Nav

Are you looking for a job? How to get a VC to help you!

Are you looking for a job?  How to get a VC to help you! (tag: john Backus, vc, job, career(by John Backus)

Not a day goes by that I don’t receive several emails from people looking for a job.  Although I would like to help, most of the emails are written is such a way that I never even open them.  If you are looking for a job, and are thinking about approaching a few people in the VC community for help, here a re a few tips to get noticed – and to give me pause before hitting my delete key.

But first a few caveats.  VCs are not headhunters.  We are not in the business of trying to help people find jobs – much less help people that we don’t even know.  We won’t keep your resume on file either.  If it grabs our attention we may pass it along.  If not, we press delete.  The best you can hope for is that your email grabs our attention and that we pass it along to one of our portfolio companies.  To increase your odds of that happening, take heed of the following:

1.  Address it to me personally.  Whenever I see an email about anything addressed “Dear investment professional,” “Dear venture capitalist,” or “Are you looking for a breakthrough leader,” I press the delete key.  My time is valuable.  I only want superstars working for our companies.  If you aren’t smart enough or don’t take the time to address the email to me, personally, I will press the delete key.  Not out of spite.  But because of what your email says about you.  It says that you are lazy and are spamming the world looking for a job.  I know.   Not having a job is tough.  But better to take a few targeted rifle shots at the VC industry than to use a shotgun.  Trust me on this one.  It may take longer but it is the difference between “maybe” and a hard, fast “no way.”

2.  Relate the subject to one of our portfolio companies.  I delete most emails from people I don’t know by skimming the subject line.  “Looking for career help,” “top-rated executive,” “Would like to network with you over coffee” and “Do any of your portfolios need a new XXX” are subjects that earn the delete key.  Instead, personalize the subject to one of our portfolio companies.  Something like “Interested in CTO position at Secure Command” might grab my attention, as might “Could GlobalLogic use a sales Exec who could boost sales by $5M this year?”  At least I may open the email.  That is your first challenge.  To keep me from hitting the delete key, and instead opening your email.

3.  Send it to the person at our firm who sits on the board of the company you are interested in.  In this example I’ll pick on my partner Thanasis and one of his portfolio companies, Stitcher.  If I get an email for Stitcher (Thanasis sits on this Board), I might pass it along to Thanasis.  But I might not if I’m busy or if I think they have good people in the area you express interest.    But if you send this same email to Thanasis, he is more likely to know what help the company needs, and he will be more inclined to pass it along to the CEO (Noah) because part of Thanasis’ job is to help Noah.  Sending along a potentially qualified candidate is something we like doing.

4.  Reference a position the company is actually hiring for.  Now, if Stitcher is actively looking for a VP of sales, and you send an email to Thanasis mentioning that you know Stitcher is looking for a VP of sales, and that you would be a great candidate, your odds are high that Thanasis will forward it on to Noah.  If you sent Thanasis the exact same email but said that you were looking for a VP of Sales job, he probably wouldn’t even open it.  See the difference?

5.  Next, tell me why you could do the job at this company.  Your resume may not be an obvious fit in my eyes, so lay it out for me.  Don’t make me do the work.  Show me that you know what Stitcher does and relate your experience to their needs.  If you said, “I worked at Tivo in the early days and helped them sell in to Hughes, General Instruments and Direct TV – and I can help Stitcher with Clear Channel, Ford and AOL,” then I think you really might be a good fit – and I will most likely send your resume to Noah – and perhaps even suggest that he meet with you!

6.  Write it with enough brevity to get my attention but with enough detail so that when I pass it along, the company’s ceo will take a look.

Finally, do the work for me.  Don’t even think that I will click through to a resume at some URL.  I just won’t go to the extra effort.  And besides.  You don’t want me to do that.  You want the potential hiring ceo to do so.

Good luck.  Hope this increases your chances in the job market!