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Finding work as a Second – Agreements with Self

Hey there! Some things to get you started:

One of the things we ALL need, that can be especially daunting for Seconds, is finding work. Finding a job as a Second can be like finding a haystack with a needle. (You read that right)

You can do practically anything, so how the ever-living do you choose? We struggle with being above average generalists which makes us qualified for almost everything, and our extra intense imposter syndrome and knowledge of “what 10 is” holds us back from applying to anything. (Ouch!!!)

At H2B2 we want to lower the barrier to finding work by helping you get focused and then connected to people and job postings that fit, as fast as possible.

And as with any advice, you don’t HAVE TO do any of this. Seems to be pretty useful though.

Runway

Do you have the financial and/or psychological runway to make this decision carefully, or are you running out of clock and need to find a solution FAST? Runway can change a lot of things. How much runway do you have? When will you hit “Absolute 0”?

What will you NOT do?

This is one of the most important things you can do when considering a change, and I’ve seen it be incredibly effective.

Make a list of what you WILL NOT do – and I mean things that are a HARD “No.” 

Typically ‘making less than x dollars’ is the very first thing. No one wants to talk about money, but it’s one of the primary factors in what we choose to do. Get real – what’s your bottom dollar? What would you say “absolutely not” to?

Other things I commonly see on this list:

  • “I won’t work for a business that builds THIS KIND of product” (Porn and Coal are common)
  • “I won’t relocate.”
  • “I won’t work there unless I have core value alignment”
  • “I won’t take less than THIS title.”

After you have a list you feel very satisfied with, test yourself against increasingly higher compensation packages. Especially anything like “core values” esq.

Money finds the bullshit in our value statements REALLY quickly.

“I would definitely not work for people without a core values alignment…unless I were to make $350k yearly.” – I see this kind of thing all the time. 

It’s not embarrassing. It’s real life.

What would you LOVE to have?

Realistically, this is made up. You only think you know what you would love to have until you have it and you can see if it’s everything that you thought it would be. That’s why it’s more important to figure out what you would NOT do.

AND… why not? Challenge yourself. What do you want?

  • Do you want to go fractional? 
  • Do you want to start your own business?
  • Do you want an awesome relationship with a fellow leader? 

Warning: As a Second (personally as a 2iC), I’ve discovered we tend to leave because we’re burnt out on thinking that a good relationship exists for us. We go fractional (aka part time) because we’re tired of being in bad relationships, or being “broken up with” by our first-in-command.

AND, I’ve also found that very quickly into doing fractional work, we become exhausted, spiteful, and even fearful about doing the Biz Dev work it takes to sustain the lifestyle.

When are your ripcords?

You know what you will NOT do, possibly what you’d like to do, and you also have the reality of your runway. 

When are the ripcord moments? 

  • Perhaps for 90 days, you can look for exactly what you love.
  • After 90 days, you have to take what you could live with.
  • And starting on day 120 you need to get your ass to Starbucks. (Which pays fine and has AMAZING benefits)

H2B2 Matchmaking

A few times a year we create a matchmaking experience between several first in commands looking to hire, and Seconds who are looking for new roles. This is a paid, one day event.

If you’d like to be on the waitlist for this, email me to let me know, and send me your completed homework.

Finding a Job as a Second

At any point, you may find yourself in need of new work. If you do, here are some tactical resources to get you accelerated in doing that.