Are you feeling stuck in your job, worried you’ll never find one that lights you up?
Most of us have been there, and most of us have run the gauntlet of trying to find the right fit. We’ve read the blog posts, watched the videos trotting out the usual advice. “Apply to every job posting.” “Go to every networking event.” “Format your resume this way but not THAT way.” “Just keep trying.” “Be proactive. Be PERSISTENT.”
Okay… so what if you’ve already done all that and still gotten nowhere? What if you’ve made multiple attempts to break out of your humdrum job or stagnant career, only to be frustrated at every turn? If you haven’t found the right job (or even the right game plan for finding it), you’re not alone, and there’s nothing wrong with you. You likely just haven’t been tackling the challenge according to who YOU are as a person.
Changing jobs is a big deal, and no matter how you approach it, it’s going to take a lot of moxie, attention, and resilience. That said, not all of us will benefit from “brute-force” tactics, where we’re urged to carpet-bomb potential employers with applications until we end up with the job of our dreams. That works for some people, but it works because that strategy aligns with who they are. (Likely manifestors, btw.) For everyone else, and even for people who’ve found success following all the usual advice, there’s a better way out there.
That better way is – surprise, surprise – human design. We’re all different – that’s the main premise behind the entire human design system.
So it stands to reason that if we’re all different, we’re also likely to find and achieve success differently. Thankfully human design provides the roadmap for figuring out the best way to go about things according to our weirdly specific selves. By understanding your strategy and decision-making authority, you can align your job search with your unique energy signature and your built-in decision-making process, increasing your chances of finding the best job for you in the most energetically efficient way possible.
Let's start with strategy.
If you’re new to human design, your strategy is the most efficient tool at your disposal for reducing energetic resistance in your life; it’s always there, and it’s determined by your energy type. Most importantly, it’s the only reliable means of making decisions that align with your unique design. Flying blind or following someone else’s tactics won’t tell you when a job opportunity is worth pursuing or how to manage the process while keeping engaged in work until the time is right to say goodbye to your current employer.
Let’s say you’re a generator — your strategy is to wait to respond. Instead of initiating your job search by applying to every posting you come across on Indeed, take the time to wait for opportunities that truly click with you. Trust your gut to guide you, and just understand that it may not happen as often as you’d like, but from time to time, things will resonate with you on a deep level, enough to make an impression and give you pause. It could be anything — the opening words of a job posting, a skillset on the list of requirements… the random ad before a YouTube video in the next tab over – whatever it ends up being. It doesn’t even matter what it is! So long as your gut backs it up with a vote of confidence, then you’re free to leap into the rabbit hole.
If you’re a manifestor, your strategy is to inform and initiate. Remember, you have the power to initiate action and create change. Manifestors can and should be proactive in their job search. This means reaching out to contacts, networking, and boldly pursuing opportunities that align with their vision and dreams for a better future. It also means informing those who will be impacted by their actions. For most manifestors, this isn’t easy, but it’s an important part of their strategy and helps to keep the transition smooth and prevent any bridges from burning.
Projectors on the other hand have a strategy that requires them to wait for an invitation. They thrive when they’re invited to contribute and when they’re recognized for their unique gifts. This means playing the long game: Projectors should focus on building relationships with people in the field, within the workplace and outside the fold, so that their web of connections gets bigger and links them to brighter opportunities. As this guiding energy unfolds, projectors will get better at the things they’re already solid on, building their expertise, which will attract even more opportunities. The great strength of projectors in the job search is their ability to produce several good options, even if they take time to materialize.
Reflectors have a different strategy altogether. They need to take a steady approach, sampling the energies of the search itself, experimenting. This means deep-reading job postings, applying here and there, looking to be surprised at what happens. Over the 28 days of their lunar cycle, reflectors will do best by paying attention to how they feel at different stages of the journey. In a weird way, reflectors actually have the easiest path of all the energy types when it comes to making career choices because their strategy removes any delusions of getting things done fast. It precludes urgency.
That’s how the four strategies operate. But how will you know whether you should take the next step, to actually apply to something new; or take the ultimate step of leaving your job for something better, regardless of whether you have something lined up or decide to risk the open road? That’s where your decision-making authority comes into play.
We won’t go through all eight decision-making authorities, but let’s handle the most common three here.
If someone has emotional authority, their emotional waves hold the keys to figuring out when the time is right to leave a gig, a job, or even a career behind. For those people tapped into the natural rhythm of their feelings and reactions, they’ll know they shouldn’t make the decision before the wave has played itself out: That means you shouldn’t commit or pass over something until you’ve felt the full spectrum of your emotions on the matter and can view the decision with greater depth. Writing down your thoughts, taking time for reflection, and talking to trusted friends and mentors can help those with Emotional Authority gain clarity during this process. The wisdom to know when the time is right will come after you’ve surfed your highs and lows to a middle place of “calm and clarity.”
Someone with gut authority needs to pay attention to how their body responds to different job opportunities. They should trust their instincts and listen to their gut to determine whether a description aligns with their energy and values. This holds true for the entire process: searching, learning, applying, interviewing, deliberating. Changing jobs/careers should be viewed as simply a series of steps, where everything that provokes a response is a single step leading into others. If your gut says “uh-huh” when you’re scrolling through search results, you can click on a posting and read the description; if you respond to something within it but your gut tells you “nuh-uh,” then you stop; you don’t move onto the next step within that posting. You backtrack and keep scrolling, or at least file away the opportunity for a later time, when you can circle back to the question of whether it’s right for you to devote more energy. So you may notice that as you progress through the steps, instead of a single staircase going in one direction, you’re actually climbing something out of an M.C. Escher painting, but you’ll eventually get SOMEWHERE, even if you can’t make sense of the pathway, especially early in the process.
People with survival authority are intuitive and instinctual and should trust their intuition in the moment when evaluating job opportunities. They should pay attention to subtle internal signs and sensations that indicate whether a job is right for them. It’s important to read these quietly powerful signals, especially when you’re reading the “requirement” sections in job postings. If your body is telling you that any of the requirements don’t vibe, then don’t force yourself to go through with it; don’t try to convince yourself that you can negotiate something better with the potential employer. If it’s a red flag for you on a deep level, that means it’s to be avoided at that moment. Survival authority messages can change from moment to moment, so try to remain open. Following your survival authority is also crucial when you’ve found a promising opportunity and you’re trying to determine whether to stay in your current job or jump ship. This ancient decision-making authority will read the signals around you and guide you moment-by-moment toward the right timing, helping you avoid messy splits or hard feelings. Even if you’re leaving your job no matter what, it still pays to keep relationships positive in order to get letters of recommendation, to maintain networking opportunities, or even just to stay on friendly terms with former colleagues.
Remember, human design is a tool for self-discovery and empowerment.
An important lesson to consistently note is that people give advice based on what has worked for THEM, or based on their perceptions on how things ought to be done, and that you don’t necessarily fit the profile of the people who will actually benefit from said advice. This is your life, your process, your design. Make it work for you.