Tips To Get A Chief of Staff Role
(this is from my October 2023 Substack post)
The Chief of Staff role can be amazing. You can learn a ton. Get amazing exposure to leading a company. And…. it could lead to a longer-term mentorship/relationship with someone influential. Pretty amazing, right?
As the Community Manager at the Chief of Staff Network, I think about the role all of the time. People often ask me about how to get a Chief of Staff role… so here you go!
Here are some things you could do:
send thoughtful emails to Founders and Executives, including a Loom video when it makes sense. In these emails, it’s a good idea to try to stand out, show your skills and experience, and/or provide value (i.e. sharing ideas, how you could help, something unique, etc)
create and/or attend events where you can hear and learn about what Founders and Executives are up to
connect with other Chiefs of Staff. Founders and Recruiters often reach out to other CoS to ask them if they know someone who could be a good fit for a role. That could be you!
join an online community like the Chief of Staff Network where people sometimes post about open roles
don’t be discouraged, if you don’t see a role posted. Not all open roles are posted. A role could be opened or created for you!
It’s a very relationship focused role, so lean into your relationships and relationship-building skills
try to find a project with someone you admire. Work could expand from there!
attend events and follow-up with people if someone asked for or about something
start creating content that could attract Founders/Executives/People hiring CoS roles to connect with you
start a podcast and interview Founders (wink, wink here is a course to help!)
Sound good? Sending you good vibes if you are looking for a CoS role!
While my experiences are from a few years ago, I wanted to share how I have gotten two Chief of Staff-like roles.
One example of how I got a CoS-like role:
I had an existing relationship with a Founder. I then started experiencing the company’s product more, and I got to know this person more. One time after experiencing the company’s product, I then emailed the Founder with some ideas. This led to a Zoom meeting. And then on this Zoom call, we unexpectedly talked about potentially working together on these ideas and more… And then it happened!
Lesson learned: share your ideas, have conversations and you never know if a new role could be created for you!
Another example of how I got a CoS-like role:
I emailed someone asking them if they were open an introduction to someone else. In this person’s reply message, they then mentioned a short-term project they needed help with. And asked if I was interested…. I said “yes” and started working on it immediately!
When this project was almost over, this person shared her bigger version and a more longer-term role for me. I said yes to that and then we worked together for a few months!
Lesson learned: good things can also happen when you try to help others, and a new and unknown opportunity can open up quickly!