How to find work you love | Bob Moesta (Jobs-to-be-Done co-creator, author of "Job Moves”)

Bob Mea's new book, "Job Moves," offers a tactical guide to finding fulfilling work. It emphasizes understanding job experiences over features (like salary), identifying energy drivers and drains, and recognizing four career quests: get out, next step, regain control, and realign. The book provides tools to prototype potential jobs, craft compelling career stories, and navigate job searches effectively, ultimately helping people find jobs they love. This segment introduces a crucial distinction between job features (salary, title) and job experiences. It argues that job experiences, positive or negative, are the primary drivers of job satisfaction and retention, surpassing the influence of purely financial compensation. The discussion touches upon the psychological aspects of compensation, exploring its connection to respect and personal fulfillment. This segment delves into the four primary reasons people leave their jobs, categorized as "quests." The author explains the methodology behind identifying these quests through in-depth interviews, revealing the underlying motivations beyond superficial explanations. The discussion highlights the difference between "pushes" (negative factors driving departure) and "pulls" (positive factors attracting individuals to new opportunities).The speaker elaborates on the four distinct quests: "get out," "take the next step," "regain control," and "realign." Each quest represents a unique set of circumstances and motivations for job transitions, offering a framework for understanding individual career trajectories and decision-making processes. The segment also explains how understanding these quests helps individuals assess their situations and plan their next career moves.This segment emphasizes the importance of understanding the context surrounding job changes. It explains that job transitions are not random but rather driven by a combination of factors, including personal context and the desired outcomes. The discussion highlights the common misconception of attributing job changes to luck, while emphasizing the role of preparedness and understanding one's own progress and goals. It also challenges the assumption that higher salaries are the primary reason people stay in jobs. This segment details a nine-step process to identify personal energy drivers and drains, crucial for career satisfaction. The speaker emphasizes that completing all nine steps isn't necessary; even five will significantly improve job searching. The process involves reflecting on past experiences to pinpoint situations that generated excitement and those that depleted energy, ultimately informing job search criteria. This segment offers a concise exercise to quickly identify energy drivers and drains. It suggests reflecting on recent work experiences, noting moments of high and low energy. The speaker advises writing down these instances and analyzing what caused these energy shifts, creating a list of design requirements for a fulfilling future role, including identifying both strengths and weaknesses.The speaker provides practical examples of common energy drains and energizers, such as routine versus learning new things, and helping others. The importance of abstracting these preferences beyond surface-level descriptions is highlighted. The discussion emphasizes understanding the underlying causes of enjoyment or aversion to specific tasks or environments, leading to more effective job searching. This segment introduces a technique for daily reflection on energy levels. The speaker suggests paying close attention to how different meetings and interactions affect energy levels throughout the day. This practice helps identify patterns and articulate preferences, which are crucial for aligning work with personal needs and preferences. The segment also emphasizes that job descriptions are often arbitrary and should be viewed critically. This segment advocates for a reframe of the job search process, focusing on matching the job to the individual instead of the other way around. The speaker argues that job descriptions are often unrealistic and that focusing on an individual's energy drivers and drains allows for a more tailored approach. The result is increased job satisfaction and productivity, as demonstrated by some companies who have adopted this approach. This segment offers practical tactics for a successful job search. It suggests treating the job search like product development, prototyping different job positions to find the best fit. The speaker recommends informational interviews to gain insights into various roles and industries, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection and understanding personal needs and preferences. The goal is to find a job that aligns with energy drivers and skills, leading to a more fulfilling career. This segment introduces a framework for job searching that involves identifying factors pushing you from your current role and those pulling you toward a new one. It uses the analogy of a compass to illustrate how these "quests" (push/pull factors) help determine the direction of your job search and how to align your strengths and energy levels with your desired next role. The speaker emphasizes the importance of both push and pull forces to avoid simply reacting to dissatisfaction without a clear vision for the future.This section details the "prototyping" phase of the job search, where potential roles are explored through interviews to assess their alignment with personal needs and preferences. The speaker highlights the crucial role of accepting trade-offs; no job is perfect, and understanding what you're willing to compromise on is key to finding a satisfying position. A real-world example illustrates how one individual prioritized learning over salary to achieve a long-term career goal. This segment introduces the concept of a "jobication"—a less demanding role that allows for rest and recovery before pursuing more ambitious goals. The speaker shares a personal anecdote of using a jobication to rebuild family relationships after a demanding period. The discussion also touches upon the limitations of relying on HR for career guidance, suggesting that individuals must take ownership of their career navigation. This segment explores the counterintuitive idea that offering employees enriching experiences can sometimes be more effective than solely focusing on high salaries. The speaker shares their personal experience of paying competitive but not necessarily top-tier salaries, attracting employees motivated by learning and growth. The discussion also touches on the negative impact of overpaying, potentially leading to risk aversion and hindering innovation.This segment further emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and accepting trade-offs in career choices. The speaker shares insights gained from years of experience, emphasizing that complete satisfaction rarely comes from getting everything one wants. The discussion encourages viewers to articulate their trade-offs explicitly to gain clarity and make decisions they can live with, fostering greater satisfaction in the long run. This segment details a crucial process for identifying career alignment by focusing on what one excels at and enjoys, leading to increased energy and reduced stress. It highlights the negative impact of pursuing tasks solely out of obligation, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and addressing this misalignment to prevent burnout and feelings of being stuck.This section introduces a "prototyping" step involving informational interviews to explore potential roles and assess their fit. It emphasizes the importance of honestly assessing one's skills and limitations during interviews, which can surprisingly impress potential employers and lead to unexpected opportunities. The speaker shares anecdotes of candidates receiving better offers due to their genuine self-awareness.This segment positions the job search as a self-discovery process, advocating for a deep understanding of one's strengths and weaknesses. The speaker suggests this approach could even become a college course, emphasizing the value of self-reflection over simply chasing the next job. It critiques the transactional nature of many job searches, highlighting the inadequacy of automated systems and the need for a more personalized approach. This segment provides a detailed account of the speaker's personal jobication experience, highlighting the benefits of taking a less demanding role to recharge and refocus. The speaker emphasizes the value of using a jobication to reset after a demanding period, such as exiting a startup, and regaining a sense of self. The discussion also touches on the positive impact of this approach on personal relationships and overall well-being.This segment delves into the four "quests" (get out, regain control, regain alignment, take the next step) and provides further elaboration on how to define meaningful "next steps" in a career. The speaker emphasizes the importance of considering long-term goals and not merely incremental promotions. The discussion highlights the need to redefine what constitutes a significant career advancement beyond superficial titles or responsibilities.This segment further clarifies the meaning of the quests "control" and "alignment" within the job search framework. The speaker explains that "control" often relates to managing time and focusing on one's strengths, while "alignment" focuses on aligning one's work with personal values and long-term goals. The discussion emphasizes the importance of considering the long-term trajectory of one's career when making job decisions, rather than focusing solely on immediate gains. This segment discusses the limitations of AI in conducting job interviews, highlighting the need for dynamic, context-aware questioning rather than pre-programmed queries. The speaker emphasizes the importance of adapting questions based on previous answers to gain a deeper understanding of the candidate.This section provides a structured approach to crafting a compelling career narrative using a Pixar-inspired template. The speaker uses a personal anecdote to illustrate the effectiveness of this storytelling technique, emphasizing the importance of concisely conveying one's journey, skills, and aspirations to engage potential employers.This segment details the "Pixar template" for storytelling, a structured framework for crafting a concise and engaging narrative about one's career journey. The speaker explains how this template helps to highlight key experiences and achievements, making the story more memorable and impactful for potential employers. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding one's purpose and how it translates into a career path.This segment emphasizes the importance of focusing on one's strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses. The speaker uses the example of strength finders, a tool to identify one's talents, and shares how understanding energy drivers and drains can lead to a more fulfilling career. It highlights the importance of recognizing and utilizing one's unique strengths.This segment shares two personal anecdotes illustrating the practical application of strength finders and the concept of "jobications" (short-term, less demanding roles for rejuvenation). The speaker emphasizes how identifying strengths and taking time off can lead to self-discovery and a more fulfilling career path.This segment shifts the perspective to hiring, advocating for a job matching approach where roles are tailored to individual strengths and energy drivers rather than forcing individuals to fit pre-defined job descriptions. The speaker describes how they use this framework in their own hiring process.This segment reveals a crucial insight: instead of rejecting candidates who aren't a perfect fit, companies should adapt the job description to match the candidate's skills and experiences. The speaker emphasizes writing job descriptions that focus on the experiences candidates will gain, attracting a wider pool of qualified individuals and avoiding the limitations of traditional, restrictive job descriptions. He also stresses the importance of understanding candidates' energy drivers and drains to improve the hiring process. This section details how the "pushes and pulls" framework can be integrated into the interview process to understand why candidates are leaving their current jobs and what they seek in a new role. This allows recruiters to initiate conversations that address candidates' motivations and expectations, improving the chances of finding a good fit. The speaker highlights the importance of aligning company progress with employee progress to retain talent. This segment addresses the challenges of automated application filters and proposes a solution: networking and leveraging resume writers. The speaker argues that most desirable jobs aren't found through automated systems, emphasizing the effectiveness of networking and the expertise of resume writers in optimizing resumes to bypass filters. An anecdote illustrates the significant impact a resume writer can have on job applications.This segment provides a compelling case study of a resume writer's effectiveness, illustrating how a professionally crafted resume dramatically increased interview opportunities. It contrasts this with the limitations of AI-driven filtering systems, which often fail to match candidates with suitable jobs based on genuine fit rather than keyword matching. This segment offers practical advice on improving job descriptions. Instead of vague requirements like "five years of experience," the speaker advocates for specifying the necessary skills and knowledge, making the job description more attractive to a wider range of qualified candidates. He emphasizes describing the tasks and responsibilities associated with the role, rather than simply listing required skills. The speaker shares his personal experience with dyslexia, explaining how his learning disability unexpectedly fostered a superability: the ability to ask insightful questions. He argues that perceived weaknesses can often be reframed as strengths, and that understanding one's unique learning style can lead to significant advantages. He also discusses the lack of adequate support systems for students with learning disabilities in the past. The speaker anticipates potential criticism of his views, acknowledging that his advice may not resonate with everyone. However, he emphasizes his intention to help the majority and shares his experience with the book launch, highlighting the pressures and challenges involved in promoting a new book. He expresses his willingness to face potential backlash for the sake of broader progress. This section illustrates how the framework can help individuals realign themselves with their goals and overcome feelings of overwhelm. The speaker describes his personal experience using the framework to identify and address factors pulling him out of alignment, leading to a renewed sense of energy and purpose. He emphasizes the importance of identifying and addressing misalignments to regain focus and motivation. This segment focuses on the importance of self-awareness for aspiring founders. The speaker advises potential founders to understand their strengths, weaknesses, energy drivers, and drains before embarking on the journey. He suggests talking to other founders to gain insights into the realities of entrepreneurship and to determine the type of founder they want to be. Prerequisites: A basic understanding of career development principles and self-reflection techniques would be beneficial. While not strictly required, familiarity with concepts like job satisfaction, career goals, and self-assessment tools will enhance the learning experience. Learning Sequence: Understanding the "Four Quests": Begin by grasping the four fundamental reasons people leave jobs (Get Out, Regain Control, Take the Next Step, and Realign). This framework provides a foundational understanding of job transition motivations. Distinguishing Job Features from Job Experiences: Learn to differentiate between superficial job aspects (salary, title) and the actual lived experiences within a role. This distinction is crucial for identifying what truly drives job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Identifying Energy Drivers and Drains: Develop the skill of pinpointing activities, tasks, or aspects of work that energize you versus those that drain your energy. This involves introspection and reflection on past experiences. The nine-step process detailed in the book provides a structured approach to this. The "Prototyping" Approach to Job Searching: Understand the concept of "prototyping" different job options through informational interviews and exploring various industries to identify the best fit. This iterative process helps refine your career direction. Crafting Your Career Story: Learn to articulate your career journey concisely and compellingly, emphasizing your skills, experiences, and aspirations. The provided template offers a structured approach to this. Leveraging Strengths and Addressing Weaknesses: Focus on identifying and maximizing your strengths while strategically addressing weaknesses. This involves self-assessment and understanding how your unique abilities can contribute to your career success. Navigating the Job Search Process: Learn effective strategies for navigating the job search, including resume writing, interviewing techniques, and networking. This includes understanding how to overcome common challenges in the application process. Understanding Trade-offs: Develop the ability to identify and evaluate trade-offs in job offers, weighing factors such as salary, benefits, and career growth potential against personal preferences and priorities. The Concept of "Jobication": Learn about "jobication" as a strategic career move to reset, recover, and recharge before taking on new challenges. Practice Suggestions: Self-Reflection Exercises: Regularly dedicate time to reflect on your past work experiences, identifying energy drivers and drains. Use the nine-step process described in the book as a guide. Informational Interviews: Conduct informational interviews with people in various roles and industries to gain insights and explore potential career paths. Resume and Cover Letter Refinement: Practice writing and revising your resume and cover letter, focusing on showcasing your accomplishments and aligning them with specific job requirements. Mock Interviews: Conduct mock interviews with friends, mentors, or career counselors to hone your interviewing skills. Networking: Actively participate in networking events and connect with people in your field to expand your professional network. StrengthFinders Assessment: Take a Strengths Finder assessment to identify your top talents and how to leverage them in your career. Job Description Analysis: Practice analyzing job descriptions, focusing on understanding the underlying requirements and experiences needed, rather than just the stated features. Career Story Development: Practice crafting your career story using the provided template, ensuring it is concise, compelling, and reflects your unique journey. Trade-off Evaluation: Practice evaluating job offers by creating a matrix to weigh different factors and their relative importance to your personal and professional goals.