Reid Garret Hoffman
Reid Garret Hoffman is perhaps one of the most well-known investors and job creators in the world. He not only founded LinkedIn, but he also serves on the boards of Mozilla, Facebook, and Zynga. These credentials demonstrate the profile of an investor who understands the ups and downs of business and so demonstrates his credibility as an advisor in employment problems. "The Start-Up of You," his co-authored book with Ben Casnocha, illustrates crucial points, particularly for young people and recent graduates wishing to begin a profession or develop a business idea (Hoffman& Casnocha, 2013). The five most prominent points in the book are the potentiality of entrepreneurship, developing competitive advantage, adaptation, networking, and pursuance of opportunities.
Potentiality of Entrepreneurship
The indication that human beings are historically entrepreneurial is interesting. Our ancestors are said to have been creative regarding survival and that the current work people do is a result of inventions. In this case, the common belief that workers depend on promotions has become invalid since globalization and technology have changed the way people think about work. There are constant competition and technological developments that demand adaptation (The Start-Up of You. 2017). "The Start-Up of You" suggests that human beings, therefore, need to operate like they are beginning a business and get refreshed all the time through inventions and innovations to survive the contemporary challenges. The ever-changing environment that has characterized the world hence through constraints resources and limited opportunities hence requires start-ups.
Competitive Advantage
Developing a competitive advantage is determined by the market realities, assets, and aspirations. These include skills, physical assets, core values, goals, and your value in the job market. The best way, as indicated in the book, is to find an amalgamation of the three concepts. That is, pursuance of the aspirations, though the available assets while maintaining one's value in the market. Good planning on the linkage of the three makes one a perfect fit for any job. The book further suggests the development of assets through investing in oneself The Start-Up of You. (2017). For instance, further studies give one an upper hand over others, orienting oneself towards the achievement of the aspirations and ensuring the market realities are working for one but not against the seeker. Advisably, one should pick a line that has got less competition to achieve market realities.
Adaptation
Adapting is another valuable asset to develop a start-up in oneself. The lesson well embedded in this topic is the need for flexibility. Sticking with one idea that continually fails a person is monotonous hence the need to flexibly adapt to get a chance in other fields. It is essential to follow plans strictly, but there must not be a fixed plan because this does not orientate one's possibility of attracting different opportunities (Hoffman & Casnocha, 2013). This, therefore, requires the formulation of alternatives where one can adapt to a changing situation and shift gears to survive in the ever-changing career environment. It involves planning, looking at one's competitive advantage learning by performing the act and maintenance of an identity. Adaptation to occurrences ensures that one can have an alternative skill set apart from for instance their main course of learning.
Networking
Relationships matter a lot in the search for a job. Interacting with people is intrinsically important since individuals control resources and information. The author advises that one should hang around people who are already in the place they would want to be. The text further indicates that in as much as personal attributes contribute to success, the best way to do this is through a network where new ideas and opportunities emanate (Hoffman & Casnocha, 2013). It further informs the people seeking opportunities to first help and empathize with others so that they can also receive the same treatment. Networking is not only about oneself receiving benefits but knowing how they can assist as well. The priority, however, should be keeping high-quality friendships, avoiding scores or keeping any and meeting new people through the already known friends. Therefore, it is imperative first to add value to their lives so that one can be helped too.
Pursuance of Opportunities
Opportunities can best be pursued through curiosity and continuous research of the available ones. The pursuance of these opportunities start with one joining networks especially the social ones, start an idea and see how people react to it and become resourceful through resilience (The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career: Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha: 8601420561212: Amazon.com: Books. 2017). This involves having high quality people in the network, forming partnerships with individuals having similar interests or experiences, cooperation and information sharing. In the contemporary life, we tend to see hardships and uncertainties in available opportunities but when resiliently pursued, these might just turn to be the best chances that ever were.
Conclusion
In summary, the "Start-Up of You" not only serves as an informative book but also an encouragement text. The discussed points are quite vital to the overall development of a person, especially a job seeker. The contemporary world is filled with uncertainties, challenges, and limited opportunities for the youth but with the right ingredients as discussed above, these are minor problems. It is inherently imperative to link these ideas so that not only become a job seeker but also a job creator.
References
Hoffman, R., & Casnocha, B. (2013). The Start‐Up of You. Leader to Leader, 2013(68), 41-45.
The Start-Up of You. (2017). The Start-Up of You. Retrieved 21 July 2017, from http://www.thestartupofyou.com/summary/
The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career: Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha: 8601420561212: Amazon.com: Books. (2017). Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017, from https://www.amazon.com/Start-up-You-Future-Yourself-Transform/dp/0307888908
