Part of the Finding Purposeful Work series
Fear can keep us sitting in shit way longer than we’d like to admit.
It can be debilitating.
Part of the reason I didn’t leave a job I’d recently had, even though I’d “fallen out of love” with it, was fear of re-entering the job market in a recession.
I’m not alone in this. Fear has become a major player in our lives.
War. Supply chain shortages. Inflation. Tech layoffs.
It’s dark out there. We aren’t just in winter, we’re in a winter economic cycle.
We might as well learn to skate, ski, and make the best of the cycle we’re in because if we can crush it in the winter, we can crush it any time of year.
And we both know what follows winter … spring.
There’s opportunity to be had.
Tons of great companies have been built during economic downturns: GE, IBM, Disney, and Microsoft. Iconic companies.
The point is, we’re in control. You and I are in control, not of the hand we’re dealt, but how we play the hand.
We can get creative, connect more, and “pivot” toward opportunity.
In other words, we can change our approach.
In the last post of this series, we focused on you.
Here, we’ll focus on setting your sights.
#1 Define your “dream company”.
Maybe you aren’t clear on the specifics of the company, role, or culture that you’re seeking.
That’s perfectly understandable. It’s perfectly normal to not be clear when we haven’t set aside the time or asked the questions to prod ourselves in the right direction.
Let’s then start by asking questions:
- What people or companies fire you up?
- What people or companies are doing or have done what you’re trying to do?
- What’s your “dream company”? And why does this company come to mind?
Asking these types of questions over and over will bring your dream company to light.
Your destination will reveal itself when you dedicate the thought energy to defining it.
#2 Deconstruct your “dream company”.
With your “dream company” in mind, let’s turn to deconstruction. Breaking this company down into the attributes that you love, so that you better align yourself with it and companies like it.
The framing of our mind’s eye starts with the questions we pose:
- What’s the #1 reason you’re drawn to this company? Is it the CEO, the sector, the mission, the product, or the company culture?
- What’s your “dream role” (within this company)? How do you add value to them?
- What’s your “dream culture”? And does the company you’d had in mind align?
Once again, asking these questions of ourselves over and over will take us closer and closer to living that dream.
Asking these questions clarifies what it is that’s truly important to us so that when we’re applying to and interviewing with different companies, we come equipped with personal red lights and green lights.
You might start this process with a thought like, “I’d love to work with electric vehicles. I’d love to work for an innovative company like Tesla.” and end up at the question of culture only to realize their culture may not be for you.
You might then reconsider and realize that you value work-life balance and being able to have more of a life outside of work. You might then look at Glassdoor’s top companies for work-life balance and find the most innovative company on the list and repeat this process.
You get where I’m going with this.
It’s an iterative process that’ll take more than a couple “gos” before the company, role, and culture come clear.
Once it is clear, you can turn to the questions of, “Are they hiring? And how far out are you from being THE candidate?”
That’s where the next step comes into play.
#3 Screen your damn self.
Ready for it? This is the fun part.
Gather your resume and the Job Description (JD) for your dream company and role, and break it down. Self-screen:
- How far are you from “there”?
- Do you have the education, experience, qualifications, and skills? Or are there gaps?
- If you were to interview for this position tomorrow, how would you do? What can you do moving forward to best prepare yourself for exactly that situation?
If you tick the boxes of the JD, then the next step is figuring out how to get your foot in the door. The alternative is that you notice some big gaps between what they’re looking for and what you bring to the table. If this is the case, you’re better off upskilling and gaining further experience before wasting their time or your own.
With that said, you can always ask for an informational interview to “feel out” how accurate the JD is vs. reality. There are times where companies way overshoot with their JD and the reality is far less (or far different) than what’s posted online.
The informational interview might also bring to light that a different position (with stronger alignment) is available to get your foot in the door.
It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Direction is more important than speed. You can go fast in the wrong direction. — Redfoo, LMFAO singer
Imagine a captain-less, rudder-less ship leaving harbor.
Now, imagine the opposite.
Direction makes a world of difference, does it not?
Having a sense of direction brings clarity and drive. It brings purpose.
When we have somewhere to go, we work toward that point. And to get where we’re going, we first have to define it:
- Define your “dream company”.
- Deconstruct your “dream company”.
- Screen your damn self.
It’s not even about that one company. It’s about all the companies like it.
It’s about the process.
It’s about setting our sights, coming to terms with what it will take, and then paying the toll.
Crushing it this winter starts by looking up and holding that gaze.
Set your sights.
