S5E8 – Job Search Strategies for Mid-Career Professionals

Explore the mid-career curve with Subha and Hasita as they discuss the challenges of leaving a familiar job after 15 to 20 years. Delve into the complexities of navigating change, crafting a compelling resume, and articulating career goals. Join this exploration of career transitions, offering practical advice for those contemplating a change in their professional lives.

Discussion Topics: Job Search Strategies for Mid-Career Professionals

• Introduction
• Challenges of Mid-Career Transition
• The Importance Of Clarity Before Making The Decision To Transition
• Crafting a Resume for Transition
• Navigating The Discomfort That Comes With Being In The Job Market
• The Significance Of Clearly Articulating What You Want
• The Role Of Headhunters And The Benefits Of Seeking Their Assistance
• The Parallels Between Job Search and B2B Selling
• Recap and Key Takeaways

Transcript: Job Search Strategies for Mid-Career Professionals

Subha: Welcome to another episode of Small Talk With Rainkraft podcast. The mid career curve, Hasitha, that I wrote about maybe a week ago has really struck a chord. I have so many, old friends, acquaintances, ex colleagues, reaching out to just start that process of, you know, articulating how they’re feeling about having been in one company or one job or one industry for 15 to 20 years. And, it really can be a very difficult part of the curve to travel through.

Hasita: I mean, who likes to be in the middle of something, right? To be honest, like a decision made is still better. Decision not made is frankly quite peaceful, but somewhere in the middle of it. And you’re right. So, so many people are reaching out and saying, I’ve put my papers in, or I’m looking to do something different.

I’m thinking of going freelance. Why don’t we explore some opportunities or do you know somebody who can help out? So it’s quite an interesting transition. But I’m just thinking after 10, 15 years of doing something, how do you transition from that?

Subha: I think that’s the challenge, right? Sometimes I feel like these conversations that one has are really to help you make that decision. You know, you’ve kind of decided, you know, you want to do this.Your heart is pulling one way. And you feel like if I put it out there to a few people that I trust and they also tell me that, yes, you should consider doing something different.

Then that validation will be that nudge, which I need.

Hasita: Because I think either way, when we talk to people about that very key decision, definitely we are looking for a yes. Right. We are looking for affirmation that change will happen. And it’s interesting, Subha, I just met a friend recently who’s gone on a sabbatical this year, which was not at all on the cards for her for the longest time.

And she said, first, when I started having that conversation, I was defensive. So people didn’t validate that also. Everyone kept saying it was not a great idea. And these are the 10 ways it could go wrong. But one fine day, I just made up my mind that this is what I’m going to do. And I went out and I said, I’m going to take a sabbatical.

What do you think? And then I started getting high fives.

Subha: Yeah.

Hasita: Sometimes the validation we seek is internal on a very meta level, but yeah.

Subha: No, very true. See either you’re in that, let’s say half where the decision is pretty clear because the company is close to shutting down or there’s, you know, clear signs that the industry is heading nowhere or that the actual workplace for you is just not okay. It’s toxic, and something’s going wrong in some of those, you know, situations, then it’s crystal clear what you have to do.

But when for most of us, you’re chugging along, right? You’re just kind of chugging along on that curve and, there’s nothing woefully wrong, and if you, on a good day, you can convince yourself that everything is wonderfully right.

Subha: still Monday morning doesn’t feel as great as it used to. There are perhaps a few questions you can ask yourself. I found them useful when I made the decision, which again, took many months, trust me. Simply to say one, am I learning anything new? Right. I mean, both of us are very strong proponents of adding valuable skills. So am I learning anything new?

What I’m doing, am I challenged by it, right? Like many times when you dig deeper, you realize, Hey, this kind of in 50 percent or 60 percent of what I’m doing, or even 20, 30%. I was doing this three, four years ago also. So, how am I challenging myself and growing the third question to ask yourself is what next, what do I see ahead of me?

And are those opportunities going to be made available to me? Am I on the track to something that I want? Right? Lastly, I think. That’s your joy factor. Like, am I around people, senior, junior, middle, whatever you call it, am I around people I like meeting every day? And are we doing something good together?

Hasita: Yeah, no, it’s interesting. You bring up especially the joy of the workplace component. I met a friend recently who’s in the academia space and he was talking to me about how having the right People in the lab that you’re working in. And I’m sure that’s a much more confined system, can make all the difference between a good work experience and a bad work experience.

It’s that significant, right? Like there’s no spectrum there. And I’m also thinking in terms of learning new skills or feeling challenged now, so for someone like me, who’s set out on my own path, there may not be that visible, tangible difference, but that question is always on my mind, right?

Like in terms of. Where am I going with this? What am I learning from this? And sometimes even, okay, I signed up for this and it’s exciting and I enjoyed it. But do I want to keep doing this or do I want to do something else?

Subha: And I think the key is probably asking these questions to yourself repeatedly. And if you find that more than On more than one occasion, you’re saying no to more than one question. Then it’s time to say, Hey, just pause. Let’s really evaluate where we are and maybe it’s time to do something about it.

Hasita: That’s true. But then also then comes the next challenge, which is if I’ve been doing something for a while. The chances of me having say an updated profile or some online presence, which more accurately describes what I do, these things don’t exist also. Right. So I’m literally starting from scratch.

So how do I start to navigate something like that?

Subha: Yeah. I think that’s really the next hill that many struggle to, to conquer because you are starting from scratch in a way, if you’ve been in a familiar environment for a while, chances are you didn’t really have the pressure to, update your resume with that much of, effort, you know, you got referred for something, the job came along, yeah.

And so many who I meet who have been in the same organization, they didn’t need that document at all, because there are internal portals you’re filling, you are meeting people for a job, and you are interviewing, but there are people who know you, your context. So it’s not really a, like an external interview, right?

So first is to say, Hey, taking stock. I am. Perhaps starting very close to scratch, right? So let

Hasita: Hmm

Subha: Me jump back and see what is my resume looking like?

Subha: what is the story that I wanted to convey? And here there is a huge gap in understanding what is that document for? Because one, there’s one set who just dump everything into it, right?

And like, sometimes I get a six or seven page starting document to work with.

Subha: clearly has to come down to one or two pages that just talk about what you did in the job that was given to you and how you did that really well.

Hasita: And how much do you recommend that someone should zoom in or zoom out in these things? Do you think there’s value in going very deep and technical in explaining what was done? Or do you think. The highest level perspective is better because again, the kinds of jobs you apply for would also change, right?

The reason you’re moving is you’re not happy being in the position that you’re in right now. So if the next level was to be a leadership level truly, what kind of perspective usually do other people look for?

Subha: Yeah. So that, aspect of crafting that story and that thread is very important. So firstly, this whole time frame of making this document or putting together a resume or a profile. Give that itself some time. This is not a weekend activity that many think it will be right that I’ve had a really bad week.

And this Friday I’ve decided enough is enough from Monday. I’m going to start applying this weekend. I’ll make my resume. It does not get done like that simply because we one haven’t spent enough time reflecting on. The past. So that resume has to capture that. And coming back to what you asked, how deep do I go?

It’s not really about depth, but it’s about conveying. I feel any line on a resume has to convey one of two things. Either what you did for the role, the job, the organization, and the opportunity that you were given, or how you use that to enhance your skillset.

Subha: So either you did X, Y, Z leading to. Business growth, rise in revenues, et cetera, or you learned AI ML and used that to do something. So there’s only two characters in this story, the organization slash role. And you,

Hasita: Yeah. That’s interesting. Somehow I never thought of it like that. I always thought you need to contextualize the problem. Talk about how you came to those, the conclusions that you did. But yeah, this makes a lot more sense. And I’m also thinking, how long do you think it’ll be as an aside, that people will start creating 10 minute podcasts as their resumes?

Subha: Yeah, I’m sure. A video or a reel or whatnot, I’m sure all that

Subha: It’s interesting also that. In spite of all of these kind of various ways in which you could communicate what you’ve done

So, like for example, LinkedIn, which is, which can be a very thorough. View of your career, despite that you still need a resume. It still continues to be that document, which initiates conversation, or which is easy for you to pass on to X saying, give it to Y. And if you do reach out to somebody and make a connect, the first thing they’ll say is, okay, send your resume, and then we’ll.

Right. So keep some time, at least two, three weeks minimum to work on this document, whether you’re doing it on your own or with somebody’s help to keep refining it, giving yourself some time to think about what were your actual achievements. And most importantly, what is this thread, right? Why did one job lead to the next and given what all I’ve done, what do I want to do?

So a resume is not only history. It is also a way for you to talk about what, yeah, what you see your future as.

Hasita: That’s true. That’s so important. I just wanted to plug one thing about LinkedIn in there, which is that the right words on LinkedIn can also actually help you get found, if you choose to use the job search feature and such. So there is a huge technology component in terms of finding a job today as well.

Which I’m sure with a little bit of practice, and there are quite a few articles on this online as well, the right headline listing, the right. Skills can just be that difference between, finding a job and not finding it. Right.

Subha: Even the resume, you know, most people ask for it and it has to be what we call ETS compliant, which means that it’s. Something that can be read by a machine and most companies are getting volumes of resumes. They use an applicant tracking system to pass through your resume to pick up.

Like you said, like somebody is doing on LinkedIn, looking, look for the keywords. Does it have those four or five keywords that we’re looking for? Passed through your education details, what are the company, so put it in formats, which are easily read by these systems. that’s not too difficult to do.

So yes, when you decided that, Hey. Something’s got to give and something’s got to change, keep time for making a good resume that you’re happy to share. Yes, there will be maybe a couple of versions of it, depending on the kind of jobs you’re looking for. Don’t go crazy, creating so many versions that you lose track.

Keep it simple. A couple of versions for one, which is maybe a sales heavy role, one, which is a marketing heavy role, et cetera. A lot of your thinking through your clarity for yourself would have come when you’re making that document, use that to then also spruce up LinkedIn, put in the keywords.

So many times I find that on LinkedIn and in the resume, folks are using what I call prime real estate to talk about the employer. Like it’s your name on LinkedIn. It’s your headline. And you say Infosys now

Subha: talk about what you are doing, right? You are analyst or you are a developer or you are bring that word out.

Hasita: That’s so true. And I’m also just thinking once you make the decision to be out there, you’re actually just really out there, aren’t you? There’s no shying away from that fact anymore. There’s no. Silently leaving the system, you’ve been there for 10, 15 years.

I know that, you know, exactly what I’m talking about. Like you’re really just out there. That’s quite uncomfortable. I think for a lot of people, including me, it would be very uncomfortable. How do you navigate that?

Subha: I was going to say, this is not that conference where you can leave by the back door, but he will realize,

Hasita: Yeah. Yeah. Which I think is a big part of why a lot of people who maybe are on the cusp of leaving stay for longer, because I think that. cost benefit of just quitting is actually very high.

Subha: No, it’s very scary. Also, it’s very daunting you know, you want to leave, you want to get your resume out there, etc. And you’re like, Oh, my God, then everybody will find out. They’ll come to know that I’m looking for a job. So I think that is, that’s something to also prepare yourself for that.

Once you put yourself in the job market, you are out there. You’re not advertising it. You’re not like publishing it here and there, A knows B and B knows C and yes, words can get around and people may come to know and be ready for that. Be ready to say, yeah, I am exploring other things or, figure out how you want to answer that question if somebody, in your own organization asks you, because.

If you really want to give yourself the best shot in finding the next opportunity, in today’s environment, it’s not easy, right? In mid to senior level roles, there are enough people ticking all the boxes.

Hasita: But all the more reason to tell that story more cohesively. You know, if they are going through a thousand of these, then is it not better that I own my own story and tell them exactly what I am looking for

Subha: Very much. I think that’s the next thing, like one is, we started with saying, okay, you make that decision and you start this process. Then the logistics of it, the resume, LinkedIn, letting a few people in your network know that you’re looking for something, the game changer can be, if you can articulate what you want.

Many folks I talk to say I’m open to anything or I’m open to something which is so broad that they’re expecting in a way the other person to say, Hey, okay, this is your background. These are the four companies you worked at. This is what you seem good at. And hence, this is a match. Now, nobody’s going to do that work for you.

Hasita: That’s true.

Subha: They have absolutely no time or interest in doing that work for you. So leaving it broad is not really helping you that much, unless you are just not sure and exploring multiple things, but whoever you interact with, and your friend introduces you to, you know, the CEO of another company, and you’re getting this opportunity to convey what you’re looking for.

If you can give them clarity, they can figure out, yes, can I slot you or not? And that whole process works efficiently for you, rather than you thinking, Hey, but I’ve let him know, maybe I should wait another week or another two weeks and I have not heard back from her. I told somebody else, all of that

Hasita: No, that’s so interesting because also then it makes it easier for you to keep track of what conversation you had with whom, because you already know exactly what you asked them for.

Subha: correct.

Hasita: So there’s no widening of, no, I’ll, I’ll do any number of 10 things versus saying, I’m really looking for a co-founder role in this kind of company.

That’s a very different kind of, leverage I think it honestly projects a certain amount of faith in and confidence in your own self and abilities.

Subha: Yeah, that clarity of thought is definitely appreciated, not just by a prospective hire, but even if you go to a headhunter, which. Which many should, if you, when you give them clarity, they know exactly which opportunities to bring to you. And they know which to say no to on your behalf. And even when you reach out to somebody, they say, Hey, here you, but right now we don’t have that we can get back to you when we do so that you also move along on this journey faster

Hasita:Makes sense.

Subha: I think everybody should have, a few headhunters to reach out to. I’ve noticed that quite a few folks think of that as, just throwing it open to a very wide group and that’s scary, or they think of it as, it won’t be a personalized job search because the person is doing in mass or in scale, don’t think you should hold back because of those reasons.

Their job is to find something for you and they also benefit from it. If you give them clarity, if you give them the right inputs, right? They’ve, they can unearth opportunities that you don’t have access to.

Hasita: That’s very interesting. And I think there’s also some amount of resistance to doing that. But what you’re saying is getting over that might be in the interest of finding a job sooner.

Subha: See, as it is, it’s not going to be easy, quick, like I said, I decided on Friday and I have three interviews lined up on Monday. I mean, if you’re lucky with something like that, God bless you, but it’s not going to be that way. Most likely, you have to get your documents in place.

You have to get talking to the right people. You have to be able to convey what you want next. You might hear some contra views. You’ll have to process that saying, Hey. I see that you want to do this, but I don’t see enough in your resume telling me that you can do it. So you have to process all of that and see how you recalibrate and look for roles that you’re more likely to get.

And you have to put yourself out there we all do some amount of B2B selling, it’s a long sales cycle.

Hasita: That’s actually an interesting example. Yeah. Yeah. You’re right. I mean, the demand, the supplies, so many different things have to match up. Yeah.

Subha: But, I think, more and more I’m hearing folks who are genuinely taking the time to think about this. I’m at that stage where. I want what I want to be doing next, should be something that really matters for the next 10, 15 years and all of that. And if you’re in that path, then I think these are some of the things to really think about and action.

Hasita: And that’s quite a lot to take away from this episode itself. So I’m hearing, a good resume is the result of clarity in thinking itself and there’s ownership of your story. There’s also getting very clear on, okay, this opportunity is now. Behind me, what do I want in the next one, which is, I think a very important question.

And there are no easy answers, right? Like whatever we decide that’s the path for the next, how many ever years. And then of course, in the digital world, reaching out to people, the context in which you reach out to them can also be very interesting and diverse. And of course, as many opportunities as possible should be used.

It’s not a one and done kind of process quite a lot. Who crosses, I think, but what would you say to someone who was just about contemplating that decision? If they came and asked you, should I quit? What would you say?

Subha: I think first I would ask them back those same questions that I started with, help them explore where this is coming from and that’s important so that they can figure out where they need to go next. And if they’re more or less. Thinking, okay, this seems to be the logical next, then all that we talked about, the tactical stuff of resume, LinkedIn, and the most strategic of, who are you talking to?

What’s the story you’re telling them? How clear are you on what you want next? All of that strangely, it’s a job by itself.

Hasita: yeah, but a worthwhile job indeed.

Subha: Yeah. Yeah. So that you’re on to better things. Hopefully.

Subha: I hope quite a few of the listeners who I know have spoken to me about transitioning, career changes, and new jobs. I hope you find it useful to catch you next time. Bye.