Finding a Job That Loves You Back: The Three Conversations That Will Take You From Wherever You Are To Wherever You Discover You Want To Go

Job searching: YIKES, right?

Wrong! With the right framework and tools, finding a job can be empowering and full of skill-building, relationship-forming experiences. Each step in the process we've laid out in this book will increase your access to the opportunities you're looking for, and ultimately help you find a job that loves you back. 

What exactly does that mean? A job that loves you back is one that you feel great about doing, and that allows you to live the life you want. This looks different for everyone, our book will help you figure out what it looks like for you. 

We- that's us authors, Carly, Justin, and Tad- know that finding a job and thinking about your career path can be overwhelming. We know it can feel easier to stay stuck at an unsatisfying job than to start the daunting process of finding a new one. We also know that it can be tempting to take the first offer you get because there's a part of you that's afraid you'll never get another. These are human feelings, and you're not alone in having them, but you don't have to settle. 

Our framework empowers you to get unstuck and bypass the fear and stress that often keeps people trapped on an unsatisfying career path. It's broken down into 3 distinct parts, making the whole process more manageable. And, our book is full of techniques, exercises, and sample scripts that will save you time and help you tackle it all with confidence and calm. Plus we share personal stories of how we successfully used the framework in our own career journeys...and some cringe moments we wish we could forget. 

Inside this book you'll find the tactics you need to take control of your job hunt and to make the process manageable, and maybe even fun (or at the very least, pleasant and informative). You deserve a job that loves you back, so let's go get you one!

Carly Inkpen is a social worker, writer, and collage artist. In each of these roles, they explore trauma, gender, migration, and how people inhabit their bodies as they move through the world. Carly holds an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work and a BA from the University of Arizona. They work as a psychotherapist and are currently training to practice as a psychedelic therapist. Carly is a co-author of "Finding a Job That Loves You Back". Previous writing projects have focused on gender identity, third culture kid experience, science fiction, and psychoanalytic theory. Their peer-reviewed article "Fabulousness - What the Doctor Ordered: Exploring the Intrapsychic Significance and Social Meanings of Fashion" was recently published in Psychoanalytic Social Work.

Justin Wright is the CEO of Habitus a certified B Corporation. His work at Habitus focuses on facilitating complex decision-making processes and coordinating collaboration between multiple stakeholders to empower collective action. Justin has worked with organizations including PolicyLink, the Other and Belonging Institute, MIT Office of Sustainability, and the B Corp Climate Collect to further their commitments to social justice, racial equity, and environmental sustainability. Justin seeks out this kind of work because of his Quaker commitment to peace, equality, and stewardship.Justin also serves as lead designer for negotiation, difficult conversation, and meetings design/facilitation training. Past clients include Danone North America, Cabot Creamery, Yale School of the Environment, and Netflix. In 2018 Justin co-created with Alicia Agnew and Katie Lee the Habitus Fellowship for Diversity in Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution now run by Dr. Kathy Gonzales. This program's goal is to strengthen the field of negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution by increasing the diversity of practitioners.One of Justin's primary focuses right now is to develop online content that can support the spread of skills to change makers. Justin is co-author of the forthcoming book "Finding a Job that Loves You Back" which equips job hunters with the collaborative negotiation skills to land their dream job.Justin is happily married to Moni, a brilliant biologist, with whom he climbs mountains and social dances in their spare time. He has lived across Latin America and is fluent in Spanish.

Tad Mayer is a deeply curious one-on-one interaction junkie dedicated to rescuing clients' inspiration and reaching that "A ha!" moment. He is focused on understanding motivation, enhancing behavior, and improving effectiveness. Tad is a partner at Essex Partners (a division of Keystone Partners), a national outplacement firm dedicated to helping senior executives find the right path forward. He consults with senior leaders in career development and job seeking. He uses the Finding A Job That Loves You Back model to create relief, hope, direction, and results in the form of fulfilling trajectories for people in transition and frustrated professionals feeling stuck in their careers.Tad's previous professional roles have spanned Stage Electrician at Ballet West, Media Planner at DDB, Manager of Domestic Pricing at Northwest Airlines (now Delta), Director of Partner Marketing at Sheraton Hotels, and Director of Commercial & Corporate Programs at Mediation Works Incorporated (MWI). He also served as an adjunct professor of negotiation with Justin at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University.Tad has been interviewed on multiple radio and internet talk shows, quoted in online venues like USNews, and his writing has been featured in books such as Money Talks: 100 Strategies to Master Tricky Conversations about Money. He has an MBA from The Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a BS in Communication Studies from Northwestern University.