Check Out Elena Chow's LinkedIn Stats (Last 30 Days)

“𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲”, replied a candidate yesterday ( and approx 1:5 potential candidates would answer that way) I used to say this to every headhunter who approached me. Staying loyal, focused, and committed felt like the right thing to do. But looking back, I regretted it. The job market is unpredictable, and 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 isn’t the same as 𝘫𝘰𝘣-𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨—it’s just smart career management. Instead of shutting down the conversation, a better response might be: "𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙖𝙢, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙩." Why? Because a 10-minute conversation with a recruiter can give you: 🔹 Market insights on who’s hiring and salary trends 🔹 A relationship with someone who could help 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 The best opportunities often come when you 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 expect them. Don’t make the mistake I did—stay open. How do you usually respond when a recruiter reaches out?

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮?😅 🔥 𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 than everyone else to get work done. 🚆 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 to clear messages and emails. ⏳ 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 and missing calls 🙃 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 when you should be relaxing 🔋 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 at the most random moments— when you’re supposed to be offline. Taking time off as an entrepreneur is... complicated. You want to be present, but your mind keeps drifting to that project, messages, that unexpected client request. Turning off completely feels impossible. But maybe the goal isn’t a full disconnect. Maybe it’s about 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲—setting boundaries that let you enjoy the moment while still keeping things moving.  Till we meet again, I am off for my next hike now!

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀, it’s important to highlight those who’ve built sustainably, on their own terms. 🚀 That’s why, for this month’s Brunch & Banter, we’re bringing together 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨—entrepreneurs who’ve grown their businesses without external institutional funding. If that’s you, come meet others! Brunch & Banter is our monthly gathering of founders, operators, and builders—designed for real connections and meaningful conversations. Join us at Capitol on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗙𝗲𝗯 𝟮𝟴, 𝟭𝟮 𝗣𝗠 onwards. Sign up fast 👉 https://lu.ma/4ou2rd6e. Gathering caps at 10. See you there! 👊

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻! 🚀 And what it means for the job market 🔥 Many recruiters were among the first impacted when the tech downturn began. But, we’re seeing hiring of those who drive hiring, picking up.  Just last week 2 TA leaders I know found jobs in mature tech companies! Companies investing in TA again means they’re planning for growth. Just as important an indicator as official employment stats for the job market! And if you’ve been on the job hunt, take this as a sign of momentum shifting in the right direction. Hope this brings some optimism to start the week! Have you noticed more hiring activity in your network? Like this post with a 💡 #HiringTrends #JobMarket #CareerGrowth

One of the most practical and real articles on 𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 that I can truly resonate with. Out of the 10 listed, here are some that stood out to me as well as some that I added and commented on: 1️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Hiring key positions cannot be delegated. The best leaders should front the process for important ones 2️⃣ 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. Rushed hiring leads to weak teams. Plan months ahead, not weeks. 3️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲. If you don’t define success upfront, you’ll struggle to recognize the right hire. 4️⃣ 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. Just because you like someone doesn’t mean they’re the best fit. Stay objective. 6️⃣ 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Particularly in startups, there’s always a need to convince—but when persuasion overshadows assessment, bad hires slip through. 7️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. Blind references can reveal what the candidate won’t. 8️⃣ 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀. Focus on gathering data, not confirming biases. Which of these mistakes have you seen firsthand? Let’s discuss! 👇

𝗔𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲 🐍 🧨 —a symbol of 𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻—let's celebrate leaders who embody these traits while pivoting from startups to SMEs. I spoke to Malcolm Wong and Eric Koh , 2 former startup leaders who boldly moved into traditional industries. On why the optimism, Malcolm shares "𝘐’𝘮 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢" And Eric sees SMEs as an untapped frontier.  "𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵-𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘚𝘔𝘌𝘴 (𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰, 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴) 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥." Are SMEs becoming the next frontier for growth-minded talent? How can one consider if this move is right for them? What should one be mindful of to make this a successful move? Read their stories in link in comments