My Name is #JWoW, and This is My Underdog Turned Winner Story

6:00AM on a Sunday morning. The alarm sounds from my iPhone and I want to select “snooze” instead of “dismiss” so badly. 

I click snooze, but I realize that to click snooze versus dismiss is like talk versus action, and by hitting snooze, we keep dreams as just simply what they are: just dreams instead of actual realities.

My name is Jonathan Javier, and I’m an underdog. I’m just another kid trying to make it into his career. I’m not anybody special. I come from a non-traditional background where my parents immigrated from the Philippines and were able to survive by selling food on the streets and during their lunch breaks. I’m content with working with the opportunities I got, I want to work at dream companies like Google, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs; the only thing is, these dreams stay as dreams because opportunities like those don’t come about.

I blame my university, external factors that have no influence on my work ethic or character. I play the victim card; “opportunities don’t come here because I don’t go to an Ivy League school” is what I say to myself and others. I go through the motions in school to graduate and merely survive, just like everyone else.

Then one day, I told myself this needs to change. I need to stand out from the crowd and be different, not just for myself but to inspire the future of underdogs turning into winners, a future of non-target school and non-traditional background individuals making it into their careers. A future generation of individuals who aren’t based on the color of their skin or the university they attend, but instead are based off genuine character and hard work.

My name is #JWoW, and this is my underdog turned winner story.

My College Career

In September 2013, I started attending the University of California, Riverside; it wasn’t necessarily my dream school (just like most people), but it was a school I accepted. Why? I had gotten rejected from my dream schools and had to decide between there and smaller universities.

Being accepted into the Honors program was a deciding factor between choosing UC Riverside over other schools. However, throughout my first few years of college, I was distracted and lost; I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in my career. I was surrounded by the wrong crowd, a crowd of individuals whose mindset was “I’ll worry about my career and life later”. I then got kicked out of the Honors program my sophomore year because my GPA fell below the requirement.

The pivotal point came during my junior year. I came back from my low GPA and nearly got all A’s. I went to career fairs and networked as best as I could. I got out of complacency and got into progression with a sense of direction.

How did I get so focused? It was my shift in mindset and my support system. No one really believed in my potential at first besides my family, but I had a group of individuals who pushed me to do their best, especially one of my best friends. She helped me get on track and made me believe that it was possible to work at a top company; she was one of the first people from UCR to get into a Big 4 Accounting Firm, and that’s why I looked up to her and why I wanted to work there so badly as my “dream company”. Although we aren’t nearly as close now, I’m thankful for that motivation which sparked my career into what it would become.

Passing on to my senior year, my goal was to work for a Big 4 or Big Bank; I met my first Big 4 professionals while attending a ALPFA UCR event in October 2016, and this motivated me to pursue a career in advisory/consulting because I saw people who had non-traditional backgrounds and looked like me work at these companies. Every week, I would reach out to hundreds of professionals on LinkedIn or through ALPFA and schedule phone with professionals to learn about their day-to-day responsibilities and company cultures. I would write Google Docs with all the information I researched on the professional as well as questions to ask during our phone chat (as seen below).

Despite these daily talks where I’d sit in my room/garage hours on end and skip parties, social functions, and binge Netflix sessions, they led to no job opportunities.

I felt defeated, I felt lost, I felt like I was late to the game.

But then I received multiple chances to interview for the Big 4 (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG) as well as Goldman Sachs; I was excited, and things were looking up, so I thought.

I thought I did very well in the interview, but unfortunately days later, I received the news:

Although this happened, I persisted; I’d attend every event I could go to even if it was hours away from school (I would even sneak into other school's career fairs). I'd email every recruiter/professional to network as best as I could. I'd make trips to the Los Angeles and Irvine areas, drive around downtown and look at the skylines for names of companies I could apply to, and wait outside at 5:00PM to network with professionals who were leaving the office. I did this because I had nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

Then it happened; after attending an event for ALPFA, I got invited to fly out to Goldman Sachs in Utah, a “dream” company of mine. I came into the interview confident in a blue suit, sky blue tie, ready to seize the day.

“3 rounds of interviews, that’s all I need to get in” I told myself. And then the interviewers crushed me. They asked me questions I didn’t know the answers to. I felt nervous and uncomfortable. I felt like someone took a sword and stabbed it into my heart and soul. I waited a day to receive the call from the recruiter, only to hear the news I was already expecting:

“We’re sorry to inform you that you didn’t receive an offer….”

A month later, I received an opportunity to interview again for the Operations Division. I flew out a second time to Salt Lake City, feeling fairly confident that I was going to land it this time. I thought I did well, but I received the same news just as before. It was then that I had not only lost the heart and motivation, but also hope.

I tried to remain optimistic because character is seen in how we bounce back from rejection and not see it as the end of the world, but the beginning. I made it to later rounds in different companies, only leading to the expectation of an end result which led to disparity and depression.

My Post-Grad Career

I realized that the simple “apply and wait” approach wouldn’t work, especially coming from my non-target school/non-traditional background. I’d apply to hundreds of positions and never heard back, yet alone, even a status update. I then changed my approach and took it to LinkedIn; my dream was to work in the tech industry, so I thought to myself “I want to work in tech. Why don’t I do LinkedIn Workshops and make content about them to be able to connect with professionals?”.

And it worked; I was able to network and find professionals in different fields. I then came across this post.

It was the perfect opportunity. I sent a message inquiring about the position and waited a few days; I received no response. I then saw her post again and decided to send another message, this time with my resume attached and how my qualifications fit the position. It was a 6-month process, but at the end of the day, I was able to receive an offer (See here how the process was)

How did I get an offer from Snap?

After sending the second message and receiving the message that the recruiter would like to speak to me on the phone, I created this Google Doc with all potential questions/information and was ready to share my resume.

She loved my experience and preparation, and I passed onto the next round. I knew when I made it to the final round that I’d be competing with other students from top schools. How did I prepare and stand out?

1. I watched ALL of Snap’s videos on their YouTube, website, and social media platforms. I then wrote notes in my notebook on what I liked about the platform and what I thought could be improved.
2. I went to Dollar Tree and bought a yellow folder (Snap is yellow). I then put my resume/cover letter, business plan from a class where I used the same systems/platform Snap used, and my business cards in the folder and brought it to my interview.

When I arrived to my interview, I was given a case study. The case study was easy because I had watched ALL of Snap’s videos and knew the product as well as knew the answers because it was similar to the business plan I did in class. After my interviewers (and future managers) came in and I explained my answer to the case study, they asked me: how did you know our platform so well? I then took out the yellow folder and said:

“I watched all your videos on social media this past week and did a project in class where I used your same technology utilizing geolocation. Here’s my business plan, resume, cover letter, and business card.”

They both looked at each other and smiled. After the interview 1 hour later, I received a call from the recruiter saying that I had received the position and that it was the “fastest call she’d ever received for an offer”.

How did I like working at Snap?

My first experience at Snap was amazing; to work in a startup company right after IPO was awesome to say the least. What I really enjoyed about Snap was that all my co-workers were recent graduates, and we always hung out with one another whether it was getting food from our cafes or just talking about life. My most favorite memory: at our New Years Holiday at Microsoft Live, we had Drake and Diplo come as guests. It was the most amazing holiday party I’ve been to by far. The one I thing about Snap was that I worked Sunday to Thursday from 5:30AM to 2:00PM because I lived 2 hours away and would make the commute shorter by working at those times. I also wrote about my experience at Snap in one of my past articles here.

Why did I leave?

My time at Snap was short-lived, not because I wanted it to be, but our team was unfortunately outsourced and let go 6 months into the job. Although this occurred, I always felt privileged and happy to be a part of an amazing company right after college that people would only dream of working for. Shortly after, I took a position outside of the industry to help my family pay for the bills, but my mind was always set on making a comeback.

When I was at Snap, I knew I wouldn’t be there long term; my mentality was to connect with other tech professionals in different companies; since we both shared a commonality of working in tech, they were more willing to connect with me. This is why I stress the importance of anyone who wants to get into tech to start at a tech company, whether small or large. I’d then send each professional a connection request. I’d target those who graduated from my university and also were part of similar organizations, and 80% of them would connect just from a personal invite such as below:

And this is how I was able to build my network into what it is today.

How I Got My Foot In The Door With Google

After working at Snap and hearing the news of us being outsourced, I decided to strategize on how I was going to make my next move. 

I waited for the news to go public that Snap was letting go of some workers; when the news broke on LinkedIn, no one posted about it, and that’s when I decided to be transparent on LinkedIn regarding my experience and what happened. Once the news broke to the public, I created a post which was as follows:

In this post, I tried my best to show that although this was a step back in my career, I was looking forward to the next opportunity. The post went viral, and I had almost 1,000 people likes and also comments on it saying that other companies were hiring including Facebook, Lyft, Tesla, and more.

This is when I was presented with the opportunity at Google; I had previously interviewed for the BOLD Internship and a Sales Position before and unfortunately did not receive an offer. However, through the LinkedIn post, I was presented the opportunity to work at Google as an Operations Analyst. I accepted the position and made the move to the Bay, a move back into my dream industry.

How did I like working at Google?

Working at Google was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had. When people talk about Google being their dream company, it’s because they hear about the culture: the free food, gym access, top of the line perks, massage chairs, happy hours, G-Fit Leagues, and more. I believe it truly is a dream company and one of the best places to work not only because of the perks but because of the people and the impact you're able to make. I took advantage of these opportunities and perks, as I'd stay at work from 8:00AM-8:00PM everyday.

One of the amazing parts of working there was that I was able to conduct workshops and speak for two Talks at Google/Fireside Chats with Goldie Chan and Joel de la Fuente.

I loved it, but I lost who I truly was.

Although I loved working at Google, I realized months in that the name was getting to me. I wasn’t myself, and that people would reach out to me not because of who I was but because of the company. I wanted to be known for my character and work ethic, and I couldn’t differentiate authentic relationships when connecting with people versus fake ones. The same questions would always circulate:

“How’s working there?”

“How’s the food?”

“What’s the culture like?”

“Why would you leave?”

This wouldn’t happen just on LinkedIn and in-person, but in every social situation. whether it was hanging out with friends, at family get-togethers, and when speaking to potential clients for Wonsulting. I became mentally drained. The name and ego got to me. I became depressed because I not only exhibited imposter syndrome and didn’t feel good enough, but because in the back of my mind, I wasn’t who I truly was. I gained 25+ lbs (10 more than the Google 15) and would have 5-course meals everyday. My mental state would contribute negatively to my relationships and friendships, as I thought people were simply just using me for their advantage.

And that’s one of the reasons why I left.

My plan in the beginning was to only be there for around 1 year and then make the career transition elsewhere. During that year, I did the most I could: my strategy was to make the biggest impact I could while connecting with recruiters/professionals and learning more about how Google recruits new grads, converts TVCs, and from non-target schools/non-traditional backgrounds because those were my target markets for Wonsulting. I networked with thousands of professionals and built rapport to strengthen relationships for later on. Once I felt like I accomplished my goal, that's when I decided to make a career transition. I wanted to be known for the impact that I’d make in the world, specifically with underdogs turning into winners, and that’s when Wonsulting began to scale out significantly.

While at these companies, I learned how the companies recruit through research and the informational interviews I had. I then implemented it into Wonsulting; this is the reason why my clients and mentees have been able to get into these companies because I’ve been able to prep them to the best of my abilities in making their dreams into realities.

How did I get into Cisco?

When making my next career transition, I wanted to work at a company which was known for its culture and the best place to work for in terms of benefits and flexibility. I had multiple companies in mind, but through optimizing my profile for strategy/ops positions as well as creating a personal brand on LinkedIn, I was reached out to by a recruiter regarding the position.

I interviewed 4 rounds with my manager, director, and teammates and was able to land an offer. I got it simply by not only my answers, but developing a personal brand; by developing a personal brand, we can be able to have opportunities come to us rather than us searching for opportunities. 

Right when I started, I shared my career story on LinkedIn regarding going from Snap to Google to Cisco and to developing Wonsulting. I was humbled when LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner liked and shared it for the world to see.

This wasn't Jeff Weiner's first time sharing one of my posts; due to him sharing one of my workshops, it paved the way to success in my career and the development of turning underdogs into winners.

How do I like working at Cisco?

Cisco has been an amazing experience so far. I work with our Go-To-Market Strategy and Operations team on different initiatives involving our customer lifecycle. I play basketball with our Cisco Team and even won a championship my first few months in. In the past few months, I've also lost 30+ lbs and 10% body fat, going from 208 lbs to a consistent 175-180.

Cisco's culture is special in terms of caring for its employees, whether it's personally or professionally. This past month, I was selected to be the Early Career Network Professional Development Lead and to be a speaker at Great Place to Work Summit alongside CEOs/C-Suite level executives. I've led 3 events on career and professional development as well as implemented a speaker series for employees.

I've continued to create LinkedIn content and help others. By doing so, I developed a personal brand at work; people would come up to me and say “you’re the one guy from LinkedIn right?”. It was amazing because I wasn’t only being recognized for my career story but because of who I really was: an underdog turned winner. By doing so, I was able to scale out Wonsulting to help others get into their dream careers.

What is Wonsulting?

Wonsulting is a career consultancy I started a year ago with one mission: to turn underdogs into winners, meaning those who come from non-traditional backgrounds and non-target schools to help them get into their dream careers. So far, I’ve had the privilege of leading 50+ speaking engagements in 4 different countries to impact thousands and give them the strategies I’ve personally used to get into the top companies. We’ve helped thousands of students get into the big tech companies, banks, and accounting firms all just by utilizing LinkedIn.

How? If you've read my career story above, you've probably noticed that I've worked for 3 dream companies. The reason why I made each career transition is because at the end of the day, the creation of Wonsulting was the long term goal. My goal was to get into different tech industry segments: startup (Snap), software (Google), and hardware (Cisco) to gain the experiences/credentials from each company, and since I worked in each industry, I learned about how each company recruited and their interview processes. By doing so, I've been able to utilize the information and research to help my mentees, clients and others get into their dream companies.

What do I have planned for Wonsulting 2020, and how can you get involved to turn underdogs into winners?

I hope in 2020, Wonsulting will be able to impact tens of thousands in their careers and be the hub for underdogs to turn into winners. Here’s what I have planned for 2020:

• Implementation of an Ambassador Program for current students to speak at universities/organizations
• Hub of job opportunities where underdogs can connect with professionals/recruiters to turn them into winners
• Partner with 100+ universities/organizations to conduct workshops/events and spread words of wisdom 
• Create a platform where "underdog turned winners" can share their stories to the world through our website or as part of a panel
• Start of the Underdogs Into Winners Scholarship, which helps a current underdog with their professional development initiatives 
• Scale out the Underdogs Turned Winners Community on LinkedIn with our own speaker series and valuable content
• Bridge the gap between top students at non-target schools/non-traditional backgrounds to top companies in their respective fields

If anyone is interested in these initiatives or having us on your campus/organization, please feel free to reach out 😊

So now you've heard my underdog turned winner story. How can I help yours?

After reading my story, I hope you’re inspired to make your dreams into realities. Remember that every person has their own journey and story; we go through career obstacles, rejections, and setbacks. The difference between successful versus non-successful individuals is their willingness and hard work to make it in their careers while also helping others do the same.

What's some #JWoW I'd recommend utilizing to get into your dream career?

Utilize LinkedIn: When I was looking to get into my career, I’d have different categories of connections: one for professionals, the other recruiters. Here's what you can do for each:

• Professionals: Professionals can help you learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of the role that you're interested in. What you should do is simply search on LinkedIn for the position you're interested in (Let's say "Operations Analyst Google"). After searching, add the connection with a personal invite and tell them you're interested in learning more about what their role entails. During your phone chat, write down what their day-to-day responsibilities are, and then take that information and apply it to your resume. Example: Let's say Operations Analyst at Google requires SQL and Excel experience; on my resume, I'd be sure to have these keywords in my experiences/skills, and if I haven't been able to use these in past experiences, take a LinkedIn class on them.
• Recruiters: Recruiters can help you get your foot-in-the-door at the company you're interested in. What you should do is simply search on LinkedIn for the position you're interested in (Let's say "Operations Recruiter Cisco"). After searching, add the connection with a personal invite and tell them you're interested in learning more about what they're recruiting for. During your phone chat, exemplify your skills/experiences that relate to the positions they're recruiting for. This is why it's important to have phone chats with professionals because you can then find what the position entails internally, then utilize it during your phone chat with recruiters.

When reaching out, be concise and know what you want: When reaching out to professionals/recruiters, don't just say "I want to work at your company because of the culture". Do your research online and through informational interviews which will give you a better perspective of not only the company culture but what the work each person does and entails.

• Why should you be concise? Don't send 10 paragraphs to a professional/recruiter because they will most likely not read it; remember that professionals/recruiters are busy, and by being concise, you make their jobs easier because then they'll know who to connect you with and how to help you. Have a structure that shows your interests in their career story and company. You can structure it with an introduction of yourself, what interested you in connecting with them, and then a call to action (Would you have time to chat on the phone?).

Ask for help: One mistake I would do early on in my career is have phone chats but they wouldn't lead to any job opportunities. I realized later on that it was because I never asked; think about it, if a professional/recruiter is willing to speak with you for 30 minutes out of their 8 hour day, that means they want to help and see your potential. Ask for help, and you shall receive.

Share your passions and story: During phone chats, I love hearing about the other person's passions and story. The reason why it's important to share these is because you may align with similar passions and story, which will then be recognized by the person you're speaking with and therefore will be more willing to help you get into your dream careers.

Lastly, be you. And remember, we're all human but all capable of turning from underdogs into winners.

My name is #JWoW, and I’m an underdog turned winner. My hope is that you too will have your own underdog turned winner story and that we'll be able to impact the world, one underdog at a time.

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Jonathan Javier is a graduate from the University of California, Riverside. He has worked at top companies in Strategy and Operations including Snap, Google, and currently Cisco. He runs his own career consulting firm, Wonsulting, as well as leads professional development for Cisco's Early Career Network. He works on many different initiatives including #JWoW, #JustJWoW, and #WeeklyWordsofWisdom to name a few. In total, he has led 51+ Career Development workshops in 4 different countries, creating his own speaker series called #JWoWSpeakerSeries.

His mission is "to turn underdog's into winners": meaning helping those who have been through career obstacles, whether it is coming from non-target schools or non-traditional backgrounds, to get them into their dream careers by providing his words of wisdom through posts and articles on LinkedIn. So far, he's helped thousands of students/professionals from these respective backgrounds get into their careers.

If you’re interested in getting into your dream career, helping underdogs turn into winners, or our services such as Resume Revisions, LinkedIn Strategies, or Job Opportunities, please send an email to wonsulting@gmail.com or my personal email Jonathan@wonsulting.com. Would love to see how we can work with you and turn you into a winner 😊

#JWoW