For those in California dealing with a tropical storm or others affected by wildfires right now, my heart goes out to you. I’m praying for your safety.
Indian Independence Day was mid-week last week, and I hope everyone who celebrates had a great day. While my wife and I are not from India, our daughter is, so we had a small celebration and a bit of cultural study with the kids about how India gained its independence. It’s filled with mixed emotions. The independence from colonial rule was exciting, but you cannot discuss their freedom without noting the partitioning (separating India and Pakistan.) I’m no expert on this topic, so I’ll leave the political, social, and religious discussions to others, but it points to the challenging emotions that come with independence.
I’ve noted previously that layoffs come with highs and lows; last week was one of those emotional weeks. I’m narrowing in on a potential offer (maybe even more than one), so the vibe has shifted. It’s easy to start getting optimistic about what work could look like in a few weeks and having a new team, but it is also too easy to slip into a funk about what could happen if the offer or offers are not extended. And behind the scenes, you must continue looking for new opportunities to keep the pipeline flowing, keeping you from ever living in the moment. Thankfully, this weekend was filled with quality time and several good friends making it incredibly recharging. Let’s go week #22, I’m ready for you!
Independent Numbers
3.6% – the near record low unemployment rate, a signal that the demand for workers is still strong and that a soft landing instead of a recession may be possible. source
500/5000 Connecticut and company-wide jobs lost at CVS, posing whether bio/pharma is now seeing some of the same pushback Tech did last year. Source
6.6% -> 4.3% Projection headline inflation in 2023 and 2024 by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) source
Encouraging Independence
As employees grow in their careers, moving through the stages of career growth (3 min read), the goal is to move to more and more independence. Independently writing software, solving problems, leading teams, influencing others, and casting vision. This structure is a helpful way of breaking up roles and responsibilities, even if it does not precisely map to a career ladder.
As a job seeker, I have become independent in finding roles to apply to. I have apprenticed under a few experts on resume writing and LinkedIn profile curation. I have practiced my interviewing skills (having been on the other side of the table hundreds of times.) I’m actively curating my network and meeting with leaders who can help me (and whom I can help as well.) But, I need to actively develop my career objective and search more for hiring companies, so I’ll lean into those in the coming weeks. Here’s a model that nicely breaks down the Job Seeker’s Stages of a Job Search if you’d like a guide to the process (2 min read).
Independent Encouragement
A few weeks ago, I mentioned writing down ten things you’re good at and reviewing that list each morning. I’ve been practicing this for several weeks, which has been encouraging. I emailed them to myself, and each morning when I check my email I re-read them and snooze them to the next morning. Here’s my list in case it helps inspire anyone else:
1. I built a culture of rapid innovation.
2. I hire well.
3. I lead the team with compassion.
4. I am an excellent partner to product teams.
5. I am a leader in the organization.
6. I help people grow in their careers.
7. I am flexible.
8. I am capable of leading small and large engineering teams.
9. I’m learning new skills in leadership.
10. I have patience to wait for the right job.
11. God is in control and has a plan for me.
Fun
Final Words
If I can help with your search, please contact me. Please give me feedback on what you like or don’t care for in this newsletter, and I’ll adjust. For total transparency, I have no affiliation with any of the tools, companies, or resources I share. These are my impressions, not colored by any outside influences.
Originally posted on https://onlynewmistakes.com/