As I’ve mentioned previously, over 10 years, I’ve done approximately 10,000 intros for #CustomerSuccess leadership roles. Today’s job market is more competitive for job seekers than ever. For every open role, companies are getting dozens of highly-qualified applicants. I thought I’d share some tips for candidates. Would love to hear what you’d add: 🎯 Be focused in networking requests: When I speak to candidates and ask “what’s your focus in terms of companies,” some answer with a well-defined list matched to their background - e.g., “PE-backed firms selling into vertical industries.” That’s great because it helps the referrer filter and focus on intros that will help. But every now and then, I get “I’m open to anything.” That makes thinking of intros much harder. 🥸 Don’t assume LinkedIn connections are real: People will often ping me and say “I see you’re connected to [person X].” In reality, a huge percentage of LinkedIn relationships aren’t legitimate, so check with your relationship but be prepared that they may not know the person. 📧 Send a forward-able email per opportunity: If you get someone who offers to do an intro, send them one email per opportunity in a way that’s easily “forward-able.” Ideally, the email articulates why you are interested in the company in question and why you’re a strong fit. Make it easy for the referrer. 📕 Prepare like crazy for the first call: When you get an interview, I’d recommend more prep than you’ve ever done before. Since the environment is so competitive, you need to stand out. If you have the time, consider 5-10 hours of prep per first call. If the company is public, listen to their latest earnings call. Try out their product, if possible. If not, get a demo. Watch YouTube videos of interviews by management. Check out their social media posts. Listen to their rap songs, depending on the CEO in question. 📊 Bring work product to the call: Tangibility is everything. Many leaders claim Customer Success experience, but what does that really mean? If you can, present redacted and non-confidential evidence - e.g., dashboards you used, QBR presentations, etc. 💌 Send a thank you note: While this sounds obvious, it’s incredible how rare the thank you email is after an interview. Even better, consider a hand-written thank you note if you have the person’s address. 🙏🏽 Follow-up with the referrer and keep them up-to-date: After your meeting, email the person that intro-ed you and update them. Maybe they will drop the company a note of endorsement. Or perhaps it triggers them to think of another opportunity for you. For folks who are hiring right now, what else would you add? CC Richard Decembrele Matthew Dempsey
This is wonderful advice in a succinct format. Be prepared - I never cease to be amazed how many people come to an interview and don't know a thing about the role or the organization - as an interviewer I intentionally ask a couple of questions easily answered if someone READ the job description or the About Us page on the website. To not know the answer to those questions, red flag. Also, I agree with Ciana, the thank you note is a lost art. I still make my kids write them after after holiday and birthday (and so do I); a little human kindness and appreciation still goes a very long way.
If the role is via a recruiting firm, ask 1) Is it retained (i.e: how committed), 2) Write down a list of all your achievements 3) Practice a 60-sec elevator pitch to sell yourself, 4) Create 3-5 show slides that you can present 5) The slides could detail the difference you can make in the first 60-90 days and finally 6) Ask what are the immediate fires that need putting out.
The best interview prep is with Carrie A Weaver. She has two courses available on her website: https://silverbranchconsulting.com/ And thank you Nick Mehta for continually connecting us all to each other in the CS network 🤝
Great actionable advice! Thank you notes are becoming extinct and I’m not sure why. They are a great way to: 1. Let the interviewer know what excites you about the opportunity 2. Why it’s a great opportunity for you and your experience 3. Show proof you have relevant experience by providing examples
Preach, Nick! As someone who's worked in customer success, I couldn't agree more with your post. It's all about creating an amazing customer experience and going the extra mile to ensure that your clients feel valued and heard. But I'm curious, what are some of the specific tactics or strategies you've found to be particularly effective in delivering that exceptional customer experience? Are there any tools or techniques that you swear by? Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and keep up the awesome work!
I would add to dress professionally. This is becoming a lost art and says a lot about how serious someone is about the job and how they are going to represent you to clients if chosen.
Nick Mehta thoughts on the cold reach out via LI about a job posting you have? I get many and. unfortunately I cannot answer them all....
In this job market it may feel like it’s a numbers game and you have to apply for every job so you get x number of call backs. But I would recommend using your network to first explore what role, size of company, vertical, etc you are interested in. This can narrow down your focus and refine your pitch to be able to really take advantage of the above asks for referrals/ intros.
Partner @ True Search
1yNick Mehta - to your point about being prepared for the "first call" and bringing work product, we've been open with CS leaders about how to properly frame their career story & accomplishments especially for companies that experienced hyper growth in the last few years. 1. What did I accomplish? 2. What did the CS/post-sales team accomplish? 3. What did my customers and/or company accomplish? If we think in terms of revenue retention, a CS leader builds/grows the strategy & team/org. The team delivers value for, delights & hopefully expands their customers. The company's revenues/GRR/NRR grows & churn goes down. In our conversations, many leaders focus on what their company accomplished but fail to properly frame their role in that growth story. Traceability matters. Leaders should find the through line from customers and/or company accomplishments to personal accomplishments and tell that story. It will be much more memorable!