The Ultimate Job Search Guide for Engineers and Executives

 

I’m excited to finally share this job hunting guide with the world! This is a talk that I have given hundreds of times to people from every background, regardless of the phase of their career. The goal is to supercharge your search so you can end up where you belong.

Grab a notepad …we have a lot to cover….

This blog serves as a quick review of the video above, which is far more detailed, so be sure to watch/listen to the video. Please subscribe on Youtube because we will be releasing more content for candidates and clients alike.

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Some Overall Context And An Acknowledgement;

• This is a time tested approach yielding strong results based on our 23 years of experience.
• This is certainly shared with a large degree of privilege, and it’s aimed predominantly at software engineers and executives in the tech realm. I acknowledge that this is not a once size fits all, but the majority of the lessons covered apply (regardless of phase or type of role). This is about getting clarity first and then approaching your search using a new methodology.
• Our assertion is that most folks can create space to do this properly, and do what you need to do to pay the bills.
• This approach is a long play….as such, results will be of higher quality but will likely take a bit of time to come to fruition

Slow Down and Remember To Breathe 

• Rushing your search often results in bad decisions and unhappy situations, so….take your time.
• If you listen to your intuition and determine what matters most to you at this phase of your career, you will end up in the right place.
• Doing this correctly takes time! Plan on a few months at least. In a tough economy, it could take longer.
• We acknowledge that now may be a challenging time… but it will get better. Breathe. Get outside, Spend time with friends and family. Don’t let this consume you. You are not your job (search).
• Our mantra is; it doesn’t matter who’s is actively hiring, figure out where you belong.
• Get a bar job, take contract work- do what you need to do to create the space to find the right role…

 

The Framework

First We Will Cover How to Find Your North Star As A Foundation For Your Search

We Will Then Dig Into Our Unique Methodology And Pragmatic Suggestions On How To Find A Job You Love

 

Finding your North Star Is Key to Ending Up Somewhere That You Are Truly Happy

 

Determine your Ikigai

• Ikigai can describe having a sense of purpose or meaning in life- and given you spend so many hours of your life at work- you should be working on something meaningful to you!

• • Ikigai’s concentric circles encompass:
    • What you love 
    • What the world needs
    • What you can make money doing
    • What youre good at

 

Determine Your Personal Why

• Simon Sinek rocketed to stardom with his 2009 Ted Talk “Start With Why” which focused on determining and leading with your businesses’ Why statement. It’s super powerful.
• We recommend taking that to the next level and develop your PERSONAL Why statement.
• Simon Sinek’s classes help you to find your personal North Star and your Why at this phase in your life.
• Use their live and on-demand courses linked above to arrive at your personal Why which will help you get more clear on where you belong

 

The Next “Why Exercise” ;

Questions your Assumptions!

We believe that a key part of your journey to finding a job you love is to really ask yourself why you believe what you believe.

The exercise is to grab a white board, or create one at home with construction paper. Act like your four year old self and ask yourself why you believe what you believe.

• Why do I want a full time vs contract role?
• What size organization and team do I thrive in? Why do I believe this to be accurate ? Am I limiting myself?
• Why does it need to be in X domain vs Y domain?
• Why do I feel like onsite is better for me? Is it? How many days a week is best for me right now? Why?
• What type of boss do I want? Why didn’t the last one work for me or did it? What was my role in the situation?

Question everything, write your answers down and walk by your whiteboard while you’re having your breakfast each morning – continue to dig deep on your presumptions – these reflections will result in a better, more targeted search over time.

Digging Into the Logistics of Finding a Job You Love

Take a Super-Intentional approach.

• After getting organized and thinking deeply about what matters, focus on organizations that are most meaningful to you.
• Cross reference multiple sources of Best Companies to Work For Lists (over more than a year) with Glassdoor reviews to get a feeling for company culture. This is just a starting point.
• Do your due diligence on company core values as it relates to your mission and values. Are they just paying lip service or are they clearly dedicated and are employees happy?
• Do NOT over-index on “open” jobs using Indeed or Linkedin- 1000’s of others have applied for those roles. Your odds of success are slim.
• Develop a top 20 list of companies you are most excited about and put them in priority order in a spreadsheet.
• The rule of thumb is 85% of your time should be spent on getting in front of decision makers at the companies you are most passionate about, only 15% of your time should be simply applying for jobs you have no connections to.

Use Twitter to Supercharge Your Search

• I wrote a blog on this topic many years ago which you can find here– you DON’T need to tweet! Just listen to what your target organizations are talking about!
• Twitter is a super powerful (and searchable) real-time information tool that will help you be more intentional in your approach
• Use TweetDeck/HootSuite to create three columns for each target org, one for the CEO, one for the company itself and one for the presumed hiring manager and all of a sudden you have SIXTY columns of real time information on your job search. Open houses, product launches, you name it- it’s all in front of you and it’s ever evolving.

Be Politely Persistent and Have Up To Six Different Targeted Approaches

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge

• Demonstrate you did your homework about your target compamy’s products, mission, culture, team and much more. Being lazy about your homework is a non-starter.
• Share how you can make their life easier, more innovative, and potentially more profitable
• Buy virtual coffees for the decision makers
• Share examples of how you can hit the ground running
• Send a hand-written note
• Don’t send six emails, that’s silly. Instead, vary your approach to get their attention

Build Community, Give First and Lift Others Up

• Give without expecting a get. Give First, always.
• Walk into a room and ask folks how you can help them achieve their goals or what’s keeping them up at night instead of who they work for.
• Attend community events and help to organize them in your given focus areas.
• Bring together speakers, sponsors, other organizers and show you’re serious about giving back
• Everyone has something to share and ways to help others
• Leverage your network and. your community effectively once you’re clear on your top 10-20 targets. Offer for them to come speak at your events!
• Contribute to Open Source (online community). Show your side projects. Share your passions.
• Lift others up. Networking and building community is about giving and helping others. It’s not transactional. The rest will come in time in you’re genuine in your approach.

Through The Entire Process- Focus On Your Wellbeing And The Things That Matter In Life Like Your Family And Your Mental Health

• This can often be a long process- prepare accordingly
• Stay positive- don’t take anything personally. Easier said than done, sure, but it’s important to know none of this is personal.
• Get outside- run/hike/ski/walk- take meetings and calls outside
• Meditate- stillness creates calm and new and interesting ideas
• Journal – get it all out of your head!
• Call a friend you haven’t spoken with in awhile
• Ask for help!
• Ensure the next role you have allows you the time with your family and to continue to focus on the things that matter

A Few New Additions Since I Recorded This Video That May Be Helpful;

• Our good friend Cali Harris has created a GREAT resource for job seekers (from her aptly named company North Star Rising) in this super clean centralized repository of places to look for jobs, ONCE you’ve taken the time to get organized on what matters to you in this next phase of your career.
• AI is here to stay and more and more tools are being developed daily to help with your job search. Austin Belcak created several slides in this short presentation on how to prompt ChatGPT to help you find your ideal role, create cover letters and more. Use the lessons from above to make your search even more targeted to what’s most important to you at this phase in your career.

What would you add?

We look forward to hearing about how this impacted your job search! Drop us a line and share the blog and video if you found it helpful!

Go get em!!

– Dave and the Technical Integrity Team

 

 

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