Recklessness

Recklessness. It’s a pretty big word to use when talking about a job search. But when I’m working with a job seeker, it’s a topic that we almost always dance around.

"If I tell my supervisor that I want a raise, they’re going to know that I’m looking for a new job. Because if they don’t give me the raise, then obviously I’m going to leave the company."

Me, sipping tea: "How would you feel if your supervisor knew that you were looking for a new situation?"

"Terrible. They’d fire me right away. They wouldn’t let me put in my two weeks notice. My badge would stop working and I wouldn’t be allowed in the door."

The flow for the “reckless behavior” usually looks like the following:

"I can’t do X. If I attempt to do X, then Y is going to happen. If Y happens, it would be absolutely awful for me."

The most interesting results I’ve seen from job seekers came when they were leaning into the daring, questionable, I-don’t-see-how-that’s-going-to-end-well approaches with their job search.

These were the job seekers who messaged CEOs or created entirely new networks for themselves.

These were the job seekers who identified companies that they wanted to work for and then created posts, articles, and even videos around the problem areas that the companies existed to solve.

These job seekers made effective “bidding wars” between hiring managers, who often wanted the unique skill or niche expertise that the job seeker possessed.

I’ve even seen job seekers outright tell their managers that they were thinking about leaving their organization - and achieved astounding results.

I was in that particular “reckless” category - I woke up one morning, drove to work, and told my boss that I was deeply unhappy with my job. I told him that I needed an increase in my salary and that I was seriously thinking about going to a larger organization that could accommodate this need.

I remember everything about his reaction: his body posture, the way he turned to look at me plainly in the face, his contemplating facial expression.

"I can’t make it happen this month, but I can get the paperwork ready for the first week of June. Is that okay with you?"

"Absolutely," I told him, and then I thanked him and walked out of the office.

My coworkers, who overheard the entire conversation, were staring at me with wide eyes and shocked faces as I sat down at my cubicle.

"He actually said yes?" one coworker asked me in a fierce whisper. "Damn, girl! Can I go in there and do that next?"

The following month, my annual salary went up an extra $2,500. But I have to be completely transparent with you: when I walked into my boss’s office, I had absolutely nothing to lose. I didn’t care if he said yes or no. I wasn’t worried about him firing me on the spot. Whatever the consequences of my actions, I was ready to embrace them all. Because I needed that salary increase, I was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. And I was fully and completely prepared to dive into a job search if I couldn’t get it from my boss.

This, I believe, is the root behind what people might think of as recklessness in a job search. Having nothing to lose. Embracing whatever happens next. And being ready with the lifeboat if you just need to jump ship.

What are your thoughts on this? I’m curious to know.

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