Contemplating Life’s Choices

If it’s not one thing it’s another. If you’ve been watching the news in the US, the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank is shaking up a lot of people and businesses. Add to that, Meta is laying off another 10,000 people and removing 5,000 open jobs over the next six months. Now I’m not an expert in banking, the economy, or the impact of layoffs other than my observations of people in general. This kind of situation can cause a lot of anxiety, stress, and fatigue in always wondering what’s next. It feels more important than ever to be prepared to switch jobs, if needed, and to take advantage of every opportunity you have to grow your skills so you stay relevant and marketable.

So, let’s look at our next set of questions…

These are the questions that help you hone in to your true priorities as well as an effective way to eliminate jobs that aren’t for you. Sometimes it may feel productive to mass apply to everything that’s in your pay range, desired location/remote, and that you’re remotely qualified for but that’s a ton of time and effort on your part to potentially end up in a job you’re going to hate from day one.

My approach to job searching is to understand yourself well enough to know what you’re looking for so when you find it you can confidently say yes. It’s also to be able to find the right opportunities to apply for so you can spend the time getting into the right interviews for you instead of chasing everything that comes up.

Now, of course, I get it. If you’re in a dire situation where you just have to take the first thing that hires you, my approach may not be the right fit. I’m not a job search expert, this is just my experience and what’s worked really well for me. Honestly, when I look back in life I’ve never had to apply for more than a handful of jobs before I ended up in something I stuck with for at least a couple of years. Now that’s not to say I’m some magical unicorn, but I do like to think that my awareness of what my unique value is, how that value translates to the roles I apply for, and my privilege in being able to be selective on the jobs I applied for and accepted have led me to where I am today. I believe that’s possible for you too.

So, these questions. Take the time to dig into what matters to you. It may be helpful if you have a partner, children, or other responsibilities in your life to talk to those people as well. Find out what they perceive that you value, what they think could be a great next step for you, or what they may be open to in the future. The job is yours so you need to be the one happy in what you select but you may find your partner is up for moving to a new town or that your kids are older and are ok if you’re working more hours to pursue a dream role. Conversely, you may find the thought of leaving your kids to add two hours of commuting to take an in office role something that outweighs the benefits of a raise or better title. Knowing those things can help save you time and narrow down your search.

The other perk as you go through these questions each week is as you define what you’re looking for, it becomes easier to ask for help. Through all the layoffs so many people have said they’d love help but don’t say what they’re looking for. That makes it too easy for your network to assume they don’t have what you need and maybe they give your post a like and move on. If you can say I’m looking for these three types of jobs/titles, a salary range of X-Y, in these locations/fully remote, at these types of companies… then you ask for help with reviewing your resume and making connections to recruiters that is something people can easily assess if they have a connection for you or not.

Don’t forget, that even if you’re not looking to change jobs, these are good questions to assess when you’re happy in your role but feeling bored or like there could be something else you could be learning/doing. These questions are great to think about your future to understand what you would be looking for if you suddenly find yourself laid off out by no fault of your own. It never hurts to be prepared and have a plan B in your mind so you can quickly take action if needed.