Welcome to Hu Knows!
Why I'm starting a newsletter about careers
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a student or recent grad just starting out in the real world. You know that your first few jobs out of college have a huge impact on the rest of your career, and that choosing the right path is no easy feat. You may have also noticed that employers are surprisingly specific about the skills you’re supposed to already have, and that the bar keeps rising every year…
Growing up, I often heard that the key to success is to “follow your passion.” However, this assumes that passions are fixed and waiting to be found, rather than fluid and developed over time. In the same way that entrepreneurs iterate their way to product-market fit, finding your passion is an iterative process that requires you to both pivot and persevere. If you’re early in your career, a more suitable proverb might be:
Follow the opportunities that will give you the competencies, capital, credibility and connections to develop and follow your passion.
Why I’m starting a newsletter
Since graduating from Harvard, I have had the privilege of working in both Wall Street and Silicon Valley. I started my career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and held various roles at Uber across operations, data analytics, strategy, business development, and product management. I have successfully navigated multiple career iterations — including an industry change (finance > tech), continent change (North America > Europe), and three role changes — and this fall, I’m heading to Harvard Business School.
Although much of what I’ve learned is through hard work and trial-and-error, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the mentors and sponsors who have guided me along the way.
This newsletter is my way of paying it forward: by sharing what I’ve learned with the public — for free.
What to expect
Each month, you’ll receive 1-2 newsletters from me containing strategies for:
Effective networking
Optimizing your resume
Interview preparation
Crafting your ideal career path
Breaking into investment banking / product management / etc.
Excelling in your internship or job
Building relationships and influence in the workplace
Finding a mentor or sponsor
Applying to business school
Starting or scaling a startup or side project
Working and living abroad
Personal finance tips
Finding work / life balance
Being a woman in finance / tech
Book, podcast and newsletter recommendations
…and more.
If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover that I haven’t listed above, please drop your suggestion in the comments below.
In addition, if something I write resonates (or doesn’t resonate) with you, please leave a comment or reach out to me on LinkedIn. Your success stories give me the motivation to keep writing. At the same time, I don’t pretend to know all the answers (hence the blog title) — so if you have constructive feedback, I want to hear that too.
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