[ahoyhere]

So maybe you're left with a handful of startups who are able to find a place for you because they recognize your value and adapt, not because they had planned on finding you in the first place.

If you are waiting for somebody else to figure out your worth, you're trying to make them do your job, and it's not gonna work.

You have to tell them -- or better yet show them what your value is.

That's the only way to sell products, or sell yourself. The people in the seat on the other side of the desk see a lot of candidates. They don't have time to fully investigate every one. They trust that if a person doesn't have the confidence or self-knowledge to sell himself, or herself, that it's not worth their time to dig deep and find it.

I say this as a person who's kicked ass at job interviews, gotten every job I ever applied for -- 3/5 of which were not open positions, but made for me by my request -- and also done quite a bit of hiring.

[danielmason]

That's sort of what I was trying to say, except maybe I have a more pessimistic estimation of how many organizations are open to being convinced. Of course you have to sell yourself, but it still matters who's able to buy. Startups may have the most flexibility in this regard.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that's a quibble on my part because your post still gave me an adrenaline shot of motivation to GET OUT THERE and MAKE PEOPLE LOVE ME!