Chicken or Egg? The Job Seeker’s Dilemma

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Hard to tell sometimes, isn’t it? We know both make a great meal.

Joan (a real person but not her real name) left the workforce to raise her son ten years ago after a successful career as a product designer working for big name design houses in NYC. While at home she volunteered on boards, started her own art gallery and painted. Her son thrived.

Now that her son is about to start middle school, Joan wants to return to work. She has big money worries. She is looking years ahead at her son’s college education and her own retirement.

Now comes the part about dinner.

Joan worries about stability and the ability to earn enough to live and save for her future. She wants a stable employer where she can stay for many years.

She sent out her resume in response to some job openings at some stable, growing companies in town but never heard anything. The jobs are not related to the work she has done before. She is looking so hard at stability that she thinks she can do any job, even start as a receptionist, just to get into a stable company.

She tried to network into those companies with a social connection from her board position but got no response. She is very frustrated. She sees no way to get what she needs.

So what comes first the chicken or the egg? Does Joan find a stable company and figure out a job she can do there (the chicken)? Or does she figure out the job she wants to do then find a stable company where she can do it (the egg)?

What would you do? What do you think Joan should do?

I am really interested in your point of view. Send me an email or reply to this blog so we can get a good conversation going.

In our next blog I will share what I think and outline a plan of attack for Joan that gets her what she wants – an interesting job in a stable company.