Land Your Dream Job - Network Like A Boss: Jesse Goleman, Owner, Goleline
#TheGroundFloor is thrilled to welcome guest contributor, Jesse Goleman, for this week’s edition.
Jesse is currently the goalkeeper coach at Northeastern University and the owner of Goleline, a strength and conditioning company tailored to the needs of goalkeepers. Jesse also currently holds the position of Director of Goalkeeping at Valeo FC. Jesse founded Goleline in the summer of 2019. Prior to that, Jesse has coached at Centenary University (NJ), Chatham University, Seton Hill University and Carlow University. During his assistant coaching stints, Jesse has coached over 20 all-conference selections, and one conference player of the year. In 2016, he was also on the coaching staff of the year. Jesse has also served in positions including Campus Recreation Coordinator at Centenary University, Youth & Teen Athletics Coordinator at the Pittsburgh JCC and Fitness Director at The X Health & Fitness Club in Pittsburgh.
I am very excited to welcome Jesse to #TheGroundFloor as he talks about how to land a dream job.
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Landing your dream job is easier than you think. In the midst of an overly competitive job market, there’s always a way to find the job you’re looking for. As a freshman, I walked into my first sports management class as a curious young man, eager to learn how to land my dream job. In that first class, one of the first things my professor said to us all was, “It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know”. That opened up my mind to a world I never thought of. After that one hour and forty-minute class these were my big three takeaways that have stuck with me since 2012 and will hopefully help you understand how the job market works and help you land your dream job.
1. It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know
2. Who you know gets you in, what you know keeps you in.
3. It’s not about who you know, it’s about who knows you.
That was my first introduction into understanding the importance of building a strong network & meaningful connection. Building a network doesn’t happen overnight so check out some of these ways that I used to land a dream job at the age of 26. It’s a very small world, you’re connected to more people than you think.
As you read through these tips, I am only speaking from my experience and what worked for me. Everyone will be different and have different experiences. Let’s have a look at how to make the most of them.
Tip #1: Work Small, Think Big
If you’re in college reading this, I am assuming you are looking for an internship at a prestigious company that will look great on a resume; a fortune 500 company, a major sports organization etc. What if I told you, this may not be the best move. When I was in college, I worked three different internships; each one allowed me the opportunity to try new things and learn more about myself. Each one, I worked with the owner, and everyone involved in day-to-day operations on a day to day basis. I can’t begin to describe how beneficial this was for me. By working in small companies and with opportunities that allow you to get so much more experience other than boring research or how your superiors like their coffee you are able to develop relationships with these people where they are able to learn more about you and you about them. Once that happens, your bosses become more willing to recommend you for your dream position or continue working in a full-time role with the current company. This goes hand in hand with the “who knows you” piece from above. When you develop personal relationships with people, not just “Hey, how are you?” relationships it becomes easier to ask for a favor when needed because they trust that by putting you in a position to succeed, you won’t let them down and they know they are helping both parties involved.
Book recommendation: Give and Take – Adam Grant
Tip #2: Attend as many networking events as possible
I love going to networking events or different conferences. Absolutely love it. But, that’s just me and I really enjoy meeting new people. Now, during the time of this pandemic these in-person events are not happening, but when they do return, we must be prepared. Here’s my simple three-step guide to making the most of networking events:
1. Do your research. Find out the people speaking and their topic. Understand their background and ask educated questions about their current job or about their past. Ask challenging questions that make them think. That’s a great way to get noticed and remembered.
2. Focus on the Attendees. This goes back to my work small, think big tip. Remember, the people attending this conference are looking for the same thing you are; to meet the well-respected professionals in the industry and maybe a job will come. Everyone wants to meet the big speakers!! Trying to get their attention will be a challenge. Don’t think of these attendees as competitors, think of them as your new friends and connections to start building your network with. While neither of you may be in a position to currently help each other, one day in the next few years, I guarantee one of you will be in a position to help the other person which will be very beneficial to both of you. Example, I. attended a coaching course in the fall of 2018. I met two coaches there who are both currently coaching at a high level. Neither of us have asked for anything from the other, but I now have two new connections that I met at a coaching course (my version of a networking event) that if I need something I know I can ask and vice-versa.
3. Follow-up. Send an email, connect on Linkedin with everyone you come in contact with. It takes two minutes to send a quick thank you email to each individual. Two minutes for potentially a lifelong relationship. Seems like a nice ROI on your time if you ask me. IMPORTANT that you do not ask for anything in this email!! These people have just met you, please don’t ask for a job or internship…please!! What this email should say is something like, “it was great meeting you; I enjoyed our conversation about xyz, I look forward to staying in touch”. Simple, to the point, and boom! you are now developing a relationship.
Book Recommendation: How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie & Power Questions - Andrew Sobel & Jerold Panas
Tip #3: Use Social Media to Your Advantage
The days of you posting pictures with your best friends at a party are over. Stop that right now. In a world where information about people’s lives is so easily accessible, I can guarantee you that your future employers are looking to see what your social media pages are like. “Don’t worry Jesse, my page is private”. Ok, so what are you hiding? That’s something an employer might think. Let’s say you do get hired, and someone in the company ends up following you and sees an inappropriate comment or picture and reports it…busted. Use a platform that you’re on everyday for your advantage!! Here’s how:
1. Post content to show you are knowledgeable about the industry you’re interested in. Let’s use the finance industry for example. What if, every week you posted a helpful instruction about how to wisely invest or save money. Let’s say one of your followers is a hiring manager in the finance industry or knows someone in the finance industry and recommends you for a position. The hiring manager can then have a look at your “online resume” to see for him or herself. “It’s about who knows you”. Even if you’re not looking to get hired, posting helpful information can help create business for yourself.
2. You can build meaningful connections. Isn’t the internet great? I can’t begin to tell you how many connections I’ve made with people through social media that I may have never met in person or have met once or twice. It is by far the best tool to stay in touch with people in your industry. It has almost become the new email with the amount of people using each platform. A great tool to connect with individuals in your field is by commenting and asking them questions. When you see a picture, ask a thought-provoking question. Not only is this a great way for you to learn, but it’s a great way to build deeper relationships. See the story below how social media helped land my dream job.
3. You can get hired from a strong page. I know this from first-hand experience. I’ve been hired and have received multiple job offers from simply connecting with people and trying to post helpful content on a daily basis. Don’t just use social media to post fun pictures with your friends. Use it to get yourself hired. Use it to land your dream job.
Book Recommendation: Start with Why & Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek
Tip #4: Knowledge is (Potential) Power
Who you know gets you in, what you know keeps you in. Understand this: You are a lifelong student. Just because you graduate college doesn’t mean your life as a student is over, it means it has just begun. In our digital age, there is information accessible to you anytime, anywhere. You should be reading on a consistent basis to help formulate ideas and learn more about different topics and areas of interest. Read/watch interviews with well-respected professionals in your field. Find articles, read about current trends etc. After reading or listening to an interview, send a quick message to them. Something like “just listened to your podcast episode about xyz, really thought what you had to say about abc was very fascinating and can’t wait to implement that in my life”. You could even ask them to elaborate more about that topic and so on. If you are not trying to educate yourself in some way on a daily basis, you will not advance in your field and find your dream job. The best part about educating yourself on a daily basis is, you now have the opportunity and the privilege to educate others through casual conversations or your social media account. See how everything with networking works together?
Book Recommendation: Ask a professional in the field for a book that helped them
Tip #5: Be a Good Person
The most obvious tip of them all. People hire people they like. Are you a good person? Are you likeable? Do people like being around you? The more people like you, the more they’ll help you. Be a good person, you never know who you may be talking to at any given time. Provide as much value as you can at any given time. Network like a champ and go earn that dream job.
Book recommendation: The Energy Bus – Jon Gordon
Bonus Tip #6: Start a Podcast
If you love talking to people and are genuinely interested in learning about them, I highly recommend starting a podcast. I started the “Goleline Podcast” in March and have been lucky enough to connect with some amazing people and learn about their past. This is such an incredible experience to be able to hear about great stories but also learn information for yourself. It also gives you an excuse to cold message someone and ask to be a guest. Another great way to begin to develop relationships. This has been one of my favorite projects and experiences of my life to this day.
Quick story on how I used the above strategies to earn my dream job as a Division I soccer coach. I began my coaching career at my alma mater, Centenary University (NJ) as an assistant in the fall of 2016. It was a small school, so I was able to do a lot of behind the scenes work as well as on the field training. In the summer of 2019, I was fortunate enough to be asked to help coach at a youth soccer camp here in Pittsburgh. At that camp, I met a coach well connected in the industry. I didn’t know that at the time, but I like to always assume everyone I meet knows someone. After the camp, we connected on social media, I sent him a message and we continued a relationship. I ended up seeing him once more in the past year. At a random moment earlier in the summer, he texted me asking if I would be interested in interviewing for the position I was recently hired in. One of the assistants asked him for recommendations. He recommended me (thankfully) and my interview process began. During my time as an assistant coach, I would go to ID camps to recruit potential student-athletes for our program. Many coaches from all levels were always present (these were my networking events). Before arriving, I made sure to see which coaches were attending, maybe I had something in common with them, or maybe they’ve been coaching at a high level for a long time and I could pick their brains. At an ID camp for potential student athletes in the summer of 2018, I met a coach at a camp and started asking him questions to get to know him better and allow him to get to know me as well. After the camp, we connected on social media. Through a handful of conversations on social media and meeting again at a conference in the winter of 2020, the time came recently where I needed a favor. I was interviewing for my current position and I told him about it. Turned out, he knew the head coach and top assistant coach at the university. Luckily for me, our relationship has grown to where he felt comfortable recommending me for the position. I have only “met” this coach twice in person, but I can now thankfully call him a friend. Luckily for me, I will be the goalkeeper coach at Northeastern University this upcoming year.
Just like that; staying connected through social media, meeting the right people, developing meaningful relationships, all helped land a dream job at age 26. This is not to brag. This is for you to understand that meeting as many people as possible, putting yourself out there and developing meaningful relationships can help you too land your dream job, and it will. Remember, once you land that dream job, it becomes your responsibility to pay it forward and help the next generation of industry professionals land their job.
I am also the founder and owner of Goleline; a strength and conditioning company tailored to the needs of goalkeepers. It was always a dream to start my own business, so I guess you can say I’m currently “living the dream”.
Andrew Exler and I, through mutual connections have probably known each other for years. However, we didn’t “officially” meet until the fall of 2019. When I heard about his nonprofit organization, My New Summer, I thought it was a tremendous idea and a great way to give college students another opportunity to gain valuable experience. Andrew gave me a great opportunity to not only meet a great group of students but expand my company with my first group of interns. I couldn’t have asked for a better first group of interns and it was such an honor to work with them! My New Summer is a great way to connect with young individuals looking to begin their careers.
If you have any questions or want to connect, follow me on Instagram and twitter: @goleline. Or email golelinellc@gmail.com. Looking forward to connecting with you all.
- Jesse
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Thank you, Jesse, for being a guest contributor for #TheGroundFloor!
I am always looking to welcoming guest contributors to #TheGroundFloor! If you are interested in writing or have a specific topic you’d like discussed, please contact me!
- Andrew
