Rick Chen, Senior Director, Head of Public Relations at Blind

Rick never set out to work in public relations or communications. Instead, he took his teachers' feedback about disrupting class and combined it with a willingness to take on the tasks and jobs few others want to do.

We explore how Rick became a PR executive from the very beginning when he taught himself how to write a press release for the first time to build trust with CEOs, executives, and other principals in his coaching. He also shares why a humble approach and willingness to defer gratification can pay off in your career. Finally, we find out how executives and the busiest people might respond to your cold email asking for advice, an informational interview, or even a sale.

This episode of "The Blind Ambition with Jack Kelly" is brought to you by our sponsor, MobSquad. If you're unsuccessful in the upcoming H-1B lottery, MobSquad can help. Learn more at mobsquad.io/blindambition.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/d2qia9ct

Disha Patel, Head of Shopping Product at Cash App

Disha explains why finding a craft and refining it over time is essential. It's how she's evolved her career, first as an engineer and then as a management consultant and a product head. We dig into what practicing a craft looks like and how to know if you have the right network and role to thrive.

Disha also shares how she earned her most challenging promotion. We break everything down, including who her manager was, what she did in her role before the promotion, the impact she demonstrated, and why a focus on landing a promotion or pay bump wasn't the catalyst for the big career move.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/1zhwur04

Heather Inocencio, Founder and CEO of The Product Consult

Heather is a sought-after product management consultant with more than 30 years of product management experience at large public companies and high-growth consumer startups, including The RealReal and HauteLook. We got her to share the details about how the product management discipline has evolved and what it was like to be a product manager as the internet blew up to what it is today.

Heather shares what many CEOs and startup founders get wrong about product management and what it really takes to succeed as a product manager. She explains how to find product manager-company fit and why a company with product-market fit might not have one. We also explore the common reasons product managers fail or leave companies and the secret that the best product managers have that can take them to the c-suite.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/cwmx8fu5

Jack Kelly, Founder and CEO of Compliance Search Group

In this episode, we flip the script and interview our co-host, Jack Kelly!

Jack did not always know he wanted to be a recruiter. Instead, he stumbled upon it after visiting a recruiting agency and having a friend recommend he meet someone in the business.

We look into the economics of recruiting and how many recruiters get their jobs. Then, we explore how Jack started recruiting for Wall Street banks, hedge funds and investment management firms when it was not always obvious it would be lucrative to do so and the work needed to start your own business. Finally, he shares his best tips on how you should approach your pay and why demonstrating passion in your next job interview might be what you need to land the offer.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/8buc7blo

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen explore what happened with Google's well-publicized blunders with its Gemini AI model. Rick explains what likely happened behind the scenes that resulted in the image generator creating odd illustrations and distorting the reality of historical events.

Next, Jack asks if Big Tech and the "Magnificent Seven" group of stocks—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla—might be in a stage of complacency as growth in their share prices continues. Rick shares how some verified Nvidia professionals on Blind are getting paid and why some are already coasting.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/mhe5kscq⁠

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/22/google-gemini-ai-image-generation-pause/

https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-employees-rich-happy-problem-insiders-say-2023-12

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/booming-stock-and-sky-high-pay-nvidia-is-silicon-valleys-hot-employer-e4fb6c20

Arvind Jain, Founder and CEO of Glean

Arvind spent more than 10 years at Google, going from one of the company's first engineers when it was a startup to becoming a distinguished engineer. We find out just how he earned the promotions and what it took to land the title fewer than 1% of all engineers ever earn, including the tips and tricks many senior engineers try to take and why they might not work.

We also explore why Arvind decided to leave Google and start different companies. Arvind shares his best advice on when to leave a comfortable job and the necessary insight you might need to launch a startup and lead it to a successful exit or meaningful business as its founder.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/5f1uzgkp

Justin Zhu, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Stand with Asian Americans

Michelle Lee, Counsel at Stand with Asian Americans

Asian Americans make up a large proportion of the U.S. professional workforce, but often, they are one of the least represented groups at every leadership level. Justin and Michelle describe how Stand with Asian Americans is fighting back and advocating for Asian Americans in the workforce and daily life.

We also explore how Justin and Michelle transitioned to political advocacy from their prestigious jobs as a unicorn founder and CEO and Big Law attorney, respectively, and how their experiences with racial discrimination shaped their work today.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/gd91j9u0

Bonnie Dilber, Manager, Business Recruiting at Zapier

Bonnie leads the business recruiting team at Zapier, focusing on roles in the finance, sales, marketing, people, operations, support, legal and leadership teams. We dig into her untraditional background and why teachers might make the best recruiters and business leaders.

Bonnie also shares her hot takes and best tips about how to get hired at some of the leading companies, even in a tough job market. She explains that sometimes it's best to apply for jobs when others aren't, like around holidays or the end of the year. We also get her to reveal some "red flags," which you might want to look out for when reading a job description or talking to a recruiter to ensure that the opportunity doesn't turn out to be a bad one.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/bhp05pp8

Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of IWG

When Mark founded Regus, now known as IWG, he was the first to offer co-working space on a large scale. We explore how workplaces, offices, and even commercial real estate have changed since he started in the company in 1989.

Mark explains how companies are increasingly choosing hybrid or flexible work schedules, which mix working from home and in-office time, resulting in a $2 trillion total addressable market opportunity. We look into how trends like remote work and urban policy are impacting what it's like to work in major cities around the world and why on-premise or in-office work will never go away, even with the latest trends and changes in tech.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/qgieaq5h

Neil Dhar, Vice Chairman, Co-Head of Consulting at PwC

We explore the secrets and advantages of longevity in the professional services industry, focusing on the advisory and consulting profession.

Neil has spent more than 30 years at PwC and has held various leadership roles across the firm's different service lines—everything from M&A deals, risk assurance, advisory and consulting. We learn why he's stayed and how the "Big Four" firm keeps things fresh for its more than 364,000 professionals worldwide.

Neil shares his framework for career growth, including how to stay intellectually curious, the value of keeping an open mind and the role of mentorship. Notably, we look into how anyone can build a network of mentors, sponsors and advocates and take a behind-the-scenes look into Neil's own network and the feedback they gave him.

https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/b39wxd28