Summaries Career Development Career Advice for Students & Grads: Job Search, Entrepreneurship & Happiness | Liz Wessel, WayUp

This is a summary of a YouTube video "Advice for Students and Recent Graduates on Finding Jobs – Liz Wessel of WayUp" by Y Combinator!

4.8 (104 votes)

The video provides advice for college students and recent graduates on how to succeed in their careers, including tips on job searching, starting a business, and prioritizing happiness over money.

• 💼
  00:00

  Started a loyalty program for students in college, sold plastic cards, and eventually started a software startup.
• 💡
  07:53

  When cold emailing successful people, use a catchy subject line, introduce yourself as a college student, get straight to the point, and show that you've done your research to increase response rate.
• 📝
  12:43

  Apply for multiple jobs, research the company, and send a timely thank-you note after the interview to increase your chances of getting hired.
• 📝
  20:50

  Job applicants should research their interviewer to show enthusiasm, 🧦 the speaker found it funny that someone always wears mismatched socks, and 🎓 a co-founder was found in college after realizing a career in politics wasn't for them, while 🍺 becoming a campus ambassador for Anheuser-Busch led to a love for marketing and realization of a broken college recruiting process.
• 💼
  24:53

  Starting a business is hard, but managing people and hiring a team is the biggest learning after YC.
• 💼
  32:18

  Convince employees of potential success, embrace diversity of thought, manage different personalities, and prioritize HR tech opportunities.
• 👨‍💼
  37:52

  Companies prioritize skills over degrees, and startups should focus on showcasing their mission and team to attract fresh college grads.
• 💼
  44:43

  Prioritize your career choices for happiness, not just money, by doing part-time jobs and internships before your first full-time job and working with people who will teach you.

Detailed summary

• 💼
  00:00

  Started a loyalty program for students in college, sold plastic cards, and eventually started a software startup.

  • In her sophomore year of college, the speaker started her first business by creating a loyalty program for students at Penn that offered discounts at local restaurants and bars.
  • The speaker started selling plastic cards with the help of his friends and got addicted to the concept of creating something from nothing, eventually leading him to start a software startup with his co-founder.
  • The speaker and his friend started a successful company called WayUp after realizing their college project had grown significantly, and the speaker left his cushy job at Google to pursue entrepreneurship.
  • The speaker wanted to gain experience before starting their own company, informed HR of their plan to leave in two years, and chose a job at Google's APM M program to learn from successful alumni.
  • The speaker sought advice from Roelof Botha, a successful venture capitalist, on whether to join a VC fund, start a company, or work at Google, and Botha recommended working at Google for the best possible operating experience.
  • Cold emailing can be effective for entrepreneurs to get venture capital meetings.
• 💡
  07:53

  When cold emailing successful people, use a catchy subject line, introduce yourself as a college student, get straight to the point, and show that you've done your research to increase response rate.

  • Use rapportive to guess someone's email address by looking up the domain of the website and guessing until their image shows up on the right in rapportive, then use a catchy subject line when cold emailing.
  • When sending cold emails to successful people, start with a catchy subject line and introduce yourself as a college student, get straight to the point, and show that you've done your research.
  • When emailing someone, explain why you are asking them, what you want, and show that you have done your research to increase the chances of getting a good response rate.
  • The speaker doesn't need a lot of sleep due to a genetic trait, and can function well on 3-4 hours of sleep, but will fall asleep easily after consuming alcohol.
  • A friend offered to be an assistant due to a busy schedule, but the offer was declined.
• 📝
  12:43

  Apply for multiple jobs, research the company, and send a timely thank-you note after the interview to increase your chances of getting hired.

  • The speaker doesn't work out but loves walking and drinks a lot of water, and eats pretty healthy.
  • The speaker receives common questions from college students about choosing internships and jobs, as well as advice for starting a company, but often needs more context to give specific answers.
  • Create a WayUp profile to showcase a more holistic perspective of who you are and increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters.
  • Applying for more than two or three jobs is recommended, and during interviews, it's important to research the company, show enthusiasm, ask thoughtful questions, and follow up.
  • Sending a specific and timely thank-you note after an interview can help you stand out and potentially sway a decision in your favor.
  • Practice with honest friends or family members who are good communicators to improve your communication skills.
• 📝
  20:50

  Job applicants should research their interviewer to show enthusiasm, 🧦 the speaker found it funny that someone always wears mismatched socks, and 🎓 a co-founder was found in college after realizing a career in politics wasn't for them, while 🍺 becoming a campus ambassador for Anheuser-Busch led to a love for marketing and realization of a broken college recruiting process.

  • It's appropriate for job applicants to do research on the interviewer as long as it's not stalker-like and shows enthusiasm for the job.
  • The speaker found it hilarious that the person he was talking to always wears mismatched socks and wore them himself in honor of it.
  • The speaker talks about how they found their co-founder in college after realizing they didn't want to pursue a career in politics.
  • Received an email to be a campus ambassador for Anheuser-Busch, took the job to gain experience and build resume, realized love for marketing and that college recruiting process is broken.
• 💼
  24:53

  Starting a business is hard, but managing people and hiring a team is the biggest learning after YC.

  • During his senior year, the speaker signed up for a hackathon and found a partner named Joel Sleek who impressed him with his coding skills.
  • The speaker met a talented engineer through a cold email, pitched him on an idea, and it turned into something more than just campus ambassador jobs.
  • Starting a business is hard, but it's the most fun and educational experience the speaker has ever had in their life.
  • Managing people and hiring a team is the hardest thing ever, and the biggest learning after YC.
  • Recruiters teach about scorecards, interview process, and how to sell candidates, especially for executive roles.
  • To secure long-term success, it takes more than just a large investment, as convincing investors of the worthiness of the company's vision and leadership is crucial.
• 💼
  32:18

  Convince employees of potential success, embrace diversity of thought, manage different personalities, and prioritize HR tech opportunities.

  • Convince your employees that you will be a great partner and that the business has potential to succeed.
  • To work directly for the speaker, one must possess a type-A personality and strive to be the best.
  • Diversity of thought is important in companies, but having a hyper competitive and type-A personality can also be beneficial, and sometimes lack of organization can be made up for by creativity.
  • Balancing and managing different personalities and communication styles is important in delegating and managing a team effectively.
  • The speaker focuses on managing people they work well with and acknowledges that there are others who they struggle with managing, but work well with someone else.
  • HR Tech is behind the times and struggling with basic technology issues, but there are many opportunities and prioritizing them is difficult, and the speaker has hired a new VP product; their platform for candidates has three components: a job board, candidate sourcing, and content and advice.
• 👨‍💼
  37:52

  Companies prioritize skills over degrees, and startups should focus on showcasing their mission and team to attract fresh college grads.

  • MyUp provides personalized job recommendations, candidate sourcing for recruiters, and brand content to help people find and get hired for their desired job.
  • Creating unique and targeted content is the most effective way to combat myths and highlight the unique opportunities of companies and jobs, and WayUp uses this strategy to reach specific audiences through their databases and targeted Facebook ads.
  • Companies are no longer obsessed with college degrees and are more focused on skills, allowing people to use their educational experience to learn about things they love and not necessarily want to do for a career.
  • To attract fresh college grads to join your startup, focus on showcasing the company's mission and accomplishments and emphasizing the amazing team they will be a part of.
  • In ten years, the speaker hopes to have made a positive impact on the world and improved in all areas, including becoming a better team member, manager, thinker, and salesperson, while also potentially starting a family.
  • Be concise and organized in your personal and professional life.
• 💼
  44:43

  Prioritize your career choices for happiness, not just money, by doing part-time jobs and internships before your first full-time job and working with people who will teach you.

  • Finding a job that makes you happy is equally as important as finding the right spouse, and it's important to prioritize your career choices accordingly.
  • Find what you really care about by doing part-time jobs and internships before your first full-time job, prioritize happiness over money, and work with people who will teach you.
  • Unpaid internships are less common now due to legal restrictions, so it's important to start early and attend school in a city to gain experience.