Can’t Find Work? Where to Find a Bridge Job/Lily Pad Job
By Erin Goodwin and Jenna Starkey
As a fulfillment coach, I have supported and guided many clients through career pivots. In my coaching process, a crucial part of living a fulfilled life is engaging in a career that lights you up. Feeling as if you are enacting sacred purpose, or at least enjoying how you spend the majority of your working days is so important.
Sometimes my clients transition into and out of careers with the ease that comes with a strong support system and a clearly demarcated route. But sometimes they are gifted opportunities disguised as disaster: they are fired out of nowhere, recession comes without warning, their careers become obsolete, or a global pandemic shakes their industry to its core.
Regardless of whether they know where they are going or not, I often suggest that they find a bridge job or lily pad job to support them through the process.
What is a bridge job and why do I need one?
Bridge jobs are the jobs that support you and transport you to your aligned career by giving you the time (and steady income) you need to find something that truly lights you up. Sometimes bridge jobs equip you with the skills you need to manifest your dream role, and sometimes their sole purpose is to equip you with the cash flow that allows you to dream big without feeling the pressure to settle (think low commitment and low energy work - anything that you feel comfortable doing until you find something more).
Bridge jobs and lily pad jobs are the jobs that act as the inbetweener - the gentle, supportive surface on which they can land while they get crystal clear on their desires, goal and next steps.
Your bridge job can be anything that serves you. Ain’t no shame in the bridge job game!
Here are 6 ideas to find bridge jobs and lily pad jobs:
Tell your network that you are looking for work and reach out to people who inspire you to see if they are hiring. Jenna, Erin and many clients have landed interviews and jobs by reaching out to people and brands that align with them on Instagram and via email. There may be people in your network who are looking to hire but haven’t made it public yet. You would be surprised at the number of opportunities that can come from connecting with people who expand and inspire you. Allow your network to support you and see what magic unfolds. Stay open!
Check out specific databases like Freelancing Females. This is a site founded by women that is dedicated to supporting you in creating financial abundance and independence. They post 100 news job listings each week!
Scan places like Create & Cultivate’s classified’s page. This is a media company that provides content, community, and events for ambitious women. They have a great classified’s page (linked in title) that has listings for jobs all over the US and remotely.
Post on Facebook groups. Facebook groups are great for networking and putting yourself out there. Here are the groups I recommend to female clients looking for bridge jobs: Create & Cultivate, Womens Catalyst, The Femps, Almost 30, Virtual Assistant Savvies. Scroll through posts to see if you can find someone who is hiring, or post what you are looking for and see who finds you.
Scope out Upwork, Craigslist or Freelancer for part-time or contract roles or gigs, or simply to get inspiration. You can also consider posting a service!
Join a private community group like To Be Magnetic's Pathway Community Group (available to Pathway Members only). I love this group. It is a great platform to ask for expansion or support as you navigate finding a bridge job. There are so many people in this community who share expansive stories about manifesting bridge jobs/careers, and everyone is open to sharing their process. Fun fact, my employee Erin found me through a post I made in this group!
Remember, you are under no obligation to find your dream role right this second.
The world is always in flux. There is always expansion and contraction. There are always hiring opportunities, there are always people shifting careers, there are always options.
Building a career can take time, so take the pressure off. Tune out of the noise and pressure and allow yourself to be surprised by the potential that comes from aligning with the heartbeat of the Universe. Gift yourself the time to be intentional and brave. Surrender to the ebb and flow of creating a fulfilled life.
Erin is a freelance creative and writer with a passion for self-help, spirituality, aesthetics, and, authenticity. She has a background in Psychology, and Business, and aims to serve the wider community through creatively supporting brands who are changing, and uplifting the world.