I did WHAT at my interview? 😱

As I recently announced, I've got a new job! This is the second career change I've made since starting this newsletter, which means putting Career River principles into practice. And this time, those led me to:

1. Leave money on the table
2. Move "down" on the org chart
3. Tell my prospective new boss what I didn't want to do

Does this sound horrifying? Don't worry. There's a hidden logic at work here.

Assess, Invest, Align

This particular situation was one I'd never been in before – my current company was being acquired. As part of the transition, I was invited to meet with the new company's leaders to discuss a contractor job there. This wasn't a definite job for me. Essentially, I had made it to the interview round for a new role.

I did all the typical interview prep, and I added one more element: My list of must-haves and nice-to-haves for a new job.

If you've ever been house or apartment hunting, you've probably made one of these. It's a great exercise for job hunting, too, because it forces you to consider the difference between what you truly need from a new role vs. what you simply would like to get.

My "musts" included:

• Pay floor (how much my family needs to meet obligations)
• Book-writing time
• Work that fuels me more than drains me

In the "nice to have" column I parked items such as a pay increase, remaining at the executive level, and additional benefit options (like dependent care expenses or professional development).

I didn't barrel into the conversation waving a list of demands. But I did listen closely for whether the job, in general, contained the type of work that charges my batteries more than draining them. I asked about what hole they wanted this role to fill, and then shared where I felt I could best offer my unique value. And when the conversation took a natural turn into roles and responsibilities, I told my possible new boss what I didn't want to do (it's fundraising, I thrive on the execution side of making dreams reality). I assessed whether this job fit what I wanted to do, and did my best to give them the information they needed to evaluate my fit for the role.

When we moved into the agreement stage, my other "musts" came into play. I asked for a 90% time contract so I could have a half day each week for Sacred Book Writing Time. They included an 80% option, but looking at my pay floor, that wasn't going to work. I could afford to invest in my book project at the 90% level. And as you can tell, their willingness to work with me showed I'd lucked out with finding a humane hiring manager.

We reached the point where I had clarity on what they were offering and how well it fit what I was looking for. Did I get every single item on my "nice-to-have" list? No. But when I was asked, "Do you mind moving from executive to director level again?" I could honestly answer that was fine. I aligned what I most needed with what they could offer.

Looked at this way, my transition allowed me to meet my needs at this moment. I:

1. Left money on the table to invest in my goals
2. Moved "down" on the org chart to focus on what fuels me
3. Told my prospective new boss what I didn't want to do to assess the fit

Clarity is kindness. Being clear with yourself about what you really want in your career can lead to some decisions that may look strange from an outsider's perspective. But if the internal logic works for you, then those are the choices worth making, and the chances worth taking.

Happy navigating,
Bridget