you owe it to yourself
being inconvenienced for your own good
Cameron Murray
January 23, 2026
open role(s): mid market account executive
if you’re a mid market rep in the bay, i have 5 open roles for you
series d, $400m in funding, $200m in revenue
complex data product with a team sell
proof of value (pov) exp huge plus
1m quota, $240-260k ote
series b, $75m in funding, 10m in revenue
legal tech, just closed a $55m round
mm & ent roles, $240-350k ote
average rep attainment over 200%
series b, $90m in funding, $20m in revenue
cybersecurity tool for product/dev teams
$800-1.1m quota, $200-240k ote
can hire in sf or nyc
series a, $30m in funding, $20m in revenue
revenue analytics tool for cro/cmo
$1m quota, $240k ote
5x growth last year
series a, $25m in funding, $10m in revenue
demo platform for product and marketing teams
backed by same vc as figma
$800k quota, $240k ote
interested? apply here
active candidate: enterprise ae
ent ae based in sf, with hybrid most ideal
selling an ai infra tool to dev/eng leaders
$2-3m quota, never once missed
8 years closing, the last 5 ent
looking for a move in feb
want to chat with them? email me
my 2 cents: you owe it to yourself
whether you’re searching for a job or hiring for your team, it’s easy for it all to feel like a waste. so much time, energy and effort and often little to no fruit for your labor.
you get to the end of an interview cycle or extend an offer to the perfect candidate and then… poof. the candidate declines or the company goes with someone else and there’s often little to no explanation why.
if you’re consistently finding yourself back at the starting line, it might be time to step it up a notch.
hiring managers:
in most cases you’re starting with an advantage. it’s your role, your org, and your decision. you hold the cards and ultimately nearly all of the leverage. however, what most hiring managers forget is that throughout the interview process you start giving over bits of leverage to the candidate. once that first call is over and you decide you like them, the pendulum begins to swing.
their limited leverage becomes more and more impactful and although you may feel in control, you’re not.
sure you’re the one who decides to extend the offer but all that means if you’ve come to the conclusion that you want to hire them. ok. and i want a fully restored 78 bronco. you deciding you want to hire someone isn’t the end of the process, it’s really just the beginning.
as the leverage shifts from one side to the other, you have to continuously put in more and more work to ensure your opportunity stays ahead of the pack. doing the minimum because you think you’re great is only going to come back to bite you.
practically, this looks like:
calling candidates after an interview to set up next steps and reiterating your excitement about them joining.
keeping the interview from being ‘all grill, no cheese.’ you can’t just corner them on every call (grill) and expect excitement. keep it professional but be kind (cheese).
SPOTAK (smart, passionate, optimistic, tenacious, adaptable, and kind). look for it and be it.
ask yourself, “would this interview make me want to work here?” if the answer isn’t emphatically yes, then you, my friend, are the problem.
answering all the questions you think are “dumb” because it matters to them and that matters to you. every candidate has different worries or nerves about their next steps and how they flesh them out is through small questions that feel insignificant but matter. “who cares about parking?” the employee who drives 90 minutes each way and wants one less thing to worry about.
think through their lens. what are their worries or big ticket items and how can i address them in our conversation?
if you’re excited about them, tell them. that excitement transfers and builds inertia. withholding interest is like middle school dating. it doesn’t work and YOU JUST WANNA KNOW IF YOUR CRUSH LIKES YOU CHECKTHEBOXPLEASE
effort goes a long way and at the end of the day it’s a two-way street. so play your part. you owe it to yourself.
candidates:
if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
your effort, preparation, research, etc. are all felt. when you show up to a call ready, the interviewer can feel it and they respond to it. when you show up unprepared, they can sense it and it makes them want to press harder.
it’s like a sales call.
when a prospect can sense that you know what you’re talking about, shorter responses suffice and complex questions can be addressed with simple answers. where they tend to drill down is in the areas you seem least knowledgeable. why? they’re looking for your failure points. where will your product (you) fail when the pressure really hits.
if you’re interviewing, you owe it to yourself to try.
practically, that looks like:
“clear is kind” - clear ≠ blunt
be concise - when you’re asked about availability, don’t reply with “Tuesday afternoon should be free.” communicating with you shouldn’t be difficult.
be prepared - has your preparation earned you the job? be honest with yourself
be SPOTAK (smart, passionate, optimistic, tenacious, adaptable, and kind).
be-self aware and self-reflective - here are a few questions
would i hire myself after that interview?
has my preparation earned me the job?
would i want to work with that version of me?
am I playing hard to get? am i playing any games in the first place?
how am i standing out from other great candidates?
endless other questions you can ask yourself, but you get the point.
TLDR:
it’s all about effort and self awareness.
did your effort earn you the job or that candidate’s trust?
are you aware enough to know the part you played in a dropped ball?
music for your friday
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