Jahnavi Shah

💡 If I were graduating today, I’d stop spending hours scrolling job boards.

Every job has thousands of applications.

And most resumes never even get seen.

If I could go back and start over, here’s exactly what I’d do differently - the proactive strategy that actually works 👇

1️⃣ Track startups that just raised funding

Go where the momentum is.

Startups that recently raised a funding round are under pressure to grow fast and that means they’re hiring.

You can find these easily on LinkedIn (just follow VC firms) or check websites like Crunchbase and TechCrunch.

2️⃣ Find the founders and early team

These are the people making the decisions.

They know exactly where the gaps are and what problems need solving.

A direct message to them cuts through layers of traditional recruiting.

3️⃣ Send a thoughtful, personalized message

Skip the copy-paste outreach.

Do your homework - mention something specific you love about their product, recent launch, or mission.

Show you understand their business before asking for anything.

4️⃣ Show the ROI of hiring you

Here’s the secret: your message shouldn’t be “Please hire me.”

It should be, “Here’s how I can help your company grow.”

When you explain how your skills solve their immediate problems, you position yourself as a problem-solver, not just another applicant.

Fun fact:

A month before graduation, I had no job offer.

I’d applied everywhere and heard crickets.

So instead, I spent one week messaging every founder I knew.

I broke down how I could help them grow, what I’d do in the first 30 days, and why I believed in what they were building.

That single week changed everything.

I landed my first Product Manager contract without a single job board application.

Opportunities don’t always show up on a career page.

Sometimes, you have to create them yourself.

My mentors have played a huge role in my personal and professional growth. ✨

Three years ago I did not what a mentor meant or why do you even need one? And now, I am so glad I found two amazing mentors who have supported me through thick and thin.

When I was shortlisting my universities for my masters, one of my mentors sat with me to review the list, helped me evaluate the pros and cons and it was his advice that made me apply not only to MEM but also CS courses.

My other mentor, despite having a very busy life, took mock interviews when I was in the final interview stages for a company. She is also one of the few people who inspires me to dream big and is my virtual big sister.

More on how I met them later. Fun Fact: I met both of them on Instagram 👀

I highly recommend you to have atleast one mentor in your life. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes while looking for mine, so I will make sure you don’t make them.

1. Start with a little introspection. Where do you want to be in the next 3 or 5 years?

2. Make a list of people who have achieved it or have the skillsets to help you achieve this.

3. Reach out to these people. It can be through LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, anything.

4. Just like networking, build a relationship. Tell them your goals and learn from their experience.

5. (I might sound too Gen-Z for saying this.) Do a vibe check! 👀 You will meet a lot of people who are (potential) mentors but only a few who will understand you. It can be because of a common background or a common interest, but they will know you better.

6. Ask these people to mentor you. Respect whatever their answer is.

And just like friends, you don’t need 10 mentors - you only need a few who can actually help you grow 🌱

#career #students #linkedin #mentor

I’ve hustled so hard in the last 6 years!

and it got me so much more than I wanted.

Few things I’ve learnt along the way:

✨ You won’t get everything you want—but if you keep going, you’ll end up with things better than what you once imagined.

🚀 Hard work compounds. My life today is 100x better because I put in the effort back then. When I look back at where I started vs. where I am now—it’s mind-blowing.

💼 There are no shortcuts. If you’re in your 20s, invest in yourself. The hours you put in today are like investments—they’ll grow and pay off over time.

⏳ Start early. The earlier you start, the more it sets you apart from everyone else. Trust me, it’s a game-changer.

⚖️ Burnout is real. Hustle hard, but in cycles. Listen to your body. Take breaks when you need them, and then dive back in.

It’s very difficult to start, but once you do it becomes a habit and will seem like a routine.

And when you start seeing the results—trust me, you’ll never want to stop.

How do you stay motivated on your journey? Let me know in the comments! 👇

#career #hardwork #students

If I were in my early 20s again, I’d still choose a startup every single time.

I’ve only ever worked at startups (except for one internship at The Washington Post),

and after this past year in SF, I can confidently say:

I’m a startup girlie through and through.

Here’s why I’m obsessed 👇

1️⃣ Visibility that actually matters

At a startup, everyone sees your work.

You’re not just another name buried in a Slack thread or email chain.

You’re in the meetings where real decisions are made.

Your impact is visible, immediate, and often game-changing.

2️⃣ You wear 10 different hats and love it

There’s no “that’s not my job” energy here.

One day I’m working on product strategy,

the next I’m hopping on customer calls or helping design a marketing campaign.

The learning curve is wild, but it’s the best kind of chaos

like a business bootcamp on steroids.

3️⃣ You see the whole picture

In big companies, you might own one tiny piece of the puzzle.

At a startup, you get to see everything:

from the spark of an idea to launch, user feedback, and iteration.

That’s how you build real product intuition and business instincts early on.

4️⃣ You move fast like, really fast

No six-month approval cycles.

You launch, learn, and iterate sometimes within the same week.

You stop chasing perfection and start thinking in experiments.

That mindset alone makes you 10x better at your craft.

Working at a startup isn’t for everyone.

But if you want to grow faster than your job title,

and you want your ideas to actually matter,

it’s the best classroom you’ll ever have.

So if you’re deciding between Big Tech or Startup Life in 2025…

Which one would you pick?

There are very few moments in life where you feel like you made it.

When you feel like the work you put in, the late nights, the working weekends are all worth it.

Last Tuesday was one of those days.

While attending Miro Canvas 2025, I worked from their creator lounge with this insane view of the NYC skyline.

I hold myself to really high standards so you have to know that this had to be a very special moment for me to feel proud of myself.

The truth is that I have worked relentlessly over the last couple of months to succeed at my 9-5 but also on my content.

I’ve worked every weekend, I’ve sacrificed a lot.

But, in the last months I’ve also gotten opportunities that I couldn’t even dream of.

All of this made me feel that yes, the hardwork is always worth it.

8 years the girl who failed an exam wouldn’t believe that now she lives in San Francisco and travels to NYC to work with her dream tech companies.

So much can change when you work hard, you fail but you also pick yourself and you consistently do it for years.