What's important to me.

First things first, decide what's most important to you in your next role. Before diving into submitting job applications, I thought about what tasks brought me the most joy and energy, what drained me, what qualities I loved about my previous companies, and what things I would have changed. After noodling on these questions for a  few weeks, this is what I came up with:

• I recognize the importance of having a manager that believes in, supports, and amplifies your career and I enjoy being able to be that person for people on my team

• I would never work at a company where I didn’t have psychological safety

• Being paid well is important to me

• I love when my company sees me as an actual human being (specifically a Black woman) & not simply a work minion

• I don't mind working hard, but work/life balance is essential

Once I came up with the list of what's important to me, it was time to find companies that fit this criteria.

Sourcing companies.

While most companies have review pages like Glassdoor, I get the best feel for a company by talking to people in my network that work for the company. Not only do these reviews hold more weight because it's someone I know, people are usually more candid with me than they are willing to be in a public reviews. So start by letting your network know you're on the prowl for a new job and ask them if there are any companies they'd suggest you check out. I know everyone will not be able to be public with their job search, but I have found that tweeting that you're looking for a new job can generate an abundance of leads. Even if you don't have a high follower count, the tech Twitter community seems very invested in helping folks find their next role so they often retweet job hunt posts and are very willing to refer folks. 

Once you have a list of companies you'd like to learn more about (I started with 10), work to get intro calls with each of them. If possible, try to find a connection within the company. This will make you less likely to be lost in a stack of applicants and companies usually pay more attention to an applicant if a current employee connected you with them. Before meeting with the companies, refer back to the "What's Important To Me" section and create questions that relate to the things that are most important to you. Not only will these pointed questions give you a better feel for the company, many recruiters will be impressed by how prepared you are. Several recruiters ended our intro call by telling me they felt they had been interviewed and I was so very happy to hear that. I always lead with kindness and the aim is never to intimidate an interviewer, but it's important to remind companies that interviews are a two way street. They're interviewing me, and I'm interviewing them. Just as I would be fortunate to work for their company (if they're a good company), I know my worth and they'd be just as fortunate to have me as an employee. Companies can't thrive without a talented workforce. Interviewing can be intimidating for interviewees and I think that sometimes makes us forget that we have power too.