Whether it's HR or the Hiring Manager or other people? Curious to know what you ask!
One question I've asked to understand the manger dynamic is.... "I want you to name your team and describe the personality, what gender would the team have?" It gives me insight on several factors. Probably not the best question to ask, but it puts the person on the spot since it's very out of the ordinary.
I studied STEM thinking I'd be a doctor only to face some harsh reality. My life has been really tough since I graduated and I'm questioning a lot of things in life. I worked in healthcare where I didn't take a day off from work for over 2 years. Clocking in over 80 hours a week and then being told not to log those hours and lie to keep my position at work. I went in on holidays and weekends because I felt I had to work harder to stay afloat. For some context, the previous employee didn't do any work and complained about not having enough tasks so they merged two roles together. Some doctors I worked with, were amazing. Others... not so much.
When the pandemic hit, the family business closed. I stepped away from my career to rebuild it. I've been working in it for years, but reached the point where I'm getting sick. I tried to quit multiple times, but am summoned back to work more hours. For over two years, I tried to job hunt. I shadowed someone in tech and it felt like a good path, so.... I tried it. I'm not sure working so I started trying healthcare again. The mindset is going backwards is a step forward, but no luck.
What makes it worse is that my situation has changed. I can't settle for low ball paying jobs anymore. I'm exhausted of being unappreciated and underpaid for all the work I do. I considered going back to school to obtain a degree, but is the risk really worth it? It feels like people are paying to go back to school only to network and pivot, but it may not work 5-10 years out of college. On another note, I hear how a lot of grad students out of school are unemployed for a number of months too and sometimes settle for jobs that they could've had with a bachelors or non-degree.
I'm curious to know what other folks did to pivot their careers. What factors did you consider? How did you know what direction was aligned for you? Did you think of the lifestyle it could provide?
If you have any guidance or suggestions, I'd love to hear it. My head feels like it's going to explode with how noisy things are. I'm grateful things have worked for a good number of people. Whether it's chasing dreams or getting certs that provide food on the table for their families, but I'd love to get out of survival mode.