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Why you need to use the green banner on LinkedIn, a new Chiefly episode, 3 new Chief of Staff jobs on my radar, and FREE executive coaching by Eric Quick!
But First, 3 Shower Thoughts:
If you’re showing up every day, trust that things will work out.
A helpful framework for growth: constant forward motion.
Make time to be creative.
And a new Chiefly episode!
Before we dive in, I wanted to share that a new episode of the Chiefly podcast just dropped!
This one’s with Adrianne Poyet-Smith, Chief of Staff at VMWare. We get into the juicy details of what it means to be a Chief of Staff, mentorship, how the first 90 days are super critical for a CoS, and a lot more!
Check it out here!
My # OpenToWork Verdict
I think I do a pretty good job of curating high-quality content on my feed over on X, but every now and then, a heaping hot pile of nonsense will make it through, algorithms be damned. Exhibit A:
Where do I even begin to unpack this? I could say a million things about how this is a tone deaf and utterly unconscious thing to say (see: read the room) but instead, I’m going to focus this post on the things I’ve learned about using the #OpenToWork banner on LinkedIn so that it’s actually helpful for people.
Here are just some of the benefits of the banner that people love to hate:
You’re more visible to recruiters: The #opentowork feature alerts recruiters and employers that you're actively seeking employment, making your profile stand out from those not looking for new opportunities. This is particularly helpful for folks who aren’t very active on LinkedIn or don’t have a large network.
You’ll get contacted more frequently: According to LinkedIn’s data, members with a public #OpenToWork frame are 40% more likely to receive InMails from recruiters and 20% more likely to get DM’d from people in the network.
You get more relevant job recommendations: You can customize your job preferences, like desired titles, locations, and work types (onsite, hybrid, or remote), which means the algo is going to surface more tailored job opportunities for you.
It’s a great networking opportunity: The green banner is like a homing beacon to recruiters and hiring managers, and potentially gives you access to unadvertised job openings. The stats vary wildly on this, but some sources estimate that 50-80% of available positions are filled through this “hidden job market”.
You don’t need a premium account: Unlike some LinkedIn features that are limited to premium accounts, #OpenToWork is available to everyone, and provides equal footing for job seekers to be noticed by recruiters.
On top of all this is the powerful role of your broader network. While your immediate circle might offer limited new opportunities (those that you’re probably already aware of), your extended network — or weak ties — often have the skinny on interesting or hidden job leads.
And the evidence actually points to this. Based on a study out of MIT where they looked at 20 million LinkedIn users, they found that those “who over the five years ended up creating about 2 billion new connections, recorded over 70 million job applications, …and wound up accepting 600,000 new jobs identified through the site.”
The results of the study:
The stronger the newly added ties were, the less likely they were to lead to a job transmission.
So, what’s the best way to gently remind those on the peripheries of your online network — your weak ties — that you’re looking for new opportunities? Our favorite green banner.
Plus, here’s just one story of someone who used it successfully and their top tips to make yourself stand out even more:
🔥 Could not agree more with Danielle!
I’ve written about this before, but some other information about LinkedIn that most don't know about is they use your "desirability" and "utility to recruiters" to rank you in search. Here's how it works:
Recruiters use LinkedIn Recruiter to search for a candidate, using criteria like "Program Manager" who's "worked at Google" for example.
The algorithm searches the network for candidates who meet the criteria.
Candidates are ranked & presented in search results based on criteria fit and UTILITY
Utility = the likelihood that the candidate is a good fit AND would be willing to accept the inMail request from the recruiter!
Other ranking features include:
Seniority — total years of experience
Authority — your title / leveling
Popularity — page views received
Influence — your content generates engagement
Relevance — of a standardized skill to your overall profile
Desirability — you get contacted by lots of hiring managers already
The source here is LinkedIn's own published research on their talent search & recommendation engine, which you can read more about here.
So what should you do to increase your odds of a recruiter reaching out to you?
Use relevant keywords in your bio and under your experiences
Reply to recruiter inMails, even if it's a no!
Make relevant connections at the companies you want to work at. Recruiters can search for candidates based on "interaction" with their company/brand.
Post content & get recommendations from your network.
(Psst. Use the green banner!)
I know that some people say the green banner looks desperate, which is the reason this is a topic of debate (wild), but I challenge what that really even means.
Desperate to make money? Desperate to pay for medical bills that are piling up? Desperate to put food on the table for themselves and their families? Get real.
Even after all this you’re still worried about how the green banner might look, keep in mind that the Spotlight Effect is very real: we think we’re being noticed more than we actually are, and so we do or don’t do things based on “perception of a perception”!
↑ This is inception level stuff.
So don’t let fear or pride get in the way of your next opportunity. What do you have to lose, truly?
My final verdict on the #OpenToWork banner: ignore the naysayers.
Search Spotlight
I’m excited to share a one-of-kind role for an Executive Assistant to a renowned post-exit, 4x founder and builder of a community of over 14 million.
He specializes in guiding entrepreneurs to step back from day-to-day operations, focusing on growth through engaging content and automation of core systems.
This is an incredible opportunity to partner with a visionary founder who is laser-focused on building an amazing community, remarkable content, and insanely valuable experiences for other founders.
This founder is hiring an EA to:
Support him with various day-to-day operational needs
Ensure consistent and transparent communication, collaborating on current and future strategic initiatives
Develop and implement a comprehensive onboarding program, ensuring the smooth integration of new hires into the company
Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of sales processes through systematic bottleneck reduction and organization of Notion and Asana
Additional key details:
📍 This role is remote.
If you're interested and want to learn more about the company, just apply here! I’ll get back to you ASAP if your experience aligns with what they’re looking for.
Know someone who could be a fit for this role? Feel free to share this blog post!
Job Opps
🎟 Chief of Staff @ DoStuff - driving engagement in live entertainment
Why I like it: It’s another Austin-based company (where I live) and I’m going to shout those out whenever I can! DoStuff operates across 21 cities, connecting millions of users with local events, and working with brands and artists like Lizzo and Bob Moses to create unique experiences.
DoStuff has a 4.1 rating on Glassdoor which is actually pretty good considering that companies basically get dunked on by their past employees if things are bad. Here’s a sampling of a review:
Pros: “Flexible company, unlimited time off, benefits, great work environment, concert tickets and a great place to work if you love live events”
Cons: “Workflow is seasonal, really busy during spring/summer” (not bad!)
DoStuff is looking for a Chief of Staff to strategically support the COO and enhance the team's effectiveness, and it looks like the role involves strategic advisory, improving inter-departmental communication and collaboration, and overseeing special projects.
Ideal candidates will have experience in a strategic role within the media or entertainment industry, and have a passion for live events.
💰 $100k+ base salary with a competitive equity package
📍 This role is hybrid in Austin, TX.
📥 Apply here.
🛍️ Chief of Staff @ FindMine — predictive intelligence for fashion eCommerce brands
Why I like it: It’s a super impressive product that offers shoppers additional items while they shop to complete their outfit. They serve billions of requests per year across e-commerce and mobile platforms, and AOV conversions are boosted by up to 150% when full outfits are recommended.
They’re hiring a Chief of Staff to collaborate with the CEO on strategic initiatives, manage investor relations, oversee financial reporting, and lead special projects (of course).
Ideal candidates have strategy or consulting experience working directly with a C-suite executive, have spent time at a Series A startup or later, and excel at storytelling, data analysis, solving unstructured problems.
📍 This role is based in NYC.
📥 Apply here.
🍝 Chief of Staff @ Maxwell — membership club where members cook & contribute
Why I like it: It seems that Maxwell is taking on SoHo House as the new community-centric members club, but owned and operated by members who get to “pour their own drinks, cook in the kitchen, and throw their own events”. Maxwell self-describes as:
Your private chef’s kitchen
Your spot for Friday & Saturday night cooking w/ friends
Your own private basement speakeasy
Your kitchen breakfast nook
If you’re interested in learning more, check out their pitch deck and investment memo! Love that they made this public.
They’re looking for a Chief of Staff to be the head of special projects for David Litwak, Founder & CEO of Maxwell Social (www.maxwellsocial.com) and Founder & Chairman of Mozio (www.mozio.com) who also writes Ground Control on here!
Some of what you’ll be tackling as Chief of Staff:
Launch new companies, conferences, event series w/ CEO
Head up strategic projects within existing companies
Build and maintain key relationships across projects
Manage the office of the CEO
Ideal candidates will have a background in entertainment or tech, an entrepreneurial track record, and gung-ho about hunkering down for the next 3-5 years in the role.
💰 $100-110k base salary (no equity)
📍 This role is hybrid in NYC.
📥 Apply here.
Exclusive Deals
Last week, I asked subscribers on our Right Hand Talent newsletter (over on Substack) to vote for the exclusive deals that they’re most interested in. Here are the results:
Career Coaching (42%)
Tech & Productivity Tools (33%)
Educational Resources & Courses (25%)
To that aim, I’m happy to share a couple of offers for 1 + 3 today:
Executive coaching by Eric Quick: Eric has 30 years of hands-on experience crafting high-performing teams and conquering the toughest challenges in business having worked with leaders at Disney, SOURCE Global, Juicero, Target, Eight Sleep, and more. He’s expanding his tailored coaching services to professionals like you to help you carve out a clear, strategic path in your career journey, and providing practical, actionable advice for your growth aspirations.
He’s offering FREE coaching to 2 Right Hand subscribers per quarter, and each person will get 4 complimentary 50-minute sessions over 30-days — a $1,200 value!
If you’re interested in coaching, be sure you’re subscribed to the Substack newsletter and sign up here!
My Chief of Staff 101 Udemy course. This is a foundational course, so ideally meant for aspiring Chiefs of Staff or simply those looking to learn more about the role. This course has over 2,000+ students and is offered through Udemy Business as well (only the top courses on Udemy make it into this collection). I’m running a 50% off promo through next week only, so if you’re interested in getting the course for $30, check it out here!
My Bookmarks on X
A professor cheekily explains why people shouldn’t expect to get paid what they’re worth.
Tara Viswanathan (Founder, Rupa Health) shares a story of a candidate who tried to negotiate for 2.5x comp
A meme account breaks down what PIP actually stands for
Hustle Fund dropped a 150-page fundraising guidebook for first-time founders
Jesse Middleton (GP, Flybridge) shares what he looks for in founders building in AI
Partnering with Right Hand as your Chief of Staff Recruiter
If you're interested in hiring a Chief of Staff, just fill out this form.