If you’re coming from Ramit’s site, welcome. Here are a few posts that I think you will particularly enjoy:
- My e-book summarized in a few short paragraphs
- “What you’ll wish you’d known” – Paul Graham’s advice to graduates
- The fastest way to earn anyone’s trust
And if you really like reading advice on careers and entrepreneurship, you’ll want to subscribe to this blog. I write about those topics pretty frequently.
To my current readers… Several of you have emailed me, saying, “I noticed you tag a lot of articles as ‘rpgrad’ in Delicious. What does that mean?” Well, here’s your answer: I’ve written an e-book called “Recession-Proof Graduate.” What started as a guest post turned into a 30-page tirade on how poorly most people approach their careers. The book is currently posted on Ramit’s site, but you can read it here.
You can also download it: Recession-Proof Graduate (right-click + ‘Save As’)
All the articles I’ve been tagging ‘rpgrad’ will be used in some way or another when I start writing the real book sometime next year. The book will contain: case studies, interviews with some incredibly accomplished people, guest chapters, more in-depth explanations of the principles, email scripts, etc. I’m going to work my ass off to make it really good.
So why did I release an incomplete precursor to the actual book? A few reasons.
First off, it’s been depressing to see how many smart, ambitious, and capable graduates are basically lost right now. A lot of them could be doing great things, but because they’re using conventional job-hunting methods, they’ve severely limited their options. The recession only magnifies how outdated these methods are, and its forcing kids into terrible jobs or extended unemployment. I wanted to present an alternative approach in a brief, palatable format. And a single blog post just didn’t give me enough room to cover everything I wanted to talk about.
Second, as far as I know, there hasn’t been anyone who has explicitly addressed how graduates can get good jobs with a full book. The only authors I know who have come close lack credibility in some way or another — they’re either way too old and thus far removed from what it’s like as a recent graduate in this climate, or they’re a weirdo who’s obsessed with Gen Y and social media. Or, even worse, they lack credentials altogether and are spouting advice based on theory, not firsthand experience.
Finally, I wanted to gauge the demand for a book on this topic. I’m pretty sure there’s plenty of it, based on the volume of stuff on blogs and in the news discussing this very issue, as well as a bunch of emails I’ve received from college students asking for advice.
Over the next several months, I’ll be looking for case studies to include in the book. I’m looking for anyone who (1) was able to get a really cool job they wanted, and (2) doesn’t hate their life. I don’t care how they did it, they just had to have done it. If you know someone who fits the bill, email me. I know a bunch of other people who meet those requirements, and have intentionally left them out of this version of the e-book. This is because I want to give them a bigger role in the real thing, whatever that entails.
Anyways, this e-book is just one of several cool things I’ll be announcing over the next few months. Keep your eyes peeled, there’s more to come.
—
Two more things. First, I have to give a huge thanks to Susan Su, who designed the e-book. In less than 24 hours, she turned a plain Word document into something that looks pretty damn sharp. Thanks Susan, you are awesome.
Second, Alex recently did a great interview with PhilaLawyer that I highly recommend. It covers many of the same topics I addressed in the e-book.
Hi Charlie,
Great e-book. I think I could really use the advice you’ve given. I found you through Ramit’s blog.
Anyway, I was wondering if you could look at my situation. I am about to enter my senior year at the University of Washington as an undergrad studying Business Administration – Entrepreneurship. I love entrepreneurship, but I’m scared, because it doesn’t feel like it has a specialization or focus. Would you recommend starting some of this “free work” while I’m still in college, or waiting until I actually have a degree?
Thanks again for the e-book, I hope to hear from you soon!
Steven Tran
By: Steven Tran on July 15, 2009
at 4:01 am
Doing *any* work, free or not, ahead of time in college will set you lightyears ahead of your peers. You also won’t feel as pressured to follow along with the job hunt like your friends.
But more importantly, if you’re into entrepreneurship and have a good idea, now is the best time to try starting something. Also check out TechStars, Y Combinator, or any other summer incubator programs.
By: Devin Reams on July 15, 2009
at 9:39 am
Hi Steven!
Take a look at Cory Doctorow’s “Makers” It’s a near future fantasy with a business focus. I think it is dead-on. Makes your entrepreneurship look much better.
By: Dick Davies on December 22, 2009
at 5:56 pm
Hey Charlie, just read your E-book over at Ramit’s site. Great job putting together a primer on doing free work in a way that’s easy-to-read and yet also very practical (and true).
Thanks!
By: Writer's Coin on July 15, 2009
at 5:36 am
@Steven – College is actually the ideal time to do free work — you have nothing to lose, and by the time you graduate, you’ll be in FAR better shape than all of your peers.
@Writer’s Coin – Thanks so much!
By: charhoehn@gmail.com on July 15, 2009
at 9:02 am
Congrats, Charlie. I look forward to reading through it tonight.
By: Devin Reams on July 15, 2009
at 9:37 am
Nice book Charlie!! Keep it going
By: Moneymonk on July 15, 2009
at 10:55 am
Awesome ebook, Charlie. As a recent college grad with no job, reading through it gave me some good ideas. I’m looking forward to the full book.
By: Dominic on July 15, 2009
at 11:11 am
Amazing Charlie!
You deserve all the success in the world. Your work ethic, unique approach and talent deserve to be highly rewarded.
By: John Bardos on July 15, 2009
at 11:49 am
I finished your e-book and loved it. I agree with you that blogging has many benefits. Running my blog has opened a few paid freelance opportunities and I’m learning some HTML as I’m updating and tweaking the site.
By: Laura on July 15, 2009
at 3:41 pm
Now I can finally share it with everyone I know!! I’ve already had some folks enthusiastically repeating snippets back to me :)
Your hard work and care really show on this project, Charlie.
Excellent work, and CAN’T WAIT to see what you have coming up.
Susan
By: Susan on July 15, 2009
at 5:03 pm
Love the book, but I was also really impressed by the design. Su, would you mind sharing what you used to put it together, and how I can learn to do something similar?
By: Shane Rasnak on April 20, 2010
at 7:45 pm
That was a really impressive read, I’m going to be forwarding it on to a ton of the kids I’ve coached who’ve been asking me about life during and after college now that the economy’s tanking.
No reason to wait until after college to start doing stuff for free, lord knows you have plenty of free time there if you’re not going out five nights a week.
And the formatting made it a very easy and entertaining read, going to look into reverse engineering the book I’ve got up online into something more streamlined like that now.
Thanks!!
By: Greg on July 16, 2009
at 5:42 pm
Thanks Charlie. The e-book is a great follow up to your “how to use delicious” vid. I have been lurking on the site for a while, you have real quality content. I can tell you are a big Godin fan, as am I. Keep up the good work.
-Nate
By: Nate on July 16, 2009
at 9:22 pm
[...] I'll post some actual thoughts on it later, but in the meantime, you should check it out here. [...]
By: Charlie’s ebook! | Aidan Nulman (dot) Com on July 16, 2009
at 10:30 pm
Charlie! Great freakin’ book man. You have inadvertently validated some of my thoughts and actions over the last several months. I’m just about to exit my 20′s, but your words still ring true. Your tone and snarky remarks are welcomed by me, and they seem to be balanced out with some healthy self-deprecation.
I’m going to reread your book tomorrow and tweak a few of the things that I am currently doing. I’ll be back to your blog in the future to see what else you’ve got going on. Kudos!
By: Zac Parsons on July 16, 2009
at 10:45 pm
Your book helped me realize that our generation is fast becoming an expert on how to survive a recession. Our professors didn’t know because they didn’t have to go through it.
Your unbridled optimism in the midst of the times is a spotlight in a dark room. Thank you for taking the time to write this book and distribute it to the world.
By: Erich Stauffer on July 19, 2009
at 1:28 pm
Thank you for the kind words, Erich.
By: charhoehn@gmail.com on July 19, 2009
at 1:54 pm
Great stuff!
By: Mike Waling on July 19, 2009
at 2:37 pm
Great advice! Not just for college grads but also for those of us who did not do this 10 years ago and ended up somewhere we would rather not be.
By: Christine T. on July 20, 2009
at 7:12 am
I just finished reading another recently released free e-book on the job market for “gen y” and felt compelled to come back here and thank you for yours- so many of the other offerings are not only old/obsessed with gen y/supremely generic as you mention above, but are also really condescending to their audience. I have new-found appreciation for your voice, your design and your (apparently unique) assumption that we’re not stupid or naive. I’ve linked to you in my blog, will be sending out a few queries today (though like one of your comments above, I’ll be a senior this year) and we’ll see how it goes!
Thanks again.
By: Zoelle on July 22, 2009
at 8:11 am
You’re too kind, Zoelle. Thanks for the words and best of luck.
By: charhoehn@gmail.com on July 22, 2009
at 12:54 pm
[...] friend Charlie Hoehn just released a free ebook: Recession-Proof Graduate and it encompasses a lot of ideals that I’ve learned over the last few [...]
By: Recent graduates: how to find work you love – Devin Reams on July 22, 2009
at 9:10 am
[...] week, Charlie Hoehn released a free e-book entitled, Recession-Proof Graduate: Charlie Hoehn’s Guide To Getting Any Job Within A Year Of Finishing …. The premise is that today’s generation of college graduates are entering a job market that [...]
By: correct me if i’m wrong: » Re-Evaluating the Job Search on July 23, 2009
at 8:23 pm
[...] e-book by Charlie Hoehn on how to be recession proof and land a job in this crappy economy. Recession Proof Graduate is 30 pages of thinking outside the box for landing a job, and not just any job, a job you actually [...]
By: Recent grads read this on July 26, 2009
at 8:53 am
[...] I encouraged him to read Charlie Hoehn’s new e-book “The Recession-Proof Graduate,” which outlines strategies for finding meaningful, satisfying work through unconventional means, [...]
By: Now This Recruiter Has a Huge Pair of Balls on July 28, 2009
at 8:10 pm
[...] scary because it isn’t new. That’s easy. It’s a lot harder to do something like Charlie Hoehn did (read the e-book it’s worth your time) and think outside the box. Doing what everyone [...]
By: If everyone hates their 9-5, then why do most people take office jobs? « “Look at last year’s file” on July 29, 2009
at 9:01 am
[...] and foremost, I want to call attention to my good friend Charlie Hoehn’s First Ebook, “Recession Proof Graduate.” It’s a phenomenal read for anyone who’s currently job seeking, whether [...]
By: Ryan Stephens Marketing » 20 Essential Blog Posts from July 2009 on August 1, 2009
at 6:36 pm
[...] times of professional transition, quality advice is to seek out those you admire, mirror their work ethic and generally make lives easier at no [...]
By: Artful Sabotage: The Perks of Choosing a Cause | alex j. mann (.com) on August 6, 2009
at 10:58 am
[...] most surreal moment (for me, at least) was when someone in Seattle recognized me from my e-book. Bill Dawes had just finished interviewing two guys in line, and I think he mentioned my name or [...]
By: The Portland and Seattle screenings « Hoehn’s Musings on August 14, 2009
at 1:29 am
[...] Some brilliant advice here from Charlie Hoehn about another unique strategy for graduates to work their way through the recession. Charlie advocates ‘free work’, an idea that differs from an internship or work experience in a number of ways, as explained in his new free e-book. [...]
By: The Recession-Proof Graduate : Improve Your View on August 14, 2009
at 6:17 am
[...] Making Things Happen I just had a link to this ebook sent to me by a friend. Read this and tell me you can’t get going on a search in tough times. http://charliehoehn.com/2009/07/14/announcing-my-first-e-book/ [...]
By: Making Things Happen « Phil’s Career Blog on August 18, 2009
at 2:32 pm
[...] this dude recently released an e-book you may have heard of called “The Recession-Proof [...]
By: Does Making Money Have to be So Hard? « life: unqualified on August 18, 2009
at 3:09 pm
[...] this started with an inspiration. The Recession Proof Graduate to be exact. Charlie Hoehn succinctly and amazingly was able to sum up the future in job seeking [...]
By: Hello world! « Peterkeirn's Blog on August 19, 2009
at 11:13 am
[...] a quote I read from David Ogilvy, the Father of Advertising (I included it in Charlie Hoehn’s recession-proof grad e-book). Ogilvy: I asked an indifferent copywriter what books he had read about advertising. He told me [...]
By: MakeYourCopyLonger: A personal project (my favorite so far) | matt daniels on August 20, 2009
at 11:29 pm
I read your e-book and from the perspective of your target demographic, I beg to differ. I get the point of networking and putting out work for free in order to build up a portfolio. In fact, it should be started in college or even during the summers in high school.
In regard to the whole Seth Godin philosophy, not everyone wants to be in online marketing or an entrepreneur at this point of their lives (with enough money to afford to only work for free). I mean, all power to you if it’s been working well. But what about rent and loans? I’m not even going to bring up healthcare.
I believe this is something that can be attained with some sort of income, but sometimes, a girl’s gotta eat (and support her family).
I didn’t mean to come across so harshly, but I wanted to put this out there. Perhaps you could share your thoughts?
By: Feedback on August 21, 2009
at 12:57 am
[...] that had come out that I’d really enjoyed and had been successful, like Getting Real, the Recession Proof Grad, and a number of Seth Godin’s [...]
By: Releasing Breaking Free, the eBook, For Free | Breaking Free on September 11, 2009
at 2:15 pm
[...] “YOU CAN TAKE MY FREEDOM, BUT YOU CAN’T TAKE MY FREE WORK!!!!”** [...]
By: Premiere #20: Bloomington - I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell on September 12, 2009
at 1:24 pm
[...] website, the movie website, and Charlie Hoehn’s website (on which you can find the Recession Proof Graduate) Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Movies: Prince CaspianMore thoughts on Benjamin [...]
By: “Even though what you did is pretty great, I’m more impressed by how you managed to get it done” « Amanda Ponders. on September 12, 2009
at 8:10 pm
[...] 3. Work for Free This tip is aimed primarily towards two groups of people: new graduates and those looking to switch careers. I’m not suggesting you offer to perform Accounts Receivable duties without getting paid, but if you have spare time and are looking to break into a new field or are just starting out, working on a project for free can be a great way to get your foot in the door. Recent graduate Charlie Hoehn used this method to start his career, and wrote a free ebook about this experience called Recession-Proof Graduate. [...]
By: 4 Unconventional Ways to Find a Job in a Tough Market | Websterism - Big Ideas. Small Budgets. on September 16, 2009
at 1:33 pm
[...] way until something spurs you to change it. Because of this, you might think that there is only one way you can find a job, only one way you can read, or that rare events don’t have much [...]
By: Weighing Ideas « MichaelAuerbach.com on September 18, 2009
at 1:24 am
[...] Seriously, who cares? In less than a year, they’re going to want to kill themselves. I wanted RPGrad to remind graduates that their lives were in their control, and that they actually could go out and [...]
By: Interview with Genius Marketer, Charlie Hoehn | JetSetCitizen.com on September 18, 2009
at 11:59 am
[...] Comment! My friend Aidan Nulman was mentioned in an interview with Charlie Hoehn today, so what did I do? Of course I had to read it! I mean, I follow Aidan’s stuff anyway, but this is Charlie Hoehn, the same Mr. Hoehn who works with the reputable him and him, the same Mr. Hoehn who wrote this free ebook called Recession-Proof Graduate. [...]
By: Charlie Hoehn: “It’s the sense of entitlement that drives me nuts.” « Ms Karen Au on September 18, 2009
at 5:42 pm
[...] Charlie Hoehn beat me to it. (Quite spectacularly- everyone should read his e-book about free work here.) I could have written about my exploits seeking employment, but blogging about the latest [...]
By: Credit Crunch Lunch « simonfogg.wordpress.com on September 27, 2009
at 3:54 pm
[...] way is to build rapport with the exact company you want to be involved with and use the tactics in Charlie Hoehn’s Recession Proof Grad free eBook to land a respected job where you get to make the impact you want to make. Seriously grab [...]
By: Technotheory.com - The Entrepreneurial Myth: do you want to work alone, to watch your big idea die, and to sweep the floor? Try this instead. on October 14, 2009
at 9:16 am
I really enjoyed this e-book and am actively pursuing some of your suggestions. The fact that you did these things is tremendously impressive as well as inspiring. Thank you for writing this e-book and allowing us to have it for free…Since were recent poor college grads, lol.
By: Keith on October 30, 2009
at 4:44 pm
My pleasure, Keith! Glad you enjoyed it.
By: charhoehn@gmail.com on October 30, 2009
at 6:31 pm
[...] about some of my questions and doubts, especially capped off by reading Charlie Hoehn’s guide, it snowballed into making this first post. I have not set up this blog site to be on my ideal [...]
By: Very First Blog Post « Outcast Techie on December 29, 2009
at 11:54 pm
[...] friend Charlie Hoehn just released a free ebook: Recession-Proof Graduate and it encompasses a lot of ideals that I’ve learned over the last few [...]
By: Bombe de Zik » Archive du Blog » Recent graduates: how to find work you love on December 30, 2009
at 6:33 pm
[...] has become recognized recently for writing “The Recession Proof Graduate” a guide that teaches fresh or soon-to-be grads on the art of smart job-seeking. He’s used the [...]
By: Getting Feedback For The Quality Of Your Work « Letters From The Porch on February 28, 2010
at 7:32 am
[...] This time last year (can’t believe it’s already been that long) I downloaded the “Recession Proof Graduate” from Charlie Hoehn. Don’t worry, he doesn’t know I’m linking to him. We’re not buddies and I [...]
By: Action Item for 02/22/2011 « kaszeto on February 23, 2011
at 12:37 am
I didn’t feel like signing up at slide share so i came back here.
Great book, I know a few people who can benefit from reading this. I think the key here is you weren’t afraid to role your sleeves up and do some hard work and trust that the money will come. I see a lot grads that have this sense of entitlement but aren’t willing to work hard. It really annoys me because I don’t want to get stuck with the negative stereotypes they are creating about grads.
By: Tom on May 5, 2011
at 5:33 am
[...] TED Talk about children from developing countries self-educating themselves via technology, and Charlie Hoehn’s E-Book about his own struggles with having employees give a shit about him, I’m going to actually teach [...]
By: So..What is it you can actually do? | HeyGregP.com on July 22, 2011
at 3:37 am
[...] TED Talk about children from developing countries self-educating themselves via technology, and Charlie Hoehn’s E-Book about his own struggles with having employees give a shit about him, I’m going to actually teach [...]
By: learning technical skills, recession proof graduate on July 24, 2011
at 7:24 am