Kevin F. Adler

We compartmentalize ourselves as “employees at X company” or “founders of Y startup” rather than “awesome people trying to solve Z major problem.”

I think this is backwards. Companies should exist to solve problems. Otherwise they are probably creating more problems than they are solving.

For 20 to 30-somethings who didn’t start Facebook, I’d be more interested in hearing what problem you are trying to solve and your approach to solving it. 

Here are two quick ideas for focusing on solving problems > companies immediately:

• Update your resume to highlight the problem(s) you have tried to solve and your approach to solving the problem(s), rather than a list of companies where you worked.
• Introduce yourself as a person solving A problem rather than the founder of B startup or employee of C company.