Next Life Goal--Speak at TED! (Seth Godin Internship application)

What’s your solution? Jeff’s guide to solving problems...

Experience life: Go full-screen! Cl ic kH ere !

Context. Dream. You know what you want... Imagine solving a problem without understanding the Do you have the ingredients for success? situation. It’s like eating a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich without bread. You understand the world is full of problems—that’s Jeff’s Nutrition Facts: why you’re not just looking for marketers, you’re look- - Perfect verbal PSAT score at age 14 (two years early) ing for world-changers. I live in the same world. - Ran a marathon without training; hiked 50 miles in 24 hours Some don’t mind mediocrity—I do. - Read a statistical book on winning monopoly at age 9 - Volunteered for five summers as a counselor at a ranch in North That’s why I was the sole applicant to my two previous Dakota; “Kind like a teddy-bear; serious like a grizzly”—a camper internships—I asked world-changing bosses to create - Attended college barefoot for a quarter internships for me. - Last internship: co-founded kaizen team whose ideas led to 12% productivity increase and six production records - Averages five hours each week mentoring guys one-on-one World-changers are looking for other world-changers. - Still counts his childhood friends among his closest - Regularly runs out of room in his cell-phone address book

Bite. Iterate. Solving problems can feel like a mosquito in a nudist col- Sometimes the same solution won’t work. Especially ony. You know what you want, just not where to begin. when the average American eats 1,500 sandwiches by the end of high school. You’ve made the sandwich—take a bite. Selecting interns requires thought. And risk. Context. Dream. But what if I told you every person I know is brilliant in Bite. some unique way. What if I told you that never attending Iterate. high school taught me the system isn’t the only successful approach. What if I told you some of my marketing educa- tion comes from stories I hear during weekly visits to a nursing home. What if I told you that if you aren’t satisfied Who’s your next solution? with my performance, I’ll donate all the money to charity. There. I told you. Your risk isn’t negligible, but it is minimal.

The Interview What is your academic background if you never attended high school? Homeschooled until age 16, then junior college (graduated with Honors). Currently a senior finishing a BA in Economics, and a BS in Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management. You’re an Econ & Lean manufacturing guy—why are you applying for a marketing internship? Because you will assemble exceptional people this sum- mer. Because you support the Acumen Fund. Because marketing is not just advertising. Because your action fig- ure wears mis-matching socks. Because Ramit Sethi told me you’re a great boss. Because you admit when you’re wrong. Because marketing is everywhere. Why write a playful eBook about solving problems? I want my creative content to be “wall-able.” Something you post on your fridge, e-mail your friend, and print for your son. Content worth the world’s time. 15 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, 30 minutes from Canada. Where are you from? jeff@jeffwidman.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter How can I reach you? (401) 417-4327 http://www.jeffwidman.com/blog Credits: My parents raised this crazy kid, my housemates (all eleven of them) generated creative ideas, and multiple friends suggested revisions.

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Next Life Goal--Speak at TED! (Seth Godin Internship application)

by Jeff Widman

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Next Life Goal--Speak at TED! (Seth Godin Internship application) Presentation Transcript