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Considering the inflationary period Americans are struggling through, compounded with the impacts of tariffs, it\u2019s hard not to get fixated on the dollar amount in job descriptions. But management expert Simon Sinek argues there\u2019s something more important to consider when interviewing for jobs: the person you\u2019ll be working for.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I got one thing right as a young person, it\u2019s that I always chose jobs based on who I would work for,\u201d Sinek told The Diary of a CEO <\/em>podcast. \u201cI didn\u2019t care how much money they\u2019re going to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n Sinek is best known for his 2009 TED Talk on the concept of \u201cwhy,\u201d and his \u201cGolden Circle\u201d theory, which encourages leaders and organizations to define their core purpose or belief as the basis for inspiring employees and customers. His TED Talk was one of the most-watched of all time, with more than 60 million views on the TED website alone. Sinek has more than 8.7 million followers on LinkedIn today.\u00a0<\/p>\n This management guru trained as an ethnographer, studying the patterns in how effective leaders and organizations think, act, and communicate to create environments where people operate at their most optimal level. He studied cultural anthropology at Brandeis University and later began, but did not complete, law school at City University of London. Early in his career, he worked in advertising for New York-based agencies including Euro RSCG and Ogilvy & Mather, but later launched his own consultancy, Sinek Partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Sinek credits his career success to his early days when he prioritized finding the best mentors over a higher salary.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBy the way, it\u2019s not like I had money, [but] I knew they were going to pay me something. I knew I could pay my bills,\u201d Sinek said. \u201cI\u2019m not a trust fund baby\u2014like, I needed an income. But one company offered me $5,000 more, and one company offered me $5,000 less. But I really like the person over here, [so] I took that job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I made less money than all of my friends in the short term,\u201d he continued. But \u201cI got an education and care from somebody who took me under their wing.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the most successful people in business have also preached prioritizing mentorship over salary during your early career.\u00a0<\/p>\n Warren Buffett, who is set to retire as Berkshire Hathaway\u2019s CEO in just a couple of days, said it\u2019s \u201cenormously important\u201d to one\u2019s success with whom they associate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry too much about starting salaries and be very careful who you work for because you will take on the habits of the people around you,\u201d Buffett said at a shareholder meeting in May. \u201cThere are certain jobs you shouldn\u2019t take.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he\u2019s had five bosses in his life, \u201cand I liked every one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey were all interesting,\u201d Buffett continued. \u201cI decided that I\u2019d rather work for myself than anybody else. But if you find people that are wonderful to work with, that\u2019s the place to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Oprah Winfrey has also credited her continued success to the early days of her career when legendary writer Maya Angelou mentored her. Winfrey met Angelou in 1986, the year she debuted The Oprah Winfrey Show. <\/em>Although she had already established herself as a talk show host, her relationship with Angelou continued to inspire her throughout her career.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody who\u2019s had any level of success in their life got to where they are because somebody, somewhere, was a guiding light,\u201d Winfrey wrote in a 2024 article about her mentorship from Angelou. \u201cMaybe they weren\u2019t a full-on, consistent mentor in your life, but nobody, but nobody makes it out here alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat other experts say about prioritizing mentorship over salary<\/h2>\n