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Hello again, my friend,
Over the last three weeks, I’ve covered getting hired, crushing the first 90 days, and keeping that job. Everything was well received. The messages were great, but I got several questions, most centered around one theme.
“Did you get a job because you did this, or because beehiiv (where I work) is a great company?”
That’s the second half of a career, isn’t it? Not just getting hired. Picking the right place to spend your effort.
You can do all the right things. Get the job. Go above and beyond. But have absolutely nothing to show for it if the company is the problem. If it’s not the company, it could be the industry, since technology can put entire industries out of business. Bosses or CEOs could piss away all the money (I’ve been there), leaving you in the lurch. There are many more factors beyond just you.
That brings us to today’s post: picking winners.
Industry.
Company.
Boss (the exact person).
I’ve done this right, and I’ve done this wrong. Now that we’ve gone over how to land a job, it’s time to figure out which ones are worth investing extra time into when applying.
You can work incredibly hard, but if you place that effort in the wrong asset, the return is low.
Let’s lock in.
Context
It’s one of the shittiest feelings in the world to see your career stall (or end) after working so hard for reasons outside your control.
Your government changes a policy that tanks your industry.
The company ‘pivots’ and suddenly you’re not needed anymore.
The CEO spends money like an idiot and now people have to get laid off.
And to be clear, I fully support someone who is desperate taking whatever they can get. I get it. I’ve been there. It’s just part of the game to save some money in a job that feels like a dead end until you have enough to make a move.
There is a general sentiment that the most important decision of your life is who you marry (or choose as your partner).
As an entrepreneur, it’s what you choose to work on (for another post).
As an employee, it’s where you work. The industry, company, and, by extension, the boss.
I want to be clear that there are so many companies in the world, and this may not apply to all of them. It’s not 100% applicable in all cases.
Since I recommend doing more work upfront in applications, I use these shortcuts to help decide where to go, knowing there are some awesome companies I could miss.
It’s also a matter of what you’re looking for. I write this for people looking to really grow in a career, not those primarily seeking work-life balance.
I hope this helps.
Industry
Most people think about the company they’ll work for, or the boss that will manage them. That’s not wrong, but it ignores the bigger picture.
For example, Yellow Pages was in my local area. They had so much money from the phone book days (before the internet, our parents looked up phone numbers from one massive book that had them all).
The entire phone book industry is dead and gone. So while Yellow Pages offered a nice office with ping-pong tables, benefits, and a “competitive salary,” it’s tough to choose them.
Green flags:
“A rising tide raises all ships.”
Booming industries, growing quickly, with new companies popping up all the time, are the industries to look at. Not every company in the industry will be good.
But not all of them. Crypto was booming for a while, and many of those companies were scams. AI is booming now, but many of these companies shut down in the same year they open.
“Propped up by someone else’s money.”
The entire “climate” industry in Canada is fed fortunes from the government. As long as the money keeps rolling in, the industry is safe (but mind the risk if that money goes away).
Venture Capitalists are pouring billions into industries like AI, the “Creator Economy,” automation, etc.
“Old reliable”
Massive, 100+ year old industries that are seemingly here to stay. Insurance, financial services, manufacturing, etc.
These industries won’t die, and are full of new openings because they have enough money to adopt new technology (instead of be replaced by it).
Here’s why beehiiv fits into all of this so well.
The “creator economy” is a booming industry.
beehiiv has raised money from VCs.
It started with email, and while not 100 years old, it’s a tried and true technology (as far as technology goes).
Red flags:
A seriously dying industry (no matter how cool the company is).
I’m not talking about 2% contraction in one year. I’m talking about the ones really deep into the red.
Network T.V.
Yellow pages / print magazines, etc.
Cash counting machines (very specific, but you get the idea).
Dependent on someone else’s technology.
There are thousands of companies that built their entire business on FB pages, only to lose everything when FB cut third-party apps in the 2010s.
Same with Instagram or any social media. One change to how they do things can completely ruin a business.
A lot of new “vibe-coded” apps are in this position. If the AI companies raise their prices, it could do a lot of damage since everything they do is based on their tokens.
Companies
It’s awful to work for a company that doesn’t appreciate or reward your efforts. Some choose not to, others can’t, but it doesn’t matter either way. Picking the right company is more important than your personal efforts, because the wrong company wastes them, and you suffer for it.
For example, I was a salesman at a company for almost three years. We tripled the business in 2 years. But those last six to nine months revealed deeper flaws. The company had overspent, and when the local real estate market had a down year, it all fell apart and half the company was laid off.
Green Flags
Here’s what I’d look for in a company.
Fast companies that really move.
Updates, quick announcements, and progress (more opportunities for us to succeed).
Slow companies suck the life out of people with endless meetings, reports, documents, and pushing paper in circles. Old and reliable industries can have companies like this, but at least they’re safe.
Based in the big cities. I’ll take some flak for this, but take my word for it. This isn’t universally true, but it’s been directionally true in my experience.
Everyone I know who moved to a big city went on to do well in their careers, whether they stayed or not. The expression “if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere” seems to mean something.
These cities are also tied to stronger currencies (USD), have a culture of innovation (if not public companies), and pay better (if all other things are equal).
These companies also have more exposure to larger markets and are set up to do well by virtue of operating in them in the first place.
History of employees going on to do big things.
If people who succeeded there went on to have success elsewhere, that’s a good indicator it could happen to you.
Many of Paypal’s early founders went on to build some of the world’s biggest businesses, for example.
These people learn what it takes to succeed, and build skills other companies want (or benefit them if they start a business).
Red Flags
Controversy.
Not all controversy is true, but if the business and the team is tied up in bad press, it’s probably better just to avoid it in my opinion.
Bad reviews from previous employees.
Companies work very hard, and ask employees to leave positive reviews. If negative reviews are public, I’d assume they’re serious and that bad.
Haven’t done anything in months.
Aside from this, slow companies are often a dead end.
Bosses
You can be in an awesome company in a booming industry, with everything looking pristine. If your boss is terrible, your career may be over right there. The question is how to figure it out upfront.
We’re talking about the leaders of the business, not necessarily your future boss. But the same applies to them as well.
Green Flags:
Hardest worker in the room.
I very specifically remember talking to an employee who realized they did all the work while their boss was just in meetings and telling them what to do. It led to extreme resentment and ended badly.
Ultimately, the Founder/CEO is the one driving, and (especially with smaller companies), their performance is what decides if you have a bright future there or not.
Clear vision, amazing prioritization.
So many business leaders talk a big game and then don’t actually get it done.
They’ll blame staffing, the market, something else.
Ultimately, do we buy into their vision, and believe they’re competent enough to get it done?
Expert in their field
Not awards like 30 under 30, or whatever. Those awards have lost credibility because so many of the Forbes 30 under 30 are in jail now. They can be bought.
A CEO cannot effectively lead a company if they are not an expert in that industry.
History of showing empathy.
We’ll never really know if someone is a good person or not. But we can see if they’re nice, respect the people around them, have something to suggest they’re a good person.
Red Flags
There are too many to name. But these are the top 3 for me, and they’re not the obvious ones like micro-managing or hypocrisy. These are the signs I’ve realized, looking back on the bad times, that I wish I’d noticed sooner. You can also take the opposite of the green flags as red flags obviously.
Obsessed with their Instagram. It sounds weird, but hear me out.
If the CEO of the business is fixating on their IG, their priorities are broken. Especially if they’re always traveling.
It’s great when they’re public, responding to customers, and taking feedback from the market. But this is for their personal account.
Never gets into the details.
When interviews are always big picture and they’re not articulating any details, chances are they’re not part of them.
Trying to look “good” in front of all people at all times.
The great leaders are not afraid of making enemies. They’re not necessarily picking every fight they can, but people-pleasing (while admirable in moderation, internally), creates conflicts nobody wants to deal with when it goes too far.
The next step
Whether looking for a new job or not, it’s always helpful to keep a list of industries, companies, and leaders we want to work with. It’s something I never considered until now, but it’s a great list to return to every month or so.
If you don’t have that list, consider starting one. Never know when it might come in handy.
As always, thanks again for reading.
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