Monday, August 21, 2023

CNBC Make It Work helps you get ahead in your career.
By Ashton Jackson

CEO built a $96 million company drawing on a simple 2-word lesson

Jennifer Hyman says she learned one of the most important lessons of her career as a 22-year-old intern.

It’s simple, the CEO of Rent the Runway — which had a market cap of $95.93 million last week — told students at a recent Stanford Graduate School of Business event: “be likable.”

While interning at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Hyman came up with the idea of hosting honeymoon registries, she said. But pitching the company’s president wasn’t easy. He didn’t say no, but he didn’t immediately embrace the idea or give her resources to pursue it, either.

Instead, Hyman had to persuade her colleagues to help her bring the business to life. Having a good idea wasn’t enough to win those colleagues over, she said — she needed to be likable.

“I had to influence hundreds of people around the world in different divisions to help me,” Hyman, 42, said. “It was just an exercise for me, and [I realized] you don’t need to have authority to actually be a leader.”

The lesson proved valuable when co-founders Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss came up with the idea for Rent the Runway six years later in 2008. Getting prominent designers like Diane von Furstenberg on board meant listening to her concerns, validating them and finding solutions.

Von Furstenberg was “impressed” by the pair's approach and liked them so much that they struck a deal.

3 in-demand skills employers want to see on your resume right now

The difference between landing a job offer or rejection can come down to the skills listed at the bottom of your resume. That single line at the end of your CV might feel like an afterthought, but it can help you negotiate a higher salary and stand out in a competitive job market.

The majority of hiring managers (88%) place a higher value on hard skills rather than soft skills or work history when vetting resumes, according to new research from ResumeGenius. It found employers want to see these top three skills on your resume:

1. IT skills
2. Software development
3. Data analysis

The most important thing to keep in mind when mentioning these skills on your resume or in a job interview is to be specific. Provide clear examples, says Eva Chan, a certified professional resume writer and senior digital PR writer at Resume Genius.

So instead of writing “coding” under skills, for example, include the specific types of coding you’ve done, like HTML or Javascript. Or, if you’re explaining your experience with project management, include specific metrics, she adds.

“Including hard skills on your resume ultimately tells any employer that you’re adaptable, open and able to learn new skills quickly,” says Chan. “That’s easily one of the most attractive qualities you can find in a prospective employee.”

Millennial Money: How I Earn $77K Detailing Cars In West Palm Beach, Florida

Randy Roblero, 22, is on track to make $77,000 running his own business as a car detailer in West Palm Beach, Florida. Randy started cleaning cars as a side hustle when he was 18, but it wasn't until he purchased his car detailing van in 2021 that he decided to become a full-time business owner.

Mark Cuban: ‘Success isn’t necessarily how much money you have’—how he defines it

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says his net worth isn’t what makes him successful — it’s his ability to stay focused on doing fulfilling work every day.

“Success isn’t necessarily how much money you have,” Cuban, 65, recently told LinkedIn’s “The Path” podcast. “Success is just setting a goal and being able to wake up every morning feeling really good about what you’ve accomplished.”

It might be easier to downplay the importance of money when you have a lot of it, but Cuban has repeatedly doubled down on the idea that he could be just as content if he weren’t as rich. Cuban would “for sure” be happy with 1% of his $5.1 billion net worth if he had his “same family and everything,” he told the CBS program “Sunday Morning” in January. (Still, this would leave him with $51 million.)

Cuban’s latest startup, the online pharmacy Cost Plus Drugs, is intentionally built around social impact, he told Wharton psychologist Adam Grant’s “Re:Thinking” podcast last year.

His excitement about doing good for the world has motivated him to “go all in,” Cuban said on the LinkedIn podcast, adding, “If you can wake up every morning smiling and excited about the day, you’re a success.”