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Self | Work | Career

The 2 Strikes Principle Will Help You Stay Motivated And Win When It Counts

The single best career advice I ever got.

Sean Kernan

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Editorial rights purchased via iStock Photos

As I waited for my cab, my lips were parched by the cold dry air. It happens every time I go up north.

I’d just landed in Philly. I stood with my carry-on luggage and a dry-cleaned suit in a carrier. I was interviewing for a role at SAP that would triple my salary — if I got it.

Hours later, I arrived at the most corporate office I’d ever seen. It had a neutered, authoritative, brutalist design. In the waiting room, there was a young and pretty secretary, who looked straight out of a stock photo.

There was another guy in a wheelchair with his resume in his lap. I remember thinking, “I hope I’m not competing with him. I’m toast otherwise.”

20 minutes later, a woman came down and led me through the building, and eventually to the 5th floor.

Every person I passed was wearing a suit. It felt like an 80s Wallstreet movie in an office that only hires alpha-looking white dudes.

This pattern was broken by the beep of an elevator. The doors split open, revealing a mish-mash of 10 dudes in jeans and various pop culture and movie shirts. Their…

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Sean Kernan
Sean Kernan

Written by Sean Kernan

All my articles are 100% human. No AI involved. Also, I'm a nommer. Submit to my publication Corporate Underbelly and I'll try to help you get boosted.

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