• Sergey Brin said he has used AI for leadership tasks, including delegating and promotions.
• Brin returned to Google in 2023 to develop AI products amid competition with OpenAI.
• Executives like Nvidia's CEO and Duolingo's CTO also use AI daily.

AI can help write boring emails, speed up coding, and even decide who gets promoted at one of the world's largest companies.

In an episode of the "All In" podcast released on Tuesday, Google cofounder Sergey Brin said he has been using AI for some of his leadership tasks since returning to the company.

"Management is like the easiest thing to do with the AI," Brin said.

Brin cofounded Google with Larry Page in 1998 and served as its president until stepping down in 2019. He returned to the search giant in 2023 to help develop AI products as the company races against startup competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity.

On the podcast, Brin shared two ways he has been using AI for managing people at Gemini, Google's large language model team: delegating tasks and finding top performers.

Brin used an AI to condense group chat messages.

"It could suck down a whole chat space and then answer pretty complicated questions," he said. "I was like: 'OK, summarize this for me. OK, now assign something for everyone to work on.'"

Brin said that there were a few giveaways that he was using AI when he pasted things back into the chat, but it "worked remarkably well."

Brin said he also asked the AI tool who in the group chat should get promoted.

"It actually picked out this young woman engineer who I didn't even notice, she wasn't very vocal," he said. "I talked to the manager, actually, and he was like, 'Yeah, you know what? You're right. Like she's been working really hard, did all these things.'"

"I think that ended up happening, actually," Brin said of the promotion.

In the wide-ranging discussion about AI, Brin said AI could do certain things "much better" than humans, including tasks he is skilled at, such as math and coding.

He did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

How tech execs use AI

Brin joins a number of executives incorporating AI in their day-to-day work.

Earlier this month, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he uses tools like ChatGPT and Gemini like a "tutor" every day.

"In areas that are fairly new to me, I might say, 'Start by explaining it to me like I'm a 12-year-old,' and then work your way up into a doctorate-level over time," Huang said.

This week, Duolingo's chief technology officer said that AI is part of his three-step leadership principle. Once he decides a task must be done, he tries to see if it can be automated with ChatGPT.

Still, not every tech executive is ready to outsource their management duties to AI just yet.

LinkedIn's chief operating officer, Dan Shapero, told Business Insider last month that he still likes to do the "human parts" of his job.

"While AI has shown that it can synthesize information, I'm not sure that it's shown that it can inspire a team or that it can connect with people at a deeper level," Shapero said.

• A "No Tax on Tips" bill passed the Senate on Tuesday with no Democratic opposition.
• This was one of Trump's key economic campaign promises.
• But several Democrats told BI that they still had questions about the proposal.

A bipartisan bill to exempt tips from federal income tax passed the Senate. That doesn't mean everyone's fully behind the idea, which was one of President Donald Trump's key campaign promises.

In fact, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are surprised that the "No Tax on Tips Act," a bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, passed at all.

"I'm a little amazed the Democrats didn't block it," Cruz told BI. "But I'll take yes for an answer."

As it turns out, Cruz's surprise is warranted. While no Democratic senators said they were outright opposed, several told BI on Wednesday that they still had questions or concerns about the idea, or were simply ambivalent about it.

"That's one way to approach the topic," Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. "The other way is to raise the minimum wage, and sort of eliminate a tip-based economy, which is what a lot of countries do."

"It's obviously great for people who make their incomes off of tips. It's just a question of fairness," Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said. "It just, on its own, seems to be a little strange to decide that certain workers are getting taxed at a rate that's much less than other workers."

The bill passed on Tuesday night after Rosen made a "unanimous consent request," a procedure that senators can use either to pass non-controversial legislation or highlight the other party's opposition to one of their bills. If no senator shows up to object, it passes.

Senators are notified about these requests ahead of time, giving them plenty of time to prepare to object. But no one in either party did so, despite some expectation that Republicans would, given that their own version of the proposal is included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" reconciliation package.

"Frankly, I was surprised," Murphy said, adding that he assumed a member of the Senate Finance Committee would "object to something that big going outside of regular order."

'I haven't studied the full implications'

The No Tax on Tips Act would allow tipped workers to claim a tax deduction of up to $25,000 for the sum of all tips they earned in the previous year. The GOP's "Big Beautiful Bill" includes a similar provision, but without the $25,000 cap.

For Rosen, passing the bill was smart politics. Her home state of Nevada has among the highest concentrations of tipped workers in the country, owing to the hospitality and entertainment industry in cities like Las Vegas.

The senator also wanted to divorce the issue from the GOP's broader bill, which includes safety-net cuts that Democrats oppose.

"Our office ran a hotline on both sides of the aisle and, after seeing no objections, Senator Rosen went to the floor to pass this bipartisan bill by itself and without any poison pills," a spokesperson for Rosen told BI. "In doing so, Senate Democrats are showing we can deliver tax relief for working-class families without Republicans' extreme cuts to Medicaid and SNAP."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer applauded the passage of the bill on Tuesday, saying in a statement that "thanks to Senator Rosen's incredible leadership, we are one step closer to eliminating taxes on tipped wages for hardworking Americans."

But while the bill has the support of Republicans and Nevada's other Democratic senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, none of the Democratic senators who BI spoke with on Wednesday said they were fully supportive of the idea.

"I haven't studied the full implications," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. "I fear very much that corporations may be able to use it in certain ways."

"It's not the worst element of this bill, though," Sanders added.

"No tax on tips makes a great headline, but if it's not done the right way, it fails to help hardworking people who are barely scraping by, while it gives one more boost to Wall Streeters who change their compensation to tipped income," Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said. "So, like so many things, the devil is in the details."

Rosen's bill does include a provision to prevent the wealthy from doing what Warren suggests, barring those who earn more than $160,000 a year from claiming the deduction.

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee and a key voice within the party on tax policy, declined to comment specifically on the no tax on tips proposal, only saying that Democrats as a whole want to find ways to help workers.

"I strongly favor getting relief to the workers," Wyden said. "But we know we have a lot of legislative hoops to jump through."

• Duolingo's tech chief, Severin Hacker, uses a "reduce, automate, delegate" leadership strategy.
• He said it's important to strike a balance between being in "founder mode" and being a manager.
• Hacker said he adapted his leadership style as the company grew to 800 people.

Duolingo's cofounder has a three-part principle for striking the right balance between "founder mode" and having some hierarchy in the company.

"One of my principles is reduce, automate, delegate," said Severin Hacker, who is also the company's chief technology officer. He spoke on an episode of the "20VC" podcast published on Monday.

Hacker cofounded Duolingo in 2011 with Luis von Ahn, his doctoral supervisor at Carnegie Mellon University. The language-learning app has since gone public and employs about 800 people.

Speaking about "reduce," Hacker said that once a month or once a quarter, he thinks about what he needs to do — and what he can drop.

"If you just don't do it, is it the end of the world?" he said.

Once he decides that a task is necessary, he tries to gauge if it can be automated, such as using ChatGPT to write a report or answer a question.

Lastly, he said he delegates what cannot be automated.

"I've handed off most of the day-to-day engineering to our head of engineering," Hacker said. "I'm now a little bit out of the weeds."

He said he's focused on AI and its implications for Duolingo and deciding what the company should invest in.

"I probably spend 80% of my day thinking and acting on this AI question," the CTO said.

The company has doubled down on AI usage in the past year. It uses the technology to generate lessons, and last month, Duolingo's CEO von Ahn made headlines for outlining all the ways he plans to integrate AI at the company, including for hiring and evaluation decisions.

Duolingo's use of AI and growing user base have made it an investor darling. It hit over 46 million daily active users this year, and its stock is up 191% in the past year. Duolingo has expanded its offerings from about 40 languages to math, music, and, recently, chess.

Evolving leadership

Hacker said that his role has changed every year since he cofounded the company.

He added that it's important to find a balance between being in founder mode — Silicon Valley lingo for a leader who is very involved in the company day-to-day — and being a manager, who often delegates and prefers hierarchy.

"At a certain scale, you need to have managers or layers," Hacker said. "The oldest organization in the world, the Catholic Church, that is still around, it's very hierarchical and and I think there's probably some reason for it."

Earlier this month, von Ahn, too, said that his leadership style changed as the language learning company grew in size.

In an interview at Stanford University, the CEO said that he no longer gets into the fine details of every task, not because he doesn't want to, but because it's impossible to micromanage that many people.

"At this point, I also have learned that most of my job is culture carrier, mascot, and just making some of the kind of tough philosophical decisions," von Ahn said.

• As a chef, I've learned the best tricks to grill perfectly cooked, juicy chicken every time.
• Choose your chicken cut wisely and add flavor to your meat with a rub, marinade, or brine.
• Sauce can char on your chicken if you add it too soon, so wait until the end to brush it on.

Whether you're having people over or bringing a meal to a potluck, grilled chicken is always a crowd-pleaser.

As a restaurant chef, I've broken down so many whole birds that I could probably do it blindfolded, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to making the tastiest grilled chicken around.

Buy high-quality chicken from a trusted source

First and foremost, buy a good chicken from a trusted source.

Terms like "organic" and "free range" are often vague and don't always indicate what you think they do, so look for the USDA-grade label first and foremost.

An A grade means there's a good fat-to-skin ratio and no discolorations, and B and C grades are usually used for ground meat.

From there, look for cage-free, antibiotics-free, and Kosher, which all refer to how the chickens are raised and processed. Those factors, separately or combined, make for a chicken that is consistently tasty. 

Know how to best handle whichever cut of meat you're planning to grill

If you're not sure what chicken to grill, I suggest bone-in, skin-on meat. It tastes better because this extra layer of fat infuses the chicken with flavor and moisture while cooking.

You can also experiment with grilling a whole bird spatchcock style, which is without the spinal cord. This way, the bird stays flush with the grill, so it will cook evenly over the heat, and everyone can still have their favorite cuts.

Grilled wings are also great for a crowd, and their small size means they'll cook quickly. Keep a close eye on them.

Chicken breast is popular for a reason, but it typically has an uneven thickness. Slice cutlets in half or pound them flat before grilling for even cooking results.

Don't underestimate the power of marinades, cures, and brines

The whole point of marinating meat is to break down tissue and bring in flavor with acid and salt.

A quick marinade is easy to throw together, too. Your acids could be lemons, limes, oranges, vinegar, and even wine or beer. You can even make a marinade with leftover salad dressing or pickle juice.

Marinate for a few hours or the night before cooking for best results.

You may also want to consider brining — an overnight bath in a salt and seasoning mixture can do wonders for flavor and texture.

The salt breaks down the proteins and pulls in the seasonings, essentially curing the meat.

You can also experiment with curing with dry rubs and salt seasoning mixtures, which don't use water. The salt will pull the moisture out of the meat and then reabsorb it.

Just sprinkle a thin layer all over your meat and plan to brine or cure at least one day before cooking.

Add your sauce toward the end of the grilling process

A good barbecue sauce can bring finger-licking qualities to your chicken, but don't add it too early in the grilling process. 

This is especially crucial for sauces made with sugar. Similar to roasted marshmallows, it will burn over an open flame and can turn into a black char if too close to the fire.

Instead, slather on your sauce when the meat is mostly cooked through. Barbecue sauce is best used as a basting tool right before serving, so you can get all of that flavor without turning your chicken into a hockey puck. 

Use one of several methods to ensure your chicken is cooked

A fully cooked piece of chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part. However, if you don't have a meat thermometer, look for other signs that can signify a bird is cooked.

If there are bones, they should wiggle easily in their sockets. If boneless, pierce with a knife and any juices — there should always be juices — should run clear.

If you undercook your chicken, put it back on the grill for a few more minutes with the cover on to let the residual heat cook it through.

Grill over indirect or direct heat, but keep the lid closed

Most grills have a large grate directly over the flame and a smaller elevated one with indirect heat.

If you're cooking a larger or thicker piece of chicken breast, grill over indirect heat before or after charring, especially if you want to ensure it's cooked all the way through.

You can add some wood chips to your gas or charcoal grill for extra flavor, but keep the lid closed to keep it nice and hot. It's OK to check on the meat every few minutes, but try to lift the grill lid sparingly to keep the heat inside. 

This story was originally published on August 13, 2o22, and most recently updated on May 20, 2025.

• TSA PreCheck is an airport-security express lane that can save you time while traveling.
• The program has more members than ever — over 20 million passengers are enrolled.
• Travel expert Gilbert Ott said these etiquette tips can keep you from holding up the line.

Those of us who've had TSA PreCheck for a while have seen the express airport security line moving slower than it should. We've had our patience tested by first-time users fumbling for passports at the counter, removing their coats when it's their turn to be scanned, and waltzing on through with a belt on.

These days, you're more likely to encounter newbies in the fast-pass lane than ever.

The TSA reported in August 2024 that program enrollment reached a record 20 million travelers. And roughly 2 to 3 million flight passengers used the faster security line per day so far in 2025.

In the TSA PreCheck line, pre-screened travelers can go through security quickly without taking off their shoes or removing electronics or liquids from their carry-on bags. With more travelers than ever signing up for the program, you're likely to encounter more newbies in the express lane these days.

It costs about $80 to enroll for five years, but you can get the service essentially for free through credit cards such as Capital One Venture, Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Delta SkyMiles, and American Express.

Gilbert Ott, who says he flies more than 200,000 miles a year and has been blogging about flying for the past decade, told Business Insider that the express airport security lane makes his life easier. Ott's blog, called God Save the Points, covers everything from airline news and flight reviews to travel tips and money-saving hacks, such as how to best use credit-card points. 

"I spend too much time in airports. As much as I may love them, sometimes the less time I spend in them, the happier I am," Ott said. "So the quicker I can get through and just be on a plane, the better."

While the TSA PreCheck line is often full of frequent flyers, those new to the program, which requires a background check, may not be as savvy about security etiquette, especially during busy travel times like summer. Ott said this can cause the line to move more slowly, but he shared his best tips for TSA PreCheck travelers.

Pre-strip before you even get to the airport

Pre-stripping is removing everything you may need to take off at security, from big jackets to the contents of your pockets, before you get in line.

"When I go to the airport, I take my belt off before I get there. I have it in my backpack, knowing I'll put it on as soon as I get through PreCheck," Ott told BI. "So keep the jewels and the watch in your bag. Then, when you get to the other side of security where you're not holding people up, you can do the glamour."

Ott said this process will make people move through the line quicker. 

"My routine is somewhere along the lines of comfy jeans, a T-shirt or hoodie, and then a bomber jacket," he said. "Essentials like my phone and passport go in my bomber jacket pockets while I wait in the queue so that when I step up to the scanners, my jacket is off, pockets are empty, my bags go on the trays, and off we go."

Leave the flashy shoes in your bag

TSA PreCheck passengers aren't required to take off their shoes. But in Ott's experience, passengers who wear fancy loafers or shoes with buckles or studs often get stopped because they set off the scanner. 

"The main thing is metal, either as part of the shoe or in the boot or heel of the shoe," Ott said. "Ceramic and rubber are usually fine. Basically, sneakers tend to always work."

Be ready before it's your turn

When you first get in line, Ott recommends having your boarding pass and identification out before it's your turn to show them. That way, you won't spend time searching for these documents while others wait behind you. 

If everyone followed Ott's advice, he thinks we'd all get through security faster. 

"If you think of the 20 seconds it takes somebody to do this very basic thing, and you'd multiply that by 50,000 people going through an airport's screens a day, you could pretty much just walk through an airport without stopping," Ott told BI. "We can all have a better time."

• I'm a chef who has tips for making a perfectly cooked, juicy burger with great flavor.
• Choose ground beef with an 80% meat to 20% fat ratio for optimal taste and texture.
• Only salt your patties right before grilling, and pay attention to their temperature as they cook.

As a chef, I strongly believe the best way to feed a crowd is to have all of your party foods prepped and ready to go — and that includes your burger patties.

When I worked as a line cook a few years ago, I learned the subtle art of working with ground meat and making the perfect burger that's nice and juicy.

As you prepare to make those burger dreams a reality, remember these tips.

Thaw your meat completely

Whether you ordered good-quality ground meat from your local farmer or stocked up at the grocery store during a sale, the most important thing to do is fully defrost it before cooking.

There are three main ways to defrost ground beef: in the refrigerator, in the microwave, or in cool water.

I recommend the refrigerator method, which is great if you're planning a day or two in advance. Simply place your frozen meat into a bowl or container, leave it on the bottom shelf of the fridge, and your meat should be fully thawed the next day.

If you're using a microwave, use the defrost setting and thaw the meat in three- to four-minute increments, remembering to turn it over. Microwave for as long as 12 minutes or until the meat is thawed.

For the cool-water method, place the sealed package of meat in a large bowl and weigh it down. Fill the bowl with cold, running water, turning it on and off. Refill the bowl with fresh water every 20 to 30 minutes until the meat completely softens.

Pay attention to the grind of your meat — and consider trying to do it at home

If possible, ask your grocery-store butcher if they'll grind fresh beef chuck to medium-coarse to coarse, about ¼ inch, for you.

This grind allows the fat to appropriately integrate with the meat and retain a beefy texture and moisture, even when it's dripping juice on a hot grill.

You can also ask your butcher if they suggest any other meat combination or if they can throw in some fancy scraps at a lower cost. 

If you can, try grinding it at home with a hand-crank meat grinder, food processor, or attachment on a KitchenAid mixer.

Simply dice cold meat into 1-inch chunks, freeze on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes, and then grind.

Pay attention to the meat's fat percentage

Good beef just tastes better, and the best butchers know how to balance tender or sinewy meat with fat to enhance its potential.

If you can, try to find a local farm that sells whole cuts or its own frozen ground meat. The most common burger cut is chuck steak, which has 80% meat and 20% fat.

In a pinch, 85% ground meat will do just fine, but be very cautious about overcooking, and don't go higher than a medium-level temperature to retain moisture and flavor.

Remember that the shapes of the patties matter

To avoid dry patties or ones that bulge and resemble meatballs, you want to be careful shaping your burgers.

Gently shape your meat into evenly round, 1-inch-thick, flat discs. Once those patties are formed, press your thumb in the center to make a dimple to help it cook evenly.

Be careful not to overwork the meat when forming your patty, since this can lead to a dense, tough burger.

Only use salt right before cooking

Once you've got your formed burger disks, it's time to add some salt.

Right before placing it on the grill, take a large pinch of kosher salt and gently cover the outside of the patty with a thin layer. Add the burger salt-side down on the grill and sprinkle some on the other side.

This shouldn't make the burger overly salty — it should help the meat be more flavorful.

Cook everything to the right temperature, or just below

Keep in mind that a big burger's temperature will go up a few degrees after cooking. So, you may want to stop grilling your patty just before it hits the ideal internal temperature.

Medium-rare burgers are cooked to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and have a cool, pink center with a charred exterior and a beefy taste with tons of juices.

A medium-well burger is cooked to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and has a hot pink center. However, this can quickly lean toward tasting dry, especially if the fat content is low.

Feel free to go above those temperatures to enjoy a well-done burger, but don't expect it to be the juiciest of the bunch.

This story was originally published on July 1, 2022, and most recently updated on May 19, 2025.

• Entrepreneur Shira Lazar said Mark Cuban became a true mentor after CBS News dropped her show.
• Lazar said Cuban's encouragement helped her to see herself as a startup founder.
• She said Cuban's advice led her to consultant work and has helped her become an AI thought leader.

I first met Mark Cuban on a red carpet for a movie premiere I was covering as a young entertainment host. At the time, Mark was already a recognizable figure — not just for selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo during the dot-com boom, but as one of the faces of that entire era of internet-fueled wealth. He even made a cameo on "The Simpsons."

Fast forward to 2011: I had just launched "What's Trending," one of the first live digital shows covering internet culture, and CBS News picked it up. We hosted guests like Snoop Dogg, Common, Lilly Singh, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Naturally, I had to ask Mark to join us, too — by then, he was gaining even more mainstream fame through "Shark Tank" and I was starting to see him as a potential mentor.

In all the years I've known Mark, he's never given me a dollar — and yet his support, guidance, and friendship have been worth so much more.

Mark Cuban gave me a reality check that helped me keep my business going

He liked what my team and I were building with "What's Trending," and appreciated the entrepreneurial spirit behind it. But it was a few months later, during a major career crisis, that Mark truly stepped into the role of mentor.

In a single weekend, CBS News suddenly dropped the show. My cofounder and I were devastated, and I reached out to Mark. Was there anything he could do to help?

By chance, he was flying into Los Angeles to film "Shark Tank" and told us to meet him at the SLS Hotel. I showed up in all black, puffy-eyed from crying. I was hoping for a lifeline. Instead, Mark gave me tough love.

I had to negotiate with a Shark

He offered us a deal: He would air "What's Trending" on HDNet, the TV network he owned at the time. But there was a catch: no money upfront, exclusive rights to him, and a revenue share model on advertising.

In an instant, I had to snap out of my grief and start negotiating with a real Shark.

I didn't think it was a good deal and felt he shouldn't get exclusive rights if he wasn't giving us upfront cash. Looking back, I realize I probably should've taken it — we would've figured the rest out along the way.

I sat there, unsure, my brain spinning, and that's when Mark looked me square in the eye and asked: "Are you passionate about what you're doing?" I said yes, without hesitation, and he convinced me that if I truly cared, I could find the $50,000 to keep my show going.

That conversation forced me to see myself as a startup founder

I realized that if I was going to ask someone else to invest in me, I needed to be willing to invest in my own vision first.

Since then, Mark has offered many more moments of tough love — each one a precursor to some of my biggest career breakthroughs. When I got in early on Musical.ly before it became TikTok, I poured a lot of time and energy into it and had a real vision, but I was ahead of the curve. The money wasn't there yet.

Mark pushed me to know my worth and ask to be paid because I deserved it. That mindset shift led me to consulting work and has helped me negotiate with a lot more clarity as a creator.

I've learned some of my best business lessons from Mark

1. Always be selling.

No matter what you're doing — building a company, launching a project, pitching an idea — you're always selling yourself, your vision, and your value.

That doesn't mean everything has to be transactional, but be aware and open to opportunities because they're literally everywhere.

2. There are two kinds of companies: those that are great at AI and everyone else.

When it comes to emerging tech, it's all about following where the money and attention are going and identifying clear gaps in the space.

Right now, and likely for the future, that's AI. During a recent recording of my podcast, "The AI Download," Mark was a guest and reminded me how important it is to create content in this space now — to connect with the right players, to learn by doing, and to test the tools firsthand.

This approach has helped me grow as a thought leader, led to brand deals, and even opened up an opportunity to lead growth and marketing for INSEAD AI Venture Lab, an 8-week global AI training program.

3. Sweat equity is the best equity.

I've mostly bootstrapped my company, growing it through relationships, creativity, and reinvention rather than outside funding.

Building with sweat equity forced me to get scrappy, stay lean, and focus on what truly matters. It made me and the company more resilient, and along the way, it revealed who was genuinely committed.

4. Run your business to be profitable.

Profitable companies don't go out of business. It sounds simple, but in the world of flashy startup rounds and burn rates, it's a powerful reminder.

My own business has definitely had its ups and downs with this.

Running a business without focusing on profitability isn't sustainable. It drains your energy, gives you headaches, and takes time and resources away from ideas that could actually grow. It becomes less of a business and more of an expensive hobby.

Not focusing on profitability also forces you to constantly raise money and put your vision in the hands of investors, which can mean giving up control.

5. Kindness is a secret weapon.

Mark is literally the nicest billionaire I know — not that I have a huge roster of billionaires on speed dial.

He may not respond to every single email, but he's known for being surprisingly responsive, even to cold emails from strangers. I've always been struck by how quickly he replies. It's not always a yes; sometimes it's a quick "not interested." But the fact that he takes the time to respond at all says a lot.

If someone like him can be that timely and direct without relying on layers of gatekeepers, it challenges me to do the same. It reminds me that respect and efficiency go hand in hand, no matter how busy you are.

Shira Lazar is an Emmy-nominated host, producer, and entrepreneur. She's the founder/CEO of the media brand "What's Trending" and cofounder of CreatorCare, a mental health support system for creators.

• Selma Mouloudj faced layoffs at Meta and a sales startup before landing a job at Salesforce.
• She navigated the competitive market in between by attending networking events and using LinkedIn.
• Mouloudj's six strategies for standing out in Big Tech also include negotiating every offer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Selma Mouloudj, an account executive at Salesforce in Dublin. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I received a project management job offer from Meta in 2021 while I was living in London. I relocated to Dublin to accept the position in February 2022.

In 2023, I was affected by the global layoffs and lost my job. I had to start over. Even after just a short time at Meta, I had difficulty imagining working elsewhere.

I knew I needed to find work

After trying to run my own e-learning business for six months, I realized the corporate world was more for me, so I started my job search again.

This led me to a sales startup in Ireland, but again, I was affected by another layoff. I was in that same position, uncertain about what to do next.

I remember thinking, If I'm going to be laid off again, it should at least be at a Big Tech company because then I'll be offered a package.

Through these layoffs, I realized how difficult the job market was and how competitive things can become when budget cuts occur. Everyone is competing for the same roles, which means you really need to find ways to stand out.

I landed at Salesforce after interviewing around Big Tech

I interviewed at Google, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Pinterest before ultimately landing my current job at Salesforce.

The layoffs taught me a lot, but landing jobs at Meta and Salesforce and interviewing at some of the biggest tech companies in the world also gave me valuable insight.

If you want to stand out in Big Tech I recommend these six things.

1. Quantify your résumé

One of the biggest ways to make your résumé stand out in Big Tech is by using quantifiable metrics.

Instead of simply listing responsibilities, highlight your impact with data: "I drove growth by 40% in this region" or "I worked on the French market and achieved 115% of my quota."

Always quantify and measure your success, and then showcase it. Big Tech companies prioritize numbers and data. If your résumé lacks measurable results, they'll move on to the next candidate.

2. Attend networking events

One of the most important lessons I learned when job hunting in Big Tech was how valuable networking is.

Most of the interviews I've landed have come from networking events, including my job at Salesforce. When I interviewed at Google, I got the interview because of a friend I made at a networking event, and when I interviewed at Pinterest, that was a networking connection, too.

Networking events give you direct access to hiring managers, who might connect you with recruiters. Sometimes this connection can even help you bypass the initial screening call, moving you straight to the interview and technical test.

If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you try again. If you can make a good impression, the hiring teams may contact you later and say, "We have a position open, and we think you would be a good fit."

3. Build relationships online

You can also network online but that still means building relationships with the person you would like to have a job with, not just DMing them once. Don't head over to LinkedIn, slip into someone's DMS, and say, "Do you have opportunities? Can I work with you?"

Instead, engage with leaders you want to work with, comment on their posts, and try to engage in conversations before asking for help.

When you're in a position where you can ask someone for help, and you find a job you're interested in, send the job ID and politely ask if they'd be willing to refer you. Big Tech companies offer employees a bonus for successful referrals — so if I refer you and you get hired, I get a bonus.

4. Never stop interviewing

When you're job seeking, never stop interviewing — even if you feel confident about an offer.

Before joining Salesforce, I received two job offers — one from Salesforce and another. I ultimately chose the best offer.

There were also times when I made it to the final round of an interview, only for the company to enter a hiring freeze. Or once, a company came back and said they accidentally miscounted their head count and really couldn't afford to hire after all.

When things like this happen, it's helpful to have a Plan B or to have your name out there with more than one company.

5. Follow up, but not desperately

When I was younger, I didn't have the emotional intelligence I needed. When I got rejected from a job I wanted, I would email the hiring manager and say, "Oh, my God. I really wanted this job."

I've since learned not to make yourself desperate. Instead, after interviewing for a job, I simply send a thank-you note.

If I wasn't told when I would hear back, I would wait roughly five business days before sending a short follow-up email about our conversation.

6. Negotiate, and always know your worth

Job interviews are great for getting your foot in the door, but once you've proven yourself and they make you an offer, negotiate.

If I had known better at 25, I would've negotiated more. Negotiation isn't just about salary — you can also discuss perks like remote work options, education plans, or certifications to help advance your career. Some tech employees pursue MBAs or certifications while working, and it's always worth asking about these opportunities.

Another area to consider is volunteer work. At Salesforce, employees receive volunteer paid time off — seven days of paid leave to support a cause or charity.

My advice to anyone interviewing in Big Tech is this: If you get an offer, push back. Say, "This is what I want." Even a 10% salary increase is a win. Never settle for the first offer— instead, always know your worth, and don't be afraid to ask for it.

• Newark airport faces ongoing travel chaos amid ATC issues and runway construction.
• It's unlikely the problems will subside anytime soon, with United forced to axe 35 daily flights.
• Experts advise considering alternative airports or other United hubs to avoid disruptions.

A week of compounding crises at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport has some travelers questioning if they should change their travel plans to avoid the airport altogether.

Travel chaos has been ongoing at Newark since April 28, when air traffic issues first forced dozens of delays and more than 100 cancellations. Those delays have now stretched into their second week, disrupting thousands more flights and leaving plane loads of passengers stranded at one of the busiest US airports.

This has ultimately forced United, the airport's biggest airline, to pull 35 daily flights, or about 10% of its Newark schedule, until further notice.

The airport has long dealt with delays caused by a shortage of air traffic control staff. But now, its main runway is closed for construction until at least June, and classic April rain showers have only made things worse.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the trifecta of staffing, construction, and weather had flights inbound to Newark delayed an average of more than four hours — the airport's 9th straight day of issues.

Atmosphere Research Group travel analyst Henry Harteveldt told Business Insider that those stuck in chaos should keep their wits, and those traveling in the near future may want to consider the New York City area's other airports or another United hub.

Avoid Newark or brace for inevitable disruptions

New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport are the most obvious alternatives to Newark, but Harteveldt said there's also Long Island MacArthur Airport and Westchester Airport in White Plains.

These suburban options are further from the city, and they won't have the same plethora of flight connections. The same goes for LaGuardia, which has a perimeter rule that only allows flights longer than 1,500 miles, like United's flight to Denver, on Saturdays.

NerdWallet travel analyst Sally French told BI to allow plenty of extra time for your connection if Newark is your only option. She added that customers should avoid checking a bag as carry-on only allows for more flexibility to switch flights or airports.

If you want to stick with United but still avoid Newark as a layover, you could travel via United's hubs in Houston, Washington, DC, Denver, and Chicago instead. You could also use these hubs as a connection to LaGuardia if you still need to get to the New York City area, but without the added risk of flying to Newark.

The airline says fees and fare differences are waived for flight changes from May 6 to May 17 for tickets purchased before May 4, so long as the origin and destination cities remain the same, or one of LaGuardia or Philadelphia.

If you need a long-haul international connection, however, Newark may be your only choice, as United doesn't fly to New York-JFK.

Some loyalty customers may prefer to deal with Newark, and Harteveldt said customers should ask to be booked on one of United's partner airlines if their original flight is disrupted.

"If Newark is your only option, gird your loins and pack your patience," Harteveldt said, adding that customers should not vent their frustrations at the airline's employees.

How things got so bad at Newark

It's not uncommon for major airports to experience days of disruptions due to weather and equipment, like the January winter storms or the CrowdStrike fiasco in 2024. When a combination of factors coexist, things can get extra chaotic.

In July 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration moved the ATC arrivals operation that handles Newark from New York to Philadelphia to address staffing issues, though the same problem has appeared regardless of where the traffic flows. Equipment failures at the facility have only added to the backups.

The closure of the airport's busiest runway is expected to last until at least June as planes wait to use alternates.

United CEO Scott Kirby said in a letter to customers on Friday that the compounding problems were exacerbated by 20% of controllers "walking off the job." He added that the facility has been "chronically understaffed for years." It's unlikely things will change anytime soon until capacity is under control.

Kirby urged the government to reclassify Newark as a "Level 3" airport, meaning it would use a slot system to manage capacity by limiting the number of planes that can take off and land at certain times. Both New York-JFK and LaGuardia are slot-controlled.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also blamed the FAA for the chaos, telling BI it has invested billions of dollars to modernize Newark but that those improvements rely on a "fully-staffed and modern federal air traffic system."

"We continue to urge the FAA to address ongoing staffing shortages and accelerate long-overdue technology upgrades that continue to cause delays in the nation's busiest air corridor," a spokesperson said.

The federal government has long tried to get a grip on air traffic control staffing. The FAA said in May 2024 that it was about 3,000 controllers short.

The Trump Administration in February announced an effort to "supercharge" ATC hiring. This includes upping trainee pay, offering up to $15,000 in incentives to new hires, reducing the hiring process by five months, and providing new opportunities to veteran controllers.

• I paid around $100 to choose a seat on the upper-deck of an Airbus A380.
• It meant more legroom, my own locker, and only one neighbor on my row.
• Five airlines have this seat, which I felt was almost as good as upgrading to premium economy.

Let's face it, flying in economy sucks — especially on a long-haul flight.

But choosing the right seat can make things way more comfortable.

Paying a few extra bucks can be the difference between stretching out into the aisle versus squeezing into a middle seat, wondering how to wake up a neighbor when you need the bathroom.

Shelling out more for an exit row or bulkhead seat is practically a necessity for some taller people.

However, it's rare that one seat can feel like a new level of luxury. I found that to be the case on the upper deck of an Airbus A380.

Some airlines fill the top floor with business- and first-class seats, but others, like British Airways, leave room for coach too. I paid an extra £79, or around $105, to choose a seat up there on a flight a few months ago — but prices vary.

This seat not only gives you more space but also an extra storage locker, not to mention one less neighbor on your row.

Here's what my experience was like and why I recommend this handy travel tip.

On vacation last year, I flew on a British Airways Airbus A380 from London to Washington, DC.

Flying from London usually takes between seven and eight hours. It's faster in the opposite direction thanks to the North Atlantic jet stream.

I took the risk of spending about an extra $100 to choose a roomy economy seat upstairs.

If I had loyalty status, I could've booked this for free.

For the best experience in economy, you're looking for any window seat on the upper deck.

This seat map also shows how the cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 format, like premium economy.

Adding to the feeling of luxury, this was the first time I used an airport lounge.

I had signed up for an American Express Gold Card offer, which included paying no fees for a year. The credit card includes a membership with Priority Pass, which provides access to around 1,700 airport lounges worldwide.

Heathrow's Aspire Lounge was crowded, and I wasn't blown away, but it was certainly easier to relax there than in the concourse.

It wasn't long before I boarded the world's biggest passenger plane.

The double-decker, four-engined jet typically has room for more than 500 passengers.

Of the 10 airlines that operate them, only half have economy seats on the upper deck.

Simply having one neighbor on my row made the cabin feel more spacious and made me feel more relaxed.

You're more likely to find rows of two economy seats on regional planes like an Airbus A220 or a Bombardier CRJ, which have much smaller cabins. For wide-body planes, it's also common on an Airbus A330.

It was much easier to only have to ask one person instead of two when I needed to get up.

I also had access to my own storage bin under the window, as well as the usual overhead one.

I found this especially useful for a long-haul flight, where it can be difficult to find a place for amenities like a blanket and headphones when you're not using them.

But the best part was that I could fit my small backpack in there instead of under the seat in front, leaving more space to stretch my legs.

I was surprised by just how much I could stretch out thanks to the plane's huge fuselage.

The A380's cabin is over 21 feet wide — that's two feet more than a Boeing 777.

While it's a bit narrower upstairs, there was plenty of space on the window side of my seat, so the silver in-flight entertainment box wasn't an obstacle.

The space on the window side of the seat meant I could fully stretch one of my legs.

This wasn't as ideal as stretching both legs, but you'd only get that by forking out thousands of dollars more for business class.

Of course, the service was the same as a typical economy seat, but I was already in a good mood.

I was offered pretzels and two drinks at the start of the cabin service. Count me as a fan of British Airways' own beer, in partnership with Brewdog.

I actually preferred the in-flight dinner, a chicken tikka masala, to the curry I had in premium economy on my return flight.

I was also impressed by just how quiet the engines were when sitting on the upper deck.

This isn't unique to the window seat, but it was a noticeable benefit of the upper deck being further away from the engines.

In total, there are five airlines where you can book this kind of seat.

Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Qatar Airways have economy seats on the upper deck of their Airbus A380s.

They are all arranged in the 2-4-2 layout, with storage lockers under the windows.

If you're looking to put my tip to use, Business Insider previously compiled maps and lists showing where the Airbus A380 will fly this summer.

British Airways flies it to six American destinations, ahead of the five served by Lufthansa.

ANA, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, and Singapore Airlines also operate the superjumbo jet, but they don't have any economy seats upstairs.

• Maulik Suchak knows a thing or two about résumés.
• The lead software engineer has reviewed hundreds of his peers' résumés through a résumé-building site he built.
• He shared with BI the résumé that got him a Mag 7 tech job and what he wishes he'd done differently.

You could call Maulik Suchak something of a résumé expert.

His résumés have gotten him to final-round interviews at Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix, and Atlassian, and led to multiple offers, including at Yelp, Microsoft, SurveyMonkey, and the Magnificent 7 company he's been at for nearly five years out of his 14-year career.

But, as the 34-year-old lead software engineer told Business Insider, "My deep dive into résumés didn't start because I was job hunting — it started because I was building a product."

Launching a tool to help people strengthen their résumé content and structure

In 2013, at 23 years old, Suchak co-created a résumé-building platform, CVsIntellect, with another engineer. The idea came from wanting to solve a very real problem; Suchak and his cofounder noticed their peers struggling to craft strong résumés, especially those without access to mentors or design tools.

Their vision was to make the résumé-creation process easier by offering a tool that didn't just generate résumés, but helped guide users toward stronger content and structure. This side project became Suchak's crash course in résumé content.

"I wasn't just writing my own résumé — I was reviewing hundreds of others," he said.

The platform grew rapidly, attracting thousands of users worldwide and surpassing over 100,000 résumés reworked via the site.

"This gave me deep insights into both the content and presentation side of résumés: what stands out, what gets ignored, and how different audiences interpret the same information," he said.

Leveraging his years of informal training helped him land job offers

Two years after launching CVsIntellect, while working as a software engineer in India, Suchak leveraged his learnings to finesse his own job-search materials.

"I knew how to write in a way that hiring managers would respond to, because I'd spent so much time thinking like one," Suchak said. Crafting a breakthrough résumé was about storytelling, positioning, and clarity — skills that ultimately helped him first break into Big Tech and later nab a role at his current Magnificent 7 company.

His efforts led to multiple job offers from companies such as Microsoft and Yelp. He accepted the Yelp offer and relocated to San Francisco, California, at the end of 2015.

In just under five years at Yelp, Suchak grew to lead a team of 14 software engineers as an engineering manager. In this capacity, he gained hiring responsibility, which gave him another foray into résumé review.

He also began mentoring other aspiring engineers. "Whenever someone reaches out for feedback on their résumé, I try my best to help," Suchak said. "Every résumé I read adds to my mental library of patterns — what works and what doesn't, what stands out visually and what falls flat, and how different people articulate their strengths."

Suchak followed his natural curiosity about how people at top companies present their experience. "I've spent a lot of time reading LinkedIn profiles, GitHub READMEs, and personal portfolios to understand how engineers craft their narratives — especially those in roles I admire," he said.

His research furthered his understanding of the language and structure common to strong résumés for Big Tech roles.

Landing a job at his current company

In 2019, Suchak moved to Silicon Valley and began applying to a flurry of Big Tech jobs, including several Magnificent 7 companies.

He reached the final round interviews at Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Atlassian, and SurveyMonkey, again receiving several offers. In 2020, he accepted the job at his current Magnificent 7 company.

He attributes much of this success to the first impression his compelling résumé set. "With my résumé, I not only effectively initiated a lot of connections with recruiters and hiring managers, but I landed a job that I'm really proud of," Suchak said.

Five résumé strategies to capture the attention of Big Tech recruiters and hiring teams

Here's the exact résumé that helped Suchak achieve these victories — and five strategies he feels played a major role in ensuring his résumé told a persuasive enough story to open the right doors.

1. Show clear impact of work and projects, not just tasks

Every bullet point on his résumé included a tangible result — metrics or improvements that demonstrated real impact. This framed his work as meaningful and effective, not just functional.

"I always asked myself, 'What changed because I did this?'" Suchak said. "For example, instead of saying 'Worked on improving Yelp Cash Back sign-up page,' I wrote 'Improved Cash Back sign-up pages with various A/B tests with Python and JS resulted in 2X higher conversion.'"

2. Tell a precise story of career growth

Suchak treated his résumé like a narrative. In describing the roles he'd held earlier in his career, he focused on smaller-scale project impact; in his more recent roles, he showcased how he led product decisions or mentored others.

"Each role built logically on the previous one, and I highlighted progression — either in scope, skillset, or leadership," he said. "The idea was to show momentum and intentional career moves rather than random hopping around."

3. Stay clear, concise, and to-the-point — aim for 1 page

When building his résumé platform, Suchak often saw résumés that were three or more pages, filled with every job, internship, or online course candidates had ever done.

But when he realized most recruiters review résumés for less than 10 seconds, he wanted to do it differently.

"Each bullet was one to two lines max, and I avoided buzzwords," he said. "This made it easier for a recruiter or hiring manager to scan quickly and still get a full picture of my strengths."

4. Favor projects over certifications

In Suchak's early career, he spent a lot of time collecting technical certifications that he now feels didn't mean much. Over time, he shifted his strategy to emphasize actual working projects over just any certificate.

"In my résumé, I made sure to link to real-world projects, ideally hosted live or on GitHub," he said. He even mentioned one of his projects in a Magnificent 7 interview, he said, "because it showed initiative, technical depth, and a bit of product thinking."

Suchak has also tried to highlight independence. "I'd done a lot of projects on my own from end-to-end, which my employer now really appreciated," he said.

5. Remember readability and formatting

A "last but not least" job-search principle Suchak believes in is that even the best résumé content can be overlooked if the formatting is messy.

"A readable résumé feels more professional, even before a single word is read," Suchak said.

He opted for clean fonts, consistent spacing, and clear section headers. He also avoided dense blocks of text and added just enough white space to make for a comfortable reading experience.

He even printed his résumé out first to see how it looked on paper before submitting it online.

Suchak still doesn't think his résumé was perfect

"Looking back, if I could change anything about the résumé that got me into my Mag 7 job, I'd highlight more personal projects with shorter descriptions of each," he said. "I'd also try to add even more impact and numbers."

While many career experts suggest customizing your résumé for each job and company you apply to, Suchak didn't tweak his résumé at all for the job he ended up landing.

He now recognizes the value in tailoring résumés to the position you want, studying job descriptions, and integrating keywords from them to get past ATS filters.

"This is one I learned the hard way — while I received multiple offers, I also used to get a lot of rejections," he said. "Instead of sending the same generic résumé everywhere, I'd now match my experience to each role," Suchak said.

Do you have a story to share about your tips for landing a Big Tech job? Contact this reporter, Sarah Jackson, at [email protected], or this editor, Jane Zhang, at [email protected].

• Jigyasa Grover's résumés have helped her secure roles at Big Tech companies like Meta and X.
• Her strategy included highlighting academic achievements, technical skills, and leadership roles.
• As she's grown in her career, Grover has updated her résumé to emphasize her work's strategic impact.

Jigyasa Grover kicked off her career in Big Tech with an internship at Meta, scored her first full-time job at X, and is now a Google Development Advisory Board member alongside her current full-time role as lead of AI and research at the startup Bordo AI.

The San Francisco Bay Area resident, 29, had to be strategic over the last decade to achieve these experiences. Part of her strategy involved leveraging her résumé to win over Big Tech hiring teams.

"My résumé has always been structured to highlight a balance of technical prowess and practical impact, though the emphasis has shifted over time," Grover said.

The machine learning engineer shared with Business Insider two résumés that she crafted.

One helped her land her Meta internship in 2018 at 22 years old:

And another got her a full-time job at X the following year:

She walked us through the points she feels worked best about her résumés, along with insights she's gained along the way about which elements she would change today.

Breaking in — focus on academic background and "meticulously detailed" technologies

The résumé that Grover used as a college student to catch the attention of Meta focused heavily on her academic background.

"I made sure to list my GPA and highlight my top percentile ranking to demonstrate a solid academic foundation," Grover said. She feels that having a strong GPA at the University of California, San Diego and being selected to participate in the weeklong Cornell, Maryland, and Max Planck Pre-doctoral Research School helped her get her foot in the door.

Showcasing her self-starter attitude and non-traditional work experience

To demonstrate her proactive approach to learning beyond the classroom, Grover highlighted some international research internships she had participated in. She also flagged her active engagement in open-source projects like Google Summer of Code.

"This was a particularly important part of my application for early roles because it showcased that I'm a self-starter," Grover said.

Since she didn't yet have experience as a tech employee, she feels that listing these experiences was critical and "surprisingly effective," even though they weren't traditionally considered work experience.

Grover used the experience section to meticulously detail the various technologies she'd worked with, emphasizing the technical depth of each project. These contributions provided her a chance to show real code and impact as an active participant in the tech community.

"This was essential to show that I could handle complex theory as well as the practical implementations needed for AI/ML roles," she said. "Early-stage companies and Big Tech often looked for specific skills, so having a deep understanding of certain programming languages and various ML frameworks certainly helped."

Beyond technical projects, Grover also felt it was important to demonstrate leadership and community contributions

"I chose to include leadership positions at organizations like Women Who Code, Google Developers Group, and as a mentor in open-source communities to show my commitment to impact beyond my own work," she said.

This allowed her to differentiate herself from other candidates who may have only had academic or work experience on their résumés, and highlighted her soft skills like communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking.

"Leading and organizing events, mentoring other engineers, and presenting at conferences demonstrated my ability to contribute beyond just writing code," she said. "It showcased that I was more than just a developer, but also a community builder and a team leader, which ultimately helped me to take on more leadership roles at different companies."

Grover's full-time résumé followed a similar structure, but with an emphasis on impact

As she gained more industry experience, the academic section of her résumé became less of a focus and more of a "check the box" element. She kept the framework of her template the same but underwent a fundamental paradigm shift in her presentation approach.

"I began focusing on value creation, quantifiable business impacts, architectural decisions that exponentially scaled systems, and leadership initiatives that transformed an organization's capabilities," Grover said.

She added that while the experience section remained essential in establishing credibility and domain expertise, she learned how to transform this section from a mere checklist into a platform that demonstrates her unique professional narrative and value proposition to potential employers.

Emphasizing her research publications also helped add credibility to her work, demonstrate thought leadership, and prove her commitment to continuous learning.

"It demonstrated my ability to deliver projects with no external motivation," Grover said. "The fact that I built so many independent projects really showcased that I wasn't just following a set curriculum, but was also curious about areas of computer science outside of my comfort zone."

She also expanded the section for her awards, media features, podcasts, and public speaking to show additional achievements. Highlighting her top placements in multiple hackathons revealed her competitive spirit and willingness to innovate and push boundaries.

Grover believes that this combination of open-source work, research projects, strong academic performance, leadership experience, and quantifiable impact ultimately made her X application successful.

"Each element demonstrated a unique part of my skillset and showed that I was well-rounded and ready for the challenges of Big Tech," she said.

Knowing what she knows now, Grover would make some changes to her résumé

"In life, there's always room for improvement," she said. "I'd focus my résumé even more on strategic impact and cross-functional leadership."

While Grove feels that she's made solid progress in highlighting business metrics, she thinks she could further emphasize how her technical decisions aligned with broader company strategies.

She'd also consider these résumé changes:

• Restructure the publications section to more explicitly show how her work has influenced industry practices.
• Make the community involvement section more selective and focused on the most strategic impacts.
• Consolidate some of the technical project details to make room for more emphasis on team leadership and organizational influence.

One key learning for Grover has been that as you progress in your career, showing how you influence and drive change across organizations becomes increasingly important.

"My old résumé emphasized the 'what,' but now in the latest iterations, I try to emphasize the 'why,' the impact, and the overall story," Grover said.

Do you have a story to share about how you landed a Big Tech job? Contact this editor, Jane Zhang, at [email protected].

• I tried "6-to-1" method for buying groceries to see if it'd save me money and make my life easier.
• The method focuses on picking up a few ingredients to make a mix of meals throughout the week.
• I saved money and minimized food waste, so I plan on using the method again.

Grocery shopping can feel expensive and tiring, but some people have developed methods they believe can make it easier and better.

For people like chef Will Coleman, the "6-to-1" shopping method is a helpful way to meal plan and reduce food waste.

In a TikTok video, the chef said this method involves buying six vegetables, five fruits, four protein sources, three starches, two sauces or spreads, and one "fun" item.

According to Coleman, focusing on simple ingredients and sticking to a short list can help shoppers save money.

As someone who shops for myself and my partner, I was curious if this could cut down our grocery spending and maybe even simplify our meal-planning process.

Here’s how the 6-to-1 method worked for me.

It took a minute to get the hang of grocery shopping using this method, but I was pleased with my haul

My usual shopping process involves planning my meals, checking my kitchen for what I already have, collecting coupons, and making my grocery list.

Coleman’s method seemed adaptable, as a shopper could go into the store, buy the items they like in each category, and then meal plan based on what they purchased.

At first, seeing six veggies and five fruits on my grocery list intimidated me. I followed a vegetarian diet when I tried this, but it still sounded like a lot of produce to stock up on.

However, I quickly maxed out in these categories.

Throughout my shopping trip, I struggled to decide on three starches and got creative with the categories. For example, I bought Greek yogurt, which could be a protein, to fit into my sauces category.

I left with the following groceries:

• Vegetables: carrots, spinach, salad mix, bell peppers, jalapeño, and mushrooms
• Fruits: apples, cherry tomatoes, bananas, blueberries, and frozen raspberries
• Proteins: great northern beans, chickpeas, eggs, and tofu
• Starches: spinach-and-ricotta ravioli, petite potatoes, and whole-wheat English muffins
• Spreads or sauces: plain Greek yogurt and Hershey’s chocolate-shell topping
• "Fun" item: pistachio ice cream

Only focusing on what I needed to build meals and skipping random items or add-ons that didn't fit into my plan helped me save money.

I spent about $60 on all of my items this trip. Normally, I spend between $70 and $85 on groceries each week.

I repeated my breakfast and lunch meals throughout the week to save time

I usually switch between one savory and one sweet breakfast throughout the week. My lunches typically involve a salad or leftovers, and I usually just switch between two meals.

So, I did the same when I tried the 6-to-1 method.

For the first breakfast, I chose to eat whole-wheat English muffins with nut butter, honey, and bananas or blueberries. The second meal consisted of English muffins, egg, cheese, spinach, and hot sauce.

For lunch, I mixed chickpeas and fresh apple slices into spinach and a pre-bagged salad mix. These meals were simple but utilized a lot of produce and saved time on meal planning.

My meals were more creative on evenings and weekends

I have more time to cook during evenings and weekends, so I tried to add variety to these meals.

One night, I made a spicy bean-and-tofu burrito with a Greek-yogurt dip.

I also made spinach-and-ricotta ravioli with pesto that I had in the freezer, and added mushrooms and cherry tomatoes I'd purchased to it.

Another pasta dish I made included bucatini and Parmesan I already had, as well as spinach and tomatoes. On the weekends, I roasted, quartered, and shredded potatoes for hash browns and made veggie and fried-egg dishes. 

It was nice not having to think too hard about which ingredients I had to use up since I'd only purchased a few items in each category.

During the week, I ate more fruit with the desserts I made

As a fun treat for my partner, I made our favorite chocolate-chip cookies with pantry staples and the frozen raspberries, which turned out delicious. 

I also enjoyed my "fun" grocery pick, pistachio ice cream, with fruit and Hershey’s chocolate-shell topping when I craved something sweet.

Overall, the 6-to-1 method was handy, and I'd use it again

Although I did use a few staples I already had on hand to make this method work, I'd say my week was pretty successful.

I used almost all the groceries I purchased for this experiment and spent less than I normally would on food this week. A few items that weren’t eaten after seven days, like the ravioli and carrots, were easy to save for later.

This 6-to-1 method seems especially helpful for people who struggle with making and sticking to lists, avoiding impulse buys at the grocery store, or using up food before it goes bad.

Although I won't use this every week, I'd use it again on grocery trips when I need to simplify meal planning or tighten my budget.

The plan also seems flexible, so I may swap out sauces and spreads for dairy or dairy alternatives next time. I think those would've been helpful to have on hand.

This story was originally published on February 23, 2024, and most recently updated on April 28, 2025.

From exclusive items to portion sizes, we wanted to find all the differences between breakfast foods in the US and the UK. This is "Food Wars."

• Jennifer Dulski was hiring for a chief of staff role at her company, Rising Team.
• Three of the 800 applications she and her team reviewed stood out for giving something extra.
• Applications that go "above and beyond" can boost job seekers who lack a big professional network.

Between running her own firm and years of leadership roles in tech, Jennifer Dulski has done a lot of hiring.

In June 2024, she posted a job for a chief of staff at her company, Rising Team. The listing quickly drew over 800 applications.

Dulski and her team sifted through all of them. Three were outliers.

Each of those that popped included something extra, Dulski, Rising Team's founder and CEO, told Business Insider. One person attached a slide deck, while another included a video with slides, she said.

For another application, a job seeker included a "user manual," a term Dulski's company, a team-performance platform, employs. She said that phrase made it clear the applicant had gone deep when researching her Menlo Park, California, firm.

All three got an interview.

"They just stood out so much for having done the extra research, the extra work — something creative," Dulski said.

That bit of extra pizazz might be more important than it's been in years in the US because, broadly, employers are posting fewer jobs and extending offers at the slowest pace in about a decade.

The cool pace of onboarding also comes as uncertainty over tariffs and interest rates has some CEOs hitting pause on big decisions, including adding to payrolls.

Going 'above and beyond'

Dulski, whose years in tech included leadership roles at Yahoo, Google, and Facebook, said that it can make a big difference when you take the time to put together thorough and well-researched applications.

Among the finalists for the chief of staff job, several hadn't worked in that capacity before, she said.

Yet, Dulski said, "they had just gone above and beyond and made themselves so clearly capable."

She also saw the opposite: those who mailed it in. Dulski and her team didn't review applications where people just applied with a few clicks through a job board because, in doing so, they couldn't answer some questions Rising Team had asked.

Of the over 800 they went through, Dulski and the team passed on applications where a phrase like "due to my extensive experience in" made it clear that artificial intelligence did most of the work.

"They all started with essentially the same two sentences," she said.

Making an application compelling often matters because, while overall unemployment and layoffs remain low, there are fewer job openings, Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, told BI. Postings in the US have dropped by 3.5 percentage points in 2025, he said.

"It's becoming a harder labor market for those who are out of a job," Stahle said.

A boost if your network is small

Dulski said a top-notch application can be especially helpful if you don't have much of a professional network to turn to during your job search. That's important because one of the best ways to land a gig has long been to tap a connection within an organization. That's still true, she said. While it won't necessarily get you the job, it might lead to an interview.

Dulski, who teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and talks often with students early in their careers, still recommends that you try to connect with someone in an organization, even through cold outreach.

Yet, where that doesn't work, Dulski said, putting added effort into an application can help compensate for the lack of an in.

"The strategy of sending something extra, making yourself stand out, is accessible to everyone," she said.

Dulski said that's the case regardless of your connections, any privileges you might have, or what's on your résumé.

The basics still count

Even if you research an employer to help shape your application, you still have to nail the basics, Susan Peppercorn, an executive coach, told BI.

That means having a strong résumé and LinkedIn profile — LinkedIn is the first place a hiring manager will go to look you up, Peppercorn said. With something like your profile, you need to be clear what you want to say about yourself to stand out, she said.

"What makes you unique and compelling?" Peppercorn said.

Having a well-tailored application along with a strong résumé and dialed profile still might not guarantee you get somewhere with an employer. Yet, Dulski said, given the number of applications some postings get, job seekers often need to do something to stand apart.

Besides, she said, a well-executed application can help you show off your skills. It's also a help, Dulski said, if you don't have the exact experience listed in a job posting. Ultimately, the person Dulski hired hadn't been a chief of staff before.

While the hire wasn't one of those who added something extra to their application, Dulski shared her finalists with other business leaders, which resulted in several applicants getting interviews at other companies.

"Great talent will still get jobs, even in the hardest of job markets," she said.

• Lindsey Granger and Kolyn Boyd travel internationally with their toddler, Kynsley.
• They shared their top tips for international travel with young kids.
• They suggest building airline loyalty, packing medicines, and avoiding bus tours.

International travel can be as overwhelming as it is awe-inspiring, especially when traveling with a toddler or baby.

Enter Lindsey Granger and Kolyn Boyd, the Denver-based journalist and director/producer power couple who have traveled 167,000 miles with their 3-year-old Kynsley. They share their experiences on the "World of Travel" docuseries on Samsung TV Plus.

Kynsley has been on 10 international trips to seven countries, including the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, St. Lucia, France, the UK, Turkey, and Greece.

Granger and Boyd shared their top tips for traveling internationally with a baby or toddler with Business Insider.

Airline loyalty can go a long way when traveling internationally.

International travel often comes with connecting flights, which means there are multiple opportunities for delays and cancellations. So, airline loyalty can make a huge difference in how the carrier makes amends when things go awry.

Granger and Boyd learned this on a trip to Greece when Kynsley was 2. They booked with Delta, an airline where they'd built up a rewards status. What should have been a one-day, two-flight trip became a two-day, three-flight trip.

Their first flight was delayed, forcing them to take an additional connecting flight domestically to arrive the same day. Then, their international flight to Greece was canceled, so they were stuck overnight in New York City.

Granger recapped their entire journey with a manager. "Please show some more courtesy or sympathy for the travel plan," she recalls saying.

She said Delta then upgraded their entire group to first class for their round-trip flight to Greece.

"We'd spent so much money and accumulated so many points with Delta that we were able to use that as collateral in that situation," Boyd said. "They helped us all out because of the status that we had at the time."

If your child travels with another adult at any point during the trip, ensure you have the correct documentation.

Granger said it's important to ensure you understand all the passport and visa documentation your child needs to enter or exit the country you're traveling to, especially if your kid will be flying with another adult during your trip.

According to the US Government, many countries require a consent letter when traveling without both parents.

"Kynsley traveled with us to South Africa, and on the way back, she came home with my mom and dad," Granger said. "There were so many documents that she needed, rightfully so, to leave the country with her grandparents. I've read a lot of stories about people getting held up by not having those documents."

When traveling with a baby, pack a noise machine.

International destinations may lack certain comforts of home that babies and toddlers are used to, so Granger and Boyd suggest finding ways to bring those comforts along.

For example, when Kynsley was a baby, Boyd said she slept with a noise machine that played ocean and wind sounds.

"We traveled with the noisemaker so we could create the environment at home anywhere we went," Boyd said. "And we turned it up to 10."

Granger said they'd blast the sound machine at the front of her door on international trips.

"Even though at home it was lower, I knew all the noise happening outside, whether it was us or friends or family we were traveling with, would not distract her if she heard the sound that comforts her," Granger said.

If you're headed to Europe, pack a stroller that can manage cobblestone streets.

Granger and Boyd brought a cheap, folding stroller on their trip to Greece because they thought it would be easier to travel with than a heavy-duty stroller. But once they started to roll it on the cobblestone roads of Athens, they regretted it.

"It's a very old, beautiful place, but our cheap stroller could not stand up to the cobblestone," Boyd said.

Their stroller broke, and they had to buy a new one in Greece. So, the couple advises looking at the terrain of your destination and finding a stroller that can handle it.

"Don't sacrifice on the stroller," Granger said. "Having something that's super sturdy but also very small might be worth the investment."

Granger and Boyd recommend the Guava Roam Stroller because it's compact, foldable, and sturdy on all terrains.

Pack over-the-counter medications rather than purchasing them as needed at your destination.

When traveling to another country with Kynsley, Granger said she packs a first-aid kit with "every option available over the counter," from cough and cold to allergy medications.

"She rarely needs them, but there's always something that comes up when we're in another country and I'm not positive about their equivalent for something like Benadryl, for example," Granger said. "So instead of scrambling, I just have my whole tool kit on me."

Granger noted that her medicine bag is often pulled to the side at TSA checkpoints, so it takes longer to get through security.

"But that hassle is way less than the stress that you might have being international, where you don't have the right tools for your baby's sickness at 4 a.m.," she added.

Before your trip, look up local clinics and pharmacies.

If you forget or run out of medicine, or your child has an unexpected health concern, you'll want to be prepared. So Granger advises researching clinics and pharmacies in the area just in case.

She added that many hotels have on-call services. For example, Kynsley and Boyd got sunburn in Abu Dhabi, and they had a pharmacist deliver aloe vera at midnight.

Skip the bus tour.

You may be tempted to take a bus tour to get a lay of the land in a foreign country. Granger and Boyd have done so with Kynsley, but they regretted it. On these tours, Granger said Kynsley just wants to move around, not sit still.

"I think kids are just too antsy to spend hours on a bus just hearing somebody speaking over the loudspeaker, explaining what's out the window," she said. "I think there have to be more options for engagement."

Be wary of planning walking tours on busy streets.

When the family went to Greece, Granger wanted to kick off the trip with a food tour. Boyd and Kynsley joined for 10 minutes before going back to the hotel.

Why? A high traffic volume on cobblestone side streets, from cars to bikes and mopeds, made them feel unsafe with their 2-year-old in a stroller.

"They were taking us to hole-in-the-walls to try local food, and it was just uncomfortable with mopeds flying by," Granger said. "When you think about the traffic situation, it becomes harder when a baby is too little and can't walk, and with a small kid."

With a toddler, try taking public transportation in places with clean, efficient systems, like Europe.

When Kynsley was a baby, Granger and Boyd avoided public transportation because lugging baggage around with a baby is challenging, as is dealing with diaper changes when trying to catch a train. Now that Kynsley is 3.5 years old, they have started doing so in places like Europe, where they've found clean, efficient trains.

They said Kynsley sees the train as another activity and enjoys looking out the windows and walking up and down the cars.

"My No. 1 advice for traveling with a kid on a train is to avoid rush hour," Granger said. "So the middle of the day, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., is a great time to take the train with the kid. But other than that, just avoid it."

Download Google Translate and learn basic words if you're traveling to a country where you don't speak the language.

Communication can be challenging in foreign countries where you don't speak the language. And when you're traveling with a kid, there may be urgent situations where you need to get information right away, like where the bathroom is located. Granger recommends downloading Google Translate.

"Most times, Google Translate is the way that we learn to speak another language — very proper, not the way that people actually speak, but I think they usually get the gist and will point me in the right direction," she said.

Granger said that being patient and considerate is important when asking for help.

"You have to find somebody who looks open to having that conversation because people are just enjoying their regular days of their lives, not on vacation like you," she said.

Before trips, Granger also learns basic words like "toilet" and "pharmacy" to facilitate communication.

• Akshay Phadké has gone through countless interview rounds as a candidate and faced numerous rejections.
• Reflecting on his experiences, he shares the 3 interview strategies he wishes he'd known earlier.
• He recommends showcasing personality, demonstrating clear communication, and evaluating company fit.

Akshay Phadké has had what many would consider a successful career in tech. He turned an internship at Ericsson into a full-time software engineering job in 2016, landed a role at Microsoft in 2019, and transitioned into the startup world as a senior software engineer in 2021.

But the 32-year-old told Business Insider that he's also had his fair share of failures. He's gone through countless interview rounds at dozens of companies, and while some of those led to job offers, such as at 23&Me and Wayfair, others ended in disappointment.

In 2019, before he landed his role at Microsoft, Phadké was rejected by Meta, Amazon, Dropbox, and Yelp after multiple rounds of on-site interviews.

He can't say for sure why he was rejected after making it so deep into the process, as companies generally don't share feedback and at most will offer informal high-level notes, he said. But based on his experience of his performances in each process and informal feedback he received, he has some thoughts on why he may not have made the cut.

Learning from his rejections

With Meta, Phadké feels he did well in the technical rounds but identified a possible interview misstep. "Their informal feedback was that I could have done a better job of demonstrating 'product sense' in the round where I was asked to design a feature on the Facebook platform in terms of technical architecture, execution, and rollout, and measuring success and adoption," he said.

He found his Amazon interview process "a bit chaotic" — he applied for multiple roles within the company and worked with different tech recruiters — and says he didn't do as well as he would've liked in one of the coding rounds. And in his Dropbox interview process, Phadké believes that he didn't perform well on one of the technical interviews.

Through it all, Phadké's big takeaway is this: "Rejections are a part of the interview process," he said. "You learn a lot from rejections as opposed to wins, and you shouldn't let them discourage you or make you feel lesser."

Hindsight is 20/20, but in Phadké's case, it's also fortified with ample experience; in addition to his many interviews as a candidate, he has also since sat on the other side of the table as a technical interviewer many times.

Here are three interview strategies he knows now that he wishes he had known back then.

1. Recognize that people aren't going to hire you just because you write good code.

Tech industry candidates should avoid being overly focused only on the technical aspects of the job, Phadké said, and should be sure to let their human side show.

"Your interviewers are your peers, and may potentially be teammates or people you work closely with," he said. "They're also trying to understand what kind of person you are, what you're looking for, what motivates you, and if they see themselves working well with you."

With this in mind, Phadké advises talking about your life outside work during any dedicated windows of time before and after the technical and behavioral assessments.

"You shouldn't pass on those opportunities to let your personality shine," he said.

2. Prioritize clear communication, even in the technical rounds.

The soft skill of communicating clearly is an obvious requirement for the behavioral interview rounds, but Phadké stressed that it applies equally to the technical rounds.

"It's poor form to just be typing away silently for the duration of the interview," he said.

Instead, he advised candidates to ask clarifying questions, check if it's safe to make certain assumptions, go through a few examples, and discuss the solution at a high level before attempting to code.

"Even while coding, explaining what's going on will help everyone stay on the same page," Phadké said. "It's also easy to overdo it, so be concise and don't ramble."

Listening is another underrated part of communication skills tested by the hiring committee.

"Interviewers might mention certain nuances to the problem, or offer hints if you are stuck, or encourage you to think of a better approach," Phadké said. "It's crucial to demonstrate your receptiveness to these inputs by acknowledging them."

Beyond verbal communication, candidates also communicate with their code, he added.

"A well-structured solution — with thoughtful comments that help readers follow along without a lot of copy/pasting and furious rewriting — communicates clarity of thought," he said.

3. Approach the interview as a two-way street.

One of the most powerful lessons Phadké has learned is that interviewing isn't just for the employer to grill you, but for you to evaluate the team and company for fit as well.

"Your interviewers are trying to see if you have the required technical skills and if you'd be a good fit within the company," Phadké said. "It's also your opportunity to determine if this role will allow you to meet your career goals."

He now views interviews as conversations in which he, as a candidate, has some element of control. This mindset shift has helped reduce his interview anxiety so he can present the best version of himself.

He added that candidates shouldn't hesitate to politely and firmly ask tough but meaningful questions around the company's financial health, product vision and roadmap, culture, and challenges.

"As your interviewers are trying to get signals from your interview performance, the strength of their responses should give you a better idea whether this opportunity is worth investing in," Phadké said.

Do you have a story to share about landing a job at — or getting rejected from — a Big Tech company? Contact this editor, Jane Zhang, at [email protected].

• Keith Anderson transitioned from teaching to Big Tech by revamping his résumé.
• He added personal touches and industry language to align with tech hiring practices.
• Anderson's unique approach led to a Google job and later stints at Meta, Uber, and DoorDash.

Nine years into his education career, Keith Anderson was fed up with his job as an adjunct teacher.

"It was low pay, no insurance, and no sense of community," Anderson told Business Insider.

He dreamed of leaving his $27,000 salary behind and working at a Big Tech company like Google. His friends and family told him that someone whose career experience was almost solely in education would never get an interview at a Magnificent 7 company.

Anderson ignored them and applied to every role he could find at Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Netflix. He also applied to many tech startups. His initial efforts ended in disappointment.

"I applied to about 100 jobs but didn't hear a word back. I was devastated," he said.

Anderson hired a career coach to help him understand what he was doing wrong

The coach was equally discouraging. He said Anderson lacked the traditional background of Big Tech hires and recommended he pivot to another education role, which shook Anderson's confidence.

He tried again by hiring a résumé writer who created a polished, ATS-friendly, keyword-heavy résumé. After blasting it out to even more Magnificent 7 job postings, he still heard crickets.

Anderson tried using LinkedIn to cold message more than 50 Google employees. Most ignored him, and when someone did respond, he struggled to keep the conversation going.

Next, he looked for community

Many of his teacher friends were also dissatisfied and exploring new career paths. A small group began meeting monthly to support and review each other's résumés.

Anderson also started attending tech networking events and connecting with people transitioning from other industries, such as nonprofits. "I was genuinely curious about their journeys, so I often asked to see their résumés to better understand how they framed their experience and told their story," Anderson said.

He noticed that while all of the résumés were polished and loaded with impact-driven metrics, none of them adequately expressed that there was a unique person behind the accolades.

This realization led Anderson to try these four résumé strategies, ultimately landing him a Google job.

1. Adding a quirky 'Interests' section and placing it at the top

Anderson realized that no one would likely open a door for him unless they first felt comfortable with him. He reworked his résumé to reflect his authentic personality. He added an 'Interests' section and placed it at the top.

"This made sense to me because when I'd first meet someone, I'd share some unique tidbits about myself to build a warm first impression," Anderson said.

He also went beyond listing generic interests and strove to highlight specific details that couldn't be associated with anyone else.

"Instead of saying things like 'I enjoy cooking,' I shared that I entered a pie contest and came in 3rd place," Anderson said. "That small, quirky detail made me stick out and made me human."

2. Including tech phrases and terminology

Anderson realized he needed to be able to speak the industry lingo he used in his résumé confidently. While the writer he'd hired had filled his résumé with all the right buzzwords for the tech industry, it created a new problem.

"I didn't know how to actually talk about my experience in the language of the tech world during phone screens," Anderson said. "This caused me to stall in the interview process because I sounded disconnected from the résumé I'd submitted."

He started listening to talks, interviews, and meetings with influential people in the tech industry. He wrote down key phrases and terminology that he'd hear repeatedly and rewrote his résumé using those exact terms.

"I wanted the language to feel natural so that when I spoke during interviews, it would align with how the hiring managers were already talking," he said.

3. Crafting a unique selling point

Anderson needed to create a unique selling point that helped showcase his educational background as an asset, not a liability.

"I realized that the combination of my creative background — education, writing, and linguistics — and the analytical, technical side I was building made me a more valuable candidate," he said.

Anderson chose the phrase "Creative + Code" to communicate his brand. He made it a big part of the messaging on his LinkedIn and portfolio and included it in his résumé's summary section in bold.

"Creative" represented his ability to teach, communicate, solve problems, and bring a fresh perspective. "Code" represented his technical and analytical skills, which he developed through coursework and self-study in front-end development coding.

4. Writing for the right audience

Anderson realized he needed to craft his résumé with a clear audience rather than targeting it more generally.

Since he was applying to roles at Google Hardware, he studied the types of problems those teams were facing and adjusted his résumé to show how his skills could solve those specific pain points.

"I gravitate toward new technology, so I became really excited about the team and project at Google when it opened."

Once he began focusing on the audience and the specific challenges they were hiring to solve, he finally started gaining traction. He adjusted his résumé to tailor it for each role he applied to.

These tweaks landed him a job at Google

After one recruiter screening, six rounds of interviews, and a project, Google offered Anderson a job as a web developer in 2015.

He stayed at Google for two years before joining Meta, Uber, DoorDash, and the telehealth startup Calibrate. In 2022, Anderson left Big Tech to start his own career coaching company, Career Alchemy.

Anderson said his Google manager told him he was hired because of his perspective, not because of his experience, and he offered a unique combination of skills they didn't realize they needed until he showed them.

"Landing a job at Google wasn't about being the most qualified," Anderson said. "It was about clearly positioning myself as the solution to a problem they didn't even know they had."

Do you have a story to share about breaking into Big Tech? Contact this editor at [email protected].

• I travel a lot, and I like to use credit cards to earn points and save money.
• Credit cards earn rewards on everyday purchases, helping me save money without sacrificing travel.
• Opening new cards usually comes with bonus deals, but it's not the only way to get the best perks.

Now that I've figured out how to use points and miles to pay for airline tickets and hotels, I travel more than I ever did before.

Over the past year alone, I saved about $20,000 in travel costs by strategically earning and using points and miles.

I've found that the best way to quickly earn them is by opening new credit cards with generous sign-up bonuses. However, having a bunch of credit cards can make it difficult to manage your spending and feel overwhelming.

Plus, I'm not always able to spend enough to qualify for a new sign-up bonus if I don't have a big expense coming up.

So, I've started using other techniques to keep quickly racking up points and miles that'll help me continue traveling.

I use points multipliers strategically

Many travel credit cards give users one mile per dollar spent.

A few are more generous and give cardholders one and a half or two points or miles per dollar. This can add up through regular spending, but using multipliers helps me accrue miles more quickly.

For example, when I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred card at restaurants or hotels, I earn three points per dollar. My Chase Freedom card earns five points per dollar on rotating quarterly categories, which sometimes include groceries or gas.

By staying on top of which card earns the most miles for different purchases, I can earn more points faster than if I just pull out the first card in my wallet.

I try to book my vacations through travel portals

Many frequent travelers recommend booking hotels and flights with the provider rather than going through a third party.

This is generally good advice since it's usually easier to handle problems, like delayed flights, when dealing directly with the company providing the service.

However, I often ignore this advice and book hotels and flights through travel portals. After all, I earn five points per dollar when I book trips through the Chase travel portal with my Chase travel card.

To me, getting the extra points is worth the risk that I may need to make an extra phone call or two if something goes wrong.

Additionally, my American Express card gets me 35% of my points back when I spend them through the travel portal at the preferred airline that I selected when I opened my account.

Shopping portals help me get more points on purchases

When I first started seriously earning points, I didn't understand the power of using credit-card shopping portals.

However, I recently had a revelation when I went to send my mother flowers for her birthday. While using the Capital One app to pay my credit-card bill, I stopped by its shopping portal to see if I could find a florist.

I was astonished to find that I could earn 35 points per dollar just by ordering flowers through the portal. I've since earned more miles on everything from coffee to make-up by buying them through the Capital One portal.

I've found the Capital One shopping portal to be particularly generous with points, although other credit-card issuers, including Chase, also have shopping portals.

Rakuten is also my secret weapon for racking up points

Before getting into points and miles, I was a sporadic user of Rakuten, a different type of shopping portal that also offers rewards.

However, once I discovered that I could earn American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash back, I started using Rakuten more often.

To earn American Express points, I only needed to link my American Express credit card to my Rakuten account.

Just like the Capital One shopping portal, Rakuten frequently runs great promotions. I recently earned 12 American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar by booking a tour using Rakuten.

Even better, I don't need to use my American Express card to make a purchase to earn those points, which allows me to earn points on two cards at once.

For example, when I used Rakuten to book a tour, I earned 12 points per dollar for making the purchase through Rakuten and another 3 points per dollar by using my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which offers elevated points on travel purchases.

• Bola Sokunbi saved $100,000 in three years on a $54,000 salary, after graduating college in 2004.
• She continued to save and invest, even during the 2007 recession, and started Clever Girl Finance.
• Sokunbi said during tough economic times three tactics helped her continue building her investments.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bola Sokunbi, a certified financial education instructor, author of the soon-to-be-released "Clever Girl Millionaire," and founder of Clever Girl Finance based in New Jersey. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I graduated from college in 2004 and saved $100,000 in three years on a $54,000 salary. Then, in 2007, the recession happened.

A lot of people stopped investing, but I had been reading "Smart Women Finish Rich," one of my favorite personal finance books at the time. I remember the guidance: The stock market is on sale. Buy what you can and just ride it out. I thought, "I'm young. I don't need this money anytime soon." So despite the panic, I'm going to save and invest.

I was fortunate enough to avoid getting laid off from my consulting job, and I was side-hustling my life away with my photography business.

Off the heels of saving that first $100,000 and starting my company, Clever Girl Finance, I've been building an over $1 million portfolio for the past eight years. Making this happen — even in tough economic times — isn't as difficult as you'd think. Three tactics have helped me invest and build.

Build up a cash buffer

You always need to have a cash buffer, meaning you have money set aside to cover your expenses — kids, food, housing, mortgage, unexpected home repairs, that kind of stuff — without having to cash out investments.

When I transitioned out of my full-time job to build Clever Girl Finance in 2017, I set an intention to save 18 months of my salary beforehand. Even if my business didn't make any money or I needed to go back to work, I still wanted to have enough of a buffer.

I always tell people to open a separate bank account that they don't have easy access to. If they're employed, they should build an automated transfer from their payroll into this account

Get a side hustle

It's also really important, even if you're working full time, to have other sources of income. People will say to me, "Well, I'm not business-inclined." Well, you can get creative.

I have twins, and one way that I brought in extra money towards their savings was to sell stuff as they grew through every stage of their lives. They outgrew their strollers, so I sold their strollers. They outgrew their cribs, so I sold those too.

There's no shame in a part-time job or side hustle. I worked full-time, running Clever Girl Finance, and at the same time ran my photography business, which I operated from 2008 to 2015. I would charge more or less $4,000 for one wedding.

I also had a little bridal retail shop. Even today, I have Clever Girl Finance, but I also take on speaking opportunities and write books. I'm doing all these other side hustles as part of my business, as a way to diversify my income stream.

Invest with diversification in mind

I'm a huge John Bogle fan. He was the founder of The Vanguard Group, and he popularized something called the three-fund portfolio, which is essentially where you put your money in three categories, at a minimum, which are US stocks, US bonds, and then international stocks. So a three-fund portfolio of index funds or ETFs.

When your money is categorized this way, you're pretty much investing across categories, like pharmaceutical, healthcare, technology, automobile, consumer staples, etc. — you have a super broad diversification. This reduces risk and it helps me weather crazy storms. If pharmaceuticals were down, then the rest of my portfolio could be an anchor.

I also invest in some individual stocks, typically for brands I'm vested in because I use the products, and beyond the stock market — some angel and real estate investing.

I wanted to help change the narrative

I didn't imagine that I'd ever write a book or turn my finance journey into a full-time business. I wanted to help change the narrative that I was hearing about women, especially Black women, not caring about their finances, so I created Clever Girl Finance.

There's always going to be crazy and calm moments. Look at historical occurrences. Look at how investments have behaved over time. If you have your cash buffer, side hustle, and invest with diversification, then you have less of that stress about what's happening to your investments. Just set it and forget it.

If you need the money, you shouldn't invest it. If you don't have emergency savings or if you need job stability, then focus on prioritizing those two first and maybe take advantage of an employer investment plan before you start ramping up investing.

There's a lot of panic with what people are seeing economically and politically. If you're feeling overwhelmed, focus on building a positive mindset, reading, and staying educated. Don't get caught up in the hype.

If you work in finance and would like to share relevant investment tips, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].