders believe they need a top AI researcher, the reality is . . . they dont. What most teams really need are great AI engineers, focused less on fundamental theory and more on fine-tuning existing models, rapidly adopting new libraries and approaches, and ultimately shipping high-quality products that they can iterate quickly on with customer feedback. This does not mean relaxing the bar on quality. What it does mean is being incredibly thoughtful about job descriptions and understanding what you actually need. The best teams will be laser-focused on where innovating in their technology stack actually moves the needle and where smart integration of existing tools is enough. 2. Stay lean and comp well On a long enough time horizon, its reasonable to believe the cost to write software will drop to near-zero. We are already seeing co-pilots and coding agents drive massive increases in productivity for top users. If your best engineers can now contribute to your codebase at 3x the rate they might have two to three years ago, it means your org chart and hiring plans likely need a reassessment. All organizations get less, not more, efficient as headcount scales. It also means the people you have likely deserve better compensation! Make sure that their productivity gains are reflected in their pay. By adopting tools that allow for drastic increases in productivity and hiring individuals that embrace them, you not only free up room in the budget to invest in the best hires, but you can also keep your company at a Goldilocks size for longer. When your company is neither too big nor too small, you can move more quickly and effectively than competitors. 3. When you cant compete on cash, lean on equitygenerously But bear in mind: Equity only motivates if candidates believe the company can be massive. Everyone, to some extent, is chasing a Figma-esque IPO moment. That means you have to make the case that your companys equity offers a genuine shot at life-changing upside. Back up your pitch with a clear story about the big vision for what you will become, your edge, and why youre the team to win. This brings us to . . . 4. Lean into the why The most promising candidates will optimize for more than just salary; theyll optimize for mission. For the same reason engineers are turning down multi-hundred million-dollar pay packages because they would rather work at the frontier with Thinking Machines Lab than sell ads for Instagram Reels, you too have an edge that is more valuable than money. Find it and exploit it. Perhaps youre working to cure a complex disease or eliminating the need for humans to do unsafe work. Your mission matters for more than just a slide on your pitch deck or tagline on a site. Dont underestimate the power of a personal connection to the problem you are solving to tip the scale in your favor, like the talented robotics engineer who joins an AgTech startup because their family ran a farm in Californias Central Valley or the AI researcher who joins your TechBio company because they have a close friend impacted by the disease areas youre working to solve. 5. Sell personal impact Roles at larger companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft are definitionally narrower in scope, and therefore, individual impact. Most engineers own a slice of a slice of a project. At a startup, on a lean and agile team, scope is limitless. One persons work can make or break the product; one idea can redefine a road map. Remember, before ChatGPT became the fastest growing consumer product of all time, it was originally a hackathon project shipped within 10 days by a team that was relatively early-career. For the right candidates, that high degree of responsibility isnt a deterrentits the allure. Lean into the messiness of early-stage building, where ones impact is only limited by an individual’s creativity and drive. This will attract the exact people you want: those driven by autonomy and impact. While it may seem daunting competing with Big Tech for AI talent, the truth is that you dont have to. You can win by being crystal clear about the skills you actually need, offering equity tied to a believable and outsized upside, showing conviction, and leaning into what draws people to startups in the first place: purpose and impact. Amidst the AI talent war, the founders who win arent the ones who spend the most. Theyre the ones who can persuade the best people (the right people) that the riskand the rewardare worth it.
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