The Search Before the Job Search
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Dear Readers,
I reach for the familiar.
While building EverMore this year, I've done a lot of soul-searching in the course of testing our product. It's uncovered a pattern. When something feels scary in my career, I run back to what's familiar, even if it's not what I want.
This my third deviation from the career ladder. The first two times I ran back to my culture career. I didn't want to be outpaced, out-earned, or out of sight, out of mind.
Understanding the fear pattern didn't fix it, but I now have more reverence for it and distance from it. If you listen to the podcast, you'll know that I sat down with my fear and named her, Felicia.
Keeping Felicia at bay will be a forever journey. So, if and when I question my path again, I wanted to be ready, which led to the following conversation starters.
These prompts can help you use EverMore or start meaningful convos with a mentor or close friend to stay connected to yourself throughout the job search process.
EverMore was designed to help people reconnect with their strengths, patterns, motivations, and direction so career decisions aren’t made from panic alone.
In Your Job Search
Job searches can quickly become focused on applications, networking, and interview preparation. Those things matter, but they work best when they're grounded in a clear understanding of you and the kind of work you're actually looking for.
Conversation Starters
What kinds of roles, teams, or companies seem aligned with my energy and motivations?
What strengths, patterns, or themes do you consistently see across my experience?
Here’s a job description. Where does my experience align naturally, and where might I be forcing a fit?
Can you help me articulate my career story in a way that feels cohesive and honest?
How do I reach out to my network and ask for help without it feeling awkward?
Am I reaching for what feels familiar instead of what actually feels aligned?
After a Layoff
Layoffs can shake more than financial stability. They can disrupt confidence, identity, momentum, and our ability to clearly evaluate what comes next.
In moments of uncertainty, it's natural for urgency, stability, or validation to become the focus. The challenge is that those needs can pull us away from the roles, environments, and opportunities where we'd actually thrive long term.
Conversation Starters
As I apply and interview, what should I avoid settling for?
Where might fear or scarcity be shaping my decision-making right now?
What parts of my confidence seem tied to external validation?
What accomplishments or qualities am I minimizing right now?
How do I talk about my layoff in interviews without carrying shame around it?
I have a job offer. Can you help me weigh whether I’m pursuing this role because I actually want it, or because it feels safe, familiar, and validating right now?
You don't have to work through these questions alone—share them with your EverMore coach, mentor, or close friend to uncover insights, patterns, and possibilities.
For me, digging into my attachment with the familiar as well as where I tie my confidence to external validation meant digging into my childhood. Something as simple as should I apply to this job—became do I want this career—became how did I get here. Work shapes us, and it gives us a forum to share our talents. It was tough but fruitful to dissect that with my EverMore coach, Daisy. I hope these give you a framework for doing the inner search before the job search.
xoxo,
Courtney
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