23 Career Advancement so, than skill level. Hundreds have the same and better skill levels as I do. You can also tell a lot about an organization by the job posting. Such as the listing of responsibilities. Are there too many to be realistic? Do they make sense? Do they list the salary range? And are they specific about the hybrid expectations. It helped me not waste time applying even though the opportunity sounded interesting. I did apply to a few that did not specify, but I had to have really been intrigued by the job description or the organization. Q: At any point, did you question whether you wanted to stay in the association industry? What led you to make that decision? Not really. Occasionally, I would explore a listing on LinkedIn for a corporate position—the salaries were often enticing —but most of the ones I found tended to be more focused on marketing or sales events, or galas and parties. I’m not really interested in those areas of planning. I also just don’t think that after spending my whole career in the association and non-profit culture that I would be a good fit in a corporate setting. Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced when deciding between working from home, in an office, or a hybrid environment? Finding the opportunities for remote and hybrid was probably the biggest challenge. And it wasn’t until the last few months of my search that I actively searched for hybrid. Eventually, the challenge would have been getting a job or not, but I seriously doubt that if I had needed to take a fully in-office position that I would have stayed long term. Commuting in DC on a daily basis is exhausting and I know from experience that eventually my life outside of work suffers because I cancel things due to being exhausted or there were delays and I was late getting home, etc. Q: Can you share any advice for association professionals currently seeking a job that aligns with their long-term goals and values? Try hard not to get discouraged, or, really, to give in to those feelings. Keep going, the right fit will find you. Have a solid list of must haves and things you are willing to negotiate (with yourself) on. For me it was exploring hybrid, but I did stick to places that had a two-day in office rather than three. Search in multiple places. In addition to ASAE, I also used idealist.org which has a broader range of non-profit organizations and there was not a lot of cross over. There was a good amount of cross over with PCMA (for meeting planning). While I did find a few good opportunities on LinkedIn and Indeed, there were very few association listings. Also, vary your search filters. Even if you are already in a particular niche—like meeting planning— you can often find good opportunities when searching in education, or program management, that did not have the meeting planning tag. It can be tough, especially when you are unemployed during your search, to become discouraged and just start applying to everything you see and in some cases that may be the right thing to do. But try to take a step back and keep positive thoughts front and center. I truly believe that we get back what we put out into the world. For example, I was talking and getting support from some friends and joking that I was the “queen of interviews” because I was getting a good number of invitations for interviews, but they were not resulting in job offers. A friend suggested to change my words and be the “queen of job offers.” And it worked. I felt better and more positive in my interviews and eventually I got the job I was meant to have. Some practical notes: Track your applications. I had done this in the past and didn’t really do it this time and it would have helped—a spreadsheet with date, title, org, where you found the listing, etc. And make a copy of the job description. It really helps when you get that call or email for an interview and the posting has been taken down. Q: Were there any particular questions you asked yourself during this process that helped clarify what you wanted from your next role? How hard do I really want to work was a big one. I am Gen X and have always felt pushed towards the “hustle” culture. I was lucky enough to work in organizations that I truly loved the mission and didn’t feel like I was overworking. But that is not where I am anymore. I want to do good work and put forth a great effort for my organization, but I am going to be very watchful in avoiding burnout and keep that balance. Q: Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently during your job search? My first instinct was to say, started earlier, but really, I started when I was truly ready to let go of the plans I had made four years ago and acknowledge that that is not where I am anymore. I have changed and my goals are different now. Q: Were there resources that helped you? If so, what were they? Nothing specific other than friends listening to my frustrations and helping me clarify my goals and stick to what I really wanted out of my next job. Q: What final piece of advice would you offer to association professionals who are facing difficult decisions in their career paths? Remember that whatever you are choosing to do now does not have to be forever. It can be for just right now and for however long it continues to align with who you are a what you want. You can decide later that you want something else. And it is OK to not know exactly what you want, if you see an interesting opportunity, go for it, you don’t have to take it if it turns out it’s not right. And remove the word “should” from your vocabulary. There is no “should” there is want, need, and will.
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