Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Cutbacks in the design field have left many feeling nervous about their job security and wondering if this is a bad time to consider leaving a job that, as Marie Kondo would say, “doesn’t spark joy.” Headlines about an uncertain economy have led people to believe that if they don’t hold onto their current job, they’ll be cut loose in a shrinking labor market. Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Google, Amazon, Dell, and Microsoft have all announced reductions. Who wouldn’t be worried about making a change?
Yes, for many it will be tough – design seems to be a low business priority in 2023. Even in the best economy, design professionals can have a hard time finding their way and most designers wouldn’t think of leaving the field. They love what they do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else!
If you’re ready for your next move, don’t be defeated by stories of layoffs. Although the labor market is cooling somewhat, the fact is we’re still in the middle of a “war for talent,” an enormously competitive landscape for recruiting and retaining top people. The secret is, plotting out your career path for success is a long game. It requires understanding how to balance out what’s right for you and your space in the world.
In the last Yeh IDeology newsletter, I briefly referenced a job seeker I worked with named Todd, who desperately needed to escape a toxic work environment. In this blog, I’d like to explore Todd’s story more closely, to help both design professionals and companies better comprehend what’s going on in the design employment market in 2023.
Todd Was in Trouble
A senior-level industrial designer named Todd saw his job go sour. Todd and his family had a great quality of life in Canada, but he was growing increasingly anxious and sad due to a toxic work environment. He was underemployed, underappreciated, and underpaid. His days at work were miserable and at night he sat at his computer applying for every job he saw. As anyone who has ever felt this way will understand, it’s the kind of despair that makes it impossible to feel that life will ever get any better.
Todd didn’t want to uproot his wife and sons, but he wasn’t getting any quality responses to his many applications. He and his wife finally made the decision that he had to leave his job for the good of his health and the well-being of their family. Todd was doubting himself and wondering whether he even had what it takes to stay in the industry. Something had to give, and the only possible pivot he saw was to start looking for work in the U.S.
Fortunately, that was when a friend told Todd to reach out to me and apply to the Thrive By Design program.
Evaluation
When you work with Thrive By Design, finding a job is not just about cleaning up your resume, fixing your portfolio, making connections or interviewing endlessly. We teach you to understand how to qualify. The evaluation phase of the Thrive By Design program addresses what your gifts are, how your expertise is evolving and what will resonate with you as you grow. We get to the core determination of:
Your creative growth
Your professional growth
Your compensation
Or, as I sometimes say, “Your profession, your passion and your profit.”
When I met with Todd, the first phase of the program was conducting a careful review of his expertise and helping him codify what I call his “unique talent algorithm (UTA).” Once he understood his UTA, Todd was able to identify new types of growth opportunities that were worthy of his expertise, expanding his search in a way he hadn’t thought possible. Some of these opportunities were right there in front of him – but he had not been equipped to distinguish them.
Learning to Communicate Value
Through the Thrive By Design program, Todd learned how to communicate his unique gifts to business. It’s not easy! Designers are incredibly bright problem solvers, but many are not able to convey to interviewers the ROI for companies that invest in the right design talent. People in creative roles tend to be more complex, more multidisciplinary and multifaceted than most. No matter that they are highly capable, sometimes HR isn’t sure how to best apply their talents.
Because many hiring professionals just don’t know how to make sense of, or properly value, creative talent, it was up to Todd to teach his interviewer that the right designer makes an impact far beyond the design department. Designers see potential new efficiencies, new markets, improvement to structure, how to get the best results from materials and processes decisions, and a lot more. Understanding and being able to communicate the value of your own expertise is empowering.
Planning the Next Move
We had to make sure Todd’s next move was a strategic one. On the career path of design strategy and innovation, it’s important to be able to strategically pivot to curate the body of knowledge you have accrued. Think of it like a game of chess: you can keep making moves, but you want to know all of your possible moves before you commit to one. You want to make moves that open up more possibilities rather than closing doors. I was able to keep Todd from taking a job that might turn into a dead end or another toxic workplace. He needed a position with upward mobility and a work environment that matched his personality and capabilities. And understandably, he wanted compensation that reflected his expertise and his value. Guidance on the art of negotiation is another phase of the Thrive By Design program.
Todd – Where Is He Now?
The answer to this will surprise you. Not only was Todd able to stay in his country of choice, but he was also able to find his dream job only two miles from his old office! Todd had the right stuff, but like most designers, he needed guidance to optimize his career. His salary has doubled, and his employers consider it a win/win because they had a hard time finding the right person. Todd’s expertise brings the exact type of value and impact the company needed, and that was worth every penny. Todd’s family is thrilled, and he can’t wait to get to work in the morning. Among the most important lessons Todd took away from this experience is that in the design field it takes outside intervention to truly reflect and understand the career path ahead.
Todd is just one example of how the pandemic changed us as a workforce. Working from home or being downsized gave us a chance to reflect on wage stagnation amid rising cost of living, limited opportunities for career advancement, toxic work environments, lousy benefits, inflexible remote-work policies and lingering job dissatisfaction. Companies are no longer in competition with other companies for the best employees; they are in competition with quality of life.
A new Thrive By Design program starts up every few months – one begins soon. It would be an honor to show you how to own the distinction of your expertise and empower you to reach your dreams.
Send me a message – I am confident that I can make a difference for you.