The Closure

I would have never thought I’d be declining a job since being let go two months ago. But over the course of these two crazy, yet incredible months, I’ve reflected a lot. And I’ve also received a great deal of advice from family and friends, some useful, some not. It all really boils down to doing what makes you happy, and the closure that comes with leaving your last job, even if you thoroughly enjoyed it, is asking yourself if you were truly happy in that position.

When I was hiring individuals in my last role, I wanted to see a perfect fit on both sides. Meaning, this job will not only bring our company great talent, but the person accepting that job is working on a skill-set that will be used in this role, or their goals for their next workplace is to learn something new. Whatever that fit may be, it is a solid balance of ambitions from the candidate and the company.

And just like finding the perfect new pair of shoes, or your new favourite sweater, you know in your gut when something just fits right, or when something feels off. It doesn’t mean that the job you’re applying for has shown any red flags, but it’s about how you feel in the moment when they extend you an offer. This week, I had to think about this balance quite a bit, and it felt skewed towards the benefit of the company. I didn’t think I would be joining and gaining much for myself if I was to accept the role. Additionally, I wouldn’t have wanted to accept, and then pivot to something more enticing if it came along. 

Another reason why I was thinking about this quite a bit was because of how things were left at my last position. When it happened, the reason of “poor fit” seemed like a major excuse, and it probably was. But looking back, there was no growth for myself in that position which is part of the reason I was looking to switch teams. But if I didn’t have the technical ability or the accreditation, then it wouldn’t have been a good fit, or a good balance. And if I were to have stayed in a role where I wasn’t progressing, that doesn’t sound like a good balance either, does it? Don’t get me wrong, you can have a job where you clock in, and clock out and that’s it, you’re not passionate about it. But I don’t think I could do that in the long run. We unfortunately work for the majority of our lives and you might as well try to find something that you enjoy and of course, offers you a good balance to the rest of your life. 

When I first started thinking of writing this post, I wanted to channel all my frustrations and rant on behalf of others who have lost their jobs and have been thrown back into the job hunt. But as much as that may have been an outlet, it doesn’t bring much of a realization for future endeavours. In fact, it can actually make you worry about new companies and overthink, creating red flags in your head before even getting that job offer. 

I’ve clearly always been a ‘think with your heart’ type of person, which is the perfect way to describe your intuition when receiving a job offer, or any mildly life changing news. When I got let go, I cried of course; I was angry, I was upset, I was full of emotions. When I accepted my first big-girl-office-job, I cried, I was excited, I was also full of emotions. You want that burst of feelings, good or bad, in either situation.

That’s how you know it’s a perfect fit, a perfect balance.

Here’s to accepting more job offers like this...

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