My Reverse Job Application
By: Alice Tsoi
Tags: Product Management, Job Hunting, Job Search, Program Management, Technical Writer

Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash

❓ Wait what?

I’m job hunting. Certainly I’m doing all the usual things: sprucing up my resume, making connections on LinkedIn, telling everybody I know I’m looking for work. In the traditional hiring process, I have approximately six to thirty seconds (if I’m lucky) to impress someone sifting through a pile of resumes. And I can’t apply for every job that might be a good fit, because I don’t know some of them are out there.

This is my assertion that not only do I have skills and talents to offer employers, they are valuable enough that you should come to me. And if you don’t tell people what you want, how will they know to offer it to you?

(Heavily inspired by Jackie Guan’s post, as well as those of Julie Pagano and Joyce Kung. Original concept by Andrew Horner.)

💁 Me

If you want just the facts you can look at my LinkedIn profile and resume.

My background is customer service/support, and it runs deep. As a consequence and a philosophy, this informs everything I do. I’ve worked with all types of audiences: consumer end users, academics, librarians, product/program managers, developers. I have the facility to translate complex technical ideas into lay terms as well as extrapolate user desires into functional requirements. If you want somebody who can talk to everybody, I’m your person.

I am a maintainer. Give me a problem to solve or a goal to aim for, and I’ll figure out how to do it. I’m known for understanding and articulating priorities, anticipating future needs, and figuring out solutions that are not just effective but sustainable.

I’m adaptable, nimble, and a fast learner. I’ve done lots of things that don’t explicitly fall under my previous job title out of necessity or curiosity. I would love to explore all of them in more depth in a new position.

I’m ready to use the knowledge I’ve gained on the front lines in a different capacity, where I can make user experiences better, clearer, and more satisfactory. Let me be useful.

💻 Type of work

My current skill set would be useful in many circumstances, but these are the ones I’m most interested in pursuing:

Technical writing

Product/program management

Training/education

🕐 When?

The start of 2021 would be ideal, but I know these things take time to work through the system. No later than March though.

🌎 Where?

I am physically located in the greater Seattle area, but I am open to remote work plus/minus three hours Pacific time. I can be flexible on this for the right opportunity.

If you’re local to the area, I’d love it if you were flexible on remote work even after the pandemic situation settles down. I miss in-person interaction and strongly believe it’s good for team bonding and morale; I also like not having to commute all the time. After it’s safe to travel again, I am open to it (something we can discuss later).

Your company does not have to be based in the US, but it must be able to support employees in the US (for health insurance, taxes, and other administrative things).

💼 You(r organization)

🔎 What I want

Good people: My last team was the primary reason I stayed as long as I did, and I miss them terribly. I want a workplace with a truly collaborative mindset that avoids silos while still asserting boundaries, and shows kindness and respect to everybody.

A thing/product you believe in: What about this makes you get up in the morning? Why do you care about it? What does it do for your users? Why should I care about it?

💗 Culture

These are things that are very important to me at any place I work:

Communication and collaboration: Tell me everything. Not just what you think I need to know, but what and who got you to this point. Sometimes that’s just as important as the facts. People work together to solve problems. Important decisions are made transparently with all appropriate stakeholders and communicated to the rest of the organization. Knowledge resides in documentation (critical for remote workplaces), not people.

Tell me everything. Not just what you think I need to know, but what and who got you to this point. Sometimes that’s just as important as the facts. People work together to solve problems. Important decisions are made transparently with all appropriate stakeholders and communicated to the rest of the organization. Knowledge resides in documentation (critical for remote workplaces), not people. Emotional intelligence: People express and control their emotions in healthy ways that do not involve blaming, belittling, or yelling. They have empathy and respect for their peers but especially those under them.

People express and control their emotions in healthy ways that do not involve blaming, belittling, or yelling. They have empathy and respect for their peers but especially those under them. Inclusion: I want to see evidence that not only does your company understand the status quo favors the already privileged, but also that it is something you have to actively fight against. What are you doing to make sure your workplace is anti-classist, anti-racist, LGBTQ* affirming, and truly welcoming to anybody who isn’t cis and white?

I want to see evidence that not only does your company understand the status quo favors the already privileged, but also that it is something you have to actively fight against. What are you doing to make sure your workplace is anti-classist, anti-racist, LGBTQ* affirming, and truly welcoming to anybody who isn’t cis and white? Work/life balance: When I am on the job, you have my full diligence and attention. Those obligations do not override my other responsibilities. I’m fine with occasional overtime, but a place where 60+ hour weeks are routine is not a good fit for either of us.

📊 Size

Agnostic. I’ve worked at Fortune 500 companies and mid-size places. While I would prefer a place small enough that I could at least recognize everybody by sight, I realize (especially in these circumstances) that’s not always feasible.

💩 Dealbreakers

Companies with very few/no underrepresented minorities as employees or in leadership

Companies with very few women in leadership (or only have positions in departments like marketing or HR)

Companies with a history of tokenism/not supporting underrepresented employees

Companies that work with ICE/CBP

Exploding offers

👍 Pros

These are things that would be super cool and make me excited about working for you.

Paid time off for volunteering/community work

At least 20 days of vacation (if you have unlimited vacation be prepared to show me your suggested minimums and average amount of employee time off)

Generous/unlimited amount of sick leave

Generous 401(k) matching

Professional development funds and a clear policy on how to apply for them, if not automatically given

A strong remote work culture even before COVID, with commensurate support

A detailed remote on-boarding process, especially if it existed before COVID

Documentation isn’t treated as an afterthought

WFH perks to replace in-office amenities

Budget for home office costs/internet service

Your company does something good for people/the world

👎 Cons

I’m not going to count you out for these things, but if these apply to you, please address how you will offset them.

Combined vacation/sick leave. Unless there’s a lot of it, people are going to work when they’re sick to conserve their vacation. That’s not good for anybody.

Long, opaque hiring processes. I understand wanting to ensure somebody is a good fit, but communicating expected time frames is the bare minimum.

Dated office “perks” in job descriptions. If I’m remote, it’s not much of a benefit unless you’re going to send snacks and a catered lunch to my place.

📬 Contact Me

Still here? Cool. Please reach out if you meet the following criteria:

You are an employee at the organization. Ideally you’re someone close to the team and know a lot about the position/work context, and can get me in touch with a hiring manager. OR you’re a recruiter representing the company.

You’ve read the post and think your organization would be a mutually good fit.

Your organization is hiring now or in the very near future.

Please feel free to email me at alicetsoi+job@gmail.com and include the following:

The name and location of your organization

A brief description of why the organization would be a good fit for me and vice versa

Information about the position(s) and/or a link to relevant job postings, or the name of a relevant person I should send a resume to

Any other information you think is useful. For example, I’d love to hear how you are handling working during COVID, what you like about the organization, and what you’d like to change.

Thanks for reading! I look forward to hearing from you!