Career Resilience and Lessons Learned

My perception of LinkedIn is that it is a platform for networking, thought leadership, and celebrations. The majority of my feed are: thought leadership materials, job postings, sharing articles, celebrating completion of education or certifications, and commenting on other posts. Mixed in with this are a sprinkling of people leaving companies with a polite and celebratory farewell message and excitement about sharing new opportunities. 

There is nothing wrong with these types of posts, and I enjoy them all. I have benefited from new thoughts and ideas from my colleagues, and it allows me to express my opinions and learn more about others. I will continue to do this moving forward. 

But what about when things don't go as expected in our careers. My LinkedIn experience is that people are more likely to share the "ups" than "downs" in their careers. I have seen postings about looking for new opportunities, and LinkedIn allows the OpenForWork feature for job seekers. People may be scared to be vulnerable or share their disappointments on the platform. Those could include not getting a promotion, downsizing, being let-go or leaving on your own accord, being unemployed, and searching for work. It could be out of fear that past, current, or future employers could view their content and affect their careers. I don't believe that LinkedIn should be a platform for people to share their experiences working for a toxic employer or employees. There are other venues for this, such as Glassdoor and Fishbowl. I am not an advocate for burning professional bridges publicly; the professional world is much too small. 

Something did not go as expected recently in my career, and I am sharing so that others may learn from my experience. Last week I left a job after only being there for one month. I never thought that this would happen to me. It was a company that someone referred me to, and I felt I asked all of the right questions during the interview process and got all of the correct answers. While it was doing a role to start, there was a potential to move into a position that I truly wanted. I thought it was a good career move for several reasons. During that month, I began to immediately question my decision for reasons I will not share publicly out of respect for this employer. I shared this with my manager and HR and tried to rectify the situation. Company, culture, and careers needs vary by person, and in the long run, I knew it was not going to work for me. I decided to voluntarily leave the company and made sure to be gracious in my departure. I genuinely wish this company well in its future success. It was just not the right fit for me at this time. 

I began networking and applying for new opportunities during the last two weeks, all the while explaining to recruiters and hiring managers the reasoning for leaving an employer after one month. What I found was an understanding and acknowledgment that this happens more frequently than you think. That I did nothing wrong, and sometimes you can't predict what will occur when starting a new role, it is a leap of faith. Several people shared similar experiences with me. The entire process made me re-evaluate from the ground-up what I was looking for in a company and career. I was fortunate enough to interview for ten different opportunities in two weeks and signed an offer letter yesterday for an exciting company and role. I will share more when it is appropriate. 

It made me reflect, is this is so common, why don't you see more people being vulnerable on LinkedIn? I am sharing this story with you to assure you that this does happen, and there can be a positive result. 

Like any good program manager, I documented my lessons learned and made adjustments in my approach. 

• Create a targeted company list. I narrowed down who I wanted to work for by industry, company size, estimated revenue, valuation, and reviews. I created an online searchable database using Google Data Studio to improve my decision making process and save time. I documented my thoughts in a blog post here. 
• Ask questions and research the company. I had a prepared list of questions around company, culture, team make-up, the scope of the role, growth opportunities, teams I would be working with, and expectations. I interviewed the hiring manager to make sure it was a positive, collaborative fit. I made sure not rely solely on referrals and online reviews. 
• Brand-name companies and fancy titles don't equate to happiness. Know what makes YOU happy and look for roles that align with that. I turned down FAANG opportunities because I didn't align with what I was looking for in a company based on my targeted company list and dimensions. Don't chase the title, but instead pursue the work that you are doing and the teams you will be working with.
• Be appropriately compensated. This was extremely important to me, especially as a woman in technology with 15+ years of experience. I walked away from several opportunities and recent jobs because the pay was below market value. I know my worth and the salary band I was looking for, based on market value and experience. 
• Take your time. Don't snag the first offer that comes your way. Balance all of the items above to ensure you are making the best decision that you can. Have the confidence that you will find an opportunity. 

If this resonates with you, I will encourage you to be vulnerable and share your experience with others.

If you are looking for a new opportunity, I am happy to have confidential conversations to share more about my process and how I landed a new role in two weeks. Please send me a message or comment below and I will connect with you.

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About the Author:

Lori Schoenhard is an experienced senior IT delivery and program manager with over 15 years of experience leading high-performing global strategic programs partnering with cross-functional project teams within the SaaS space. Lori has worked with companies that span Fortune 500s to small family owned businesses leading program delivery for digital transformation, implementations, integrations, business analysis and testing, and delivery improvements efforts. Her focus and passion is in Business Operations, Program Management and Customer Success. She is the founder of Adventures of a SaaS Program Manager blog. https://saasprogrammanager.com/

Lori is a graduate of Boston University with a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems and IT Project Management. She holds several certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP), ITIL Foundations, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO).