Roundtable Video
Navigating Tough Times
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Transcript
Krissy Manzano: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Blueprint Round Table. I’m your host, Krissy Manzano, and today I have our extra special team members, Lizzy and Matt with us. And today we wanna talk about how do you keep going when times are so hard, when every time you turn a corner, it feels like no matter if I do everything perfect, things fall apart.
Krissy Manzano: Right? That can be at work life, whatever. Like what do you do to keep yourself going daily to restart the day? All those things. So Lizzy, I’m gonna throw that question over to you first.
Lizzy Castro: Yeah. I mean, for me, I’m a very routine person. Like Monday through Friday, I do the same routine every morning, and for me it’s just sticking with that routine, knowing that. Those X amount, however long it may be, couple of hours before work is dedicated to myself and things that I enjoy doing. It really helps keep that flow of normalcy, especially when, like you said, really tough times going on right now. We’re working in a market that’s just all over the place, and knowing that I have X amount of time each morning just to. Go through the things, go to the gym, walk my dog. I journal every morning. Watch the Today Show. Those things really help me start each morning on the right foot. Matt, curious what you think.
Matt Lewers: Yeah, I similar approach to some extent. I think when things get tough I find myself leaning more into my hobbies just cuz it, it helps kind of reset and give me like a mental break. So similar to you except I, I go to the gym like in the middle of the day, so I chunk my days up into first half, second half which is, a very tactical way to try to address things when times are tough or you’re in a, you know, a valley.
Matt Lewers: I think moreover, I also kind of look longer term. So when things get tough, I just remind myself like, Hey, six months ago things were amazing. Six months from now, things are gonna be amazing again. It’s very cyclical. And so I lean into the fact that the things I do today could set up that, that six month or one year period away where things are gonna be, you know, great again.
Matt Lewers: And so I try to focus more strategically in that sense on what can I do today that may not impact this month, this quarter, maybe even this half, but will results down the line. And that’s kind of a reactive thing to do, right, is where I wait till the tough times to really try to set up, to get out of them. But that’s just sort of how I’ve kind of meandered through my career and it served me well. So that would be my more strategic answer.
Krissy Manzano: Yeah. No, for sure. I think those are great. I mean, in when times are tough, you have to protect your mental wellbeing and you know, I know there’s always this view of like, there’s some people that are too cynical on some people that are too optimistic, right? I don’t think you can be too optimistic in these times in the sense of, yes, you’ve gotta deal with reality.
Krissy Manzano: Right? But like being cynical doesn’t help you often I think we think that it helps us, you know, become more pragmatic and realizing this is the reality. And, but it ends up really just kind of consistently spiraling versus you can, you know, surrender to the reality, right?
Krissy Manzano: Like, I think for me it’s like surrendering to it. This is what it is. I have no control. Let me focus on the things I do have control over. And then also I think just remembering like, you know, kind of like what you said, Lewers, like it’s not forever, right? I remember when I had my daughter and feeling or, and even my son, right.
Krissy Manzano: And when anything would go wrong with them as a newborn, it’s just you’re sleep deprived. It’s all of these new changes, right? And things happening. And I would, if he wasn’t like eating well one day I would just start to freak out. Cause obviously eating at that stage is so important for gaining weight.
Krissy Manzano: And I’d have to remind myself, and I think just constantly resetting. It’s been one day, it’s not been weeks, it’s not, it’s been one day and sometimes looking at like, okay, it’s been hard for, you know, one week or three months that is small in the grand scheme of things, it, you can still feel it, but it’s not something that’s gonna last, you know, forever.
Krissy Manzano: Right. Every storm ends, there’s light, you know, in every place. And I think it’s, you know, every day is new, right? And I think also just taking like the winds when you get ’em, so you gotta e everything that can be a wind, cuz that’s what you’ve got to use to keep your, you know, foundation going. But
Lizzy Castro: Yeah, agree.
Krissy Manzano: Anything else you would add?
Krissy Manzano: Any advice for people like job seekers right now that are, you know, having trouble finding that right job or, you know, even the hiring managers who are having trouble finding that specific person, you know, and they’re, every time the day goes by, people are losing money on both sides.
Matt Lewers: I think for job seekers, you know, it’s, especially by the nature of what the three of us are doing on a daily basis we talk to people that want to be in, in SaaS or tech or have been in and want to stay in. But I think, you know, if you’re really struggling to find the right opportunity, there’s so many non-tech organizations, but that have traditional, you know, traditional sales motions that could really benefit from somebody that’s gone through a SaaS model and training and experience and everything else, and a lot of those companies do pay well, right? They may not have the cool perks or the hefty benefits that come with the startup, but they also don’t come with as much of the risk, right? To be the last person or most recent person hired and then, you know, another round of layoffs and you may be gone.
Matt Lewers: I would just encourage job seekers to maybe open their parameters and try avenues that previously you may not have thought about and go after other organizations where you can still be in the same role that you love to do, but maybe you’re just not servicing the same industry or you’re not selling as a service.
Matt Lewers: But that, that to me would be a way to really kind of overnight just shift your ability to find roles and then ideally, you know, use your network to try to get in. Because cold applications right now is tougher than ever. But that’s my 2 cents.
Krissy Manzano: Yeah.
Lizzy Castro: Yeah, I agree with that too. I mean, last year I went through not one, but two layoffs and being on the job market, I guess within the span of like almost six months difference, it was definitely a lot, but I think the biggest thing that I can tell anyone is like, all you can do is control what you can control.
Lizzy Castro: I went from working with startups that were Series C, series D, and instead I realized after like the second time I was laid off that I don’t think I want to be in those atmospheres anymore. And I decided to pivot where I wanted to be and now I landed up at Blueprint and it’s great. It’s just don’t be afraid to take those risks and make a pivot.
Lizzy Castro: Because for example, like I was wanting to be a recruiter, still being a recruiter, now I’m a sourcer, but I’m happier than ever in it. And it’s okay to, not even settling, but it’s okay to make that switch in your career to find a job that actually makes you happy in all aspects. And it doesn’t mean you’re taking a step back, but you’re doing something that’s good for you and it’s gonna help you overall, I think, long term.
Lizzy Castro: So just try to keep that positive mindset because you will find the perfect role that comes to you, and sometimes it just appears on your LinkedIn page wherever you look for jobs, and then you’ll be in a good spot again.
Krissy Manzano: a hundred percent. Well said. Well said. I think, you know, I hope everyone listening to this, and even for ourselves, right, if you’re here today, you’ve survived some really tough stuff that’s happened, you know, especially over the last three years to the masses, right? And I’m sure many people, I mean, no life is perfect, right?
Krissy Manzano: So we all have our valleys and challenges whether they be similar or different, but like, if you’re here, you’ve survived. This is not, this is something else we’re going to survive, right? It’s hard, but we’re gonna survive it. Every storm ends there is light, right? We may not know when we see that light, but it will be there.
Krissy Manzano: And so just doing all those things to protect your mental health and not spiral. My last thing I would say is don’t go to worst case scenario. I used to do that when I was younger and I realized that’s just the definition of anxiety. You think about the worst case scenario to help you feel better and just, you know, get it out of the way.
Krissy Manzano: But then you end up living in worst case scenario and it’s not real. So you just constantly replace something that’s not real or present in your head and you can’t address it or fix it because it’s not happening. So deal with each day. Control what you can control. Have your routine. You know, invest in other things outside of work.
Krissy Manzano: Stimulate your mind in that way. And remember, you know, tomorrow’s another day. Every win matters. So
Lizzy Castro: and then just. Just to chime in one more time real quick before we wrap up. I think the biggest thing too, if you are a job seeker and if you are unfortunately affected by a layoff, use this time to focus on you. It’s very rare that you get the opportunity to have so much downtime. Yes, it’s a very stressful time too.
Lizzy Castro: Not taking that away from anything, but it’s a period of time where you can actually work on either what your mental health, working on, cut a project in your house or your apartment, like use that time. Do not spend all day on LinkedIn applying for jobs. I did that the first time and it was torture. Set a goal for three jobs a day if that, and then walk away and do something else.
Lizzy Castro: Do something that you wouldn’t be able to do during the workday, and it really does help take your mind away from the stressful aspects of
Krissy Manzano: Yes.
Lizzy Castro: That’s my last thought.
Krissy Manzano: Find the light in the times of right. That’s
Krissy Manzano: Really what it is. So well.
Matt Lewers: A LinkedIn post, Lizzie, right there.
Krissy Manzano: All right. You heard it here first. You heard it here first. Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. When you’re hearing this, it means that we’re close to the weekend on a Thursday, but thanks for sharing your advice, y’all.
Krissy Manzano: I know that it’s something that, look, we’re all in this together. And so hopefully these are some tidbits that people can take away and, you know, really kind of help make their day brighter and or just restarting the next day with some positivity. But that is all the time that we have for now.
Krissy Manzano: We actually kept this just right at around 10 this time, which is the goal. We normally don’t do that. So until next time, we’ll see you later.
Show Summary
In this episode, we’ll explore practical strategies, share personal stories, and offer valuable insights to help you overcome obstacles and emerge stronger.
Whether you’re facing difficulties in your personal life, career, or society at large, our expert guests and hosts will provide down-to-earth advice and inspiring anecdotes to guide you toward resilience, adaptability, and a brighter future. Tune in and discover how to navigate tough times with determination, practicality, and renewed hope.
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Transcript
Krissy Manzano: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Blueprint Round Table. I’m your host, Krissy Manzano, and today I have our extra special team members, Lizzy and Matt with us. And today we wanna talk about how do you keep going when times are so hard, when every time you turn a corner, it feels like no matter if I do everything perfect, things fall apart.
Krissy Manzano: Right? That can be at work life, whatever. Like what do you do to keep yourself going daily to restart the day? All those things. So Lizzy, I’m gonna throw that question over to you first.
Lizzy Castro: Yeah. I mean, for me, I’m a very routine person. Like Monday through Friday, I do the same routine every morning, and for me it’s just sticking with that routine, knowing that. Those X amount, however long it may be, couple of hours before work is dedicated to myself and things that I enjoy doing. It really helps keep that flow of normalcy, especially when, like you said, really tough times going on right now. We’re working in a market that’s just all over the place, and knowing that I have X amount of time each morning just to. Go through the things, go to the gym, walk my dog. I journal every morning. Watch the Today Show. Those things really help me start each morning on the right foot. Matt, curious what you think.
Matt Lewers: Yeah, I similar approach to some extent. I think when things get tough I find myself leaning more into my hobbies just cuz it, it helps kind of reset and give me like a mental break. So similar to you except I, I go to the gym like in the middle of the day, so I chunk my days up into first half, second half which is, a very tactical way to try to address things when times are tough or you’re in a, you know, a valley.
Matt Lewers: I think moreover, I also kind of look longer term. So when things get tough, I just remind myself like, Hey, six months ago things were amazing. Six months from now, things are gonna be amazing again. It’s very cyclical. And so I lean into the fact that the things I do today could set up that, that six month or one year period away where things are gonna be, you know, great again.
Matt Lewers: And so I try to focus more strategically in that sense on what can I do today that may not impact this month, this quarter, maybe even this half, but will results down the line. And that’s kind of a reactive thing to do, right, is where I wait till the tough times to really try to set up, to get out of them. But that’s just sort of how I’ve kind of meandered through my career and it served me well. So that would be my more strategic answer.
Krissy Manzano: Yeah. No, for sure. I think those are great. I mean, in when times are tough, you have to protect your mental wellbeing and you know, I know there’s always this view of like, there’s some people that are too cynical on some people that are too optimistic, right? I don’t think you can be too optimistic in these times in the sense of, yes, you’ve gotta deal with reality.
Krissy Manzano: Right? But like being cynical doesn’t help you often I think we think that it helps us, you know, become more pragmatic and realizing this is the reality. And, but it ends up really just kind of consistently spiraling versus you can, you know, surrender to the reality, right?
Krissy Manzano: Like, I think for me it’s like surrendering to it. This is what it is. I have no control. Let me focus on the things I do have control over. And then also I think just remembering like, you know, kind of like what you said, Lewers, like it’s not forever, right? I remember when I had my daughter and feeling or, and even my son, right.
Krissy Manzano: And when anything would go wrong with them as a newborn, it’s just you’re sleep deprived. It’s all of these new changes, right? And things happening. And I would, if he wasn’t like eating well one day I would just start to freak out. Cause obviously eating at that stage is so important for gaining weight.
Krissy Manzano: And I’d have to remind myself, and I think just constantly resetting. It’s been one day, it’s not been weeks, it’s not, it’s been one day and sometimes looking at like, okay, it’s been hard for, you know, one week or three months that is small in the grand scheme of things, it, you can still feel it, but it’s not something that’s gonna last, you know, forever.
Krissy Manzano: Right. Every storm ends, there’s light, you know, in every place. And I think it’s, you know, every day is new, right? And I think also just taking like the winds when you get ’em, so you gotta e everything that can be a wind, cuz that’s what you’ve got to use to keep your, you know, foundation going. But
Lizzy Castro: Yeah, agree.
Krissy Manzano: Anything else you would add?
Krissy Manzano: Any advice for people like job seekers right now that are, you know, having trouble finding that right job or, you know, even the hiring managers who are having trouble finding that specific person, you know, and they’re, every time the day goes by, people are losing money on both sides.
Matt Lewers: I think for job seekers, you know, it’s, especially by the nature of what the three of us are doing on a daily basis we talk to people that want to be in, in SaaS or tech or have been in and want to stay in. But I think, you know, if you’re really struggling to find the right opportunity, there’s so many non-tech organizations, but that have traditional, you know, traditional sales motions that could really benefit from somebody that’s gone through a SaaS model and training and experience and everything else, and a lot of those companies do pay well, right? They may not have the cool perks or the hefty benefits that come with the startup, but they also don’t come with as much of the risk, right? To be the last person or most recent person hired and then, you know, another round of layoffs and you may be gone.
Matt Lewers: I would just encourage job seekers to maybe open their parameters and try avenues that previously you may not have thought about and go after other organizations where you can still be in the same role that you love to do, but maybe you’re just not servicing the same industry or you’re not selling as a service.
Matt Lewers: But that, that to me would be a way to really kind of overnight just shift your ability to find roles and then ideally, you know, use your network to try to get in. Because cold applications right now is tougher than ever. But that’s my 2 cents.
Krissy Manzano: Yeah.
Lizzy Castro: Yeah, I agree with that too. I mean, last year I went through not one, but two layoffs and being on the job market, I guess within the span of like almost six months difference, it was definitely a lot, but I think the biggest thing that I can tell anyone is like, all you can do is control what you can control.
Lizzy Castro: I went from working with startups that were Series C, series D, and instead I realized after like the second time I was laid off that I don’t think I want to be in those atmospheres anymore. And I decided to pivot where I wanted to be and now I landed up at Blueprint and it’s great. It’s just don’t be afraid to take those risks and make a pivot.
Lizzy Castro: Because for example, like I was wanting to be a recruiter, still being a recruiter, now I’m a sourcer, but I’m happier than ever in it. And it’s okay to, not even settling, but it’s okay to make that switch in your career to find a job that actually makes you happy in all aspects. And it doesn’t mean you’re taking a step back, but you’re doing something that’s good for you and it’s gonna help you overall, I think, long term.
Lizzy Castro: So just try to keep that positive mindset because you will find the perfect role that comes to you, and sometimes it just appears on your LinkedIn page wherever you look for jobs, and then you’ll be in a good spot again.
Krissy Manzano: a hundred percent. Well said. Well said. I think, you know, I hope everyone listening to this, and even for ourselves, right, if you’re here today, you’ve survived some really tough stuff that’s happened, you know, especially over the last three years to the masses, right? And I’m sure many people, I mean, no life is perfect, right?
Krissy Manzano: So we all have our valleys and challenges whether they be similar or different, but like, if you’re here, you’ve survived. This is not, this is something else we’re going to survive, right? It’s hard, but we’re gonna survive it. Every storm ends there is light, right? We may not know when we see that light, but it will be there.
Krissy Manzano: And so just doing all those things to protect your mental health and not spiral. My last thing I would say is don’t go to worst case scenario. I used to do that when I was younger and I realized that’s just the definition of anxiety. You think about the worst case scenario to help you feel better and just, you know, get it out of the way.
Krissy Manzano: But then you end up living in worst case scenario and it’s not real. So you just constantly replace something that’s not real or present in your head and you can’t address it or fix it because it’s not happening. So deal with each day. Control what you can control. Have your routine. You know, invest in other things outside of work.
Krissy Manzano: Stimulate your mind in that way. And remember, you know, tomorrow’s another day. Every win matters. So
Lizzy Castro: and then just. Just to chime in one more time real quick before we wrap up. I think the biggest thing too, if you are a job seeker and if you are unfortunately affected by a layoff, use this time to focus on you. It’s very rare that you get the opportunity to have so much downtime. Yes, it’s a very stressful time too.
Lizzy Castro: Not taking that away from anything, but it’s a period of time where you can actually work on either what your mental health, working on, cut a project in your house or your apartment, like use that time. Do not spend all day on LinkedIn applying for jobs. I did that the first time and it was torture. Set a goal for three jobs a day if that, and then walk away and do something else.
Lizzy Castro: Do something that you wouldn’t be able to do during the workday, and it really does help take your mind away from the stressful aspects of
Krissy Manzano: Yes.
Lizzy Castro: That’s my last thought.
Krissy Manzano: Find the light in the times of right. That’s
Krissy Manzano: Really what it is. So well.
Matt Lewers: A LinkedIn post, Lizzie, right there.
Krissy Manzano: All right. You heard it here first. You heard it here first. Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. When you’re hearing this, it means that we’re close to the weekend on a Thursday, but thanks for sharing your advice, y’all.
Krissy Manzano: I know that it’s something that, look, we’re all in this together. And so hopefully these are some tidbits that people can take away and, you know, really kind of help make their day brighter and or just restarting the next day with some positivity. But that is all the time that we have for now.
Krissy Manzano: We actually kept this just right at around 10 this time, which is the goal. We normally don’t do that. So until next time, we’ll see you later.
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We offer multiple services, depending on the needs of our clients. Please reach out to us for more information, and see our GTM recruiting services page for more details.
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What roles do you recruit?
- Customer Success: Standard, Senior, and Principal Customer Success Managers, Onboarding Specialists, Implementation Managers, Community, Customer Support, & Solutions Architects
- Marketing: Growth & Demand Generation Marketing, ABM, Events, and Content / SEO Marketing
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- Account Management
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I've worked with so many headhunters and recruiting firms. What makes you different?
Put simply, we aspire to be as proficient in articulating your business value prop as your internal employees. Exceptional talent does not want to speak with “head-hunters;” instead, they want to connect with educated ambassadors of your business and your brand about meaningful career opportunities.
We go deep on your business and into talent markets to foster connections that other recruiting firms tend to miss. And we work with our hiring clients to ensure excellence in their hiring process. Please reach out to us for more information!
Is SaaS experience important when hiring?
Hmm, what does this mean anyhow?! We recommend defining the skills and behaviors sought before running a search rather than using buzzwords or phrases from other people’s job descriptions. We help employees go beyond acronyms to ensure they develop robust job descriptions that tie to specific candidate profiles for targeting in the market. Need help? Let us know!
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Is it still important to send 'Thank You' notes?
Interviewing should always be treated as a two-way street, and a candidate should never feel obligated to show gratitude and follow up first.
That said, if you believe a given opportunity aligns to your role and company interests, we recommend sending interviewers a follow-up email after every step in the process. This gives you a chance to recap your learnings & enthusiasms briefly and authentically. It also helps you stay top of mind with interviewing companies.
Check out the roundtable discussion our leadership team recently held on the topic of post-interview thank-you notes.
What are some additional basic tips for candidates?
Make sure you prep before every interview, particularly by reviewing the company website, recent new articles, and the LinkedIn profiles of relevant interviewers and company leaders.
Consider business casual attire - ask your recruiter for any additional guidance. Try to make sure that you are able to sit front and center facing your camera - test it with friends prior to running an interview. If you need to take a call by phone, it’s best to let your recruiter or the hiring manager know in advance, and offer them an option to reschedule if they prefer.
Lastly, prepare some questions in advance based on your research, but do everything you can to stay in the conversation. The more you can listen and be in the moment, the better you’ll execute and be able to vet the opportunity for yourself.
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Despite so much innovation in HR tech and recruiting, hiring remains broken. As former operators with decades of experience hiring GTM talent, we wanted to start our own business dedicated to helping B2B tech companies across a range of industries do a better job at attracting and sourcing tremendous (and diverse) talent.
How do you charge for your services?
We have multiple services packages, depending on the needs of our clients. Please reach out to us for more information, and see our sales recruitment services page for a breakdown of our packages.
Do you recruit outside of the US and Canada?
What roles do you recruit?
- Customer Success: Standard, Senior, and Principal Customer Success Managers, Onboarding Specialists, Implementation Managers, Community, Customer Support, & Solutions Architects
- Marketing: Growth & Demand Generation Marketing, ABM, Events, and Content / SEO Marketing
- Sales: Sales Development, SMB, Commercial, Mid-Market, Enterprise, and Strategic Account Executives
- Account Management
- Revenue Operations and Enablement: Marketing, CS, and Sales Operations
- Solutions Engineering and Post-Sales Solutions Architects
- GTM Leadership: Front-line, second-line, VP, and SVP / C Level placements (CRO, CMO, COO)
I've worked with so many headhunters and recruiting firms. What makes you different?
Put simply, we aspire to be as proficient in articulating your business value prop as your internal employees. Exceptional talent does not want to speak with “head-hunters;” instead, they want to connect with educated ambassadors of your business and your brand about meaningful career opportunities.
We go deep on your business and into talent markets to foster connections that other recruiting firms tend to miss. And we work with our hiring clients to ensure excellence in their hiring process. Please reach out to us for more information!
Is SaaS experience important when hiring?
Hmm, what does this mean anyhow?! We recommend defining the skills and behaviors sought before running a search rather than using buzzwords or phrases from other people’s job descriptions. We help employees go beyond acronyms to ensure they develop robust job descriptions that tie to specific candidate profiles for targeting in the market. Need help? Let us know!