How I Landed 39 Interviews

This was the first time in my career that I had given my notice without having something lined up, and during a very precarious time economically speaking.

Shortly after putting my notice in, the negative voices in my head started speaking up:

• "Why would you leave a stable job when the economy is uncertain,"?
• "What if you can't find another job,"
• "What if... what if... what if"...

You get the idea.

I worked hard to get myself out of that mental space and quickly sprung into action.

What I did next resulted in me having conversations with 39 companies (14 at a more serious level), 7 PE and VC firms, recruiters from True Search, SPMB, Daversa Partners, and many more.

I have been working on building and giving to my network for years. It was time for me to reach out and ask for help, which I have rarely done over the years (next to never).

• First I created a list of what I was looking for in my next opportunity. Company size (team, revenue, stage, and such), the things that were important to me (culture, mission, etc), the customer I want to serve, and any other intangibles.
• I messaged all of my contacts at PE and VC firms and advised on my new availability.
• I contacted all of my CEO/CCO friends who work or serve the Customer Success community and asked if they'd be so kind as to keep me in mind if any opportunities came across their desks. Many of these folks were kind enough to email their networks/ investor communities on my behalf, with my "about me" blub and my resume. This created a considerable flurry of activity in my inbox.
• I messaged all of the executive recruiters I knew to tell them I was looking for my next opportunity.
• I scoured job postings, and if there was something that looked interesting and I knew someone that worked there, I'd ping them to learn more to see if there was a potential fit.

Ultimately, I interviewed for positions ranging from Head of CS, VP of CS, CCO to COO, and everything in between. I spoke with larger organizations where I'd have a team of 6 VPs reporting to me, to tiny ones where I'd be the only person building out CS (player/coach).?

I had a crazy amount of meetings, some in the early hours (ever try talking about CS at 6 am?) and some late in the evening. I had coffee meetings (in-person), gave multiple presentations, and got to know many incredible leaders, all solving some real problems.

I even made some new friendships through this process (hi Anne).

I have learned a lot through this and hope that sharing my process here will help some of you going through the same thing.