Five Pillars,
My Search for
Meaningful Impact.

Nurturing personal and professional growth
with purpose in the next phase of my career.
Ethics and Sustainability
Collaboration
Transparency
Balance
Happiness
5 minute read
10 minute listen

What is all this about?

My 10+ year professional career has given me experience in a variety of settings. I’ve worked for companies that range from start-ups all the way to one of the top staffing firms in America. 

I’ve worked fully on-site, hybrid, and fully remote (last 5 years) and can see the value in both settings.

I’ve worked in cubicle farms, private offices, a windowless building, and a home office.
I’ve worked as an individual contributor and as a member of a team and as a combination of the two.

Suffice it to say, that I’ve been able to figure out what environments are mutually beneficial for myself and the company that employs me.

I was recently challenged to document 5 five pillars that culminate my ideals when looking for the next stage of my career. 

Listen instead

From Plastic-Free Kitchen to Meeting-Free Mayhem

About three years ago, I embarked on a journey to make my life more plastic-free. Although this effort is constantly evolving and will never be perfect, sustainability is something that occupies at least some of my thoughts every day.

The ultimate goal is to only own things I will use and reduce waste. I also strive to incorporate this practice professionally. I consider eliminating redundancies to be sustainable and ethical.  
Although this effort is constantly evolving and will never be perfect, sustainability is something that occupies at least some of my thoughts every day.
After working in an agile environment, I’ve discovered that it has the highest potential for sustainability. Having a clear road map and sprint cycles means you are constantly prioritizing the most important thing.

I'm used to being in an environment where you are consistently chasing a moving target, sometimes finding that the target has disappeared into thin air. With product design and management, there are clear goals and having regular communication is the best way to eliminate confusion and ultimately discover redundancies. 
Character with pencil

Leading by Example & Working with
a Collaborative Team

Early in my career, I had the privilege of working under an exceptional Program Manager who had a distinguished military background.

He taught me how to identify the qualities of a great leader and effectively lead a team located hundreds of thousands of miles away.

Concurrently, I was part of an operations team comprising other professionals who held similar roles for different contracts.
This dynamic environment allowed for collaboration while also providing opportunities for individual contributions.

I learned from my peers, iterated on my team’s user experience, streamlined processes, and shared my successes and failures with the operations team.

The individuals we supported consistently praised us for delivering the best user experience they had encountered in any contract.
I experienced many different dynamics as a recruiter, working as a team, working in direct competition with my peers, working as an individual contributor and mentoring Jr recruiters. Recruiting certainly taught me how to constantly re-prioritize. I also learned that I am not motivated by competition with my peers.
I would rather focus on leading a group or contributing to solving a common goal.
I faced some unfortunate and challenging circumstances that taught me essential lessons about advocating for myself, however I would rather focus on leading a group or contributing to solving a common goal.

I have also been told that teaching is one of my strongest attributes.The value that led me to UX is that even though you may have different teams with conflicting priorities and interests, at the end of the day you are all working toward a common goal.
Character with paint brush
Character with magnifying glass

A Call for Transparency in the Human Exchange

My current employer found me on LinkedIn by typing in a few key words he was looking for. He messaged me and I honestly didn’t know I was interviewing when I first spoke to him. As a long standing independent business owner he was incredibly transparent with me from the jump.

He told me what his need was, he gave me an accurate and conservative estimate of how long the contract work he had on deck would take and didn’t make any promises he couldn’t keep. 

This foundational transparency is ingrained in the company ethos. We will celebrate when it's time to celebrate, we will do great work and make great products but don't expect a ton of hand holding. 

The culture in my current company is in contrast with a lot of corporate speak and mention of perks (not to be confused with benefits) that is baked into every corporation’s job description.

I have also worked for companies who talk the talk and say they walk the walk but that walk is no more than a thinly veiled attempt to meet a mandated metric or criteria.
I have learned over the years that I have no interest in shallow corporate requirements and meaningless metrics.

My last straw in recruiting was when I had spent 3 months hiring someone, she left a full-time role for a contract role and 6 weeks after starting, they laid her off and her manager took a job elsewhere.

I'm not afraid to say that this practice happens often and it is egregious. That’s not to say there aren’t great teams and managers within these large corporate environments but the innate qualities of a corporation do not make transparency easy for their employees.

I never want to put someone else or myself in that situation again at the hands of a corporation's inability to plan for the future and be transparent with their employees.

Interviewing and job hunting are some of the most stressful interruptions someone can go through in their adulthood. Recruiters that aren’t transparent with their candidates shouldn’t be in staffing.

Beyond the Call of Duty: When Work Nearly Took my Vision

To put it simply, I used to be responsible for remotely executing action plans when people’s lives and livelihoods were at stake. I was a workaholic, constantly connected to my Blackberry (I’m dating myself here).

I found myself answering non-emergency emails late at night to accommodate my employees in different time zones, literally across the world in a war zone. During a performance review, my boss advised me to put away my Blackberry after work and assured me that if a real emergency occurred, he would contact me on my personal line.
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In the summer of 2023, I briefly lost about 70% of my eyesight during a period of high stress. No amount of time in front of a screen is worth my eyesight and I won’t make that mistake again.
As I have progressed in my professional life, I have come to realize that I cannot be effective without maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Let me be clear, achieving this balance is something I actively strive for every day. As a perfectionist, I have let my inability to prioritize myself take a physical toll.

In the summer of 2023, I briefly lost about 70% of my eyesight during a period of high stress. No amount of time in front of a screen is worth my eyesight and I won’t make that mistake again. If I have PTO to use, I'm going to use it and spend that time focused on my loved ones. Which brings me to my next and final pillar…
Character Yoga Balance
Happy Group

Meme Master & Work BFF: How I Make the Office a Joyful Place

There’s a lyric from Brandi Carlile’s song where she asks, “Do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet?”  I try to ask myself that question regularly. I am often recognized for my lit meme/gif game in group chats.

Being an extrovert, I recharge by being around people, and I believe that taking a few minutes each day to laugh and bring joy to others is essential. I want those around me to feel comfortable expressing their concerns or merely venting in a safe space.
A previous boss was a therapist in another life and I like to think that 90% of management is being a good therapist.
A previous boss was a therapist in another life and I like to think that 90% of management is being a good therapist.Through both virtual and on-site work experiences, think about it, in your prime working years, you spend over 40 hours a week with your peers.

I firmly believe it’s important to genuinely like and be liked by these individuals. While I have an amazing support system and a group of friends outside of work, in every job I’ve had, I have formed at least one work BFF.

Some of these colleagues have become lifelong friends because we provided support and happiness to each other during difficult times.

So, What's Next?

As someone from the “you get what you get and you don’t have a fit” generation, I understand that individuals that are new-to-career may not have the experience and quite frankly, luxury, to be so particular.

As a career professional, I bring ten years of experience with conflict resolution, negotiation, meaningful compromise, professionalism, and a high EQ to assess priorities.

I’m seeking ethics and sustainability, collaboration, transparency, balance, and happiness as foundational qualities in future work and colleagues.
Want to collaborate?
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emilybackes.design@gmail.com
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