As companies figure out how to adapt and retain talent, now is a good time to brainstorm what is important to you. So be bold and imagine your ideal future job. Get actionable.“What do you want to do, drop, delegate, decline, or dare to do?” Taaffe asks.

Employees who have worked in a company for a while and are a known entity with social capital are especially well-positioned to negotiate new or expanded roles within their organizations.

As you explore opportunities, you will need to translate your wants and needs in ways that are beneficial to the company that is considering you. As companies’ value propositions for employees evolve, you should position your priorities as part of their solution.

You have to be prepared to explain, ‘Here’s what I’m really good at, this is what I want to do that can add value, and here’s how we can shape it.’

• Listen for vulnerability and transparency as they talk about the challenges the company has been through over the last two years.
• No company has all of the answers, especially in the pandemic. If they respond as they do, you know you aren’t talking to a learning organization where it is safe to say, ‘I don’t know.’
• One can ask about how the company handled failures or mistakes. Does the organization debrief on what worked and what insights it can apply next time? What happens to those who were involved with a failed initiative or product launch?