Chris Calkin, Director of Sales at CircleCI talks with host John Chapman of the John Chapman Show about his experience in acquiring jobs in the software and tech space. Chris not only shares his past formative education and work experiences, but also provides best practices for moving up your career ladder, and also how to manage spending and savings.

Episode Highlights:

• Chris Calkin shares his background and how money was in his household.
• Does Chris identify as a saver or a spender?
• How did Chris recognize the importance of not wasting money?
• Where is the line between learning the hard way and following good advice?
• Chris shares a memorable story about a supposed internship in England.
• How did Chris move to San Francisco and get involved in tech?
• What was Chris Calkin’s experience like in business school?
• What were the factors involved into making his choice to work in tech?
• How has being married changed the way he thinks about his career?
• How many of Chris’s colleagues successfully received equity in Silicon Valley start-ups?
• How long has Chris been working his job post-MBA?
• What is Chris’ advice for picking the ideal job?
• Which questions you ask to show how good you will perform in your job role.
• What does Chris envision for himself in the future?
• What makes a successful sales person?

3 Key Points:

1. Talk to someone older than you that you think is successful and get advice from them.
2. Chris Calkin doesn’t recommend jumping right into your MBA without work experience first.
3. Join the right company and get behind the right products and leadership that fit you. You will builder stronger relationships and you will feel more inspired to succeed.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “Someone can give you very sage advice. But ultimately, are you in a position to be receptive to that advice and actually act on that advice?” – Chris Calkin
• “I very much so enjoyed working in software and working in technology. And I was fairly confident that I wanted to continue to be in that space.” – Chris Calkin
• “I’ve probably hired just over 30 people between account executives and sales development roles” – Chris Calkin

Resources Mentioned:

• Linkedin: John Chapman
• Linkedin: Chris Calkin