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Pryvit Ted. Long morning, so some thoughts that may be of use. CV: - No real education (this is the U.K., everyone has a degree if they're white-collar); n

Pryvit Ted. Long morning, so some thoughts that may be of use. CV: - No real education (this is the U.K., everyone has a degree if they're white-collar); no "MBA Essentials" is not a real degree from LSE -- it's more like Harvard Extension School or MIT EdX - Too much design shenanigans. I can barely make sense of what sort of P&L experience you had, much less what you actually did in your resume. Are you a designer, an executive, a salesman, or a leader? Going for "God Emperor Generalist that can do anything" comes off as unfocused. Tailor the resume so it only reflects the exact skill-sets necessary for the job at hand (i.e. don't talk about developing a GTM strat, if you're looking to be a designer). - Too much flourish. This is the U.K. Your resume looks like it's trying to scam me. Less color, less stars, less fancy gimmicks. - "Developed phygital, industrial EdTech platform" -- is this a typo or is this a play on physical-digital divide? See point above. General Strategy: - While "creator economy," "metaverse," and related tech are popular in Eastern Europe, they're second-class industries in the first world. - Anglosphere has pulled back investing into R&D and so-on. This resume and strategy would have worked in the era of cheap money, and mania -- but not now. Everyone is more serious, and only looking for things that will help them *now* (not years from now). - This is not Eastern Europe -- everything is more "who you know." Era of "diamond in the rough -- we should take a chance and have him preside over important shit" is not now. While I can appreciate the marketing strategy here to get your name out, it's more important to make long-lasting bonds in these times. And for the work you've done, no one is going to put up the position in a job portal -- they're going to find someone with the requisite skills in their network. - U.K. is not the place for your scene. It's stodgy. Sales doesn't work as well (see: more relationships). Very few are going to need your skills. Spin your experience less into manic "conquer the world" and more "didn't rock the boat, but helped many people achieve their goals." - CEOs don't need to apply to random job postings You're going to have to take a step down and come back to the real world for a few years. A sales gig is the most probable outcome for the "here-and-now." Best of luck.

Narciss 3y ago
Wow, that was hardcore. The hard love was oddly refreshing, especially given the razor sharp take.
themodelplumber 3y ago
He should make your reply an attachment to his CV. He'll get an amazing job in no time, even if out of sympathy for how he's been treated! You can be direct, gentle, and helpful at the same time. Just takes a little creativity...
- orbz 3y ago
  At the executive level you stop getting the kid gloves with the feedback (no feedback sandwich, no mincing words, very direct and to the point). The other thing that happens at the executive level is you stop getting direct feedback at all, so when someone spends the time to give you some direct feedback it is a gift to be treasured. As soon as you find a role you’re already on a PIP and often times the feedback you get will be from your exit interview.
  - themodelplumber 3y ago
    > At the executive level you stop getting the kid gloves with the feedback Hmm, that doesn't ring true here, I've coached a lot of execs and the ones you described are often getting the coaching for the very reason that they are too direct! The consequences for that are varied and definitely real. And again, you can be very direct and also sensitive, gentle, etc. So it's not like there aren't any options for putting things out there in an effective way. > The other thing that happens at the executive level is you stop getting direct feedback at all, so when someone spends the time to give you some direct feedback it is a gift to be treasured This would seem to be a pretty logical self-reinforcing loop on its own, but again, I have to say that in practice it would be quite an exception. There are many, many different mechanisms through which executives receive feedback. The exceptions who aren't getting feedback, even in those cases, are the execs who are too direct. Why? Because the same people are often effectively deaf to feedback. And so, they tell professional consultants and coaches that they'd like to learn to be _more_ sensitive to feedback. Their training is nearly the exact reverse of what a lot of people think execs want or need. These kinds of execs often explain that they'd prefer to be able to pick up even the subtleties, in a way that a) helps them do their job more competently and b) protects them from even more critique, which is what some of the most direct people out there fear more than anything. So, I have a hard time buying this as a general principle, let alone some given attribute of just doin' business. If any given person or commentator is experiencing those issues themselves, it's far more likely, in my professional experience, that they share the same blind spot that other over-direct people have.
pdimitar 3y ago
As an Eastern European with 21.5y of programming career, I have exactly zero clue what do your EE tidbits mean.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  I think parent doesn't know much about Eastern Europe jobs market, but makes assumptions, and wrong ones at that. He's also wrong about not being able to get a tech job without a degree in the UK when by Europeans standards UK is one of the most liberal places to get tech jobs without a degree, as many other EU countries are a lot more strict about letting you in without a degree then the UK, especially if higher education is 100% free and everyone has a degree. He does have a correct point that in this economy, unless you already have strong connections inside the company, most places are only hiring outside workers for "the trenches" and less managers, leaders and visionaries.
  - seabass-labrax 3y ago
    I agree with you that, logically, it should be the case that "many other EU countries are a lot more strict about letting you in without a degree then the UK, especially if higher education is 100% free". However, my experience as a British person (admittedly, sample size of N=1 participants) is the polar opposite. During the pandemic, I was offered (by a fellow contributor to an open source project) a pretty high-flying role in a large semiconductor company. It would be remote-working for a technical department which was based in Germany. Ultimately, though, I couldn't be employed because the British HR department of the company had a policy of 'no degree, no job'!
    - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
      >a pretty high-flying role in a large semiconductor company Well there's your problem. Semiconductor companies, like all "real engineering" companies, mandate academic credentials for everyone on the technical side, especially for "high flying roles", nothing to do with the UK, in Germany it would have been the same or even more strict, it's how the industry operates. If your "high flying role" would have not worked out, then the HR lady would have been under fire for letting in someone without a degree and not following protocol. She was just covering her ass by doing things by the book of the industry/company. Try SW companies and you'll be fine without a degree. The more scientific and old-school engineering the company is, the more they fixate on your credentials. Here in Austria, some even want to see your university grades.
drc500free 3y ago
Incredibly on-point feedback. The CV is quite unfocused, too clever with invented terminology, and vacillates between professional and unprofessional. Boiled down to just the outcomes it could be solid, but even the "focused" versions are a bit all over the place. Honestly, put all the hours spent on CV design towards trying to get coffee with useful people.
confidantlake 3y ago
Having spent some time in Eastern Europe, it is much more "who you know" than Western Europe by a mile.
ericjmorey 3y ago
You've put a lot more effort into breaking down a lot of the issues than I would have, but my initial thoughts while reading the post were very similar to what you laid out. But it's almost a disservice to say anything more to this man than, get a job in sales. He should literally forget everything else written and just focus on getting a job in sales.
rvba 3y ago
'Metaverse' is a joke everywhere. No serious person believes in that. Maybe some crypto bros.

Narciss 3y ago

Wow, that was hardcore. The hard love was oddly refreshing, especially given the razor sharp take.

themodelplumber 3y ago

He should make your reply an attachment to his CV. He'll get an amazing job in no time, even if out of sympathy for how he's been treated! You can be direct, gentle, and helpful at the same time. Just takes a little creativity...

orbz 3y ago
At the executive level you stop getting the kid gloves with the feedback (no feedback sandwich, no mincing words, very direct and to the point). The other thing that happens at the executive level is you stop getting direct feedback at all, so when someone spends the time to give you some direct feedback it is a gift to be treasured. As soon as you find a role you’re already on a PIP and often times the feedback you get will be from your exit interview.
- themodelplumber 3y ago
  > At the executive level you stop getting the kid gloves with the feedback Hmm, that doesn't ring true here, I've coached a lot of execs and the ones you described are often getting the coaching for the very reason that they are too direct! The consequences for that are varied and definitely real. And again, you can be very direct and also sensitive, gentle, etc. So it's not like there aren't any options for putting things out there in an effective way. > The other thing that happens at the executive level is you stop getting direct feedback at all, so when someone spends the time to give you some direct feedback it is a gift to be treasured This would seem to be a pretty logical self-reinforcing loop on its own, but again, I have to say that in practice it would be quite an exception. There are many, many different mechanisms through which executives receive feedback. The exceptions who aren't getting feedback, even in those cases, are the execs who are too direct. Why? Because the same people are often effectively deaf to feedback. And so, they tell professional consultants and coaches that they'd like to learn to be _more_ sensitive to feedback. Their training is nearly the exact reverse of what a lot of people think execs want or need. These kinds of execs often explain that they'd prefer to be able to pick up even the subtleties, in a way that a) helps them do their job more competently and b) protects them from even more critique, which is what some of the most direct people out there fear more than anything. So, I have a hard time buying this as a general principle, let alone some given attribute of just doin' business. If any given person or commentator is experiencing those issues themselves, it's far more likely, in my professional experience, that they share the same blind spot that other over-direct people have.

pdimitar 3y ago

As an Eastern European with 21.5y of programming career, I have exactly zero clue what do your EE tidbits mean.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
I think parent doesn't know much about Eastern Europe jobs market, but makes assumptions, and wrong ones at that. He's also wrong about not being able to get a tech job without a degree in the UK when by Europeans standards UK is one of the most liberal places to get tech jobs without a degree, as many other EU countries are a lot more strict about letting you in without a degree then the UK, especially if higher education is 100% free and everyone has a degree. He does have a correct point that in this economy, unless you already have strong connections inside the company, most places are only hiring outside workers for "the trenches" and less managers, leaders and visionaries.
- seabass-labrax 3y ago
  I agree with you that, logically, it should be the case that "many other EU countries are a lot more strict about letting you in without a degree then the UK, especially if higher education is 100% free". However, my experience as a British person (admittedly, sample size of N=1 participants) is the polar opposite. During the pandemic, I was offered (by a fellow contributor to an open source project) a pretty high-flying role in a large semiconductor company. It would be remote-working for a technical department which was based in Germany. Ultimately, though, I couldn't be employed because the British HR department of the company had a policy of 'no degree, no job'!
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    >a pretty high-flying role in a large semiconductor company Well there's your problem. Semiconductor companies, like all "real engineering" companies, mandate academic credentials for everyone on the technical side, especially for "high flying roles", nothing to do with the UK, in Germany it would have been the same or even more strict, it's how the industry operates. If your "high flying role" would have not worked out, then the HR lady would have been under fire for letting in someone without a degree and not following protocol. She was just covering her ass by doing things by the book of the industry/company. Try SW companies and you'll be fine without a degree. The more scientific and old-school engineering the company is, the more they fixate on your credentials. Here in Austria, some even want to see your university grades.

drc500free 3y ago

Incredibly on-point feedback. The CV is quite unfocused, too clever with invented terminology, and vacillates between professional and unprofessional. Boiled down to just the outcomes it could be solid, but even the "focused" versions are a bit all over the place. Honestly, put all the hours spent on CV design towards trying to get coffee with useful people.

confidantlake 3y ago

Having spent some time in Eastern Europe, it is much more "who you know" than Western Europe by a mile.

ericjmorey 3y ago

You've put a lot more effort into breaking down a lot of the issues than I would have, but my initial thoughts while reading the post were very similar to what you laid out. But it's almost a disservice to say anything more to this man than, get a job in sales. He should literally forget everything else written and just focus on getting a job in sales.

rvba 3y ago

'Metaverse' is a joke everywhere. No serious person believes in that. Maybe some crypto bros.