Re-imagining… the job search and the work world! Looking for partners & distribution channels.
Our vision is that this project could take multiple formats and we are open to partnering with a for-profit or non-for-profit to share this content to people who need it. We cold see this as a series of blog posts, email program, thought leadership and/or a downloadable guide). We are also open to turning this material into a leadership experience/program, technology app and/or a speaking series.
Theoretically, finding a job should easier than ever: a plethora of jobs are posted online and countless new technological tools are available to find them. There are signs of positive changes, but having more information and access to jobs hasn’t eliminated the isolation and stress that so often accompanies the process of finding new work. No one suffers through this paradox more than job-seekers, who often feel like outsiders looking in.
We’re here to help: Change Your Job, Change the World: How shifting your mindset can help you get a job and build a better work world provides the actionable tips, encouragement and guidance today’s job seeker needs now. But, unlike other job search tools, Change Your Job, Change the World builds the reader’s psychological and emotional resources to launch an empowered job search. By utilizing the best insights from the worlds of coaching, leadership, self-help and future of work theory, we help job seekers surmount the blocks and insecurities that stymie the process. We also offer recommendations on how making a more equitable hiring process and workplace inspires job-seekers in their search and, ultimately, helps them build vibrant, fulfilling workplaces for all.
Change Your Job, Change the World is both a call-to-action and practical guide, helping job seekers gain the confidence they need to excel in the rapidly changing work world.
7 core principles drive the job search as we re-imagine. Each offer guidelines for reflection and tangible next steps that build an empowered mindset that will serve job-seekers in the long-term:
OWN YOUR POWER: Our culture conditions us to view the job search as a moment of weakness. However, it’s a precious opportunity for personal growth and creativity. When job seekers take more ownership in their jobs, they feel empowered to take more risk — reaching out to potential collaborators, pitching op eds and putting themselves out there in a way that helps them feel more confident and excited about what’s next.
GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR EMOTIONS AND NEEDS: Understanding your feelings and needs allows you to connect with yourself, your creativity and your ability to find work that truly aligns with your values. It’s difficult for job seekers to acknowledge that their current work environment isn’t providing what they need, such as learning and management support. When job seekers tap into their feelings and needs, they are more able to identify what priorities are important in their next roles.
TAP INTO THE TOTALITY OF YOURSELF: Having an effective job search requires you to explore and claim the fullness of who you are, including both strengths and weaknesses. Job seekers tend to view job descriptions as a list of requirements, as opposed to a wish list. When they are able to address where they have gaps in skills or experience, they have richer conversations with employers and are able to articulate what they have to offer.
SUSTAIN YOURSELF BY TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR REST AND WORK CYCLES: It’s important to find balance in your life and prioritize what’s important to you so that you can sustain your livelihoods. Connection to your values and priorities. Know what you need to do your best work and discern when you need to rest and renew and when you need to step up and accelerate in your work. For example, when possible, allowing yourself to pause and replenish your energy and inspiration before embarking on the more challenging pieces of the job search is likely to make it a more useful and faster process. We see job seekers who are burned out and not ready to take on a job search. By taking time off, and resting, job seekers are able to reset and bring in fresh energy into their search (often making employees envious!)
CONNECT AUTHENTICALLY AND PAY IT FORWARD: Taking the time to build relationships based on respect and mutuality is one of the best investments you’ll make; and, people are more inclined to open their network as a result. We often advise job seekers when having informational interviews to do so in a way that each feels like they are contributing equally and bringing in their knowledge (and one person is not doing all the asking or listening).
YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING A DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE, EQUITABLE WORKPLACE WHERE EVERYONE IS VALUED AND HAS OPPORTUNITIES TO SHINE. Advocating for yourself and others -- on everything from salary to professional development ripples out into the world and contributes to a more empowering, diverse and equitable work environment.
SEE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR JOB SEARCH AND SUCCESS ON THE JOB: Job search and leadership on the job are traditionally seen as discrete processes, but we see them as inextricably connected. When job seekers ask the right questions in the job search process and connect authentically during their interviews, they set the groundwork for successful working relationships when they start the job — and even have a clearer sense of what to prioritize in their first few weeks on the job.
We are at a critical moment in history, where we each need to take responsibility and own our leadership in the job search, on the job and in the world. We have the power to help create a more just, creative workplace, where everyone's talents are called on and where feeling fulfilled professionally is commonplace. With 8 million jobs open in the US that don’t have people with the right skills to hire, it’s more critical than ever to help people land in positions that call on the depth of their talents.
Why us? We are women spanning two generations, who want to all upon our leadership and coaching talents to shift the paradigm of work. Over the 30+ years we have collectively worked, we have coached hundreds of job seekers and have created and managed several leadership development programs.
Cathy Wasserman is an LMSW, facilitator, trained mediator, organization development specialist who began her career as a community organizer at the National Organization for Women and program officer at the Massachusetts National and Community Service Foundation. She has worked as a management consultant at the Support Center for Nonprofit Management and has run her own business full-time since 2005. She is well-known for her Ask Cathy career coaching column for Idealist.org, has published works in Frontline Feminism and has been called on for her expertise by The Washington Post and other media outlets.
Lauren Weinstein is a graduate of the Georgetown Leadership Coaching program and the author of Coaching is Calling, a guide for aspiring coaches. She spent seven years as a management consultant at Accenture, worked at the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family foundation as an in-house career coach and currently works at Marcum where she is focused on nonprofit executive search and transition and organizational strategy.