Clever Guerrilla No.1―Landing a job working directly with Reid Hoffman
Intelligent hustling, being brutally honest with yourself and others, and advice for job seekers who want outsized opportunities (hint: these jobs aren't posted)
Welcome to our new series CLEVER GUERRILLA, where we highlight creative, novel tactics used by real job seekers and recruiters who found uncommon ways to knock on the front door of opportunity.
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CLEVER GUERRILLA
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Now, onto the inaugural CLEVER GUERRILLA!
Today, I’m sharing the clever guerrilla story of Ian Alas, who works on Special Projects in the office of Reid Hoffman, the beloved LinkedIn Founder, Greylock partner, and prolific author, investor, and podcaster.
Ian and I met in San Francisco many years ago. I can’t recall exactly how we met, but I can tell you that I was immediately struck by his bright, unique mind. Inquisitive and curious, Ian pushes for growth on every edge: you can find him regularly testing daily challenges fueled by Internet lore and peer-reviewed research (one long-standing experiment I can recall: 50 squats every morning before breakfast).
Eleven years ago, Ian told me the story I’ll share with you today. The conversation came about while we were briefly marooned aboard a Lake Shasta houseboat with ~8 other loosely connected acquaintances who happened to be free for a last-minute Labor Day trip.
After doing backflips off the boat all day, throwing a hula-themed surprise birthday party in the galley, and playing surviving a gnarly game of Mafia through the afternoon, we found ourselves stuck on a mudbank. To pass the time, this misfit group of SF transplants took turns sharing stories of how we came to live in San Francisco.
At the time, I was working at my first startup. I had just moved from Atlanta to San Francisco ~2.15 months before. I knew little of Silicon Valley culture, and I knew nothing about Reid Hoffman or Ben Casnocha.
But what I did know was a good hustle story when I heard one.
Since that day, Ian has worked another decade with Reid Hoffman, helping him launch multiple books, podcasts, philanthropic efforts, and other special projects that many of us will have seen or heard of through Reid’s immense reach. Ian is one of the main folks behind the curtain making it all happen.
Without further ado, this is the story of how a low-level marketing associate for Krav Maga (yes, that Krav Maga 🥋) became one of a trusted few working directly with one of the heaviest hitters in Silicon Valley.
(Erika) I don’t want to butcher your story, so let’s have you tell it. I remember it started with a blog post, or a letter, or a tweet…remind me what you actually did to get into this rare situation?
(Ian) It’s October 2010, and I see an “internship opportunity” on Ben Casnocha’s blog. I had been a dedicated reader of his blog for years and had read his book My Start-Up Life about his entrepreneurship journey that started at 12 years old.
When I saw this post about a not-yet-announced project seeking someone “broadly interested in business and technology [that] still has a lot to prove,” I recognized it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.