Welcome back to Lunch Break, a weekly newsletter + modern guide to a meaningful career from career coach Janel Abrahami. Brought to you by Pivot With Purpose career coaching program.
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The last week of the month means⌠Career Therapy is in session! This monthly series is dedicated to answering your burning career questions- from coworker drama to culture battles to the everyday existential crises. Nothingâs off-limits!
⨠âHow do you know if youâre a chronic job hopper or just not in the right role yet?â -Jordana
I actually donât think this is a one-or-the-other scenario. Instead, youâre likely to hop from one job to the next when you donât know what the right role for you is!
Hereâs a tangible approach that I teach in Pivot With Purpose: clarify where your transferable experience + your passion areas + your environmental preferences intersect in the job market. These three factors make the biggest difference in your daily work experience, and satisfying most of them will lead you on a career path you donât want to hop away from.
⨠âI've been working at an early-stage startup for about 2 years and recently, I am increasingly worried that this company won't exist in the next 12 months. How do I make the most of working for a failing startup while I look for new work?â -Lavonia
OK, some perspective: this experience can be beneficial for two big reasons.
First, now you know how to spot the signs of a failing organization and either raise concerns or avoid that environment in the future. Second, now you have more information about what youâre not looking for in your next role or company. Be sure to reflect on these and come back to your insights during your job search. This data will be valuable to avoid falling into another incompatible job (see question above).
While youâre still there:
Look at this like a business school case study: Pinpoint the cause(s) of the companyâs downturn and keep a record of specific scenarios you would have handled differently if you couldâve (excellent interview talking points)
Foster deeper connections with peers you trust and keep those bridges in tact when you leave
Take the opportunity to mentor junior colleagues and keep those connections strong, too, in case they are out of a job soon and you can recruit them onto your new teamÂ
⨠âDo you really have more freedom as an entrepreneur versus keeping a corporate job?â -Dave
Oofâ it definitely depends on how you define âfreedom.â
I have the most intellectual freedom, more freedom in whom I work and collaborate with, and maybe a little too much processural freedom (I can build my business any way I want, so I can experience analysis paralysis).Â
In other ways, though, I feel as though I have slightly less freedom than I would in a mid-level corporate job.
Example: taking time off.
As my own boss, youâd think Iâd have a lot more freedom around choosing when I take a vacation. And while I can technically choose anytime I want, thereâs a lot more at stake when I turn off my wifi now than when I simply told my manager I was taking PTO. If I want my business to run smoothly during my time off, I have to plan a lot further in advance to (eg. not checking in with clients or creating content), because the bucks stops with me.
Are you a corporate leader (manager+) curious about what an entrepreneurial career could look like for you? Send me a note at hello@janelabrahami.com â Iâd love to hear what youâre thinking about and offer guidance!Â
Janel Abrahami, Career Coach
đ˛ Screenshot & share your favorite part of this issue and tag @janelabrahami  Â
đ ICYMI
The Q1 Hiring Wave is in full-swing (yes, it starts earlier than January), and Iâm offering a FREE MONTH of coaching in Pivot With Purpose to give you a head start! This is only valid for those who apply by tomorrow, Friday 10/28.
â CURRENT FAVESÂ
ZONE IN: LifeAt Spaces
LifeAt Spaces calls itself âan all-in-one workspace for deep work,â (think: Pomodoro timers, dashboards, and to-do lists) but I mostly love it for the huge variety of ambient noise options.
LISTEN: Speak From Your Future on the School of Self Image Podcast
Iâm not sure how I found this podcast from life coach Tonya Leigh, but Iâm sure glad I did. This episode in particular took me back to one of my favorite grounding exercises: write a letter to myself as a Future Self.
USE: Lose the Very
Thanks to my friend Marissa for sharing this tool! For most of us, thereâs no avoiding written communication at work- boost your credibility and persuasion by replacing âveryâ with a more powerful adjective. This generator does all the work for youâ so simple, so genius.
đ COOL JOB (remote-friendly + mission-based)
Title: Chief of Staff
Company: Ava Labs
Location: Brooklyn, NY (Remote)
Description: Founded by the creators of Avalanche, Ava Labs strives to digitize every asset in the world. In addition to building Avalanche and other tools to support the ecosystem, we offer expertise to ensure that all individuals and organizations can seamlessly use Avalanche and its vibrant app ecosystem.
Want to support this movement?
đ˛ Screenshot your favorite part & share on IG stories or TikTok tagging @janelabrahami
đ Forward this letter to a friend!
â If youâre feeling super generous, you can buy the team a coffee!
#takeyourlunchbreak đ