There's no way to talk about career change without acknowledging power dynamics.

As a job seeker, you invest a ton of time and energy writing, reviewing, and curating beautiful emails to send to employers. 

They spend just a few seconds (if that), reviewing the application that you've poured your heart and soul into...

And then, they may or may not bother to follow up with you. 

So when people reach out to me feeling totally burned out on the job hunt, one of the weirdest points of advice I always give is to try less hard. I'm guessing you're an A student. Aim for Cs as you're applying and save your A+ work for the interviews.

I'm sure lots of people will disagree and I often come up against resistance but there are 3 specific actions you can take to improve your well-being during career change:

1. Automate your search

🌟 Get job lists delivered to your inbox. My favorites include The Bloom and WordSpark Social Impact Job Board, both of which are great about including salary ranges. PCDN Global is another good one for social impact jobs.

📬 Set alerts for roles that meet your criteria - go hard on filters. I recommend using Linkedin's jobs and turning on job alerts. Of course, you can also use Idealist and the big names.

2. Use plug-and-play spreadsheets for your resume and cover letter

🧭 I love a T-shaped cover letter. It recognizes the reality of how cover letters are reviewed (fast and skimmed) and makes applicants' lives way easier. Here's some guidance from Indeed on how to make one.

♽ I'm guessing you've applied to at least a few jobs! If so, grab those resumes and cover letters and start a spreadsheet with 2 columns: Requirements from jobs you've applied to and my qualifications. Copy and paste these in side by side and you're ready to make your next application 10x easier already.

3. Prioritize networking - your way.

⚖️ How would you estimate your split between cold applications and meaningful relationship building? I recommend a 70/30 split with 70% of your job search time spent on relationship building. 

🫧 But I also know networking is something a LOT of people dread. Find out how to create your own signature networking approach and focus on what will give you energy. Here's a recording of the Joyful Networking with Ease training you can follow ($25).

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🗝 As a bonus, make sure you build in time spent doing things that support your well-being each week - whether that's taking walks in nature, meditating, playing music, or making art. Whatever fills your cup needs to be high-priority when you're in transition.

I'm going to be offering a monthly virtual community space for social impact professionals to support your well-being with mindfulness and group coaching. You can join the waitlist for the Trouble-Maker CommuniTEA to learn when it launches.

How do you try less hard in the job search process? What advice would you add?

You've got this.

Julia