If you’re a fan of the cinema, you know the names of Hollywood’s biggest directors.
Martin Scorsese. Christopher Nolan. Quentin Tarantino. Tim Burton. Wes Anderson. The list goes on.
They all happen to have one thing in common, and no, it’s not awards; it’s the fact that they all continue to cast the same people in all of their movies.
Martin Scorsese has cast Robert DeNiro in ten films.
Christopher Nolan has cast Michael Caine in eight films, and Cillian Murphy in six.
Quentin Tarantino has cast Samuel L. Jackson in six films.
Tim Burton has put Johnny Depp in eight films and Helena Bonham Carter in seven.
Wes Anderson has put Bill Murray in nine films.
There is a very distinct reason why these directors keep returning to the same actors. It comes back to trust and an understanding of how they work and operate.
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When you’re dealing with millions of dollars in a budget, the high pressure of a working environment where there are a lot of variables and unknowns, and a cast and crew of people to try and make something special, you can’t take risks on the big-name talent on the poster. If you’re going to make a hit, you have to know that you’re in a successful position from day one.
If you’ve ever hired someone to do a job in your house and they were great, what happened next? You told all of your friends, your neighbors, and you may have even raved about it on social media or written a review. Then, when you needed their support again, you hired them again, and again, and again.
We hire people we trust, just like Hollywood film directors; we want to put the same people in roles around us that we can count on.
The same goes in your career.
I’ve hired the same people several times. It’s an outstanding feeling to bring the same person on board when you know you can trust them to be adults, you can trust their talents, and you have a cadence that just works with them. You don’t have to stress out about every little detail; you can literally hand them their laptop and badge on day one, and they’re off to the races.
This is why I preach networking so much: hiring managers want to be surrounded by people they trust, but more importantly, because it’s a quicker and easier path to getting hired.
But you’ve heard enough from me about networking.
The focus I want you to consider here is how frequently you are staying connected to people who are doing cool things in their careers, and where you can possibly find a way to get involved and work with people you trust and admire as well. The flip side of this is when you are doing cool shit, you want to be able to bring people along with you that you trust and admire.
How amazing would it be to start a business with the three people who were your ride-or-die co-workers from a past life?
How many people from your past career would immediately answer the phone if you called them tomorrow and said, “Hey, I’m building something new, want to come with me?”
That’s the real networking test that nobody talks about. Not how many LinkedIn connections you have. Not how many likes your post got this morning. Not how many business cards you collected at a conference five years ago and stuffed into a drawer somewhere. The real test is whether people actually enjoyed working with you enough to want to do it again.
The best opportunities in careers are often not found through applications, recruiters, or job boards. They’re found when someone you trust calls you and says, “I have something interesting, and I thought of you first.” Those moments happen when you’ve built real relationships, delivered value consistently, and created a reputation that people remember long after you’ve left the building.
This is also why burning bridges in your career is one of the dumbest things you can possibly do. You never know who is going to become a VP somewhere else, start a company, raise funding, or land in a position where they can change your life professionally. Today’s co-worker sitting next to you, eating microwave leftovers in the break room, might be the person offering you a life-changing opportunity five years from now.
So do a good job when you’re cast, even if you’re not the main character. You never know when it may be your turn to show up first on the credits, thanks to a great relationship you’ve built somewhere.