TheLadders Blog

For a Monday morning, I had never been more excited to get to the office than on November 5^th. TheLadders had been closed for nine days without electricity because of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and our 150 employees had been working remotely – from home, friends’ homes, Starbucks and libraries. Although our office finally had electricity, phone and Internet restored, we sat at our computers bundled up in coats, hats and scarves, still without heat. However, our inconvenience was minimal compared to the loss for so many others, and we were simply grateful that we all were safe and sound.

On that first day back at work, we received an encouraging email from our COO and Co-founder, Alex Douzet:

We will be catering lunch every day until Thanksgiving so that you do not have to run outside in the cold. Here is our tentative menu for the next 13 days:                          

• Monday, November 5: Little Italy Pizza & Deli
• Tuesday, November 6: Subway
• Wednesday, November 7: Chipotle
• Thursday, November 8^: Grand Sichuan
• Friday, November 9: Nagomi
• Monday, November 12: Getting Hungry
• Tuesday, November 13^: Five Guys Burgers & Fries
• Wednesday, November 14^: Ellen’s Deli & Grocery
• Thursday, November 15^: Bricklane Curry House
• Friday, November 16^: P.J. Charlton’s
• Monday, November 19^: Thanksgiving Potluck
• Tuesday, November 20^: Mae Mae Café
• Wednesday, November 21^: Sounds of Brazil

Besides the obvious convenience and cost savings, I discovered that it was also a phenomenal opportunity to patronize Hudson Square’s restaurants, many of which were crippled by Sandy. The response of gratitude has been overwhelming:

From Liz Neumark, CEO of Great Performances, which owns Mae Mae Café:

I salute you on your efforts…we would love nothing more than to provide nurturing and delicious meals for your colleagues.

From Phil Mouquinho, Chef and owner of PJ Charlton:

Thank you so much. I must say that in my 32 years here at PJ Charlton I never completed a lunch deal for 110 people so quickly and so effortlessly. Kudos and many thanks to your organization. Now let me show you on Friday how to bring a smile to 110 hungry folks.

From Diana Urena, Events & Group Sales Director of Sounds of Brazil (SOB’s):

Thank you so much for thinking of us. We would love to bring some SOB’s Holiday cheer to your office!

Who knew that we could do so much for the local community by ordering lunch for our 100+ staff from local businesses daily for three weeks? Free meals for us…and the ability to get a dozen restaurants back to business!

Lisa Hagendorf is the Vice President of Public Relations for TheLadders where she is a huge ambassador of the brand in the office. At the gym. And on the street. She just can’t stop talking about TheLadders. Ever.

“Work hard, play hard.”

“A family that plays together stays together.”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

There must be a reason that so many clichés speak to the importance of play. I can’t imagine how we, at TheLadders, could work so well together and accomplish so much if we didn’t grow closer outside of the 9-5. It’s not just the mandatory office happy hours and celebrations of successful projects I’m talking about; we choose to share our off-work interests and time with each other. So last week, a bunch of us wrapped up planning meetings at our Soho office to head up to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens to watch a few US Open matches.

It’s fair to say we were drawn there for different reasons: the tennis fan from marketing was there for the love of the game, the sports fanatic on our tech team wanted to keep up with the latest of competitive tournaments, and I myself was especially excited to see my countryman, Novak Djokovic, take some names. So we all learned a bit from each other about the rules of tennis and the history of the US Open (did you know they changed from grass courts to hard courts, after a brief trial with clay courts?).

Getting outside the office with your coworkers in a new context diminishes the usual hierarchies and allows you to enjoy your team in a new light. So if I could leave you with one last cliché, I’d say TheLadders likes to “work harder, play harder, and win together!”

Selena Hadzibabic heads up the Product team at TheLadders. Having worked on both the job seeker and recruiter side of the product, she is no longer cheer-leading either side: she just wants to put the right people in touch with each other.

I am a father, husband, entrepreneur, triathlete, and COO of TheLadders, a company that I co-founded nine years ago with Marc Cenedella and Andrew Koch. Throughout my life, I always have been an athlete and have been inspired by people who achieve their dreams. However, I only became a triathlete at 34-years-old when my friends, Dave and Alain, convinced me to join them (along with 20 other triathletes from TheLadders) in the annual New York City Olympic Triathlon.

On August 11, 2012, I competed in the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City. For the past 35 years, Ironman has been regarded as the pinnacle among all endurance sports, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon. A competitor who finishes in less than 17 hours is called an Ironman. What I find pretty cool is that there are more Ivy League MBAs in the world than Ironmen.

As I began my research about the tribulations of an Ironman, I realized there were multiple challenges with the race. In addition to the physical challenge, there is also a mental and time-management challenge: an Ironman race requires a six-month training program with an average of 12 hours per week. Where would I find the time? By my estimation, I would need to take a six-month sabbatical from work simply to train. As my former executive coach used to say to me: “Alex, you are a victim of the either/or syndrome. You think you can either be an entrepreneur or an Ironman, but not both. You must learn to say AND.” I wanted to be a chief executive and an Ironman.

Here are the lessons I learned from being an Ironman that also apply to launching a startup and building it into a successful enterprise:

Make your dreams become goals:

As children, we are all told to dream about the future and imagine what we want to be when we grow up. As we become adults, our dreams take the form of goals. We want to meet our goals to finish something we started, and live a life that is full and meaningful. This is why some of us are crazy enough to believe we can change the world.  I was crazy enough to believe I could change the job market and finish an Ironman.

Commit first and then figure out the plan:

I signed up for my first Ironman U.S. Championship in August 2011. It sold out in 11 minutes. By the time I received confirmation that I was accepted, I had about four months to figure out a plan before the grueling six-month training program started. Unlike most people, I opted not to hire a coach. Instead, I researched and designed my own training program and nutritional plan. That way, I could own both the success and the failure. When you start a company, you do not hire McKinsey or Bill Gates to write your business plan.

Aim high:

I think too many people are afraid to fail and, as a bi-product of their fears, don’t strive to achieve. The real issue is that these people miss out on a key life discovery. Failure is an essential part of the learning process and one of the best ways to learn. For Ironman, my goal wasn’t just to finish, I wanted to finish within 13 hours and be in the top 50^th percentile in the race. I aimed high and pushed myself hard. The same mantra applies to a startup: if your goals are to just survive and build a company with only five people because that is what you are comfortable with, then you never will build a $1billion company and have a successful IPO.

Put in the hours:

We all hate the concept of working long hours for the sake of face time. In 2002, I held a summer M&A job in Investment Banking in London, working 90 hours every week, and I learned how inefficient face time could be. That said, you cannot build a successful company if you and your team work from 9 to 5. If you do not work at least 60 hours a week, you are not going to make it to the top. Same with Ironman. Ironman requires 12 hours a week of training for 6 months. That is just the basics to finish. If you want to have a good finish time, you will have to put it more hours. There is no way around it.

The mind controls the body, so master controlling the mind:

It is said that your mind controls your body, but have you ever really experienced this relationship in a challenging situation? Ironman teaches you these survival skills. I completed Ironman NYC in 12:12:21 seconds. I ran the first half of the marathon in 2 hours and 14 minutes, at which point, I was on pace to break 12 hours. Then, approximately 10 hours into Ironman, my body gave up. I was paralyzed at mile 16 with 10 miles to go.

No one would have blamed or criticized me for giving up right there, but I told myself that quitting was not an option. As long as the clock did not read “17:00:00,” and I had one ounce of energy left in me, I was going to move my legs forward one way or another, regardless of pain. That is when my brain took over, and showed my body who was in charge. The same mentality applies to building a company. As long as you have one dollar in the bank, you can be successful, even though everyone around you may quit.

Corporate culture is an important part of any company’s well-being. Here at TheLadders, we love to find reasons to get together and have fun.

In celebration of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (which we have streaming in our break rooms), our company’s internal Our Team Wins Council  brainstormed  ways to foster employee involvement and engagement. The result? An Olympic-themed event in true style of TheLadders! By the way, for those who don’t have the Olympics being blasted in the office, I encourage you to check out TheCareerChronicles blog on watching the Olympics at work while still being productive!

For our own special version of The Games, we participated in a variety of Olympic-inspired sports that we recreated in physical form such as ping pong and soccer, while others, such as boxing, were simulated digitally with the assistance of Xbox 360 and Wii gaming consoles. Fortunately, our games weren’t bound by the rules of the International Olympic Committee, so we offered several non-Olympic events such as dance-offs, bowling, foosball, darts and Pictionary, enabling all of us to embrace our competitive spirit.

It was a great evening of fun, food, and fitness…I just hope we don’t have to wait years to host it again! In the meantime, TheLadders will be training for the 2014 Winter Olympics…although I’m unsure how we can practice the cold-weather sports from inside our SoHo offices!

Kai Brinker is a product manager at TheLadders. When he’s not managing product-implementation roadmaps and roll-out strategies, he enjoys exploring New York City’s outer boroughs by bicycle and scoping out the finest Austrian cuisine the city has to offer.

Watching our healthy heroes duke it out in the Olympics has further reinforced how important it is to increase your body intelligence and foster personal health.

Fitness and motion have always been my passion, but imprisoned by the confines of an ergonomically correct chair for 8+ hours a day leaves little opportunity for exercise. These healthy ideals inspired me to request having my desk raised, to which TheLadders kindly accommodated, and now my dreary desk has transformed into a productive playground. Standing while working initiated a series of healthy work habits, including daily sprints up the building stair well, workouts on our pull-up/dip machine, and more nutritious lunches, usually homemade.

In his blog, The Blog of Time Ferriss: Experiments in Lifestyle Design, American author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss highlights many options to incorporate into your office lifestyle to ensure that the majority of your daily waking hours are not spent cultivating poor fitness. Be sure to explore if your employer permits some of the practices that TheLadders encourages:

• A raised desk to promote more movement
• A workout/stretch space for opportunities to loosen up
• Nutritious food alternatives (if your company provides food)
• Healthy competition (TheLadders’ employees are currently competing to lose weight in their own version of the “Biggest Loser”)
• A humidifier near your work area for easier breathing during sinus seasons

There are countless possibilities. The key is to discover the options your company supports, and take advantage of them today!

Kean Gardner is an Account Manager of Recruiter Relations for TheLadders who loves to ensure that every recruiter knows how to find, and connect with, the best candidates for their jobs. He also loves to rip holes in the dance floor and educate on healthy living. 

When I was approached to write about the results of our latest survey on military professionals, I was a bit reluctant. After being reassured that I wasn’t expected to produce Pulitzer Prize-winning material, I said, “Why not?” As a former Marine who’s had to go job hunting since leaving the military, I’ve experienced firsthand some of the things we surveyed.

When I saw the results, I had mixed reactions. For example, I wasn’t surprised that one of the most important things to veterans looking for a job in the civilian world was workplace camaraderie.  Most people in corporate America won’t easily understand the bond military personnel share with each other. Our relationship with the people we work with is what makes what would otherwise be an unbearable situation, like being deployed to a highly volatile area, tolerable.

I was surprised to find that 50% of the people surveyed found it more difficult to find a job in the private sector. My experience was the opposite. I found it easier, perhaps due to some of the assumptions we analyzed. In my case, employers assumed I would have discipline, a strong work ethic and possess leadership skills.

While veterans are like everyone else in a many ways, there are certain unique perspectives we hold. The fact that TheLadders is honoring veterans and active military by taking an interest in what THEY are looking for in prospective employers speaks volumes. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of such an exceptional company.

Yolmi Rivera, LCpl, USMC (former)

Click here to download a PDF version of this infographic

Yolmi Rivera is the Executive Assistant to Alex Douzet, COO and Co-founder of TheLadders. When she’s not busy managing his day, she’s at home running around after her two kids, two dogs and one husband. As long as there are mangos available, she’s happy.

I had the privilege of participating in an event called Straight from the Source: Employer Representatives Mentor Women, hosted by Women@Work in Westport, Connecticut, yesterday.

Women@Work, co-founded by Eliza Shanley, is a great organization that is “dedicated to Keeping Women at Work Through All of Life’s Ages and Stages.” They offer a wide range of services which help mid- to senior-level women professionals advance their careers and find jobs. Often times these women took time off to raise their families and are now faced with reentering the workforce in a tight job market.

Every month or so, Women@Work holds an event where they ask individuals from various corporations to meet with its members to discuss two major topics: where they see opportunity in the marketplace, and what key advice they’d give professionals looking to reenter the job market.

I was very excited to attend this event because I could offer a unique perspective – not only could I talk about how I see the job market in the internet space, but I could discuss what job trends TheLadders sees across multiple industries and functions, as well as provide some practical tips to make every person at the event a more effective job seeker.

Eliza opened the event by moderating a short panel discussion with me and representatives from home furnishings retailer Pottery Barn and financial services firm Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

Although we all came from very different industries and company cultures, a few themes seemed universal:

A positive attitude goes a long way. When you’re going in for an interview or even an initial phone screen, you need to be in a good mood and show the interviewers that you want the job. No one wants to work with a Negative Nancy!

Research is key. Employers want to know you took the time to read their website, recent news articles about the organization, etc., and that you have a good understanding of how they work and what’s going on in their world. Prove in your cover letter and during the interview that you’ve done your homework. Whenever possible, find someone you know who works at the company and grab a cup of coffee with them to learn more about the organization and its culture.

It’s more than just skill set. When a hiring manager gets a job requisition approved, they want someone who can not only do the job, but also fit in with the company and team culture. Assume that a portion of every screening and interview is devoted to determining how well you will fit in with the company’s culture and the make-up of your specific team.

After the panel discussion, we broke out into smaller groups where the attendees could sit with each panelist and ask and every question they had about the job market and the search. A lot of this time was devoted to going over the dos and don’ts of resume writing and networking.

This was a really great event. The attendees were very enthusiastic and each speaker brought something different to the table.  Thanks again to Eliza Shanley and Women@Work for putting together such a polished event! I look forward to working with this group again.

Amanda Augustine is the Job Search Expert at TheLadders. Always on the go at work and away, Amanda trains and competes in races and triathlons in her spare time.

Last week I attended Mobile Health 2012, with a focus on “Baby Steps for Big Results.” The idea being there’s power in “baby steps” done quickly, for long term behavior change. Hosted by Stanford U’s Persuasive Technology Lab, this year’s keynote speaker was Weight Watchers CEO and ManMeetScale blogger David Kirchhoff.

David took the opportunity to speak of his personal struggles with weight loss and the dreaded word “maintenance.” He shared one of his own baby steps for keeping the weight off when confronted with temptation…he tweets. For example, @dkirchhoff “On a flight back from St. Louis. Just turned down another warm cookie. It’s the little victories…” There’s something about publicly declaring your weakness and celebrating your win.

So what’s this got to do with TheLadders? And why did we attend a mobile health conference? It’s a good question. What I told attendees is that there’s synergy between the trials and tribulations of health and wellness behavior changes and job search behavior changes. What do I mean by this? In my role as a product leader at TheLadders, I witness countless job-seekers struggling with adopting best practices for a faster, more meaningful and more prosperous job search simply because the tasks at hand appear daunting, or they are overloaded with irrelevant jobs and action-less info.

At the heart of the conference…Baby Steps! (Actually, I find this term a little off putting so I’m going to call it “Starter Steps” to steal from Tim Chang of Mayfield Fund, a conference panelist. Starter Steps translate into BJ Fogg’s new program “3 Tiny Habits” as a way to create new behaviors – in health, or in our case, the job search. Fogg states only three things will change behavior in the long term:

Option A. Have an epiphany
Option B. Change your context (what surrounds you)
Option C. Take baby steps

Unless you’ve ever spotted a unicorn, forget about the epiphany – it’s too difficult. Instead, focus on changing your context and taking starter steps. These two options are practical and can lead to lasting change if you’re following the right program. Fogg warns that few winning programs exist – luckily TheLadders, like Weight Watchers, is one of them, in my opinion.

You should join a future session of Fogg’s Three Tiny Habits to try starter steps for yourself, and while you’re at it, check out Stanford’s Top 10 Mistakes in Behavior Change.

For more from the audience and participants of Mobile Health 2012, check out the #mh2012 Twitter stream.

Chantal Botana is Director of Consumer Product Development at TheLadders. She’s a pragmatic leader whose mantra is “Insight, creativity & innovation are what make good products great.” She’s #lean and #agile, and a Real Madridista.

As any of our career experts will tell you, having a great personal brand and a clear and concise elevator pitch to deliver your professional value is key. Get your pitch right and it could be just what you need to unlock networking opportunities that could lead to your dream job.

We’ve teamed up for a co-promotion with AMC’s new series the The Pitch to announce our first Twitter contest! Share your super-brief elevator pitch on Twitter using the hashtag #mypitch and you could win a 3-month Premium membership on TheLadders.

How to Enter

1. Follow @TheLadders on Twitter
2. Learn more about crafting your elevator pitch from our selected articles.
3. Tweet your personal elevator pitch with the hashtag #mypitch
4. If your #mypitch tweet is a winner, we’ll DM you with info on how to redeem your free membership.

Now onto the technicalities: The contest, beginning on Sunday, May 6 at 12:00:01am ET and ending Wednesday May 16 at 12:00:00am ET, is open to legal residents of the United States. Winners will be notified on or around Thursday, May 24. Contestants must be at least 18 years old and have a registered Twitter account. For full details, see contest terms and conditions.

That’s enough from me—now I want to hear from you! See you on Twitter.

Kate Addicott is lead copywriter & voice behind @TheLadders. When not tweeting, Kate creates content to engage members and attract new ones. (At exactly 140 characters, the preceding bio is Twitter-ready.)

Mother’s day is here, and I wanted to talk to you guys about something I call Mom guilt. I’m not talking about the guilt trips our Moms all treated us to when we didn’t clean our room as a kid, or now when we don’t call as often as they would like. I’m talking about the massive guilt every working Mom feels every day. Guilt that we are not spending enough time with our kids, coupled with guilt that our work may be suffering from not having our undivided attention 24 hours a day.

The author, Holly, and her daughter, Juliet.

TheLadders recently released a survey to more than 250 women who are, or soon will be, working mothers. The results had me nodding furiously while answering a work email, changing my daughter’s diaper and submitting my sales forecast all at the same time (yes, moms multi-task). Balancing a career and a family is a huge struggle for 87% of respondents, with 55% admitting that “excelling at both is overwhelming.”

In addition, when it comes to balance, 13% “struggled at first, but now it’s under control,” 16% “always put family first and work has suffered for it,” and 3% “always put work first and family has suffered for it.” I can only assume that the other 13% that said they “Successfully manage both aspects” actually slipped on baby drool and tripped into the computer, selecting the wrong line by mistake.

Either way, the survey results are enlightening, and while I still feel that pang of guilt when missing little milestones in my daughter’s life or needing to run out of work early once in a while, at the very least this survey assures me that I am not alone.

You can read the full survey results here. And don’t forget to call your Mom!

Click here for a PDF version of the info-graphic › 

Holly Esposito is a Senior Account Manager at TheLadders, and Juliet’s mom. If you see her running down Canal Street in New York, please make way… she needs to get home to relieve the baby sitter by 7pm.