Ryan Phillips

Every major growth period in my life has come on the other side of uncertainty.... and there’s never been a wrong decision I couldn’t recover from.

A higher offer is not always a better offer.

Before you accept a new role, pressure-test it through three questions: Does it increase your optionality? Does it increase your real earning power? Does it build valuable skill and leverage?

The best job moves make your next move easier.

The hiring process is the preview.

If they’re unclear, disrespectful, chaotic, or weirdly demanding while they’re trying to win you over… don’t assume it magically gets better once you work there.

A hard interview process is fine. A bad one is data.

The best way to evaluate applying and interviewing for a job is to think like an investor. Market, customers, defensibility, economics… all of these things will ensure you land at an incredible company! Save this for when you’re applying to your next role.

I used to think the best job was the one that paid the most. Then I took a job for a $20K raise that made me question everything about myself. #

Now I optimize for freedom, optionality, quality of life, and whether the company actually feels like a place I’d want to spend my time.

A higher salary is not always a better life.

interviewtips

If you want to get promoted, your 1:1 should become the running document of your wins, your scope, your gaps, and your readiness for the next role.

Performance and promotion aren’t the same thing. Your manager can’t advocate for what they don’t know.

Save this before your next 1:1, and send it to someone who’s trying to get promoted.

The job market feels broken because some of the listings are not real opportunities. “Ghost jobs” are a brutal waste of time, but there are a few ways to spot them before you spend 45 minutes tailoring your resume.

The old way of getting promoted was being patient, putting in the time, being dependable and climb the corporate ladder over the years.

That’s not how corporate America works anymore. To move up quicker than a promotion every 3 years, you need to identify areas or own business outcomes. The closer those outcomes are to big revenue problems, the more important you’ll be.

Most job candidates answer “why are you the right fit?” By regurgitating their entire resume. Here’s a better approach: early on in the hiring process, turn it around on the recruiter or the hiring manager. Ask them! Get them to tell you what makes a great candidate. Then, you can weave in how you align with their needs throughout the entire process, and you can certainly CRUSH it if they straight up ask you to sell them on you.

Hope this helps :)

Stop letting your current salary set the ceiling for your next one.

When a recruiter asks what you’re looking for, the goal is not to panic, overshare, or throw out a random number.

The goal is to anchor the conversation around the market, the role, and the value you bring.

Save this for your next recruiter screen.