Kinda wild how last minute decisions can lead to cool opportunities

I remember my flight being cancelled in the Spring of 2018. I ultimately ended up in an airport hotel overnight, I forget where, but it was a work trip. I was on the road a lot in those days, selling study abroad programs to college students. It was one study abroad fair after the next.

Anyway, my flight got cancelled. At that point, I was in my hotel, and I as thinking to myself, you know what, I’m in the midst of looking for my next opportunity, so let me continue my research.

I knew there had been an open role on University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Abroad team, and I knew I wanted it. However, at that point, the role had already been posted forever, so I figured they already had their pool of applicants. But I went for it anyway, but not the typical route…

So here I go, onto Penn Abroad’s website, and sure enough, the team members’ email addresses are public, including the Executive Director. I sent him an email with my resume, and basically I told him that I want in to be considered for the role and that I would be happy to meet at the upcoming industry conference (this was April, the conference would be end of May). I shared some of the value I’d bring to the team and that I was excited about the opportunity.

After a few days, I see his response in my inbox and he agrees to have the team still meet with me! So I meet with them on site at the industry conference. A few days later, they get me set up with an on-campus interview, and a week or so after that, boom. Job in hand.

What if I had never sent that email? What if my flight never got cancelled?

At the time of the flight, pre-cancellation, I was already set in my thinking that they had selected their initial applicant pool, so I don’t think I would have ever applied.

I think about this story a lot and how the twists and turns can lead to new things that you didn’t even think could work out. New mindsets, if you will.

On a similar note, not exactly the same as the Penn story, is my Slack story, another one I think about a lot.

I remember it was mid-August 2021. I knew the Community role at Slack had been posted but was surprised to see it still live. I put my name into the mix; submitted the application through the ATS. Didn’t think much of it, because, well, I don’t know how much faith I have in those ATS thingys. I just envisioned the resume going down a black hole, never to be seen again. You just never know with those things.

End of August, I get the recruiter call. I was stunned. Honestly. I told myself in that moment: Jacob, don’t mess this up. This is Slack. Side note: had the best recruiter. She was awesome.

One thing led to another and here I eventually found myself at the presentation stage. I prepped for days for that session. I recall vividly, working on the slide deck, which I still have. It was a Canva deck.

Something else throughout this process which stood out to me, which ultimately said a lot about how great of a manager the hiring manager was, was that they wanted to make it work for me, so they edited the role accordingly. This was a great reminder: If they want you, they will do what’s needed to make it happen.

It also showed that a job description is just step 1. That description can evolve and change. So for those of you looking right now: take the JD with a grain of salt! You never know what can come of it.

Fast forward almost four years and I still wonder how I got so lucky to work on a product that people genuinely love. Crazy. I just submitted my app kinda on a whim, just like, ok, we’ll see what happens. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it.

But here we are. It worked I guess. I convinced them somehow. 😆 

I wanted to write on this topic to remind anyone who reads this: You never know what 1 small change in your life’s sequence of events will result in.

Take a chance.

Apply for something you’re under-qualified for. Message the person. Be proactive. And hey, if they say no, at least you’re on their radar (they may even come crawling back once you hit that big moment).

All you can do is your best.

Thanks for reading and for being here. I don’t take for granted that you care what I have to say. Or even if you don’t care, and you’re still here; thanks for being a fan anyway. ❣️

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