Pass on the opportunity

I vividly remember the time when I was searching for full-time jobs in grad school. I was graduating in the thick of the pandemic lockdowns and the job market was tough. A friend of mine had offers from 2 top tech firms for PM roles which were high on my wish list. Once she had accepted an offer and declined the other, I timidly asked her if she’d be willing to pass on my resume or make a connection with the recruiter for the job she had declined. She quickly refused and that was that. That moment left me a bit disappointed, and I made a mental commitment to myself to pass on every opportunity that I was not ready to embrace.

3 years to that day, I feel fortunate to now have access to many exciting roles that show up in my inbox and feed every week. It goes without saying that I cannot seize every opportunity that comes my way. But at any given point, I always know someone who might be in my shoes when my stars were not aligned. Someone who lost their job, someone who’s looking for a change, someone who’s entering or reentering the workforce, someone who’s on a ticking clock, someone who really needs that connection right now. I make conscious efforts to pass on the opportunity in these moments and this small gesture has come back to bless me, many times over. I’ve built deeper connections with the recruiters and leaders who are looking for talent by helping them reach my network. I’ve built sincere friendships with those who found hope when things looked unpromising. Each morning that I wake up, my feed and messages are filled with positivity and kindness.

Every day is going to be different for each of us. If you can share your sunshine (or even an umbrella) today to make someone’s rainy day a little bit better, do it without holdbacks. Believe me, it comes back in a million ways for the rest of your road.

Sharing some tactical tips for #jobseekers: If you’d like to be notified of my posts/activity, you can visit my profile and click on the 🔔icon.

• I comment “CFBR” on every post on my feed where someone in my network is hiring. This helps the post reach my network of many talented people like you.
• I write a post when there are openings on my team/broader org and tag the hiring manager and/or recruiter to help you reach them directly.
• I officially refer those who I know well enough personally or professionally so that I can vouch for them. I always send a personal note to the hiring manager to make every referral count.
• You can also read my previous editions in this newsletter on "how to make referrals work" and "the right way to network" to help you in your job search.

Thanks for reading till the end. If you could relate with my story or have experienced something similar, I’d love to hear from you (add a comment) on what you do to pass on the opportunities?

Product Nuggets is my humble attempt to share candid stories about my experiences building a career in product, data, and tech. If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with one more person who can benefit from our conversations. I welcome your candid feedback on how I can make this most valuable to you.