Contemplating Life’s Choices

This week the company I work for let go of 400 people. I am still processing what happened and have a lot of thoughts but they’re not well formed so I’ll have to save them for later. For now, I want to share something that could be helpful for those who are job searching now or if you’re considering a job change in the future.

I had the opportunity to hire the amazing Amy Worthington back a couple of jobs ago. We worked together to create incredible volunteer experiences both big and small. Amy has always been a hard worker, inspiring leader, and a team player that rocks even the most mundane and exhausting tasks. ** Cough cough ** That storage unit… ** Cough ** I still feel bad about that.

Anyway, Amy is one of those people who is introspective and takes time to reflect and at a point where I was trying to figure out what next steps made sense for me in my career she shared some questions she uses when she wants to consider a job change. I’ve since added to those questions and made them my own but they’ve been a part of every single career move I’ve made since Amy came into my life.

The thing I’ve learned in doing this exercise multiple times is it helps me know what I’m looking for when I start looking so I can eliminate things that are a bad fit and pass on the things that seem appealing (high title, big salary, etc.) but maybe aren’t what I truly want. It’s also helped me realize when I didn’t need to leave yet and gave me ideas for how I can make an existing role better. The best part is I don’t waste any time or energy chasing opportunities that aren’t what I actually need or want.

So, because Amy was generous in sharing her wisdom with me, I’m sharing what I use with you. Seriously, this is an exercise worth doing if you’re considering another job or just not feeling fully satisfied where you are. I’ve put the questions into a PDF a while back but you can easily jot the questions down in a journal or type out your thoughts online.

If you use the questions I’d love to hear how it goes. Did the questions help you better understand what you’re looking for? Did they help you make the decision to find something new or to look for ways to make your existing job better? Do you feel you now know what you want but don’t know where to find it?

If you’re up for sharing your experience you can find me on LinkedIn. My DMs are open and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about how I use this process. You can also drop your thoughts in the comments below.