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Episode 34: 6 steps to get a job custom created for you, with Career Clarity coach Kate Solis Silva

Welcome to The Career Clarity Show, where we help you find a lucrative, soulful, and joyful career path for you! 

Have you ever had a job created for you?

Shanna has. (Name changed to protect this super smarty.) She’d previously been a neuroscience PhD languishing and stuck in academia, and anxious to get into the private sector instead. For her first move out of the ivory tower, she’d successfully landed a new job at a research lab, but the culture there was so toxic and abusive she felt both desperate to leave (again) and absolutely drained even thinking about job hunting one more time. 

When Shanna reached out to us at Career Clarity and started creating (and enforcing) her boundaries with work, going on informational interviews after hours, and creating a vision for where she wanted her career to go, she walked into an informational interview looking for more data points about the company’s culture. But she walked out with so. much. more. The person she met with said the conversation had been so great that, even though they had literally just filled a role for someone exactly like her, they were going to go to the organization’s board to custom-create a role for her that week.  

Shut the front door.

Shanna’s not alone. Podcast guest Nicole Iacovoni had a new role invented for her! And Career Clarity coach Kate Solis Silva has had it happen, too. In fact, for Kate, almost every single opportunity she’s had throughout her career has been custom tailored (or created from scratch) for her. She talks about how that happened on this week’s episode of The Career Clarity Show

Me? I’ve had it happen myself: an informational conversation with a prospective hiring manager started with her saying “We’re not hiring right now, but I’m happy to share information about our team” …and ended 45 minutes later with her saying, “Sit tight and give us a few days to pull together an offer for you.” 

 

 

Would you love to have a role custom created for you? (Who wouldn’t?!) Follow these 6 tips to make it happen.

  1. Believe in possibility outside of job search sites.

Kate says, “There’s not just one way to move forward in your career change—and there are a lot of ways to approach your search.” 

That means expanding your search beyond the computer. (I know, I know…getting out from behind your monitor isn’t what you wanted to hear today.) But don’t trust me—trust the research: the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that, in the U.S. alone, 70% of available jobs are never even posted publicly online. While that might sound frustrating or hopeless, it’s actually good news. It means there are lots of jobs out there that are invisible to the naked eye, but still 100% exist. (Not *quite* like a unicorn or Bigfoot, but close.) 

Don’t limit your opportunities to only the jobs you see online. By taking action IRL and meeting with people doing interesting things in person, you’ll get great insider information about where potential and upcoming growth may be. Shanna, Nicole, Kate, and I would have never had jobs created for us if we hadn’t gotten out from behind our computers and spoken to people with authority and influence in person. 

2. Approach conversations from a place of servicenot of expectation.

One reason people tend to get skittish about having informational conversations is that they don’t know if there’s actually a job available. So why bother, right?

Here’s a revolutionary thought: if you’re truly focused on connecting and gathering information, the visible presence of a current job opening wouldn’t matter. What matters is creating value or helping the person you’re speaking with to achieve a transformation…no matter how small. 

That doesn’t mean that an informational conversation is less scaryfocusing on being of service (instead of expecting anything in return) is hard work! 

So how can you make informational interviews more fun? Pretend like you’re a consultant asking questions to understand the biggest challenges they’re facing. Or treat the interview like you’re already on the team and working together, and approach the conversation with a different kind of energy. (Like, you’re *already* the person in charge of fixing things.) In the world of sales, this kind of approach is called the “assumptive close,” where you’re already assuming you’re working together and talking through the next steps to help them solve their problems instead of focusing on the question of whether they want you to solve them. So clever, and effective! 

3. Tune in to where you see an opportunity and plant the seed.

Let your curiosity and sense of wonder lead you through your exploratory conversations. (Don’t worry, curiosity only kills the cat in an allegorical sense.)  

Let’s say the other person mentions that they desperately need to teach their team better time management. (Although, if you’ve been following Career Clarity for a while, you know we actually believe in *energy* management before time management.) Time management is a need they’re expressing…and an opportunity for you to plant a seed with them. Like: “Have you discovered The Pomodoro Method?” “Does your team have Scrums to check-in and focus their work time?” 

Maybe they say yes. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation.  You can keep the discussion flowing and get curious, trying to figure out why those things aren’t working as well as they want. But if they haven’t heard of Pomodoros or work sprints yet, you now have an opportunity show off your knowledge AND to follow up afterward with an email containing a helpful article, video, or program. In the moment, ask follow-up questions as they present themselves. 

The more organically you can find ways to extend the conversation beyond those precious 30 minutes over coffee, the easier it will be to continue an authentic connection (instead of feeling like you have to weirdly force it in an awkward “just checking in” email 6 weeks from now). Pay attention to anything you wish you had more time to talk about in person and share resources on it via email. The topics that grab your attention will give you and your interviewee insight into your magnetic interests and the kinds of problems you enjoy helping people solve–or want to start helping with, making it easier for them to envision you in a role.

4. Be patient…it’s a process. 

If you’ve done a handful of informational interviews, you might notice the most frustrating thing about them is that they don’t usually turn into an immediate job lead. That’s okay. (Shanna and I were kindof an exception!) We call it seed planting for a reasonthese conversations need time, water, and sunlight to germinate into the beautiful sprouts of possible job opportunities. 

Like Kate says, “If it’s meant to work, it’s going to work. Flow, not force, and let things unfold.” 

If you’re feeling antsy about the waiting process, call on people in your support network. Tell them how anxious you are and how restless you’re feeling. Ask them for ideas, encouragement, or funny cat memes to distract you and get you outta your head. 

Remember: in job hunting, priorities require patience.

5. Be open to how it takes shape.

If you’ve won someone over and they want to bring you onboard at their company, sometimes they’ll excitedly pitch you about an opportunity that isn’t actually a great fit for your strengths, personality, interests, and lifestyle needs

It’ll happen because you’re awesome and they want to snap you up. (Yay!) But know that you can be honored by that offer…and be super clear in your gut that the job is the wrong fit for you.

Career Clarity alum Kayla knows this feeling well. During her career transition, she got multiple job offers that  she realized were playing into her old capabilities instead of her new, inspiring direction. Having to say “no” to a job offer in hand was incredibly scary, but it enabled and empowered Kayla to claim what she *actually* wanted when she finally got a fabulous fit offer from an ed tech startup.

If you’re not good at something, it’s not an area of interest, and someone could do it better, leave that job for someone else. No shame. You’re allowing the employer to find the person that can say “HELL YES” to that job…and believing in your ability to create your own “HELL YES” kind of opportunity, too. 

Stop worrying that this is the only job for you. That thought comes from black-and-white perfectionistic thinking that’s rooted in fear. In 99% of cases, there’s no ONE job that’s going to be everything you need, so releasing yourself from that all-or-nothing thinking can create so much spaciousness, possibility, and creative energy.   

6. Remember, believe, and trust that it’s worth it!

The trust and belief that it takes to say “no” to anything that’s not a “HELL YES” is hard, but SO, so worth it. 

Shanna had no idea that her information-gathering conversations would result in a custom role for her. Honestly, I’d never seen an organization so willing to upgrade a role to a higher title (and give it a $20K pay bump, to boot) in less than 20 minutes before myself.

Shanna, Kate, Nicole, Kayla, and I are all examples that, if you trust the process and continually put yourself out there strategically, incredible opportunities present themselves. 

As Kate would say, #dontsettle!

P.S. Want to see the person I mentioned on the podcast who went from accountant to a $300K/year online influencer and baking star? 

Want to learn more about our strategic framework for successful career change? Download The Roadmap to Career Fulfillment ebook right here!

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About the Author Lisa Lewis

Lisa is a career change coach helping individuals feeling stuck to find work that fits. She helps people clarify who they are, what they want most, and what a great job for them looks like so they can make their transition as easily as possible. Lisa completed coaching training in Jenny Blake’s Pivot Method, Danielle LaPorte’s Fire Starter Sessions, Kate Swoboda's Courageous Living Coaching Certification, and the World Coaches Institute. In addition to that, she apprenticed with the top career coaches in the country so she can do the best possible work with — and for — you. She's helped more than 500 individuals move into more fulfilling, yummy careers and would be honored to get to serve you next!

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