Troubleshooting your job search + my YouTube channel

Dear Reader,

Did you know that I have a YouTube channel? Yes! Scroll down for links.

You’re applying, occasionally getting an interview, but time is passing and unemployment is looming (or lengthening).

Have you experienced this?

It’s at this point that some people reach out to career coaches, wondering what we know that they don’t, and what they should do that they aren’t.

Earlier this year I received a message from a PhD who’s excited to move into a specific field. She’s been applying to roles for a while now.

She’s doing all the things folks like me recommend:

gaining clarity about her values, priorities, and goals;
identifying her transferable skills;
conducting informational interviews to gather insider insights; and
tailoring her application materials to align with industry norms and the specifics of each opportunity.

One answer here is “keep going, the job search can take a while through no fault of your own.”

In other words, yep, it seems like you are doing all the right things.

Sometimes, this is where I land in these discussions with job seekers.

But since each person and every job search is different, the details do matter.

For example: “I keep hearing that I need X in order to get into the industry. I don’t have and am not willing to do X. What do I do?”

Aha! Okay, let’s work with that.

Have you gotten ANY interviews at all, despite your lack of X? If so, this suggests you are in fact qualified, at least in some cases.

Who’s telling you about X? Are they knowledgeable and up-to-date about the field and industry in general, across employers? You may want to speak with more people to gather additional insights.

What are similar roles to ones that require X but that don’t themselves require it? You might need to expand your search to related fields.

This is a great question to ask your industry contacts, by the way: “I’m really excited about this kind of work, but I don’t have X and I gather that’s keeping me from getting interviews. What other roles are similar in terms of A, B, and C, but don’t require X?”

And, assuming X really is the thing blocking your way to gainful employment: Is X really all that bad? Is there an X-lite that would do the trick for employers and work for you? Are there some assumptions in your decision here that need revisiting?

(I ask this last series of questions gently because I don’t want to second-guess your priorities but I do know that sometimes we get in our own way.)

My point here is two-fold.

First, I want to confirm that sometimes you’re doing all the things. Getting a meaningful job that fits your requirements can take a while, especially if you’re navigating any kind of career pivot at the same time.

Second, getting a second opinion on what you’re doing can help you identify areas for improvement, additional activities, or suggest you shift where to put your energies.

If you’ve found yourself stuck in your job search, who helped you move forward? Was it a career coach, an industry expert, or a trusted long-time friend?

And if you have a question for me, let me know! I’m always happy to answer your emails.

From PhD to Life on YouTube

Curious about how I got to where I am? If you’ve ever wanted to do an informational interview with me, watch this!

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Over the past few months I’ve joined forces with Tory Wobber, PhD, who specializes in helping social scientists move into the tech industry and related roles. Our irregular YouTube video series is called From PhD to Exit, a mashup of our two business names:

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