The Times Are Changing....
…and so are we, jk! But we brainstormed, like the geniuses we are, and decided to try a new format; let us know what you think!
You’ve probably seen/heard our names over email and when you’re on the phone with us. But we figured we’d go a little more in-depth and share a little about ourselves so you know the human behind the Recruiter.
Little old me: NAV
I joined Omna at the start of 2020 and 8 months into that I decided that this New Yorker was going to uproot and move to Chicago. For those of you who know Chicago I’m in the West Loop and the restaurant scene here has just exploded; seriously all I do is eat and probably spend way too much time at the Hoxton. I also love to travel and later this year I’ll be spending ~40 days backpacking through Southern Europe, if you have any recommendations on cities/places that you think I need to check out, feel free to shoot them to me at nav@omnasearch.com and I’ll make sure I visit!
We make a living from helping people transition from larger organizations into the VC/Startup/Tech space. But for a lot of people who are unfamiliar with that space there can be uncertainty and hesitation because they don’t know what to expect and what that transition will be like. I recently caught up Dan Jordan, someone we helped transition into the startup space and got his thoughts on what his experience has been like so far.
Me: What did you do before this role? What do you do now?
Dan: I came from the world of VC/asset management. In my previous role, I worked in capital formation which means I was responsible for building and maintaining relationships with our institutional investors. Now, I am a biz ops manager for a stealth mode startup. It's only been one month, but so far what that has meant is working cross-functionally with teams and our leadership to identify and execute projects to improve our internal processes and product offering. If you want my honest answer; I do the stuff my bosses need done, don't have bandwidth for, and can trust me with. So, it covers a wide arrange of things. I'd take the trash out and clean the toilets if they asked me to, which I think is a real testament to their leadership skills.
Me: What has your transition been like?
Dan: My transition has been smooth, to be honest, it even felt natural. It was obviously a change, but everyone at the new company placed value on my previous experience and has helped me develop some new ways of working. The biggest difference you need to be prepared for is switching your default mindset from "this is how it's done" to "how should we be doing this?". This is by no means to say one is better than the other, they are both optimized for their desired outcomes, and your ability to succeed in each frame of mind is based on your personality. If you're an asset manager, your primary objective is not to lose money. You do that by not making mistakes (this was put a bit more colorfully for me on my first day). There is a blueprint for not making mistakes, and it's in your best interest to follow that plan. At an early-stage company, there are many objectives, and it's your job to figure out which one to tackle, and then make the plan. The only way you can do that is by trying something, evaluating and assessing results, and trying again with your new data. Then do that until you get it right. The challenge here is that it's ambiguous and there is no clearly drawn finish line. Failure/mistakes are celebrated at the early stage because it means you're working towards something. In the world of finance, it means you may not be in business much longer. Overall, I have felt great, although admittedly I was never great at aggressively detail-oriented work. I enjoy feeling like a "gunslinger".
Me: What's the biggest difference?
Dan: To make this jump, you don’t need life-altering character changes or some deep search for a new soul. What you will need is a growth mindset, a desire to be challenged, and a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone.
Safe to say, Dan’s really enjoying his new role at an early-stage startup and we appreciate the time he took to answer our questions; thanks Dan!
Featured Jobs
If you’re interested in any of these roles (AND you fit the profile indicated), shoot us an email and our team will tell you more/get you into the process if there’s a fit. You can also find a full list of opportunities on our Omna job board.
Remote
Product Manager @ Scratch, a Series C FinTech | 1-2 years of experience in consulting or product
Corporate Strategy, Associate @ Silicon Valley Bank, a high-tech commercial bank for startups | 3-5 years of experience in consulting
Senior Manager, Strategy & Analytics @ Abnormal Security, Series C AI Cybersecurity Startup | 7+ years of experience; you’re very analytical with a strong technical skillset and previous leadership experience
Director of Strategy & Analytics @ Abnormal Security, Series C AI Cybersecurity Startup | 10+ years of experience; you’re very analytical and have strong executive presence, and have deep GTM experience in B2B SaaS
Chicago
Biz Ops Associate @ Ubiquiti, High-growth Software & Hardware Tech Company | 2-4 years of experience in consulting
Chief of Staff to COO @ Privately-Owned Industrials & Manufacturing co | 2-5+ years of total work experience, background ideally in management consulting
LA/Remote (West Coast)
E-commerce Marketing Sr. Associate @ Dr. Squatch - D2C personal care company | 1-2 years of experience in consulting / consumer / marketing
San Francisco
Product Leader @ Verkada, Series C IoT Startup | 4-8+ years of total experience, with at least 2 years of PM experience