March 5, 2020 • 27 mins
Career transitions are tough, especially when they are unplanned. This full-stack marketer found themselves in the market for a new job after their most recent tenure at an agency came to an end. Did she let the grind of looking for her next position crush her? Not at all.
With a little luck, incredible ingenuity, and using the marketing techniques she had mastered, Bri Land turn a boring and mundane process on it's head, getting companies to apply for her services, not the other way around. Find out where she got the inspiration, how she did it, and what advice she has for today's job seeker in this episode of Summit.
About Bri Land
Bri is a full-stack marketer with startup and agency experience. Her superpower is thinking big picture and breaking down those big plans into bite-sized, actionable pieces. Her brain is equal parts analytical and creative and she’s a problem solver at heart. Her campaign, NOW HIRING: My New Boss, recently gained viral status for its unique approach to the job search. Those who appreciate weird and unordinary are encouraged to apply. Outside of work, she’s a wife and a mom to two teen girls, two boy dogs and a lady cat. They live close to downtown Houston in their tiny bungalow with all the pet hair.
About Kyle Hamer
A sales and marketing veteran with a deep understanding of strategy, digital marketing execution, and using technology to enhance brand impact. A hands-on leader with a passion for solving business challenges with process, operations, and technology. When Kyle's not tinkering on businesses, you'll find him spending time with those he loves, learning about incredible people, and making connections.
About Hamer Marketing Group
Market growth for a new product or service is often limited by market distractions, unreliable data, or systems not built to scale. Hamer Marketing Group helps companies build data-driven strategies focused on client acquisition and sales development supported by the technology and operations necessary to create profitable growth.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kyle Hamer (00:00):
Hello, welcome to the summit, the podcast where we
bring you the knowledge andinsights from today's industry
leaders and professionals.
No fluff, no double digitovernight growth schemes.
We're having real conversationswith real people a nd g etting y
ou answers on how to take yourcareer, your marketing, and your
business to the next level.
(00:20):
My name is K yle Haimer.
I'm your host.
And today we're with my specialguest and new friend B ri.
And I don't know how you s ayyour last name, B ree.
Why don't you introduceyourself?
Bri Land (00:31):
Yeah, I'm first name TBRI last name is land.
Just like, uh, you know the landthat you stand on.
Kyle Hamer (00:39):
Well, why do I want to go London or London?
I was like, Oh man, I shouldprobably have asked that ahead
of time.
But I didn't, I didn't.
Uh, today we want to talk aboutcreative ways to find your new
boss.
I you did something prettyunique and cool.
And this is a, a way in whichyou as a digital marketer have
hacked the success to your nextcareer opportunity.
So before we get into thatthough, Bri, tell us a little
(01:01):
bit about yourself.
Other than, you know, your lastname is like the place where you
stand.
Bri Land (01:06):
I guess I would describe myself as kind of a
full stack marketer, less than aspecialist, more of a, you know,
kind of a big picture, puttingit all together, type of
marketer.
I guess my superpower is takingthat big picture and then
walking it back into smallersteps to kind of create an
actionable plan.
(01:26):
So I have a lot of startupstartup experience.
I've owned my own businessbefore and then most recently I
was at a digital agency here inHouston, so
Kyle Hamer (01:39):
that's awesome.
But you're not a full timemarketer by day and that's all
you do 24 hours, seven days aweek.
Right.
There's part of breathe that'sliving and breathing and as cool
stuff that happens outside ofwork.
Tell me, tell me a little bitabout your family and how you
ended up in Houston.
Bri Land (01:56):
Yeah, sure.
For many years.
I was a stay at home mom slashNavy wife that kind of moved all
over, all over the place,including, you know, uh,
Virginia and Florida and then a,uh, a nice three years in Italy
and then landed in Austin,Texas.
(02:17):
And when my husband got in theNavy, we found ourselves in
Houston because of the oil andgas market at the same time.
I was looking to get back intowork and you know, my kids were
of school age, so, so yeah, thatwas about 10 years ago.
Time flies.
So now I have a 13 year old anda 16 year old and um, college is
(02:40):
quickly approaching, so, soyeah.
Kyle Hamer (02:44):
That's awesome.
Now with, with, okay, for manyyears you were a stay at home
mom, you, you went back in intothe workforce.
I've had become a full stackmarketer as you've described.
And then recently you foundyourself in the middle of a
career transition and thatcaused you to do something a
little, a little different, alittle creative.
(03:07):
Tell us, you know, as you foundyourself in the middle of a
career transition, what wasgoing on that, that what I'm
doing is insane and you got todo something different.
Bri Land (03:15):
Yeah.
So I was laid off, um, at thevery end of October, beginning
of November time frame, rightbefore the holidays were about
to hit.
And you know, I was luckilygiven a little bit of a
severance and that gave me alittle bit of a runway and I
(03:35):
thought that, you know, the jobB job market being what it is
today or what we hear it istoday, that I wouldn't have had
an issue finding my next role.
But you know, holidays hits andI was just applying and hearing
absolutely nothing.
And it started with a thoughtexercise for myself on, I'm not,
(04:01):
I'm obviously not hitting theright, right people, my people
and, and what, what would itlook like?
What would my perfect boss looklike?
What would my perfect companylook like that I would want to
work for?
And so spent some time and putthat together.
And then I was like, you knowwhat if I put this online?
(04:23):
And so, you know, I talked aboutwith my husband and he was like,
yes, you absolutely have to dothis.
So I decided to kind of create awhole campaign around it.
And um, I launched it, I guessit was the week of Christmas and
I was like, this is either goingto go really bad because
nobody's on LinkedIn or evenpaying attention or it can, you
(04:47):
know, possibly go well andpeople are on LinkedIn looking
for their new new role andthey're new in their spare time.
So anyway, um, I launched it, Iemailed it and asked very nicely
to some people that I respectedin the industry to share it and
they did.
And so I don't know how many, Iprobably should have looked this
(05:11):
up before, before we talked, butI don't know how many new bosses
have applied at this point, butI would say about 50% actually
have a job for me.
A lot of people were, you know,reaching out to say, you know,
just words of encouragement.
So, but yeah, so it, iteventually ended up going viral
(05:33):
when a woman out of New Yorknamed Cindy Gallop, shared it
with her network, got picked upon a Australian news site, and
then eventually the local localnews here in Houston, which that
was just, I think it was twoweeks ago today when that aired.
And so that, that really helpedget the word out locally to more
(05:57):
realistic job opportunities forme.
You know, because when Cindyshared it, she, you know, her
network was on the coasts andhas an amazing network and I'm
connected to all these likecrazy cool people now on
LinkedIn.
But at this point in our lives,you know, we're pretty settled
in Houston unless they're, youknow, willing to, to have me
(06:22):
work remote.
It's not really a, a feasibleoption right now.
So,
Kyle Hamer (06:28):
Sure.
Now for those that arelistening, we haven't really
talked to me.
You've talked a little bit aboutthe idea, but what did you
create?
What did you share out and whatdid go viral?
So, so what is, what is it thatyou actually created?
Bri Land (06:41):
Um, so I created a website that, you know, kind of
introduces myself to recruiters,my new boss, you know, whoever's
listening, you know, it talks alittle bit about myself, kind of
walks you through what I'mlooking for and some of my
strengths.
(07:01):
There's a few, um, a few giftsin there, few emojis that make
it fun.
It's less about my absolute hardskills and experience and more
about me as a person, which youdon't really see on a resume.
So yeah, it walks you throughthat and then at the end of it
gives the person an opportunityto apply to be my new boss.
Kyle Hamer (07:26):
Well, what I can, what I can tell you is, is that
it's one of the most novelconcepts that I've ever seen.
I mean, a lot of people talkabout building a portfolio or
professional experience, alanding a webpage just for
yourself, but you built it andin the name of the site is now
hiring my new boss.
And the way that you, the waythat you positioned it, the way
(07:47):
that you put it on your LinkedInprofile, the way that you've
done everything is it looks likecompany, right?
It looks like you could be arecruiter now, hiring my new
boss.
Wait, I've got great talent allaround me.
I mean, I thought, I thought theconcept was just fantastic and I
was, and that's what I thoughtit was like a recruiting agency.
(08:08):
Yeah.
When I found out that it wasyour way of attracting your next
job opportunity, I thought thatit was just brilliant.
There's, there's a lot of thingsthat you, you share about
yourself that go beyond the rankand file, normal boring, status
quo, PC interview process.
(08:29):
You share the nuances and stuffthat that it is that makes you
unique and that makes you standout.
Why?
I know, I think, I think it'ssuper cool, but like what was it
that you were struggling withthat made you say, Hey, this is
(08:50):
what I want to do?
Was it, you were having certainbad experiences, you just
weren't hearing from anybody?
Like you had this creativeexpression you needed to get
out, like it just like
Bri Land (08:58):
Y yeah, sure.
It was.
Um, it's kind of multifaceted.
I guess.
One, it was out of frustrationwith the whole interviewing and
hiring process in general.
And then too, you know, it's somuch easier to go into an
(09:20):
interview process when somebodyhas read a little bit about the
real you, you know, it makesthings so much more comfortable.
And me being a little bit of anintrovert and having a hard time
just in interviews in general, Imean, I know everybody does, but
it's just such a nerve wrackingprocess.
(09:42):
It, it really has helped mebecome a little bit more
comfortable that, that process.
And then three, you know, I,that my next role is somewhere
that I want to be for a longtime.
You know, I've worked for a lotof startups and smaller
companies, three familybusinesses, and those can all be
(10:06):
very unstable.
And if the company falls on hardtimes, even just a little bit,
it can affect everybody withinthe company.
So, yeah.
The next role that I'm, I'mlooking for.
I want to be in it for a longtime and if I'm going to be in
it for a long time, I want toknow that people value the same
(10:27):
things that I value.
Kyle Hamer (10:29):
So I want to ask questions about those, but in
reverse order.
So let's talk about, let's talkabout number three here, which
you want to be someplace for along time.
Bri Land (10:39):
Yep.
Kyle Hamer (10:40):
What, what is it you're looking for in your new
boss?
Like you, you, you've obviouslyoutlined it on the website, but
what were the things that yousaw in your, in your past
opportunities, in your pastpositions where you're like, you
know what, these are the thingsI liked and I want to see these
characteristics outlined andthese are the things that I
don't like.
(11:00):
What are you looking for?
Bri Land (11:02):
Most of all, you know, the more that I, you know, the
more experience that I get andthe more, um, yeah, just talk to
people in business.
There are a lot of people outthere that just kind of talk the
talk and nobody has it allfigured out.
(11:27):
And you know, I'm, I'm lookingfor somebody that I can
compliment and then, you know,maybe I have some skill sets
that they don't and vice versa.
Hopefully we can learn from eachother.
Yeah.
It's a, a humble attitude is ina sense of humor is, you know,
(11:52):
those are the number two thingsin my book that I'm looking for.
Kyle Hamer (11:58):
So you want to learn something, you want to bring
something to the table and youwant to do it with, we'll have a
good time.
That sounds like the perfect jobfor anybody.
Bri Land (12:06):
Yeah.
Right.
Kyle Hamer (12:10):
You, you mentioned you were super frustrated with
the hiring process in January,right?
The market today says thatunemployment's at the lowest
rate ever and digital marketersseem to be in demand everywhere.
Especially with somebody, your,your capability in being
full-stack.
(12:31):
What's your being your reality?
Like they talk about this, butis that, is that the reality in
the market today?
Bri Land (12:38):
I don't think so.
You know, when I launched thiscampaign, I was not the only one
by any means.
I had people coming out of thewoodwork who were also a too,
you know, they've been out ofwork for like a year or more.
You know, I don't think thatwhat we're hearing in the news
(12:58):
is really telling the wholewhole picture.
You know, I myself had felt, youknow, always a little bit
underemployed.
You know, I, I feel like I havemore to offer than the chances
that I've been given.
And I feel like there's a lot ofthat out there.
I'm not sure that that is thereality, especially here in
(13:20):
Houston.
For somebody like me, I've gotsome B to B experience now, but
you know, a lot of B to C stuffand Houston is just, it's a
rough town for somebody likethat.
Kyle Hamer (13:33):
Now the other thing that I thought was really,
really interesting that you, yousaid in your three, I mean your
first one is as you werefrustrated with the market and,
and traction, the second thing,uh, you know, we, we you shared
was, is feeling comfortable inthe interview and inside of your
own skin.
Tell me about what it is aboutsharing those, the more complete
(13:56):
view of Brie in now hiring mynew boss that makes you feel
more comfortable around people.
What, what is it that he, it, itgives you or, or how does it
help build that confidence foryou?
Bri Land (14:10):
I think it kind of takes away, you know, in the
interview process you can kindof feel like you're trying to
sell yourself at some, somepoints and that is not a
strength of mine at all.
So I feel like it kind of takesaway that, you know, desire to
want to mold into whateverperson that you're the person
(14:31):
interviewing you wants to be.
You know what I mean?
It takes away the pressure andyou know, everybody's always
talking about authenticity inmarketing, you know?
But I feel like, like I waslike, you know, I'm going to put
my money where my mouth is andsee if this really works know.
(14:52):
And so far it has, you know, I,you know, still hiring.
But uh, but yeah, the responsehas been really good all around.
Kyle Hamer (15:03):
So a lot of people out there might be thinking,
okay, Bri, you've, you'veconvinced me I need to do
something different.
Take a different approach.
But you had a severance package.
Surely this was expensive totake on.
Was this an expensive endeavorfor you?
Bri Land (15:18):
Oh, absolutely not.
What tools did you use?
Like how did you, like how didyou make this all happen?
Yeah, I mean, so you know, Ihave experience creating sites
on Shopify, WordPress, HubSpot,and what I used for this site,
because I wanted to keep it veryclean and simple was just
(15:38):
Squarespace.
And it took me maybe a day,maybe not a day to write
everything, but to geteverything set up and you know,
working and, uh, the way that Iwanted it to.
Yeah.
That's, and expensive, maybelike under 20 bucks a month.
And I of course bought my, aboutmy domain as well as you know,
(16:02):
that, that that's pretty cheaptoo.
You can, uh, and you can alsocreate, uh, a company on
LinkedIn for free.
Kyle Hamer (16:15):
Yeah.
LinkedIn, LinkedIn makes it easyto be, be a lot of things, but
so it wasn't expensive.
And, and one of the things thatyou shared in your blog was, is
kind of this, this graph oftraffic.
So we've got, you've gotSquarespace, 20 bucks a month,
bought a domain, maybe it was$4,maybe it was 20.
I dunno, you might, you might bein for what, maybe a hundred
(16:38):
bucks at this point.
Yeah.
Did you, did you advertise atall?
Like how did you get traffic in?
And then we'll talk a little bitmore about how you went viral in
just a second.
Bri Land (16:51):
Sure.
Um, I did test one ad I spentabout a hundred dollars on that
when I noticed that traffic andinterest was kind of going down
a little bit.
And um, I use a little bit ofABM targeted some companies that
(17:13):
I really, you know, wasinterested in.
And at the same time my, my sitewas being shared in like
Facebook groups and you know,all kinds of places.
And, um, I think that's where iteventually started to, to really
go viral.
When, when Cindy Gallop, youknow the, the lady that I
(17:33):
mentioned earlier shared thatshe, she said she found it in
this, in a Facebook group forlike women in tech.
So, so yeah, that's, that's kindof where, where it started and
she's, like I said, she's kindof a, a force and so once, once
she shared it, it really tookoff.
Kyle Hamer (17:51):
So you, you know, you tracked, so we got
SquareSpace, we use LinkedIn, wedid some targeting with, with
LinkedIn ads, maybe shared in,in Facebook, social media.
What did you share to try andget people to come apply to be a
boss or did you get shared andget feedback?
Like what, what was the spiritof, of some of your posting
early on for people like Cindyto get exposed to, to my new
(18:15):
boss.
Bri Land (18:16):
Yeah.
So I originally posted it onLinkedIn at the very exact time
that I did that I asked, I sentan email to some people that I
just really respect in theindustry who I know have
influence and ask them to sharemy LinkedIn post.
That was the post that really,really got things started here
(18:40):
locally in the beginning,knowing that all those people
were kind of sharing it andliking it at the same time.
And, and I think it's just[inaudible] it's something that
people haven't seen before andwe're just generally interested
in it.
Kyle Hamer (18:58):
Well, it is unique, right?
I mean it's, it's not every dayit's somebody goes out and says,
Hey, I'm now hiring you.
Like flip, flip the, flip thescript.
Bri Land (19:08):
Well, I hope, I hope that it didn't come across as
arrogant because I'm not that.
So
Kyle Hamer (19:16):
I don't, I don't think anything about it comes
across as arrogant, truthfully,bringing anybody that takes time
to go out and read.
I think that what they'll findis that it's a very empathetic,
authentic view of somebodybeyond the resume.
My take as a, you know, as amarketer of many years is that
it's somebody who's, who'splayful, creative, a down to
earth, but also earnest in, inthe things that, um, that drive
(19:43):
them.
You know, I think one of thethings that I found most
fascinating was as you talkedabout all of the things, the
skills that you had taughtyourself.
Sometimes job seekers, they,they don't think about the
skills that that it takes toteach themselves do things right
or, or the process of learning anew craft or a new skill.
They think only about the skillsthat are required for that
(20:05):
particular function or thatparticular job.
And there are so many othernuanced pieces that happen when
you pick up a skill elsewhere.
So the, the, you've taughtyourself how to play guitar and
woodworking, if I rememberright,
Bri Land (20:21):
I'm not guitar but, but definitely wood working.
Kyle Hamer (20:28):
I, you know, if I could, if I could teach myself
to do one thing, it would beplay guitar, but my hands
grandpop's so stinking fast.
Now for folks that are out therethat are not in your shoes or,
or are struggling, what's someof the, what's some of the
advice that you would give thosepeople that are still in the
market, either underemployed orunemployed and, and, and
(20:49):
searching for their nextopportunity that haven't built
this inbound machine that youhave?
What, what would be some of youradvice for them?
Bri Land (20:57):
Um, you know, I, you know, you mentioned kind of self
teaching.
There is so much out therethat's free if you're just
willing to, to put in some ofthat work.
For example, all of the HubSpotcertifications that you can get
just, I mean for free, I don'tknow how many they have, but uh,
you know, it's probably like 20at this point you can get
(21:20):
certified in Google ads, Googleanalytics, like all these things
are, are for free and thingsthat I think employers really
look for.
Just put some thought intoexactly like who, who do you
want to work for because it is atwo way street and when you
start treating it that way,things change a little bit.
(21:43):
I think, um, your confidencegoes up a bit and that, and
then, and then also the otherthing that's really helped me is
finding community.
I it's amazing how I can havethis community on LinkedIn now
of I would say mostly women.
(22:04):
Um, there, there's a few men outthere too.
There've been huge cheerleaders.
But um, just the way that peoplehave been rallying around me has
been amazing and it really kindof gets you through those low
points.
Kyle Hamer (22:21):
Having community and having families, I think one of
the most underappreciated thingsas you're displaced from work.
Yeah.
Cause you go from interactingwith folks all day, every day to
very isolated and kind of quietexistence.
Even if you've got a greatseverance package, the fact that
you're, you know, you're asocial circle goes from say
(22:45):
you're working at a company if30 all the way up to 300, you're
interacting with at least fiveto 10 different people on a
daily basis and the moment whichthat changes that community has
gone.
So I think that's, that's areally key key element.
Bri Land (22:58):
Oh and also exercise.
Why exercise?
Cause that's my, I usually go inthe afternoon, I run on the
Heights jogging trail and uh, Ijust pop in my headphones and
listen to, you know, marketingpodcasts or, or, uh, true crime
(23:20):
podcasts just to like kind ofcheck out for a little bit.
That's, that's been a lifesavertoo.
Kyle Hamer (23:26):
Now that you've, you've been in the market for a
period of months, you've triedit the old fashioned way of
here's my cover letter,networking with people, sending
them an resume, applying to jobsand then the way that you're
doing it now, which is you'redriving demand to yourself, what
(23:48):
kind of advice do you have foremployers that are out there,
that are looking to get the besttalent and to hire people for,
um, for the positions that theyhave opened?
What, what kind of advice do youhave?
Bri Land (24:03):
Um, I would say that, you know, there's not going to
be one perfect person thatchecks all the boxes who also
fits into your company culture.
People are teachable and hirethe person, not the, the product
I guess.
(24:25):
Um, if somebody gets alonggreat, is helpful in his team
player, no jobs too small orbig, but they don't have, you
know, a specific skill thatyou're looking for.
All of those are, are just,those are all very teachable,
um, things.
So yeah, hire the person, notthe product.
Kyle Hamer (24:50):
And along the way you've dealt with recruiters
that help you try and land aposition.
What kind of advice would youhave for recruiters based on
your experience in the lasthowever many months?
Bri Land (25:01):
Call people back?
No, I'm just kidding.
Um, no, and I know that they're,you know, recruiters are in a
tough spot just like job seekersare, but you know, just, just a
note to keep people in the loop,you know?
And if it's, if it's not a goodfit then that's totally okay.
(25:23):
But when we're left hanging andwondering, it's a, it can be
pretty agonizing.
Kyle Hamer (25:30):
And then last but not least, I mean you've, we've,
we've kind of touched on all ofthese across the board, but for
those people that are out there,exercise community, doing
something creative, teachingyourself new skills, what other
advice, if any, is left forsomebody that's in the job
market and looking for it today?
Bri Land (25:49):
Um, I would say to run through the open doors that are
given to you because like doingthings like this right now is
completely out of my comfortzone and um, so it was being on
the news two weeks ago.
So just kind of run throughthose doors whenever they're
(26:10):
opened and just do your best tomake it through
Kyle Hamer (26:16):
the, the update is as of this recording that there
are lots of bosses still goingthrough the application process,
but you haven't selected oneyet.
Bri Land (26:25):
That's correct.
Kyle Hamer (26:27):
So if somebody wants to get ahold of you once they be
interviewed by you once tobecome a part of this process,
what's the best way for them toget, get in contact with you
Bri?
Bri Land (26:38):
Yeah.
Just going to my, going to mysite now hiring my new boss.com.
I'm kind of reading about me,connect to me on LinkedIn, did
to see what I'm about and yeah,we'll go from there.
Kyle Hamer (26:55):
That's awesome.
Well, I really appreciate youtaking the time to share your
story.
Um, this, this just fabulousoutside of the box, a way of
flipping a, a very old paradigmon its head and putting a
digital marketers creative twiston it.
This, it's been fascinatinglearning about your story over
the last couple of weeks andwatching you catapult into the
(27:17):
jet stream of opportunity.
You're making me blush and I, wereally, we really, really,
really thankful you, you were onthe show today and getting an
update when you've selected thatnew boss.
Sure.
Awesome.
We'll breathe.
Thanks for being here.
We'll talk soon.
All right.
Thank you.
Hello, welcome to the summit, the podcast where we
bring you the knowledge andinsights from today's industry
leaders and professionals.
No fluff, no double digitovernight growth schemes.
We're having real conversationswith real people a nd g etting y
ou answers on how to take yourcareer, your marketing, and your
business to the next level.
(00:20):
My name is K yle Haimer.
I'm your host.
And today we're with my specialguest and new friend B ri.
And I don't know how you s ayyour last name, B ree.
Why don't you introduceyourself?
Bri Land (00:31):
Yeah, I'm first name TBRI last name is land.
Just like, uh, you know the landthat you stand on.
Kyle Hamer (00:39):
Well, why do I want to go London or London?
I was like, Oh man, I shouldprobably have asked that ahead
of time.
But I didn't, I didn't.
Uh, today we want to talk aboutcreative ways to find your new
boss.
I you did something prettyunique and cool.
And this is a, a way in whichyou as a digital marketer have
hacked the success to your nextcareer opportunity.
So before we get into thatthough, Bri, tell us a little
(01:01):
bit about yourself.
Other than, you know, your lastname is like the place where you
stand.
Bri Land (01:06):
I guess I would describe myself as kind of a
full stack marketer, less than aspecialist, more of a, you know,
kind of a big picture, puttingit all together, type of
marketer.
I guess my superpower is takingthat big picture and then
walking it back into smallersteps to kind of create an
actionable plan.
(01:26):
So I have a lot of startupstartup experience.
I've owned my own businessbefore and then most recently I
was at a digital agency here inHouston, so
Kyle Hamer (01:39):
that's awesome.
But you're not a full timemarketer by day and that's all
you do 24 hours, seven days aweek.
Right.
There's part of breathe that'sliving and breathing and as cool
stuff that happens outside ofwork.
Tell me, tell me a little bitabout your family and how you
ended up in Houston.
Bri Land (01:56):
Yeah, sure.
For many years.
I was a stay at home mom slashNavy wife that kind of moved all
over, all over the place,including, you know, uh,
Virginia and Florida and then a,uh, a nice three years in Italy
and then landed in Austin,Texas.
(02:17):
And when my husband got in theNavy, we found ourselves in
Houston because of the oil andgas market at the same time.
I was looking to get back intowork and you know, my kids were
of school age, so, so yeah, thatwas about 10 years ago.
Time flies.
So now I have a 13 year old anda 16 year old and um, college is
(02:40):
quickly approaching, so, soyeah.
Kyle Hamer (02:44):
That's awesome.
Now with, with, okay, for manyyears you were a stay at home
mom, you, you went back in intothe workforce.
I've had become a full stackmarketer as you've described.
And then recently you foundyourself in the middle of a
career transition and thatcaused you to do something a
little, a little different, alittle creative.
(03:07):
Tell us, you know, as you foundyourself in the middle of a
career transition, what wasgoing on that, that what I'm
doing is insane and you got todo something different.
Bri Land (03:15):
Yeah.
So I was laid off, um, at thevery end of October, beginning
of November time frame, rightbefore the holidays were about
to hit.
And you know, I was luckilygiven a little bit of a
severance and that gave me alittle bit of a runway and I
(03:35):
thought that, you know, the jobB job market being what it is
today or what we hear it istoday, that I wouldn't have had
an issue finding my next role.
But you know, holidays hits andI was just applying and hearing
absolutely nothing.
And it started with a thoughtexercise for myself on, I'm not,
(04:01):
I'm obviously not hitting theright, right people, my people
and, and what, what would itlook like?
What would my perfect boss looklike?
What would my perfect companylook like that I would want to
work for?
And so spent some time and putthat together.
And then I was like, you knowwhat if I put this online?
(04:23):
And so, you know, I talked aboutwith my husband and he was like,
yes, you absolutely have to dothis.
So I decided to kind of create awhole campaign around it.
And um, I launched it, I guessit was the week of Christmas and
I was like, this is either goingto go really bad because
nobody's on LinkedIn or evenpaying attention or it can, you
(04:47):
know, possibly go well andpeople are on LinkedIn looking
for their new new role andthey're new in their spare time.
So anyway, um, I launched it, Iemailed it and asked very nicely
to some people that I respectedin the industry to share it and
they did.
And so I don't know how many, Iprobably should have looked this
(05:11):
up before, before we talked, butI don't know how many new bosses
have applied at this point, butI would say about 50% actually
have a job for me.
A lot of people were, you know,reaching out to say, you know,
just words of encouragement.
So, but yeah, so it, iteventually ended up going viral
(05:33):
when a woman out of New Yorknamed Cindy Gallop, shared it
with her network, got picked upon a Australian news site, and
then eventually the local localnews here in Houston, which that
was just, I think it was twoweeks ago today when that aired.
And so that, that really helpedget the word out locally to more
(05:57):
realistic job opportunities forme.
You know, because when Cindyshared it, she, you know, her
network was on the coasts andhas an amazing network and I'm
connected to all these likecrazy cool people now on
LinkedIn.
But at this point in our lives,you know, we're pretty settled
in Houston unless they're, youknow, willing to, to have me
(06:22):
work remote.
It's not really a, a feasibleoption right now.
So,
Kyle Hamer (06:28):
Sure.
Now for those that arelistening, we haven't really
talked to me.
You've talked a little bit aboutthe idea, but what did you
create?
What did you share out and whatdid go viral?
So, so what is, what is it thatyou actually created?
Bri Land (06:41):
Um, so I created a website that, you know, kind of
introduces myself to recruiters,my new boss, you know, whoever's
listening, you know, it talks alittle bit about myself, kind of
walks you through what I'mlooking for and some of my
strengths.
(07:01):
There's a few, um, a few giftsin there, few emojis that make
it fun.
It's less about my absolute hardskills and experience and more
about me as a person, which youdon't really see on a resume.
So yeah, it walks you throughthat and then at the end of it
gives the person an opportunityto apply to be my new boss.
Kyle Hamer (07:26):
Well, what I can, what I can tell you is, is that
it's one of the most novelconcepts that I've ever seen.
I mean, a lot of people talkabout building a portfolio or
professional experience, alanding a webpage just for
yourself, but you built it andin the name of the site is now
hiring my new boss.
And the way that you, the waythat you positioned it, the way
(07:47):
that you put it on your LinkedInprofile, the way that you've
done everything is it looks likecompany, right?
It looks like you could be arecruiter now, hiring my new
boss.
Wait, I've got great talent allaround me.
I mean, I thought, I thought theconcept was just fantastic and I
was, and that's what I thoughtit was like a recruiting agency.
(08:08):
Yeah.
When I found out that it wasyour way of attracting your next
job opportunity, I thought thatit was just brilliant.
There's, there's a lot of thingsthat you, you share about
yourself that go beyond the rankand file, normal boring, status
quo, PC interview process.
(08:29):
You share the nuances and stuffthat that it is that makes you
unique and that makes you standout.
Why?
I know, I think, I think it'ssuper cool, but like what was it
that you were struggling withthat made you say, Hey, this is
(08:50):
what I want to do?
Was it, you were having certainbad experiences, you just
weren't hearing from anybody?
Like you had this creativeexpression you needed to get
out, like it just like
Bri Land (08:58):
Y yeah, sure.
It was.
Um, it's kind of multifaceted.
I guess.
One, it was out of frustrationwith the whole interviewing and
hiring process in general.
And then too, you know, it's somuch easier to go into an
(09:20):
interview process when somebodyhas read a little bit about the
real you, you know, it makesthings so much more comfortable.
And me being a little bit of anintrovert and having a hard time
just in interviews in general, Imean, I know everybody does, but
it's just such a nerve wrackingprocess.
(09:42):
It, it really has helped mebecome a little bit more
comfortable that, that process.
And then three, you know, I,that my next role is somewhere
that I want to be for a longtime.
You know, I've worked for a lotof startups and smaller
companies, three familybusinesses, and those can all be
(10:06):
very unstable.
And if the company falls on hardtimes, even just a little bit,
it can affect everybody withinthe company.
So, yeah.
The next role that I'm, I'mlooking for.
I want to be in it for a longtime and if I'm going to be in
it for a long time, I want toknow that people value the same
(10:27):
things that I value.
Kyle Hamer (10:29):
So I want to ask questions about those, but in
reverse order.
So let's talk about, let's talkabout number three here, which
you want to be someplace for along time.
Bri Land (10:39):
Yep.
Kyle Hamer (10:40):
What, what is it you're looking for in your new
boss?
Like you, you, you've obviouslyoutlined it on the website, but
what were the things that yousaw in your, in your past
opportunities, in your pastpositions where you're like, you
know what, these are the thingsI liked and I want to see these
characteristics outlined andthese are the things that I
don't like.
(11:00):
What are you looking for?
Bri Land (11:02):
Most of all, you know, the more that I, you know, the
more experience that I get andthe more, um, yeah, just talk to
people in business.
There are a lot of people outthere that just kind of talk the
talk and nobody has it allfigured out.
(11:27):
And you know, I'm, I'm lookingfor somebody that I can
compliment and then, you know,maybe I have some skill sets
that they don't and vice versa.
Hopefully we can learn from eachother.
Yeah.
It's a, a humble attitude is ina sense of humor is, you know,
(11:52):
those are the number two thingsin my book that I'm looking for.
Kyle Hamer (11:58):
So you want to learn something, you want to bring
something to the table and youwant to do it with, we'll have a
good time.
That sounds like the perfect jobfor anybody.
Bri Land (12:06):
Yeah.
Right.
Kyle Hamer (12:10):
You, you mentioned you were super frustrated with
the hiring process in January,right?
The market today says thatunemployment's at the lowest
rate ever and digital marketersseem to be in demand everywhere.
Especially with somebody, your,your capability in being
full-stack.
(12:31):
What's your being your reality?
Like they talk about this, butis that, is that the reality in
the market today?
Bri Land (12:38):
I don't think so.
You know, when I launched thiscampaign, I was not the only one
by any means.
I had people coming out of thewoodwork who were also a too,
you know, they've been out ofwork for like a year or more.
You know, I don't think thatwhat we're hearing in the news
(12:58):
is really telling the wholewhole picture.
You know, I myself had felt, youknow, always a little bit
underemployed.
You know, I, I feel like I havemore to offer than the chances
that I've been given.
And I feel like there's a lot ofthat out there.
I'm not sure that that is thereality, especially here in
(13:20):
Houston.
For somebody like me, I've gotsome B to B experience now, but
you know, a lot of B to C stuffand Houston is just, it's a
rough town for somebody likethat.
Kyle Hamer (13:33):
Now the other thing that I thought was really,
really interesting that you, yousaid in your three, I mean your
first one is as you werefrustrated with the market and,
and traction, the second thing,uh, you know, we, we you shared
was, is feeling comfortable inthe interview and inside of your
own skin.
Tell me about what it is aboutsharing those, the more complete
(13:56):
view of Brie in now hiring mynew boss that makes you feel
more comfortable around people.
What, what is it that he, it, itgives you or, or how does it
help build that confidence foryou?
Bri Land (14:10):
I think it kind of takes away, you know, in the
interview process you can kindof feel like you're trying to
sell yourself at some, somepoints and that is not a
strength of mine at all.
So I feel like it kind of takesaway that, you know, desire to
want to mold into whateverperson that you're the person
(14:31):
interviewing you wants to be.
You know what I mean?
It takes away the pressure andyou know, everybody's always
talking about authenticity inmarketing, you know?
But I feel like, like I waslike, you know, I'm going to put
my money where my mouth is andsee if this really works know.
(14:52):
And so far it has, you know, I,you know, still hiring.
But uh, but yeah, the responsehas been really good all around.
Kyle Hamer (15:03):
So a lot of people out there might be thinking,
okay, Bri, you've, you'veconvinced me I need to do
something different.
Take a different approach.
But you had a severance package.
Surely this was expensive totake on.
Was this an expensive endeavorfor you?
Bri Land (15:18):
Oh, absolutely not.
What tools did you use?
Like how did you, like how didyou make this all happen?
Yeah, I mean, so you know, Ihave experience creating sites
on Shopify, WordPress, HubSpot,and what I used for this site,
because I wanted to keep it veryclean and simple was just
(15:38):
Squarespace.
And it took me maybe a day,maybe not a day to write
everything, but to geteverything set up and you know,
working and, uh, the way that Iwanted it to.
Yeah.
That's, and expensive, maybelike under 20 bucks a month.
And I of course bought my, aboutmy domain as well as you know,
(16:02):
that, that that's pretty cheaptoo.
You can, uh, and you can alsocreate, uh, a company on
LinkedIn for free.
Kyle Hamer (16:15):
Yeah.
LinkedIn, LinkedIn makes it easyto be, be a lot of things, but
so it wasn't expensive.
And, and one of the things thatyou shared in your blog was, is
kind of this, this graph oftraffic.
So we've got, you've gotSquarespace, 20 bucks a month,
bought a domain, maybe it was$4,maybe it was 20.
I dunno, you might, you might bein for what, maybe a hundred
(16:38):
bucks at this point.
Yeah.
Did you, did you advertise atall?
Like how did you get traffic in?
And then we'll talk a little bitmore about how you went viral in
just a second.
Bri Land (16:51):
Sure.
Um, I did test one ad I spentabout a hundred dollars on that
when I noticed that traffic andinterest was kind of going down
a little bit.
And um, I use a little bit ofABM targeted some companies that
(17:13):
I really, you know, wasinterested in.
And at the same time my, my sitewas being shared in like
Facebook groups and you know,all kinds of places.
And, um, I think that's where iteventually started to, to really
go viral.
When, when Cindy Gallop, youknow the, the lady that I
(17:33):
mentioned earlier shared thatshe, she said she found it in
this, in a Facebook group forlike women in tech.
So, so yeah, that's, that's kindof where, where it started and
she's, like I said, she's kindof a, a force and so once, once
she shared it, it really tookoff.
Kyle Hamer (17:51):
So you, you know, you tracked, so we got
SquareSpace, we use LinkedIn, wedid some targeting with, with
LinkedIn ads, maybe shared in,in Facebook, social media.
What did you share to try andget people to come apply to be a
boss or did you get shared andget feedback?
Like what, what was the spiritof, of some of your posting
early on for people like Cindyto get exposed to, to my new
(18:15):
boss.
Bri Land (18:16):
Yeah.
So I originally posted it onLinkedIn at the very exact time
that I did that I asked, I sentan email to some people that I
just really respect in theindustry who I know have
influence and ask them to sharemy LinkedIn post.
That was the post that really,really got things started here
(18:40):
locally in the beginning,knowing that all those people
were kind of sharing it andliking it at the same time.
And, and I think it's just[inaudible] it's something that
people haven't seen before andwe're just generally interested
in it.
Kyle Hamer (18:58):
Well, it is unique, right?
I mean it's, it's not every dayit's somebody goes out and says,
Hey, I'm now hiring you.
Like flip, flip the, flip thescript.
Bri Land (19:08):
Well, I hope, I hope that it didn't come across as
arrogant because I'm not that.
So
Kyle Hamer (19:16):
I don't, I don't think anything about it comes
across as arrogant, truthfully,bringing anybody that takes time
to go out and read.
I think that what they'll findis that it's a very empathetic,
authentic view of somebodybeyond the resume.
My take as a, you know, as amarketer of many years is that
it's somebody who's, who'splayful, creative, a down to
earth, but also earnest in, inthe things that, um, that drive
(19:43):
them.
You know, I think one of thethings that I found most
fascinating was as you talkedabout all of the things, the
skills that you had taughtyourself.
Sometimes job seekers, they,they don't think about the
skills that that it takes toteach themselves do things right
or, or the process of learning anew craft or a new skill.
They think only about the skillsthat are required for that
(20:05):
particular function or thatparticular job.
And there are so many othernuanced pieces that happen when
you pick up a skill elsewhere.
So the, the, you've taughtyourself how to play guitar and
woodworking, if I rememberright,
Bri Land (20:21):
I'm not guitar but, but definitely wood working.
Kyle Hamer (20:28):
I, you know, if I could, if I could teach myself
to do one thing, it would beplay guitar, but my hands
grandpop's so stinking fast.
Now for folks that are out therethat are not in your shoes or,
or are struggling, what's someof the, what's some of the
advice that you would give thosepeople that are still in the
market, either underemployed orunemployed and, and, and
(20:49):
searching for their nextopportunity that haven't built
this inbound machine that youhave?
What, what would be some of youradvice for them?
Bri Land (20:57):
Um, you know, I, you know, you mentioned kind of self
teaching.
There is so much out therethat's free if you're just
willing to, to put in some ofthat work.
For example, all of the HubSpotcertifications that you can get
just, I mean for free, I don'tknow how many they have, but uh,
you know, it's probably like 20at this point you can get
(21:20):
certified in Google ads, Googleanalytics, like all these things
are, are for free and thingsthat I think employers really
look for.
Just put some thought intoexactly like who, who do you
want to work for because it is atwo way street and when you
start treating it that way,things change a little bit.
(21:43):
I think, um, your confidencegoes up a bit and that, and
then, and then also the otherthing that's really helped me is
finding community.
I it's amazing how I can havethis community on LinkedIn now
of I would say mostly women.
(22:04):
Um, there, there's a few men outthere too.
There've been huge cheerleaders.
But um, just the way that peoplehave been rallying around me has
been amazing and it really kindof gets you through those low
points.
Kyle Hamer (22:21):
Having community and having families, I think one of
the most underappreciated thingsas you're displaced from work.
Yeah.
Cause you go from interactingwith folks all day, every day to
very isolated and kind of quietexistence.
Even if you've got a greatseverance package, the fact that
you're, you know, you're asocial circle goes from say
(22:45):
you're working at a company if30 all the way up to 300, you're
interacting with at least fiveto 10 different people on a
daily basis and the moment whichthat changes that community has
gone.
So I think that's, that's areally key key element.
Bri Land (22:58):
Oh and also exercise.
Why exercise?
Cause that's my, I usually go inthe afternoon, I run on the
Heights jogging trail and uh, Ijust pop in my headphones and
listen to, you know, marketingpodcasts or, or, uh, true crime
(23:20):
podcasts just to like kind ofcheck out for a little bit.
That's, that's been a lifesavertoo.
Kyle Hamer (23:26):
Now that you've, you've been in the market for a
period of months, you've triedit the old fashioned way of
here's my cover letter,networking with people, sending
them an resume, applying to jobsand then the way that you're
doing it now, which is you'redriving demand to yourself, what
(23:48):
kind of advice do you have foremployers that are out there,
that are looking to get the besttalent and to hire people for,
um, for the positions that theyhave opened?
What, what kind of advice do youhave?
Bri Land (24:03):
Um, I would say that, you know, there's not going to
be one perfect person thatchecks all the boxes who also
fits into your company culture.
People are teachable and hirethe person, not the, the product
I guess.
(24:25):
Um, if somebody gets alonggreat, is helpful in his team
player, no jobs too small orbig, but they don't have, you
know, a specific skill thatyou're looking for.
All of those are, are just,those are all very teachable,
um, things.
So yeah, hire the person, notthe product.
Kyle Hamer (24:50):
And along the way you've dealt with recruiters
that help you try and land aposition.
What kind of advice would youhave for recruiters based on
your experience in the lasthowever many months?
Bri Land (25:01):
Call people back?
No, I'm just kidding.
Um, no, and I know that they're,you know, recruiters are in a
tough spot just like job seekersare, but you know, just, just a
note to keep people in the loop,you know?
And if it's, if it's not a goodfit then that's totally okay.
(25:23):
But when we're left hanging andwondering, it's a, it can be
pretty agonizing.
Kyle Hamer (25:30):
And then last but not least, I mean you've, we've,
we've kind of touched on all ofthese across the board, but for
those people that are out there,exercise community, doing
something creative, teachingyourself new skills, what other
advice, if any, is left forsomebody that's in the job
market and looking for it today?
Bri Land (25:49):
Um, I would say to run through the open doors that are
given to you because like doingthings like this right now is
completely out of my comfortzone and um, so it was being on
the news two weeks ago.
So just kind of run throughthose doors whenever they're
(26:10):
opened and just do your best tomake it through
Kyle Hamer (26:16):
the, the update is as of this recording that there
are lots of bosses still goingthrough the application process,
but you haven't selected oneyet.
Bri Land (26:25):
That's correct.
Kyle Hamer (26:27):
So if somebody wants to get ahold of you once they be
interviewed by you once tobecome a part of this process,
what's the best way for them toget, get in contact with you
Bri?
Bri Land (26:38):
Yeah.
Just going to my, going to mysite now hiring my new boss.com.
I'm kind of reading about me,connect to me on LinkedIn, did
to see what I'm about and yeah,we'll go from there.
Kyle Hamer (26:55):
That's awesome.
Well, I really appreciate youtaking the time to share your
story.
Um, this, this just fabulousoutside of the box, a way of
flipping a, a very old paradigmon its head and putting a
digital marketers creative twiston it.
This, it's been fascinatinglearning about your story over
the last couple of weeks andwatching you catapult into the
(27:17):
jet stream of opportunity.
You're making me blush and I, wereally, we really, really,
really thankful you, you were onthe show today and getting an
update when you've selected thatnew boss.
Sure.
Awesome.
We'll breathe.
Thanks for being here.
We'll talk soon.
All right.
Thank you.
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