Top Accountability Program Questions Answered

We all get by with a little help from our friends.

The simplest way for me to stay motivated is to find others to be accountable alongside. Having prompts from others forces me to get out 0f my head and take action.

That’s why we decided to launch our Accountability Program  - to help ourselves and our Crabwalk community stay motivated amongst all that’s happening in the background for each of us.

Each Friday of the program we’ve been holding Live Q&A sessions. Motivation, lack of focus, and uncertainty has come up each week, so below are tips + frameworks for how to tackle each of those feelings.

How can I get conviction about what I want next?

Many of us want to make the “right” next move, adding additional stress to the process of a job transition. Reframe this to relieve some pressure: Life is a series of chapters. The next step you take simply leads you to the next chapter. 

To help determine what that next chapter is, reflect on the current one you’re in:

• What is it about this chapter that I love? 

• That I don't love? 

• What can I change for the next chapter?

How can I stay motivated to find a new job while currently working at a demanding job?

A big, hairy open-ended goal like finding a new job on its face can be overwhelming and this super unpleasant cycle starts:

When we get overwhelmed, we get stressed, and when we’re stressed we become unmotivated. Our minds are powerful - just not always in the way we want!

To combat this cycle, break that big beast into micro goals with this framework:

Step #1: Where do I want to be in my job search 6 weeks from now?

Step #2: Fast forward 3 weeks. What would I need to have accomplished to be on track to achieve my 6-week goal??

Step #3: What do I need to do this week to put me on track for my 3-week goal?

Step #4: What’s one action I can do today to move me towards my 1-week goal?

Step #5: What will prevent me from getting step #3 done this week?

Achieving micro goals like this will keep you motivated, and propel you forward.

What if I’m having trouble achieving micro goals given competing life elements (COVID, kids, noisy house)?

Yep - even when we’ve got our to-do lists, giant cup of coffee, and 8 hours of sleep our day can still go sideways really quick.

The trick is to forgive the day and give yourself credit for what you were still able to get done (I bet it’s a lot whether it’s responding to emails, getting in that 15 minute run, or spending an extra 10 minutes with your kid). You’ll get another chance tomorrow!

If this is happening constantly, you can also plan for it and reset your expectations given what’s out of your control. Use this quick framework:

Step#1: Take 15-30 minutes to map out everything on your plate (it's worth it) Go through your list, highlight the ones you need to finish today. Create a clean to do list on a new piece of paper in order of what you'll get done. After this step, you should have a full view of everything you owe to someone else.  

Step#2: Scan your calendar and gut check time. Is it realistic? Can you realistically get your to do list done in the space you have with some buffer time for unexpected things? If not, keep reading! 

Step #3: Take 15 minutes to renegotiate - how can I make it all fit? Do I have too much to do today or too little time to do it that day? Can I take something off my calendar or make something on my calendar shorter (e.g., turn a meeting into an email)? Can I delegate tasks?

Step #4: At the end of each day, scan and reset expectations. Scan your to-do list. If you didn’t get something done that was promised (implicitly or explicitly), reset expectations with that person.

How do I find opportunities in a field I’m trying to pivot into, and therefore new to?

Finding passion in a new industry, field or role is exciting! To understand the opportunities, become an expert in this new area. Let’s say you’re looking to make a transition from the financial services industry to a fin-tech startup. Here is an example for what becoming an expert looks like:

Step #1: What do I already know about the industry? List all of the existing data points you know about the industry you want to enter into:

• I have a list of 10 fin-tech companies that are interesting to me

• I know that being a VP at JPMorgan is not the same as being a VP at a startup

Step #2: What don’t I know about the industry that I want to know?

• What does a typical startup org chart look like?

• How do my current skills translate to to jobs in fin-tech companies

• How does recruiting/hiring work?

Step #3: How can I answer these questions? I could…

• Audit what I know about the industry I’m currently in so I have something to compare it to

• Contact + ask questions to alums from my school who work at 3 of the fin-tech companies I’m interested in

Step #4: Who do I already know that could help me?

• Oh ya, my friend Alex’s friend from college works at Robinhood which I just read about in the news and seems to be growing. 

Step #5: How and when will I contact Alex?

• We text all of the time, so sending that text right now...

How do I know if the goals I’ve set are big enough, yet achievable?

To understand the usefulness of your goals, you first need to know what overall direction you want to head towards. We refer to this as our ⭐️ north star ⭐️. To really understand your vision, ask yourself, where do I see myself when I’m 80 years old?

• First, picture it: Where am I living? Who am I with?

• Second, what’s got me smiling? What am I proud of? What stories do I have on repeat?

Now, back to today and moving towards that vision of your future self. Let’s start with a short term vision, and figure out if it’s achievable:

• Step #1: What do I want to be doing 6 months from now? What’s my ideal world?

• Step #2: What do I need to have accomplished in 3 months to be on track to achieve my 6-month goal?

• Step #3: Specifically, what do I need to accomplish over the next 6 weeks to help ensure I make my 3-month goal?

• Step #4: How and when will I do the tasks required for my 6-week goal? 

• Step #5: If you cannot answer #4, then you need to renegotiate your 6-week goal to ensure it is achievable.

Q&A: Career transition questions answered with Power to Fly

We recently had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with the Power to Fly community on our first ever, partnered Live Chat (check out the recording!). Not only did we get to share our “Getting out of your OH F*CK Career Moment” 5-step framework, but we also answer a lot of your questions, live during the session. The caliber of questions was outstanding so we are sharing a few here.

Not familiar with our awesome partner? Power to Fly was founded by Milena Berry and Katharine Zaleski in 2014 to connect Fortune 500 companies and fast growing startups with women who are looking to work for companies that value gender diversity and inclusion. They are building the platform to propel diversity recruiting and hiring (and they are a team of awesome humans).

Have a question we didn’t answer below? Email us at hello@thecrabwalk.com!

Want to watch the webinar?

Q&A

How do you convince a future employer you can do a job when your past job titles do not match the open position?

In our experience, job titles are mattering less and less - for one, they're not standard across companies or industries any longer. So, don't let that stop you. What can you say about your past experience that demonstrates not only that you are currently a great fit for this open position, but also shows that you will be able to learn and adapt to any new challenges or skills required?

Do you have tips on motivating myself to apply to jobs during busy season at my current job?

I am a huge fan of time blocking which means not only that you schedule a specific block of time to focus on applying to jobs, but also putting a time limit on it! For me, it's less helpful to put time on the calendar to complete a task (especially one as wide open as this!) without an end time. Without this took, I often feel like "I don't know when I've done enough." Knowing there is an end time provides a forcing function for me to be as efficient with that time as possible (i.e., not turn to twitter, instagram, or anything else that distracts me)! Even if it's only 20 minutes every day or 2 hours a week, schedule the time and you'll be surprised how much you can get done!

While navigating a career pivot, what are your thoughts on deciding whether to stay in your current job while searching for another job versus leaving to pursue your transition full time?

The situation is unique for everyone. A few questions to ask yourself to determine which of those 2 options are best for you: 

• Do you do well with unstructured time (because you'll have a lot of it if you quit cold turkey)? 

• What can you afford financially? 

• Do you think that your current employer/colleagues would be a material help to you in this search (if so, maybe it's time to tell them that you're leaving - maybe that doesn't mean you have to run out the door though)? 

• A third option..could you find a part-time gig? Either asking your current employer to hire you in a consulting capacity, finding some side gigs, or getting an arbitrary job? This could alleviate some financial burden and also provide some structure. 

When transitioning to a drastically new industry, role, or experience level, how do you best think one can explain that when applying for roles in which you are senior in other non-related fields and don’t want the “overqualified” or “non enough applicable experience” filter applied to you when it’s too late for internships to get time under your belt?

Let's go back one step. How can you get warmly connected to the companies that you're applying to? Do you have a 2nd or 3rd degree connection on LinkedIn with any current employees of those companies? Or, can you mine your own network to find them? If you can make contact with a human being at the company as opposed to solely relying on paper (i.e., resume + cover letter) to represent you, you'll have a much better chance of making your case. We have some structured exercises to help you uncover who’s already in your network and how to reach out to them for help: The 5-Step Crabwalk Framework: How to leverage who you already know to help you move forward in your career.

Is there a "normal" time frame for making a career shift?

Nope! Definitely no prescribed time frame. A couple of thoughts: 

1) When are you aiming to make a transition? Say it's 9 months - set smaller, digestible goals to help you meet that ideal date. What do you want to learn or do in the next 30 days that would make a big difference for you in this search? 

2) You're going to have moments of "I feel stuck" during this process. We all do. So, who can you talk to and what can you do when you get stuck? If you have a plan in advance for how to get yourself "unstuck", then you will not get in your own way of hitting your goals!

Should there be an objective at the top of a resume? Or a brief summary of yourself or should you just jump into experience/achievements?

Do you have a single, specific objective that you want to communicate to employers? If yes, definitely include it! It will help ensure that you're filtering out irrelevant opportunities that might take a lot of energy and time to vet and respond to otherwise. But, if you don't have a single, specific objective, don't spend your energy trying to fake one!

Have another question?

Did this spark a question in your mind that’s not answered here? Email us at hello@thecrabwalk.com and we’ll be sure to answer! Or, sign up for our newsletter to hear about our upcoming free live chats or webinars.

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