Linchpin_ Are You Indispensable_ - Seth Godin [31]
few years ago, when the work you did inside of an organization was almost entirely
anonymous. The Internet shines a light on your projects.
The only way to prove (as opposed to assert) that you are an indispensable linchpin-someone worth recruiting, moving to the top of the pile, and hiring--is to show, not tell.
Projects are the new resumes.
If your Google search isn't what you want (need) it to be, then change it.
Change it through your actions and connections and generosity. Change it by so overdelivering that people post about you. Change it by creating a blog that is so insightful
about your area of expertise that others refer to it. And change it by helping other people
online.
The long tail that Chris Anderson wrote about doesn't apply only to CDs and books. It
applies to people, too. Sure, there are "hits" like rock stars or politicians or CEOs. But
there's also room for everyone who wants to make a difference. It doesn't matter where
you live on the long tail, as long as the tribe of people you connect with are eager to seek
you out and help you succeed.
How to Get a Great Job
A lot of this discussion begs the question: If you're a linchpin, indispensable, worth
hiring, and able to make a difference, how do you get a job in a world filled with me-too
resumes and factories?
If that is the question, you don't. You won't often be able to persuade the standardized HR
system to make an exception. A better plan: find a company that understands the value of
the linchpin. Find a company that doesn't use a computer to scan resumes, a company that
hires people, not paper.
Jason Zimdars is a linchpin. He's a graphic designer living in Oklahoma and he has
design chops that any smart company would kill for. It took Jason a year to get a job
working for 37signals, a cutting-edge software company in Chicago. How did they find
each other?
It wasn't his resume. Over the course of the year, Jason corresponded with people at the
company. He didn't send in a boring resume, he talked to them about his work and their
needs. They hired him to do a freelance project. He excelled at that, so they gave him an
assignment on spec. You can see the page he built online:
http://jasonzimdars.com/svn/highrise.html.
Two things were at work here. First, 37signals is a company dedicated to hiring only
linchpins. They reject the traditional pump-and-dump approach to hiring, and they're not
indulging their egos by hiring people dumber than they are. Second, Jason is really good
at what he does and he's willing to stand up and be recognized for his work. You are not
your resume. You are your work.
If the game is designed for you to lose, don't play that game. Play a different one.
Hiring at IDEO
Blogger Andrew Chen reports design firm IDEO is hiring marketers using a new
technique. They ask applicants to make a PowerPoint presentation of their resume and
then present it to a group of five or six people at the firm. The applicant has to defend the
work, answer questions, and lead a discussion.
One more chance to stand out, not to fit in. One more way to discover who has the actual
skills (engagement, rapport, intellect, charisma, openness) to thrive in a modern work
environment.
Saying No
There are two ways the linchpin can use "no."
The first is to never use it. There's a certain sort of indispensable team member who
always finds a yes. She always manages to find a way to make things happen, and she
does it. It's done. Yes.
Those people are priceless.
Amazingly, there's a second kind of linchpin. This person says "no" all the time. She says
no because she has goals, because she's a practical visionary, because she understands
priorities. She says no because she has the strength to disappoint you now in order to
delight you later.
When used with good intent, this negative linchpin is also priceless. She is so focused on
her art that she knows that a no now is a worthy investment for the magic that will be
delivered