On finding the right job
Looking for Mr. Good Job
I’ve been on a lot of interviews lately. Mostly, they haven’t been interviews. They’ve been what I call “coffee dates.”
Instead of marching into an office conference room armed with a portfolio presentation, a bunch of shiny color wireframes, and a full gameplan for a five-person interview loop, I will instead sit down with the recruiter, or a VP, or whomever, and talk through what we can offer one another. I’d rather spend an hour meeting people and determining fit up front than slogging through a long interview loop, costing the company (and myself) valuable time.
If the fit is good, then I’ll come in for a full loop armed with my A-game. If there’s no fit, they’re just out coffee (unless I buy it, which happens more often than not).
What am I looking for with fit?
A couple years ago Charlie Kindel wrote about The Job Decision Matrix. Ever since then I’ve kept my own Trello board showing what I wanted in a job, reasonably stack-ranked. Negative cards are labeled in red.
I have been referring to it a lot of late. My “no assholes, no bullies” policy has come up repeatedly in interviews. My stack rank there hasn’t changed. On the other hand, my “research” card has been rising up my skills stack rank — I have decent research skills, but I want to extend and expand them in my next position.
So these coffee dates are like actual dates. Who are they? What do they do? What are their dreams? What are they looking for in an ideal designer? Do they exhibit any nervous tics that put me off? Are they generous to their employees — and to the barista?
This has slowed down my job search process. But it’s also sped it up. How is that possible? I’m failing faster. I’m able to weed out poor fits quicker, while saving my energy to do a full campaign when I do find a good fit.
And it also keeps my asks in focus. I pull in a lot more information, so I understand where the company is strong and weak. It lets me see what I can and cannot get out of the job, whether I have the right things to offer them, or, even, whether they’re even looking for me. All the while, I’m sorting through the Trello stacks in my head, comparing what I’m hearing to what’s written on them.
I don’t like wasting my time. But more than that, I don’t like wasting anyone else’s time. We’ll all swamped, triple-booked on our calendars, our heads in a thousand places. I want to avoid time-consuming interview loops that result in a no-hire or a no-thank-you. There’s just no time for that in our lives anymore.
I recommend reading Kindel’s article and building your own stack rank of what you want in your next job. It may surprise you. You might even discover you already have your ideal job.
