Hey Reader,

Welcome to issue #017 of The Next Chapter, a career planning newsletter for LGBTQ+ professionals.

This week, I'm covering:

• Reflections on balance
• Cutting through the job search noise online
• Owning your resume gaps
• A favorite lightbulb moment

Reflections on balance

I’ve been thinking about what it actually looks like to find balance.

While I see the appeal in “locking in” to get stuff done, it’s not a state you can stay in forever. Our mental health matters, especially as it relates to our careers.

I’ve been previously diagnosed with depression as well as some anxiety disorders. It’s taken a long time to wrap my head around the fact that these are invisible disabilities that directly impact my ability to do my job.

As I’ve gotten to know myself better, I’ve started making more conscious choices about my mental health during the workday. Sometimes I need to protect my peace. Sometimes I need to use my brain differently. Sometimes I need sunlight.

The keyword here is need.

The more time I spend coaching others to reimagine their careers, the more I see how easy it is to fall out of touch with ourselves when we’re working. But we can’t perform at our best if we don’t set ourselves up for success.

So, a question to sit with this week:

What’s one thing you need to do your best work that you haven’t asked for yet?

Cut through the job search noise online

The amount of misinformation online about the job search is… bananas. When I talk to job seekers, they’re usually exasperated by conflicting advice they see from different people. I don’t blame them.

Here’s my general rule: you’re more likely (not 100% guaranteed) to get effective advice from people who have:

• Worked in recruiting, HR, or another function responsible for hiring/staffing
• Been a hiring manager for the type of role you’re going for
• Navigated rough seasons of the job market in your industry

I’ve worked in recruiting at four companies and implemented hiring practices. I’ve advised recruiting and HR teams across industries, trained people on interviewing and hiring, and coached dozens of people through their job searches.

I still get questions from clients regularly that I can’t answer on the spot. Sometimes I need to do a little research to make sure I’m steering someone in the right direction.

If you’re getting your job search advice from social media, look up who’s actually giving it. Do they have real, relevant experience?

Or are they just confident, consistent, and selling premium snake oil?

Own your resume gaps

One of my clients is returning to the workforce after several years away. I noticed they’ve been hesitant to acknowledge the gap in their application materials. They’re hoping it’ll just speak for itself.

Career work is storytelling. And if you don’t own your story, someone else will fill in the blanks with their own assumptions.

Whether your gap is from returning to the workforce, caregiving, health, or something else entirely, you get to decide how you talk about it. This applies across cover letters, interviews, application questions, and even casual emails when you’re networking.

Be confident, forward-looking, and give context for where you’re going next. Remember, you’re the narrator.

A favorite lightbulb moment

One of my clients said something last week that I haven’t stopped thinking about:

Ding ding ding!

I can’t possibly know all the options available to you, nor should I be dictating what you should do with your life. That’s your choice. I fundamentally believe that we have more agency in our careers than we might think.

My job is to help people make decisions that fit with what they actually want and need at work.

Booking new clients for the fall

If you're ready to get support figuring out your next chapter, I'm currently booking new coaching clients for the fall.

Tell me what’s on your mind

I want this newsletter to be community-driven. It’s meant for you, so it should be valuable to you.

If there's a topic you want me to cover, don’t be shy about hitting the ‘Reply’ button. It might just end up in the next issue.

Talk to you soon.