卡拉·戈?duì)柖∈荋int Inc.的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官,其無糖調(diào)味飲料Hint Water在當(dāng)前的新冠疫情期間成為了大熱產(chǎn)品。然而,在20世紀(jì)80年代末,成為一名飲料行業(yè)企業(yè)家可能是她從未想到過的事情。當(dāng)時(shí),她立志要在媒體行業(yè)干一番事業(yè),而這個(gè)決心也讓她差一點(diǎn)成為了《財(cái)富》雜志的員工。以下節(jié)選自其新回憶錄《無所畏懼》(Undaunted),講述了她勇于扮演不速之客的舉措如何幫助她開啟了一個(gè)精彩紛呈的職業(yè)生涯。
在我大四那年,經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢并不好,因此我的很多同學(xué)只是想謀求一個(gè)有利于未來發(fā)展的機(jī)會(huì)而已,任何地方都行。很多人都選擇了沒有薪資的實(shí)習(xí)工作。
我并不打算這么做,但我對工作市場的了解還不足以讓我繪制自己的職業(yè)藍(lán)圖。因此,為了做出知情決策,我做了一件我一生中始終在做的事情:問問題,對象是所有人。
我想,如果我想要的機(jī)會(huì)并沒有在我眼前,那么我就必須為自己創(chuàng)造這些機(jī)會(huì)。
我并沒有與那些校園招聘會(huì)的面試官見面,而是自己去尋找面試機(jī)會(huì)。為了搜尋工作,我花了數(shù)周的時(shí)間向他人詢問公司的聯(lián)系方式,然后將得到的所有線索都列了出來,并開始發(fā)送信件和打電話。我努力地給自己打廣告。無論那家公司從事哪個(gè)行業(yè),我都會(huì)說我自己對那家公司非常感興趣,而且是一名努力工作的人,從不挑工作,也愿意為了一次面對面的面試機(jī)會(huì)自己掏腰包去坐飛機(jī)。
在我意識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)之前,我拿到了70家公司的潛在面試機(jī)會(huì),都是入門級(jí)別的職務(wù),什么樣的公司都有,從咨詢到金融服務(wù)提供商等等。
但其中有一家我最想去的公司,它是一家出版商,總部位于紐約。我真的很敬佩這家公司的產(chǎn)品。
它就是《財(cái)富》雜志。
與大多數(shù)我發(fā)過信的公司不同的是,我手頭沒有《財(cái)富》雜志的聯(lián)系人,但我并沒有因此而放棄。
我覺得去問問別人也是無傷大雅。
事實(shí)上,我發(fā)現(xiàn),要想獲得你想要的信息,最確切的方式就是去直接了當(dāng)?shù)貑杺€(gè)明白。
在向潛在雇主發(fā)送的所有信件中,作為求職畢業(yè)生的我會(huì)要求對方給一次面試機(jī)會(huì)和一份工作,但我在給《財(cái)富》雜志的信中添加了一抹個(gè)性化的色彩。我直接給該雜志的執(zhí)行主編馬歇爾·羅伊布寫了一封信,他是紐約和全美出版界的重量級(jí)人物。我知道正是他打造了我所深愛的《財(cái)富》雜志。
當(dāng)他于數(shù)年前剛擔(dān)任主編一職時(shí),該雜志一直十分古板,專注于金融和經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)。羅埃布通過商業(yè)人士及其公司的故事賦予了該雜志活力,并引入了更多的照片和圖表。也正是這些故事讓我開始對商業(yè)以及背后的商業(yè)人士產(chǎn)生了興趣。
在我寫給羅埃布先生的信中,我介紹了自己對該雜志的喜愛,并稱贊其教給我的商業(yè)知識(shí)比我的教授還要多。即便我曾經(jīng)私下將自己想象為一名記者或主編,而且我的專題報(bào)道和署名榮登《財(cái)富》雜志封面。但我在信中明確提到,我非常希望在他手下工作,任何職位都可以。
我收到了他的熱情回信,感謝我給他寫信,并表示如果我到紐約的話可以和他聯(lián)系,公司會(huì)考慮安排一個(gè)面試。署名:馬歇爾·羅埃布。
哇。
這封信也讓紐約市登上了我的必到城市清單。
我最終并沒有像羅埃布先生建議的那樣要求進(jìn)行面試。我曾經(jīng)想過先打一個(gè)電話,但最后決定直接登門拜訪。我的計(jì)劃是走進(jìn)人力資源辦公室,向他們展示馬歇爾·羅埃布的信,并要求得到一份工作。我就是這樣在高中得到了一份工作。因此我的計(jì)劃是:登門拜訪,盡自己努力獲得面試機(jī)會(huì),然后搞定一份工作。
推門而入
在1989年1月寒冷的紐約,我沿著第六大街走到了著名的“Time & Life Building”。我走進(jìn)了旋轉(zhuǎn)門,來到了一個(gè)令人目不暇接的瑰麗大廳,里面滿是玻璃、大理石和不銹鋼,掛著一幅幅巨大的藝術(shù)作品。
這是我第一次意識(shí)到了這家公司的輝煌和權(quán)威地位。《財(cái)富》雜志曾經(jīng)是時(shí)代公司(Time Inc.)帝國的子公司,后者旗下?lián)碛?00多本雜志,包括《生活》( Life)、《時(shí)代》周刊(Time)、《金錢》(Money)、《體育畫報(bào)》(Sports Illustrated)和《人物》(People)。在當(dāng)時(shí),人們獲得信息、了解世界的渠道來自于平面媒體,而不是互聯(lián)網(wǎng)。
我猶豫了一下。我真的能夠完成這件事情嗎?突然間,這一刻似乎變得無比漫長。我深吸了一口氣,走進(jìn)了電梯,來到了7樓,找到了人力資源部,并來到了前臺(tái)。
“你好,我想在《財(cái)富》雜志找份工作?!?/p>
她用懷疑的眼光看著我。
“有預(yù)約嗎?”
“沒有,我有馬歇爾·羅埃布給我的信?!?/p>
我給她看了信,她很快地瀏覽了一遍,然后看著我,似乎并不知道接下來該做什么。一位站在附近的女士聽到了我們的對話,她走過來,稱自己是人力資源的負(fù)責(zé)人。她看了看信。很明顯,她曾經(jīng)看到過數(shù)百封類似的信件,也就是這種應(yīng)付大學(xué)學(xué)生的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)格式信件。我曾經(jīng)想象過馬歇爾·羅埃布會(huì)讀過我的信,并親自簽名。然而如今,我意識(shí)到他可能從未看過我的信。
人力資源負(fù)責(zé)人用一種有趣而又好奇的目光打量著我。
“羅埃布先生的意思是說,如果你打算待在紐約,你可以聯(lián)系公司并預(yù)約面試?!?/p>
盡管她沒有“拒絕”,但在我聽來是“可以安排”。
“你看,我已經(jīng)到這里了,現(xiàn)在就在紐約,明天離開。我真的希望能夠得到一次面試機(jī)會(huì)?!?/p>
她再次嘗試婉拒?!氨福?dāng)前《財(cái)富》雜志真的沒有任何空缺職位。”
我并沒有轉(zhuǎn)身就走,而是一直站在那里,就在她面前,不容忽視。在經(jīng)歷了一剎那的停頓之后,她想起了一些事情。
“好像,我記得《時(shí)代》周刊有一個(gè)工作空缺,在流通部,你是否對此感興趣?”
當(dāng)時(shí),她的言下之意是說“可能存在”,但我在我聽來是“確實(shí)存在”。我對流通僅有一個(gè)模糊的概念。它不是《財(cái)富》雜志,也不是馬歇爾·羅埃布,可能也不涉及能夠成為封面故事的報(bào)道。然而,如果我可以在這棟大樓里工作,我可能會(huì)遇到《財(cái)富》雜志的員工,并最終獲聘成為一名作家。
“是的,我很感興趣!”
我永遠(yuǎn)都會(huì)感謝這位善良的女士。“好的,我看看布魯克現(xiàn)在是否有時(shí)間跟你見一面。”
她消失了一分鐘,然后陪我來到了另一個(gè)樓層的辦公室。在那里,她向我引薦了布魯克·邁克穆瑞,后者是第三方流通業(yè)務(wù)的負(fù)責(zé)人,而且正在尋找一位行政助理。我坐了下來,向布魯克講述了自己的故事——對《財(cái)富》雜志的喜愛、在亞利桑那州立大學(xué)的傳播學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)、給羅埃布寫的信、我的70個(gè)面試機(jī)會(huì)以及我手中的多個(gè)工作機(jī)會(huì)。
布魯克耐心地聽完了這些故事。我都不知道自己是怎么把這些都說完的。我當(dāng)時(shí)21歲,最主要的工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)就是在亞利桑那州坦佩市的Tee Pee餐廳端過盤子。我從來沒有在紐約住過,在此之前也從未來過紐約。我對出版行業(yè)的了解完全來自于課堂,而且我對流通業(yè)務(wù)一無所知。
看來一定是這個(gè)故事還不錯(cuò),所以布魯克沒有把我趕出去。她描述了她心目中的助理形象。這位助理必須全力以赴地支持她,而且是能夠幫助她把事情辦成的人。
“你覺得自己是這樣的人嗎?”
我想了一會(huì)。行政助理并非完全像我想象的那樣,但我會(huì)從中學(xué)到很多有關(guān)出版、企業(yè)界以及在紐約生活的知識(shí)。我來到了這座正確的大樓、合適的城市,而且遇到了一位可能成為我理想上司的女士。我可以從中學(xué)到很多東西。
“是的,沒錯(cuò)。我就是這樣一個(gè)人?!?/p>
布魯克說:“好極了,保持聯(lián)系。”
我飛回了亞利桑那州。當(dāng)我回到家時(shí),我收到了語音郵件?!稌r(shí)代》周刊想讓我給布魯克當(dāng)助理。我搞定了一份工作。
盡管我從未給《財(cái)富》雜志寫過一篇文章(至少在那個(gè)時(shí)候),但我所共事的那些人一直都在創(chuàng)造性地思考如何在變革時(shí)代打造其業(yè)務(wù)。我發(fā)現(xiàn),我喜愛銷售和業(yè)務(wù)開發(fā)。我意識(shí)到,努力工作以及專心致志地解決問題依然是企業(yè)中最重要的價(jià)值主張。然而有時(shí)候,你需要把控好你自己的職業(yè),而且你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn),只有繼續(xù)前行才能夠看到更好的風(fēng)景。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
節(jié)選自卡拉·戈?duì)柖〉摹稛o所畏懼》??ɡじ?duì)柖“鏅?quán)所有? 2020。HarperCollins Leadership授權(quán)使用。
卡拉·戈?duì)柖∈荋int Inc.的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官,亦是《無所畏懼:忽略疑慮和懷疑人士》(Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts & Doubters)一書的作者。她還是播客《卡拉·戈?duì)柖⌒恪罚═he Kara Goldin Show)的主持人,她在該節(jié)目中會(huì)采訪創(chuàng)始人、企業(yè)家和其他各個(gè)行業(yè)的顛覆者。
譯者:馮豐
審校:夏林
卡拉·戈?duì)柖∈荋int Inc.的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官,其無糖調(diào)味飲料Hint Water在當(dāng)前的新冠疫情期間成為了大熱產(chǎn)品。然而,在20世紀(jì)80年代末,成為一名飲料行業(yè)企業(yè)家可能是她從未想到過的事情。當(dāng)時(shí),她立志要在媒體行業(yè)干一番事業(yè),而這個(gè)決心也讓她差一點(diǎn)成為了《財(cái)富》雜志的員工。以下節(jié)選自其新回憶錄《無所畏懼》(Undaunted),講述了她勇于扮演不速之客的舉措如何幫助她開啟了一個(gè)精彩紛呈的職業(yè)生涯。
在我大四那年,經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢并不好,因此我的很多同學(xué)只是想謀求一個(gè)有利于未來發(fā)展的機(jī)會(huì)而已,任何地方都行。很多人都選擇了沒有薪資的實(shí)習(xí)工作。
我并不打算這么做,但我對工作市場的了解還不足以讓我繪制自己的職業(yè)藍(lán)圖。因此,為了做出知情決策,我做了一件我一生中始終在做的事情:問問題,對象是所有人。
我想,如果我想要的機(jī)會(huì)并沒有在我眼前,那么我就必須為自己創(chuàng)造這些機(jī)會(huì)。
我并沒有與那些校園招聘會(huì)的面試官見面,而是自己去尋找面試機(jī)會(huì)。為了搜尋工作,我花了數(shù)周的時(shí)間向他人詢問公司的聯(lián)系方式,然后將得到的所有線索都列了出來,并開始發(fā)送信件和打電話。我努力地給自己打廣告。無論那家公司從事哪個(gè)行業(yè),我都會(huì)說我自己對那家公司非常感興趣,而且是一名努力工作的人,從不挑工作,也愿意為了一次面對面的面試機(jī)會(huì)自己掏腰包去坐飛機(jī)。
在我意識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)之前,我拿到了70家公司的潛在面試機(jī)會(huì),都是入門級(jí)別的職務(wù),什么樣的公司都有,從咨詢到金融服務(wù)提供商等等。
但其中有一家我最想去的公司,它是一家出版商,總部位于紐約。我真的很敬佩這家公司的產(chǎn)品。
它就是《財(cái)富》雜志。
與大多數(shù)我發(fā)過信的公司不同的是,我手頭沒有《財(cái)富》雜志的聯(lián)系人,但我并沒有因此而放棄。
我覺得去問問別人也是無傷大雅。
事實(shí)上,我發(fā)現(xiàn),要想獲得你想要的信息,最確切的方式就是去直接了當(dāng)?shù)貑杺€(gè)明白。
在向潛在雇主發(fā)送的所有信件中,作為求職畢業(yè)生的我會(huì)要求對方給一次面試機(jī)會(huì)和一份工作,但我在給《財(cái)富》雜志的信中添加了一抹個(gè)性化的色彩。我直接給該雜志的執(zhí)行主編馬歇爾·羅伊布寫了一封信,他是紐約和全美出版界的重量級(jí)人物。我知道正是他打造了我所深愛的《財(cái)富》雜志。
當(dāng)他于數(shù)年前剛擔(dān)任主編一職時(shí),該雜志一直十分古板,專注于金融和經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)。羅埃布通過商業(yè)人士及其公司的故事賦予了該雜志活力,并引入了更多的照片和圖表。也正是這些故事讓我開始對商業(yè)以及背后的商業(yè)人士產(chǎn)生了興趣。
在我寫給羅埃布先生的信中,我介紹了自己對該雜志的喜愛,并稱贊其教給我的商業(yè)知識(shí)比我的教授還要多。即便我曾經(jīng)私下將自己想象為一名記者或主編,而且我的專題報(bào)道和署名榮登《財(cái)富》雜志封面。但我在信中明確提到,我非常希望在他手下工作,任何職位都可以。
我收到了他的熱情回信,感謝我給他寫信,并表示如果我到紐約的話可以和他聯(lián)系,公司會(huì)考慮安排一個(gè)面試。署名:馬歇爾·羅埃布。
哇。
這封信也讓紐約市登上了我的必到城市清單。
我最終并沒有像羅埃布先生建議的那樣要求進(jìn)行面試。我曾經(jīng)想過先打一個(gè)電話,但最后決定直接登門拜訪。我的計(jì)劃是走進(jìn)人力資源辦公室,向他們展示馬歇爾·羅埃布的信,并要求得到一份工作。我就是這樣在高中得到了一份工作。因此我的計(jì)劃是:登門拜訪,盡自己努力獲得面試機(jī)會(huì),然后搞定一份工作。
推門而入
在1989年1月寒冷的紐約,我沿著第六大街走到了著名的“Time & Life Building”。我走進(jìn)了旋轉(zhuǎn)門,來到了一個(gè)令人目不暇接的瑰麗大廳,里面滿是玻璃、大理石和不銹鋼,掛著一幅幅巨大的藝術(shù)作品。
這是我第一次意識(shí)到了這家公司的輝煌和權(quán)威地位?!敦?cái)富》雜志曾經(jīng)是時(shí)代公司(Time Inc.)帝國的子公司,后者旗下?lián)碛?00多本雜志,包括《生活》( Life)、《時(shí)代》周刊(Time)、《金錢》(Money)、《體育畫報(bào)》(Sports Illustrated)和《人物》(People)。在當(dāng)時(shí),人們獲得信息、了解世界的渠道來自于平面媒體,而不是互聯(lián)網(wǎng)。
我猶豫了一下。我真的能夠完成這件事情嗎?突然間,這一刻似乎變得無比漫長。我深吸了一口氣,走進(jìn)了電梯,來到了7樓,找到了人力資源部,并來到了前臺(tái)。
“你好,我想在《財(cái)富》雜志找份工作?!?/p>
她用懷疑的眼光看著我。
“有預(yù)約嗎?”
“沒有,我有馬歇爾·羅埃布給我的信?!?/p>
我給她看了信,她很快地瀏覽了一遍,然后看著我,似乎并不知道接下來該做什么。一位站在附近的女士聽到了我們的對話,她走過來,稱自己是人力資源的負(fù)責(zé)人。她看了看信。很明顯,她曾經(jīng)看到過數(shù)百封類似的信件,也就是這種應(yīng)付大學(xué)學(xué)生的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)格式信件。我曾經(jīng)想象過馬歇爾·羅埃布會(huì)讀過我的信,并親自簽名。然而如今,我意識(shí)到他可能從未看過我的信。
人力資源負(fù)責(zé)人用一種有趣而又好奇的目光打量著我。
“羅埃布先生的意思是說,如果你打算待在紐約,你可以聯(lián)系公司并預(yù)約面試。”
盡管她沒有“拒絕”,但在我聽來是“可以安排”。
“你看,我已經(jīng)到這里了,現(xiàn)在就在紐約,明天離開。我真的希望能夠得到一次面試機(jī)會(huì)。”
她再次嘗試婉拒。“抱歉,當(dāng)前《財(cái)富》雜志真的沒有任何空缺職位?!?/p>
我并沒有轉(zhuǎn)身就走,而是一直站在那里,就在她面前,不容忽視。在經(jīng)歷了一剎那的停頓之后,她想起了一些事情。
“好像,我記得《時(shí)代》周刊有一個(gè)工作空缺,在流通部,你是否對此感興趣?”
當(dāng)時(shí),她的言下之意是說“可能存在”,但我在我聽來是“確實(shí)存在”。我對流通僅有一個(gè)模糊的概念。它不是《財(cái)富》雜志,也不是馬歇爾·羅埃布,可能也不涉及能夠成為封面故事的報(bào)道。然而,如果我可以在這棟大樓里工作,我可能會(huì)遇到《財(cái)富》雜志的員工,并最終獲聘成為一名作家。
“是的,我很感興趣!”
我永遠(yuǎn)都會(huì)感謝這位善良的女士?!昂玫?,我看看布魯克現(xiàn)在是否有時(shí)間跟你見一面?!?/p>
她消失了一分鐘,然后陪我來到了另一個(gè)樓層的辦公室。在那里,她向我引薦了布魯克·邁克穆瑞,后者是第三方流通業(yè)務(wù)的負(fù)責(zé)人,而且正在尋找一位行政助理。我坐了下來,向布魯克講述了自己的故事——對《財(cái)富》雜志的喜愛、在亞利桑那州立大學(xué)的傳播學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)、給羅埃布寫的信、我的70個(gè)面試機(jī)會(huì)以及我手中的多個(gè)工作機(jī)會(huì)。
布魯克耐心地聽完了這些故事。我都不知道自己是怎么把這些都說完的。我當(dāng)時(shí)21歲,最主要的工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)就是在亞利桑那州坦佩市的Tee Pee餐廳端過盤子。我從來沒有在紐約住過,在此之前也從未來過紐約。我對出版行業(yè)的了解完全來自于課堂,而且我對流通業(yè)務(wù)一無所知。
看來一定是這個(gè)故事還不錯(cuò),所以布魯克沒有把我趕出去。她描述了她心目中的助理形象。這位助理必須全力以赴地支持她,而且是能夠幫助她把事情辦成的人。
“你覺得自己是這樣的人嗎?”
我想了一會(huì)。行政助理并非完全像我想象的那樣,但我會(huì)從中學(xué)到很多有關(guān)出版、企業(yè)界以及在紐約生活的知識(shí)。我來到了這座正確的大樓、合適的城市,而且遇到了一位可能成為我理想上司的女士。我可以從中學(xué)到很多東西。
“是的,沒錯(cuò)。我就是這樣一個(gè)人。”
布魯克說:“好極了,保持聯(lián)系。”
我飛回了亞利桑那州。當(dāng)我回到家時(shí),我收到了語音郵件?!稌r(shí)代》周刊想讓我給布魯克當(dāng)助理。我搞定了一份工作。
盡管我從未給《財(cái)富》雜志寫過一篇文章(至少在那個(gè)時(shí)候),但我所共事的那些人一直都在創(chuàng)造性地思考如何在變革時(shí)代打造其業(yè)務(wù)。我發(fā)現(xiàn),我喜愛銷售和業(yè)務(wù)開發(fā)。我意識(shí)到,努力工作以及專心致志地解決問題依然是企業(yè)中最重要的價(jià)值主張。然而有時(shí)候,你需要把控好你自己的職業(yè),而且你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn),只有繼續(xù)前行才能夠看到更好的風(fēng)景。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
節(jié)選自卡拉·戈?duì)柖〉摹稛o所畏懼》??ɡじ?duì)柖“鏅?quán)所有? 2020。HarperCollins Leadership授權(quán)使用。
卡拉·戈?duì)柖∈荋int Inc.的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官,亦是《無所畏懼:忽略疑慮和懷疑人士》(Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts & Doubters)一書的作者。她還是播客《卡拉·戈?duì)柖⌒恪罚═he Kara Goldin Show)的主持人,她在該節(jié)目中會(huì)采訪創(chuàng)始人、企業(yè)家和其他各個(gè)行業(yè)的顛覆者。
譯者:馮豐
審校:夏林
Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of Hint Inc., whose flavored, unsweetened Hint Water has seen its sales soar during the current pandemic. But becoming a beverage entrepreneur was perhaps the furthest thing from her mind in the late 1980s, when she set out to establish herself in media—an effort that led her, almost literally, to Fortune's doorstep. In this excerpt from her new memoir, Undaunted, Goldin talks about how being unafraid to show up uninvited helped her launch a stellar career.
The economy was not in good shape my senior year, and many of my classmates just wanted to get a foot in the door somewhere, anywhere. Many were settling for unpaid internships.
I didn’t want to do that, but I also didn’t know enough about the job market to chart my own path. So I did what I would do over and over again in my life to make an informed decision: I asked questions. Of anybody and everybody.
If the opportunities I want are not coming to me, I thought, I’ll have to create them for myself.
Instead of meeting with the on-campus interviewers, I went out in search of interviews of my own. After several weeks of asking anyone and everyone for contacts in my job search, I put together a list of all the leads I got and started sending out letters and making phone calls. I pitched myself hard. I said I was excited about the company, whatever it was, that I was a hard worker, that I’d consider any kind of job, and that I’d gladly fly at my own expense for an in-person interview.
Before I knew it, I had seventy potential interviews lined up. They were all entry-level positions in all kinds of companies, from consultancies to financial service providers.
But there was one place I wanted to work at above all the rest. It was a publishing company, based in New York, whose product I really admired.
Fortune magazine.
Unlike most of the other companies I sent letters to, I didn’t have a contact name at Fortune, but I didn’t let that stop me.
I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.
In fact, I’ve found that the most certain way to get what you want is to ask, directly and explicitly.
In all the letters I sent to prospective employers as a job-seeking college grad, I asked for an interview and a job, but I added a more personal touch to my Fortune letter. I wrote directly to Marshall Loeb, the managing editor of the magazine and a major figure on the New York and national publishing scene. I knew he was the person responsible for making Fortune the magazine I liked so much.
When he came on board as editor just a few years earlier, the magazine had been pretty stodgy, focused on finance and economics. Loeb livened it up with stories about business people and their companies and introduced more photos and graphics. Those were the stories that had turned me on to business and the people who drove it.
In my letter to Mr. Loeb, I explained how much I liked the magazine and said that he had taught me more about business than my finance professors had. Even though I secretly imagined myself as a reporter or an editor, with my feature stories and byline on the Fortune cover, I made it clear that I would love to work for him in any position he had available.
I got a nice letter back., thanking me for writing and proposing that if I was ever in New York, I should get in touch and they would see about arranging an interview. Signed, Marshall Loeb.
Wow.
That added New York City to my list of places to visit.
I hadn’t actually arranged for an interview, as Mr. Loeb had suggested. I thought about calling ahead, but decided to just show up instead. My plan was to walk into the human resources office, show them the letter from Marshall Loeb, and ask for a job. That’s how I had gotten jobs in high school. I had learned it’s tough to ignore somebody who’s standing right in front of you. So that was my plan: show up, do whatever it took to land an interview, get a job.
Pushing through the door
It was a cold January day in New York, 1989. I walked along Sixth Avenue to the famous Time & Life Building. I pushed through the revolving door into an almost overwhelmingly awesome lobby of glass, marble, and stainless steel, hung with enormous works of art.
For the first time, I got a sense of the magnificence and prestige of the company. Fortune was part of the Time Inc. empire, which published more than a hundred magazines, including Life, Time, Money, Sports Illustrated, and People. In those days, it was the print media, not the Internet, that shaped how people got their information and how they viewed the world.
I hesitated. Could I really go through with this? Suddenly, it felt like an impossible long shot. I took a deep breath. I got in the elevator, rode up several floors, found the human resources department, and went up to the receptionist.
“Hello. I’m interested in a job at Fortune.”
She looked at me skeptically.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. I have a letter from Marshall Loeb.”
I showed her the letter. She studied it briefly then looked at me as if uncertain what to do next. A woman standing nearby had heard our exchange. She came over and introduced herself as the head of human resources. She glanced at the letter. Obviously she had seen hundreds like it. The standard college student brush-off form letter. I had imagined Marshall Loeb read it and personally signed it. Now I realized he had probably never even seen it.
The head of HR looked at me with a mix of amusement and curiosity.
“What Mr. Loeb meant was that you should get in touch and make an appointment for an interview if you were planning to be in New York.”
Although she was saying “No,” what I heard was “Maybe.”
“Well, here I am. I’m in New York now. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’d really appreciate an interview.”
She again tried saying no. “I’m sorry, but there really aren’t any openings at Fortune right now.”
I didn’t turn to go. I just stood there. Right in front of her. Hard to ignore. There was a pause. Then she remembered something.
“You know, I think there is a job available at Time. It’s in the circulation department. Would you be interested in that?”
Now she was saying “maybe,” but I was hearing “yes.” I had only a vague idea of what circulation was. It wasn’t Fortune. It wasn’t Marshall Loeb. And it probably wouldn’t involve reporting that resulted in cover stories. But if I could work in the building, I could meet the Fortune people and eventually get hired as a writer.
“Yes! I would!”
I am forever grateful to that kind woman. “Okay. Let me see if Brooke is available to see you now.”
She disappeared for a minute, then came back and escorted me to an office on a different floor. There she introduced me to Brooke McMurray, who was head of third-party circulation and was looking for an executive assistant. I sat down and told Brooke my whole story—about how much I liked reading Fortune, my communications studies at ASU, my letter to Marshall Loeb, my seventy interviews, and my multiple job offers.
Brooke listened patiently. I can only imagine how I came across. I was twenty-one. My main work experience had been as a waitress at the Tee Pee restaurant in Tempe, Arizona. I had never lived in New York, had never even been to New York before this trip. Everything I knew about the publishing industry I had learned in class, and I knew absolutely nothing about circulation.
It must have been an okay story because Brooke didn’t kick me out. She described the kind of assistant she was looking for. I had to be committed to supporting her. I had to be the kind of person who could help her get things done.
“Do you think you are that kind of person?”
I thought for a moment. Executive assistant wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I would learn a lot about publishing, the corporate world, and about living in New York. I was in the right building, in the right city, with a person who looked like she could be the right boss. I could learn.
"Yes. Absolutely. I am that kind of person."
"Great," Brooke said. "I'll be in touch."
I flew back to Arizona. When I got home, I had a voicemail waiting. Time wanted to hire me as Brooke’s assistant. I had landed a job.
While I never wrote a story for Fortune (back then, at least), I got to work with people who were thinking creatively about how to build their business during a time of change. I discovered that I loved selling and business development. I learned that hard work and a commitment to solving problems are still the most important values in business. Sometimes, though, you need to take control of your own career, and you find that you need to move on to move up.
***
Excerpted from Undaunted, by Kara Goldin. Copyright? 2020 by Kara Goldin. Used by permission of HarperCollins Leadership. www.harpercollinsleadership.com
Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of Hint Inc. and the author of Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts & Doubters. She also hosts the podcast The Kara Goldin Show, where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs, and other disrupters across various industries.