Obama’s won the election, and you still don’t have a job. What to do?

The short answer: go startup dating

How? Well, here’s the long answer:

You could spit in San Francisco, and your projectile would land on a genius coding the latest Facebook killer. Since that’s the case, and I’m lookin’ to start workin’, then I might as well have some fun doing it. After graduation, I realized I had to leap back into “the game” and go fishin’, but this time I will choose to reel in a different type of catch: a career. I had to understand this terrible economy, where I stand within it and where to begin. I had to go startup dating.

The economy sucks; so a recent grad fights an uphill battle. We have little “practical work experience,” and companies see us as a hiring risk. They may hesitate, “Sure, this kid can do partial derivatives of economic models, but can he make sales quotas?” I bear the financial pressure of seeking employment, but let’s not forget to mention when I would go for a run and sink into introspective ruts contemplating: Where do I belong in this world? Would anybody value me as an employee? What if…? A lot of my recent grad friends ask themselves these questions, and it can make the job search process pretty damn confusing.

After having my fill of the confusion and questions, I felt like I needed to think smart about my situation. I had to take action. I transformed my career search into my own startup venture. I looked at my market out there—the job market—and noticed something that would play into my favor:

During an economic downturn people get laid off.

In this seemingly unfortunate fact of economic recessions, I discovered a golden ticket to employment. At least in the SF Bay Area, the people who don’t have a “real job” are often geniuses ready to create something new and amazing. So, as if to compliment each other, while the crappy economy rations out a scarce supply of “real jobs,” newly-made job creators bubble up with their startup companies. The economic cycle of booms and busts continues, and I find myself in the wonderful position where a boom will burst in the future. Now’s my time to join the boom-creators.

So, the startup dating begins.

As with all dating, you must “go where the fish swim”; yes, I got off my butt and went to where startup companies mingle. I hopped over to coding camps, I schmoozed at tech bars, and, of course, I went on coffee dates. I networked so much that people thought networking was my employment specialty. (It’s not. But I guess you are what people perceive you to be, and in this moment in my life I embodied a networking hound dog.)

In the end, I learned that the best way of getting work was to just start working—even if it’s pro bono. Right now I work for three networking organizations: Hackers & Founders, SV Links and MIT/Stanford VentureLabs. They provide a space for startups and Silicon Valley masterminds to meet, collaborate and create. I get to mix, mingle and play with startups, and I feel privileged to work with them. Basically, I live and breathe the Silicon Valley startup scene. Sometimes I feel like an addict buried in mounds of crack.

Now, I do take my crack in moderation (as every good boy should), and that’s where startup dating comes into play. When I work, I meet startups—a lot of them. Some days I’ll meet dozens of early-stage companies seeking a business and marketing guy who’s crazy enough to join their team. (Well, my classmates always saw me as a nut, so I guess I foot the crazy bill.) Since I meet so many startup companies, I often have to take their pitches and understand their businesses in a more “intimate setting” than a 300-person Hackers & Founders networking event. If I’m interested in a business idea, then I’ll pop the question: “Hey (blank) startup, wanna get a drink?”

The startup and I set up a time and place, and we get down to biz-nass. We often meet at a local entreprenerd’s watering hole and hash out whether their product and my business style have chemistry. Basically, some could call this the least sexy date ever except for the fact that the passionate people I meet often want to change the world, which is sexy.

So, in a nutshell, here’s what you’ve got to do if you want a job in a crappy economy:

1. Go where your employers hang out and schmooze like hell.

2. Be helpful and start working—even if it’s for free at first.

3. Slip on your fly pair of jeans and date startup companies.

Disclaimer: I am crazy—remember, my classmates said so. This method of finding employment ain’t for everybody. But if you think you’re as foolish as me, then try it. Who knows? It might give you the balls for some real dating skills (you know, boy-meets-girl dating). It certainly has for me, but that’s another story. 😉

All in all, my fellow recent graduates and job seekers, you’re perfectly fine where you are right now. Keep asking yourself those profound, life questions. It’ll only get you closer to taking some action. You’ll figure out where you have the most fun and where you should go. Life’s kind of like a dating game; you play the field and see who and what matches you. At some point you’re bound to get laid, or, in this case, get a job.

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As for me, I’m still playing the field and going on startup dates. I’m a dude who enjoys long walks on the beach, cuddling and motivated companies with these three qualities:

1) Creative/artistic—a penchant for design

2) Culturally savvy & globally minded—I want to travel the world.

3) Smart & ballsy risk takers (interpret that one as you will)

If you know of a startup that fits, then hit me up with the subject line “Your Golden Ticket”: [email protected]