Reflections on the 2023 job market
Note: This was crossposted to my substack newsletter, #hiringfriday. Subscribe for updates.
The last few months have been an interesting time to be doing a job search. I started looking at the end of Q1, transitioned out of my last role in May, accepted a role in mid-July, and am now enjoying an actual vacation before I start next week. More to come on my new adventure soon, but I wanted to share three of my lessons learned from this job search today. I’ll caveat all of these by saying that I was doing a senior-level job search with some flexibility to find the right thing. I realize that these circumstances are a privilege.
Don’t take the macro environment personally
It is wacky out there. While I do think things have picked up a little bit for funded start-ups, this is not the job market of 2020 or 2021. There are many more qualified candidates, and employers are taking their time. Unfortunately, this results in longer searches and what I would characterize as bad behavior towards candidates - auto rejections, ghost job posting, disappearing recruiters. You cannot take it personally - it is not about you, and it is happening to anyone on the job market right now. The silver lining to some extent (I hope) is that there is far less stigma about being out of work right now.
But do make your job search personal
One side effect of this saturated market is amplifying the reliance on connection when it comes to hiring. If you do have connections into the digital health world, use them. Warm intros are still, for better or for worse, driving many hiring decisions. And if you don’t have connections, take the initiative to find ways in. Joining a group like HTN’s slack channel, reading other newsletters like Going Digital, Out of Pocket or Halle Tecco’s, and following digital health influencers can help. And don’t discount sending cold messages - but if you do, don’t use LinkedIn’s canned suggestions or ChatGPT. Any outreach should make it clear why they should talk to you - otherwise it can backfire.
And find the right ways to support yourself
Six weeks into my job search, both my supportive husband and no-BS therapist read me the riot act. I was keeping myself too busy, and in danger of burnout before I started something new. I had to start prioritizing what I was doing, and make time for things that kept me balanced. For me, that meant exercise, going to the pool with my kids, and reading (highly recommend Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Ink Blood Sister Scribe). It also meant finding other people in the same situation. One of my best friends who was also job seeking became a de facto coworker. We called each other every day to chat about everything from the news to our searches. This is going to look different for everyone, and depend on your other obligations. But work is only one part of who we are, and this process is long, so make time for other things that matter.
And a bonus lesson for folks with more experience or specific skills
It’s hard to search for full time and consulting roles at the same time
I was able to pick up some part-time consulting during this period. I did consider doing consulting for a longer period of time, especially as I waited for the market to stabilize. One of things I observed is that it’s a different process and pitch for a full time role versus fractional or consulting. If the latter is something you are thinking about, it’s worth considering it a separate search.
If you are also searching, good luck!