Creating Connections in a Fast-Paced Digital World

This week, I’m pleased to introduce you to Ashwin Krishnan.

Ashwin is the host of the Stand Out in 90 Sec podcast, where he interviews guests for only 90 seconds to skip the small talk and dive into who they are as people.

Ashwin’s Dance Through Life

Initially, Ashwin’s professional journey was a conventional one. He attended college, started working in cybersecurity after graduation, and worked his way up the corporate ladder for a long time. But around 2018, he became curious about what lay outside the beaten career path. To find out, Ashwin joined different professional groups that taught him to think differently about entrepreneurship and how to impact people with his work. Then he got inspired to share what he learned, so he began writing and podcasting.

It didn’t take long for him to notice that analytics showed listeners dropping off of the podcast episodes after the first few minutes. “Just doing a podcast, having a guest, and creating content isn’t good enough if it’s not being watched or listened to,” Ashwin says. “Regardless of the background, persona, or influence of the guest, most of the audience would drop off after the second or third minute.”

Creating Content in a Saturated Space

Ashwin realized that it can be hard to make an impact—no matter how good the content—when our environment is chock-full of digital distraction every day. And the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has carried this challenge from content creation to our interactions as well. In a workforce increasingly dominated by virtual communication, Ashwin felt the human element of communication was getting lost in all the digital noise.

To cut through it, he created his Stand Out in 90 Sec introduction video service. In these short interviews, Ashwin talks to cybersecurity professionals at every stage, from new college graduates to prominent business leaders. These conversations have people answer five meaningful questions that allow listeners to learn about who they are as a person. These videos can be used to give applicants a chance to stand out in the hiring process, and give company leaders such as hiring managers a chance to demonstrate the people with whom prospective employees will be working.

Creating Space for Introspection

The questions Ashwin asks his guests are not surface-level chit chat you’d ask a new acquaintance over coffee, but they’re also not prompts meant to dive into your soul. The beauty of the questions asked for Stand Out in 90 Sec is that they allow the interviewee to spend some time reflecting on their journey. This creates space for introspection so that they can be thoughtful in how they share their experiences.

When was the last time you made time for introspection? Consider how you would answer some of these commonly asked questions from Stand Out in 90 Sec:

• What is a life incident that dramatically changed you?

• What is something you’ve had to unlearn in the past year?

• What do you enjoy most about your area of expertise?

Ashwin mainly focuses on interviewing people in the cybersecurity industry, but everyone can benefit from creating a video introduction with his questions. For inspiration on how to do so—or to reach out to Ashwin directly if you’re in cybersecurity—visit standoutin90sec.com. You can also visit the Stand Out in 90 Sec YouTube channel and follow the #StandOutin90Sec hashtag on LinkedIn.

To learn more about how to stand out in 90 seconds, watch and listen to our conversation below.

I’m all about bringing the human element back to the professional space. For more content about extraordinary people doing this work, be sure to subscribe to get this bi-weekly newsletter right in your inbox.