The following article was written by our dear friend and co-founder of SOLO, Ryan Burch.
Formerly an event producer for an experiential marketing agency, Ryan spent two years producing nationwide event programs for brands such as Red Bull, Teva and Converse. After realizing that the stress of her job was consuming her life, she decided to quit, take a step back, and do some soul-searching in order to redefine her dream career.
Ryan began writing about her career transition for Career Contessa, which led to published articles on Refinery29, Simply Stylist, LevoLeague and WeWork. Soon after, she won a writing contest to contribute to Kaitlynn Carter’s blog, “The Western Wild,” which helped jump-start her own blog, SOLO (SheOnlyLivesOnce.com).
Ryan has learned a lot in this last year about effective job searching strategies, and she’s breaking them down step by step, in this special DTS post!
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“Steps to Finding Your Dream Career”
by Ryan Elizabeth Burch
I’ve written a lot about my decision to leave my “dream job” last year, and the ups and downs I’ve gone through as a result of taking that risky leap of faith. But what’s more important to me (rather than just retelling my story over and over) is to help others who feel trapped in the wrong job find their own way out!
That’s why I’ll be focusing this post on the specific steps I took to discover my “purpose” and redirect my life after quitting my salaried job without a back up plan.
My hope is that you’ll heed this advice if ever considering leaving your job, starting a venture of your own, or if you’re simply in need of a little soul-searching …
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Step 1: Destress
After walking away from the experiential marketing world, I was ready to enjoy my newfound “funemployment,” and relax after years of pent up anxiety and stress. I slept in late, spent my days at the beach, visited friends in San Diego, and went wine tasting in Santa Barbara (I’d saved up some money to be able to do this). It was EXACTLY what I needed to reset and refresh before approaching the job search head on.
If you are able to, I highly recommend saving some money and enjoying your time off for at least 2 weeks before beginning the job search, and giving yourself at least a month off before jumping into a completely new career.
When you leave a job, your mind and soul need time to reflect, process the change, and decompress from your stress. This will help you keep a level head as you embark on the job-searching journey.
Step 2a: Explore alternate career paths
I quit my job with seriously no idea what I wanted to do next, but with very strong feelings about what I never wanted to do again. Since I’d only ever worked in event marketing and hospitality, I wanted to understand what the day-to-day of other jobs were like, and to hear from experienced professionals who were comfortable telling me about the pros and cons of their career.
So before applying to any jobs, I made a list of my best attributes, and narrowed down my top career interests to health/fitness, entertainment, media, tech and brand marketing. (Note: I had no interest in pursuing a career in writing at this time). Next, I reached out to friends and family, and used LinkedIn to set meetings with professionals working at prestigious companies in those fields.
Over the first two months of my unemployment, I was going on about 2-3 informational interviews per week. During these meetings, I’d ask questions like:
- “What sort of tasks do you work on day to day?”
- “Can you explain what an entry level job would be like at your company?”
- “What is your favorite part about your job?”
- “What is the most challenging part about your job?”
- “What skills are most valuable in this industry?”
- “What are some of the perks or benefits of this job?”
- “What sort of personality seems to thrive in this environment?”
You should also make sure to tell your interviewee about your career experiences, skills and interests, so that they can suggest specific positions that would be a good fit for you within their industry, and also help you make connections down the line.
From these meetings, I realized that working for a tech company wasn’t the best match for my personality, that my interests in health and fitness were more of a “passion” than a career path, and that entertainment would be way too competitive for me. I was also told that I should begin writing about my career experiences—which led to the launch of my writing career!
Step 2b: Reconnect with your passions
(This step should happen simultaneously with step 2a)
Another reason I decided to quit my job was to reconnect with interests and activities that I’d abandoned over the years.
I’d always loved to sing, dance, write and challenge myself to new activities—but I’d become so wrapped up in my work life (and traveling for work), that the only “activities” I made time for were nights-out drinking with friends. So as soon as I quit, I started journaling, trying new recipes, networking, training for a ½ marathon—and I even recorded a couple songs with a friend!
Getting back in touch with my passions made me feel empowered and alive. It also helped me make new connections, gave me great writing material, and led to the creation of SOLO: a blog I started with my friend Erica to help women find balance and fulfillment in their personal & professional lives (which has become my “purpose”).
What I’m suggesting here (whether or not you are planning on quitting your job) is to think about everything you love—whether it be sports, music, art, dance, cooking or entertainment—and find a way to get out and explore that passion in a creative way every week! This is a great way to identify your own “purpose”—which is often the driving force behind a meaningful and satisfying career.
STEP 3: Narrow your job search
You may have noticed that I haven’t yet talked about the process of actually applying for jobs, and that’s because steps 1-2 need to happen first.
The goal isn’t to leave your job just to fall into another job you hate. Instead, you need to take charge of the job search, and narrow down your interests to a few specific companies and fields that you’re SUPER psyched about (which is the point of those informational interviews in step 2a).
If a company is asking for a cover letter, make sure that you can describe (giving examples and reasons), exactly why you’re the ideal fit for the gig, and why you’re so crazy about working for them. If you can’t do that—it’s likely not the best job for you.
When I was applying to jobs, I rarely applied to positions on job boards. Instead, I zeroed in on companies and industries that I was excited about, found people that worked for those companies on LinkedIn (or figured out who our mutual friends were) and figured out a way to introduce myself. Once they heard my story and understood my passion for the company, they were often willing to pass my application on to HR (which is the fastest way to get an interview).
STEP 4: Be choosy
Throughout my job search, I had a lot of interviews—but remained adamant that I would take my time to find the ideal “next step.”
(Keep in mind that there are plenty of ways to make short-term money until you find a job that’s the right fit for you! Refer to the end of this post for helpful resources).
After turning down job offers for well paying, salaried positions, I started getting judgmental comments from people who didn’t seem to understand my career decisions (which led to this article, picked up by Refinery 29!). Instead of pursuing a “real job,” I was working serving, bartending, and brand ambassador jobs, so that I could cover my bottom line bills, while still having enough time to write and build SOLO.
If you’ve found yourself on a similar path, and deciding between doing what’s expected of you and finding your calling, I suggest tuning out those backseat drivers and continuing to go your own way. It may mean dealing with uncertainty and some emotional ups and downs—but these are the short-term sacrifices necessary for long-term rewards!
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After about a year of hustling and taking odd jobs, I’m happy to share that my decision to wait for the “ideal next step” paid off. One of the women I’d met during an informational interview reached out to me five months later, with a business development opportunity at Urban Palate (a boutique catering company based in downtown Los Angeles).
I’m now six months into the gig, and I love it! I have a flexible schedule, and I’m getting to meet interesting people and work in beautiful venues all around L.A. Although I certainly still have stressful weeks (who doesn’t?), I’m thrilled to have a consistent paycheck, while also being able to push my creative projects forward and inch closer to my dreams!
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The moral of the story?
If you’re feeling unhappy, unfulfilled or anxious in your job, YOU have the power to change that! When you’re ready to take that leap of faith, use the job search as an opportunity to soul search. Find out what drives you and what excites you, and you’ll figure out how to make your mark in this world.
(( Here are some additional resources to help you find work during any career transition )):
- 24 Seven Talent: recruiting / staffing agency offering short term and long term career opportunities
- Atn Promo: promotional staffing agency for events happening around the U.S. (there are many agencies like this, just search for ones in your area)
- Creative Circle: specialized staffing agency hiring advertising, marketing, creative positions
- Attack: Staffing agency for experiential marketing campaigns
- UpWork: Hub for online freelance job opportunities
- Rover: Get paid to babysit dogs!
- PedestrianTV: Really great job site filled with creative positions (Aus)
- The Loop: Boost your portfolio or checkout unique job posts (Aus)
- OneShift: Create a profile and get matched with different job opportunities (Aus)
- Temp agencies: find temp agencies in your area to find short term opportunities that can lead into full time work
- Catering companies: reach out to catering companies in your area to find out about event serving gigs
- Uber/ Lyft: a great short-term solution for money (ladies: avoid driving late night!)
- Airbnb Have a spare room? Put it on Airbnb. It’s an easy way to have an income coming in, while sticking to your normal daily routine.
All photos were provided by She Only Lives Once.
