A baHRC session companion · JobNet 2.0 · Recalculating Part 2

The QuestionBank

Questions for someone who has made a career pivot, written by TehShan Lee for the Detour Stories panel and set in the order a half hour runs. Print it and hand it over.

By TehShan Lee and Tammy Rainey · JobNet 2.0 Co-Architects

Ground rules

Not a job request. You want their read, not their contacts.

You are not asking for a job, a referral, or a lead. If one comes, it comes from them, later, because you did not ask.

The only request is the second conversation, offered as a menu: send the list, let them pick three, ask those. Something like: "I'm trying to understand what a move like yours actually looks like. Could I send you a short list of questions and have you pick three you'd be willing to answer?"

If either of you can feel it turning into a transaction, it has. Stop selling. Do not make anyone say "just looking" to you.

The granted thirty

In segments, not a schedule.

One way a half hour could go if everything lined up. It will not line up. So treat these as segments and not a schedule. Start where the conversation starts. Stay where something is landing. Skip the rest. The pauses are where you notice what is landing, so let them sit.

Segment 1
Opening
  • Sixty seconds of you first: what you were, and what you are aiming at.
Cue: if they answer the second question with a story, let it run. You just skipped ahead.
Segment 2
Why they moved
  • What triggered the pivot, and how did you know it was time?
  • Was there something about your old career you were running away from, not just running toward something new?
  • What would have had to be different for you to stay?
Cue: the third question is the honest one. Ask it only if the first two came easily.
Segment 3
How they did it
  • How did you get your first role in the new field with no direct experience?
  • What did your resume or pitch look like during the transition?
  • What skills transferred that surprised you?
  • What did you have to build from scratch?
  • Was there a gatekeeper you had to win over, and how?
Cue: this is usually what you came for. If the specifics are flowing, spend the time here and drop a later segment.
Segment 4
What it cost
  • How long did it actually take versus how long you expected?
  • If you’re comfortable sharing, how did you fund the transition?
  • What got worse after the pivot that you did not expect?
  • Did the new field live up to what you imagined, or did you just trade one set of problems for another?
  • What did you have to let go of (identity, salary, status)?
Cue: people answer these honestly when asked plainly and rarely volunteer them. If you get a short answer, take it and move on.
Segment 5
What it felt like
  • When did you stop feeling like an imposter in the new field?
  • What story did you tell yourself to keep going when nothing was working?
  • Did your relationships change, and how did you handle people who doubted you?
  • Was there a moment you almost quit the pivot?
Cue: only if the earlier segments earned it. If they have been brief all along, skip this one entirely.
Segment 6
Their read on you
  • Knowing what you know now, what do I look like from where you sit?
  • What would you do in my position in the next ninety days?
  • What would make you take a chance on someone like me?
Cue: this only works if they know your situation, which your opening minute and the note that set up the meeting were for. If they have not asked you a single question by now, they are not ready for this one.
Segment 7
Closing
  • Who specifically helped you, and how did you find them?
  • Who else should I talk to, and may I use your name?
  • What is one thing you wish someone had told you before you started?
Cue: asking for a name is the only request you make. It works because of everything before it.
If there is time
The long view
  • What would you do differently?
  • What role did luck play, and how did you position yourself to catch it?
  • If you had tried this two years earlier or later, would it have worked?
  • Do you think of yourself as someone who pivoted, or did you reframe your whole story?
  • Would you do it again, knowing everything you know now?
Cue: good questions that produce reflection rather than instruction. Ask if the clock allows and the mood is right.
The spontaneous five

For the parking lot.

Two questions and a request.
  1. Open with the room. What brought you tonight? If there was a talk or a panel, what did you make of it?
  2. Find the pivot without asking for one. What were you doing before this?
  3. One high-yield question, if they did. What surprised you most about the move?
  4. The room referral. Who else here should I be talking to?
  5. The close. Would you be open to thirty minutes sometime? I would send a short list, with two lines about me, and you pick three.
Out: money, doubt, identity, almost quitting, and anything that asks them to size you up. If they glance at the door or check their phone, they are looking for a way out. Thank them and let them go.
Plain text

Copy this into a note before the conversation. Same questions again, as plain text. Nothing new here.

THE QUESTION BANK (TehShan Lee and Tammy Rainey, JobNet 2.0) Not a job request. Offer the list, ask them to pick three, ask those. OPENING Sixty seconds of you first: what you were, and what you are aiming at. WHY THEY MOVED What triggered the pivot, and how did you know it was time? Was there something about your old career you were running away from, not just running toward something new? What would have had to be different for you to stay? HOW THEY DID IT How did you get your first role in the new field with no direct experience? What did your resume or pitch look like during the transition? What skills transferred that surprised you? What did you have to build from scratch? Was there a gatekeeper you had to win over, and how? WHAT IT COST How long did it actually take versus how long you expected? If you’re comfortable sharing, how did you fund the transition? What got worse after the pivot that you did not expect? Did the new field live up to what you imagined, or did you just trade one set of problems for another? What did you have to let go of (identity, salary, status)? WHAT IT FELT LIKE When did you stop feeling like an imposter in the new field? What story did you tell yourself to keep going when nothing was working? Did your relationships change, and how did you handle people who doubted you? Was there a moment you almost quit the pivot? THEIR READ ON YOU Knowing what you know now, what do I look like from where you sit? What would you do in my position in the next ninety days? What would make you take a chance on someone like me? CLOSING Who specifically helped you, and how did you find them? Who else should I talk to, and may I use your name? What is one thing you wish someone had told you before you started? IF THERE IS TIME What would you do differently? What role did luck play, and how did you position yourself to catch it? If you had tried this two years earlier or later, would it have worked? Do you think of yourself as someone who pivoted, or did you reframe your whole story? Would you do it again, knowing everything you know now? THE FIVE (for the parking lot) What brought you tonight? What were you doing before this? What surprised you most about the move? Who else here should I be talking to? Would you be open to thirty minutes sometime? I would send a short list, with two lines about me, and you pick three.