Yes, you read the header correctly; in the early fall of the crap-fest known as 2020, I was burned out, unhappy in my job and found my dream job just a month later. It’s easy to put it in such a simple way, but none of it felt easy at the time. Before I knew it, I was on a pandemic job hunt for just about anything to replace my salary.

The pandemic quickly became a time of reflection for me, seeing as work was the only thing moving forward in my life. I had fallen into a toxic pattern of burnout and overworking myself to meet unrealistic deadlines. I knew I needed to change things, I just had no idea how I was going to do it.

Here’s how I managed to make a career pivot during the most uncertain time.

Time To Go

Are you really unhappy at work, or will things eventually get better? Think about this answer carefully. At the time of my pandemic job hunt, I was stuck in a vicious cycle of terrible leadership and coworkers fading out left and right. Things weren’t going to get better because they only got worse after months of empty promises and doubling workloads with nothing but exhaustion and countless meaningless Zoom meetings in return.

Yes, the pandemic was a hectic time, to say the least, for most business and business owners. However, my issues at work had started well before the pandemic. They just happened to burn brighter during the pandemic because I suddenly had time for deep reflection.

It was a no-brainer, I needed to leave as soon as possible before my terrible job cost me more than my sanity. Knowing you have to leave a job can be scary, but once you realize it’s time to go, it feels almost liberating.

Planning

My first step, after realizing how terrible my job was and how unhappy I was, was to speak with my boyfriend about everything. When you have a family and kids to look after, these kinds of pivots can seem extreme when you have some kind of consistency waiting for you in your current job.

I broke down and shared my feelings about my job, and how I let it affect our lives as well. I was working late into the night, and my work cut into our personal lives and kept me glued to the couch where all I had the energy to do was press play on my Netflix queue. I was no longer reading, something I loved, and I knew I wasn’t being a great partner to my boyfriend either. I was hardly ever present, and it was freaking me out.

We hatched a plan! And then various backup plans as well. Being vulnerable with him helped me remember our relationship was a partnership, and we were in this together. Support goes a very long way when you are trying to make big changes in your life.

We looked at our finances and compared my salary to my freelance days. Luckily, we were both in good places financially and savings-wise. But I decided I wasn’t going to quit until I actually had something lined up. So, I stayed at my terrible job and tried to make it work, while also searching for my next big break.

Research And Manifesting

I’m all about doing my homework as a proud nerd. Manifesting works wonders, but only if you do the work to achieve such loft goals. I journaled every day about the life and career I wanted. And I reread these entries to myself to instill the importance of these values so I wouldn’t just jump at my next meal ticket blindly. I wanted to love my job like I used to.

I then began to research various PR agencies that were hiring. Sure, the search took weeks seeing as almost no one was hiring at that point. I searched job listings every day, but nothing seemed to hit. (I also recently learned that 70 percent of job listings aren’t even posted to publicly!) Rather than look for job listings, look into the exact companies that you want to work for. That’s when I decided to reach out directly to the agency’s leadership to see if they were looking for new talent.

Job boards are definitely important, but it’s easy to get lost among the noise in the bucket of applicants. Take a look at your LinkedIn contacts, or people you’ve been in touch with in the past. Don’t be afraid to use your network, but be cautious when it comes to your current employer. If you may not have any useful contacts for job hunting, look into some recruiters and reach out. Even if they can’t help you, there’s a good chance they know someone else who can. You have to get creative and put yourself out there.

Embracing The Change

I know what it’s like to be stuck in a job that you hate, at a company that doesn’t value you and with leadership that looks past you. I will happily never look back, but I will also never forget how the experience led me to my current position, where I’m truly happy doing the work that I love, with people I adore.

Change is terrifying, but it’s necessary. My transition into my new position was seamless because I knew that I had found the right place at the right time for me. Don’t forget to leave the bad baggage from your last employer behind. Totally learn from that experience, but it’s important to step into your new role with a fresh set of eyes.

Main + featured image via Rachel Schwartzmann’s slow story