A presentation I gave at UT Dallas on March 23, 2011. Accompanying notes can be found at http://bit.ly/CollegeLinchpin.

1. Linchpin
Becoming a
A GUIDE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

2. Marcelo Somers
Media Product Manager
Sabre Holdings
@marcelosomers
behindcompanies.com

3. Seth Godin:
“
The networked revolution is creating huge profits,
significant opportunities and a lot of change. What it's
not doing is providing millions of brain-dead, corner
office, follow-the-manual middle class jobs. And it's not
going to.
Fast, smart and flexible are embraced by the network.
Linchpin behavior. People and companies we can't live
without (because if I can live without you, I'm sure
going to try if the alternative is to save money).”
- The Forever Recession (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/09/the-forever-recession.html)
http://blog.marcopacifico.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/seth-godin-speaking.jpg

4. 1. Know who you are.
2. Be Authentic.
3. Make something great.

5. What do you love?

6. Merlin Mann: (paraphrased)
“
So many people today derive their meaning from their
jobs. Your job should be a reflection of who you are.”
- Back to Work podcast (http://5by5.tv/b2w)

7. Career Counseling

8. So, how
does that
make you
feel?

9. Meyers-Briggs
http://bit.ly/mbti-free
Extroversion (E) / Introversion (I)
Sensing (S)/Intuition (N)
Thinking (T)/Feeling (F)
Judgment (J)/Perception (P)

10. Meyers-Briggs
Extroversion (E) / Introversion (I)
Sensing (S)/Intuition (N)
Thinking (T)/Feeling (F)
Judgment (J)/Perception (P)
INTJ

11. Strong Interest
Inventory

12. Who are you?

13. Something Bad

14. Something Good
Nothing
Something Bad

15. Gary Vaynerchuk:
“
Mark my words, if you want to stay relevant and
competitive in the coming years - I don’t care if you’re in
sales, tech, finance, publishing, journalism, event
planning, business development, retail, service, you name
it - you will still need to start develop and grow your
personal brand. Everyone - EVERYONE - needs to
start thinking of themselves as a brand. it is no longer an
option.”
- Crush It (http://amzn.to/gkqdVk)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48600084713@N01/1542697229/

16. Let’s give employers
something Good

17. Social Networking

18. LinkedIn
Profesional Networking
Connections for Future Job Prospects
Employers finding you

19. Twitter
Networking with people you don’t know
Finding interesting content
Publicizing your content

20. Blog
Your personal hub on the internet
Write about industry news (the linked list)
Create a community

21. 3 Rules:
1. Be Authentic
2. Write great content
3. 10 helps for every ask

22. Steps:
1. Register www.yourname.com on Godaddy
2. Sign up for social networking services with the same
professional username (ex. ‘marcelosomers’)
3. Register your blog on Wordpress, Tumblr, or Posterous
4. Update your profile on all sites with matching photo, bio,
links to other services, etc.
5. Write, write write
6. Keep it business

23. Given the choice - who would you rather hire?
• Person A who has a fantastic resume and great references
on paper, but nothing else notable.
• Person B who has all that, but also has a blog and has
gathered a crowd of a few hundred subscribers and several
thousand visitors per month (or more) writing intelligently
and poignantly on the industry they are involved in.
It is pretty clear between these two who has true
passion for what they do and would make real
difference in bringing an organization forward.
- The Rise of Personal Branding (http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/07/18/the-rise-of-personal-branding/)

24. SEO
(that’s search engine optimization)

25. Seth Godin:
“
It's a cultural instinct to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission
and authority that comes from a publisher or talk show host or even a
blogger saying, "I pick you." Once you reject that impulse and realize
that no one is going to select you--that Prince Charming has chosen
another house--then you can actually get to work.
If you're hoping that the HR people you sent your resume to are about
to pick you, it's going to be a long wait. Once you understand that there
are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all
the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to
contribute abound.
No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.”
- Reject the Tyranny of Being Picked: Pick Yourself (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/reject-
the-tyranny-of-being-picked-pick-yourself.html)
http://blog.marcopacifico.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/seth-godin-speaking.jpg

26. Make
Something
Great.

27. Seth Godin:
“
You might very well be doing a good job. But that doesn't mean you're a
linchpin, the one we'll miss. For that, you have to stop thinking about
the job and start thinking about your platform, your point of view and
your mission.
It's entirely possible you work somewhere that gives you no option but to
merely do a job. If that's actually true, I wonder why someone with your
potential would stay...
In the post-industrial revolution, the very nature of a job is outmoded.
Doing a good job is no guarantee of security, advancement or delight.”
- Are You Doing a Good Job? (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/are-you-doing-a-good-
job.html)
http://blog.marcopacifico.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/seth-godin-speaking.jpg

28. But we’re young!

29. Older Means You Know
Too Much:
“
Knowing that “it can’t be done” because you can recount each of the
failed attempts in the last 20 years to solve the problem can be a boat
anchor on insight and imagination. This not only effects individuals, but
happens to companies as they age.”
- Too Young To Know It Can’t Be Done (http://steveblank.com/2010/10/13/too-young-to-know-it-can’t-be-
done/)

30. Step outside your
Business Card

31. Rules for Job Hopping
1. Learn
2. Contribute
3. Grow

32. Rules for Job Hopping
Being Opportunistic: Enjoying your job and
producing results where you are, but making it known
you want more

33. Don’t be so busy you’ll miss
the next great idea

34. It’s not about your network, it’s
about your network’s network.

35. What it’s all about...

36. Know who you are.
Be authentic.
Make something great.

37. Thank You.
@marcelosomers
behindcompanies.com
linkedin.com/in/marcelosomers