Jeff Patterson is the CEO of Gaggle, the pioneer in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology. We discuss why Jeff started Gaggle, what he looks at instead of resumés when hiring, and why you should probably talk less in interviews.
Tell me about your experience in education.
I started Gaggle because I’m unemployable! No one in their right mind should ever hire me. I’ve only had a job for one year of my life, and I have been starting businesses since I was five.
So why Gaggle in particular?
Life just sends you down a path. I was at an educational conference in Texas and I asked good questions. A good entrepreneur just wants to solve problems, and the people I was around were educators, so the problems I heard about were in education.
Over 20 years ago, I asked a teacher if she was using email with her students, and she said her district wouldn’t allow it. I was shocked — this is how collaboration gets done! She said, “It’s all about safety and security. Who would my students talk to? How could I keep them safe?” So I thought, I’ll solve that. Gaggle’s first tagline was “Hotmail but where the teachers are in control.”
You’ve hired tons of teachers at Gaggle. What EdTech roles do you believe former teachers are best suited for?
There are three main roles, but one is on hiatus right now. Let’s start with the one they’re most afraid of: sales. When you’re an eighth grade social studies teacher, you’re selling kids on being passionate about history! That’s not so different from what we do in EdTech, where Sales is consultative. Teachers are afraid of it, but many should embrace it.
What does it mean for Sales to be consultative, and how does that look different than other industries?
In some industries, sales is transactional: I know more information than you, and I’m just trying to convince you to do what I want. On the other hand, consultative sales is about understanding the problems you’re facing, figuring out how I can (or can’t) help you, and building a relationship. It’s a partnership we’ll be in for years.
What non-Sales paths represent the most natural pivots for teachers?
I’ve been telling teachers to look at customer success. This is different from customer service, which is also transactional (your job is to help customers fix their problems in the moment). Teachers can certainly do that job well. On the other hand, Customer Success is what happens after a district or school has purchased our product. Your job is to make sure the product is implemented with fidelity and can actually impact student learning.
At Gaggle, CSMs don’t have a quota — I want to pay them well and treat them well, so that they’re focused on customers and their happiness and not focused on getting customers to buy something they don’t need. At other companies, a CSM’s compensation might be tied to renewals.
The third type of job is in professional development and training. Teachers teach, and when a district buys a new product, teachers need to be taught how to use it. I’ve de-emphasized this role lately because without in-person training, there is less demand for this.
How would you help a teacher choose between those options?
I would ask them questions. Are you social? Do you get to the party early and leave last? Are you always trying to convince people that you’re right? That would be sales. Are you detail- and task-oriented? That might lend itself to customer service or customer success. Are you a good listener who likes building relationships? That’s helpful for all of them.
Curriculum Design jobs do exist, but it’s hard to make a direct jump from the classroom into that field. You might get lucky at a small startup that’s looking for someone young and energetic. But if you’re getting a job at a startup, only expect it to last a couple of years. Most startups are ill-equipped to do what they’re promising, they take on too much money — it rarely works. But you can use it as a stepping stone.
Hmm, I did get my first job at an EdTech startup and it worked out pretty well…
Look, I’m biased. I hate startups, because when I started I couldn’t raise money. I just bootstrapped. I’m the only owner. From my perspective, it’s better to take a long-term strategy and to grow and serve districts, rather than serve investors. Companies based in San Francisco and New York are doomed to fail because both of those are un-reality bubbles. Or I could be a jealous hater! Hard to say. This is why I refer to myself as the “Simon Cowell of EdTech.”
I would say that a Simon Cowell who chooses to be in education can’t be all bad.
There you go. Although remember, education chose me!
I’ve talked to tons of teachers who want to reach out to people they admire on LinkedIn, but aren’t sure how to go about it. What’s the right way to reach out to someone like you for advice? What’s the wrong way?
On LinkedIn, don’t be afraid to add a short note when you send a connection. I cringe when I get long, five-paragraph notes, but there are some magic words: “Can you help me?” Humans are wired to want to help each other! Get specific: “Here’s what I’m looking for,” or “Here’s what I’m struggling with.”
What are the most common mistakes you see teachers make on their resumes or during the interview process?
I hate resumes. Resumes are full of jargon and lies. I just look at LinkedIn profiles! They are full of exaggeration too, but at least they’re in the public eye. I can only exaggerate so much when my ex-coworkers see my LinkedIn profile.
Headlines are also important; change your headline to tell me what you’re trying to do since I’m scanning quickly. If I am looking for a salesperson in Florida and I see someone with the headline “Teacher ready for Sales,” I might stop and take a closer look.
Also, here’s my interview pet peeve: it should be a conversation. If I ask you to tell me about your last job and you talk for more than two minutes straight, it’s not a conversation. You’re probably answering things I don’t want to know about. Pause. Give yourselves an egg timer and turn it over when you start talking to build awareness. An interview is about truly listening to the questions and building a rapport, not about spewing out your whole life story.
I know I talk more when I’m nervous, so that advice can be intimidating. How can teachers ensure they’re saying enough but not too much?
Just make sure you’re leaving time for the other person to talk. I love the saying, “To be listened to is to be loved.” You want everyone, especially the person who is going to give you a job, to feel loved. You leave those pauses so the interviewer can feel heard and then direct you to the things they need to know.
Any other advice for teachers looking to make a change?
Get out there and make some connections. I have educators reach out to me without a note, and I’ll look at their profile and realize they only have five connections. I should not be your first connection. Connect with your colleagues and peers. That should happen on LinkedIn, but it can also happen at a conference. Engage other people and ask questions. That’s one of my skills: I ask questions, and then I’m quiet.