#davesdailychallenge (131): The Known Entity. In the last 13 days, yes I checked, I have discussed career development with four young people that I mentor. Each of them are interested in vastly different fields of employment from medicine to consulting to the military. Without fail I structured our calls around one primary topic. 

“You must become the known entity.”

The known entity will get the job, the opportunity, the chance, or the promotion that the stranger will not. The known entity is talked about after meetings let out. The known entity already knows the value of the team. As long as you’re known for the right reasons, do what you have to do to become known by the team you are attempting to join. If you want to get hired by McKinsey & Co. then you need to get your brand known there…regardless of your perceived abilities. If you want to begin a career in finance then make sure your name is on the minds of established professionals for the right reasons. Too many people rely on the practice of perfecting a resume and applying to jobs. Sometimes that will work but here’s the truth…that’s rare. Especially when thousands, sometimes more, of people are all applying to the same position, a human being isn’t looking at those submissions. I recently helped a friend of a friend start a new career and that person became a friend of mine in the process. This person just so happened to be extremely qualified in her own right, and any team would be lucky to have her, but she would have stood little chance if she would have followed a website link and joined the resume stack. 

So, what’s the takeaway? Do what you need to do to become the known entity and set yourself up for success. That could be an internship, an entry-level job, a lunch with a mentor that makes an intro. Whatever it is, just be worth the work. It can be tough but it’ll pay huge dividends. Good luck.