Summary: As the Founder and CEO of Founder of The Muse, Kathryn Minshew (@KMin) spends “every day making work more human.” The Muse is an online career resource that gives a behind-the-scenes look at opportunities and companies. “We believe that you can and should love your job—and be successful at it—and we want to help you make that happen.” Kathryn joined Cory Levy (After School App, Internapalooza) on OFF RCRD to talk about her journey as an entrepreneur and what she has learned about work and hiring. Kathryn didn’t always want to become an entrepreneur. “As I started to get to know people who worked in the startup sector who were building businesses from scratch, I just fell in love,” says Kathryn. At the age of 25, Kathryn, who originally planned on studying and working in international relations, started The Muse, which was her second company and has grown significantly over the past seven years. The company reaches around 50 million people a year in over 100 countries, and works with around 700 employers who are customers of The Muse. Their team now features around 125 full-time employees, mostly based out of New York City. Similar to her company, Kathryn has grown as well. “I have absolutely loved it (being an entrepreneur), but I think it surprised me how much I’ve had to learn about topics that I didn't know anything about.” From raising venture capital (over $20M) to managing a large team of employees, Kathryn has had to pick up new skills throughout her journey, and has learned a lot about jobs and hiring through her own experiences as an employer. In the episode, Kathryn and Cory touch on mistakes that ruin many careers before they even start. “I'm constantly amazed by how many people will sometimes put at risk getting a job that they're otherwise highly qualified for because of something small.” Kathryn stresses the importance of the basics like a strong handshake, looking people in the eye, knowing how to interview, and understanding the company. "Even if it's just 15 minutes, brush up on the basics of applying to a job and interviewing," says Kathryn. Make sure to listen to the full interview between Cory Levy and Kathryn Minshew here on OFF RCRD. New episodes are published each Tuesday. Connect with us on Twitter @OFFRCRD.
