When Companies Say Work Is Like Family, Here's What That Really Means
I used to work somewhere that actually was like family. Then it was acquired by one of the most unethical companies I've ever seen. What happened next taught me the most important business lesson of my career.
When Companies Say Work Is Like Family, Here's What That Really Means
How do you feel when companies tell you that their work is like a family?
I was fortunate enough to have a workplace that was like family.
It was an incredible place to work.
They were filled with strong values and nurtured and empowered their people.
It was my first corporate job and I worked there for 6 years.
Until it was acquired by a hostile takeover.
I stayed on through the merger, and watched sadly as my work family was laid off.
I probably stayed too long.
But I was scared.
I took a few job interviews, but my well-meaning boss encouraged me to stay.
Truth was, I felt loyalty to the company, and it was 'good enough' for now.
I wanted security, so I stayed.
I stayed on through a merger of one of the most unethical companies I've ever seen.
I was miserable, and I felt like I was selling my soul for a paycheck, but as a kid who was once homeless and hungry, I was grateful just to have a job.
Until I walked into work one day and was laid off with zero notice (which was illegal since they were covered by the WARN act at that time).
I nearly lost everything after this.
This was a hard season of my life because this was smack in the beginning of the Great Recession.
My misplaced loyalty and trust taught me a very valuable lesson.
A business will always take care of its own survival.
And so should you.
I learned that no matter how much your work is like a family - you must always take care of yourself first.
You are a business owner.
You're running Me, Inc.
Don't ever forget to take care of that business first.
The full Hireability Chain Reaction™ system is at SixFigureRemoteCareerStrategy.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Theory of Hireability™?
The Theory of Hireability™ is Lindsay Mustain's framework for how hiring actually works in a competitive market. It reframes the job search around a simple truth: you don't get hired by applying more, you get hired by becoming the obvious choice before the role is even open. Hireability is built through visibility, relationships, and positioning as the Candidate of Choice - not through resumes stacked in an ATS.
What is the Hireability Gap™?
The Hireability Gap™ is the distance between what a candidate believes will land the offer (applying, tailoring resumes, chasing job boards) and what actually converts (relationships, visibility, being pre-vetted before the job posts). Most senior professionals lose six to twelve months of their search inside the gap. Closing it is the first step of Intentional Career Design™.
Who is Lindsay Mustain?
Lindsay Mustain is a former Fortune 100 corporate recruiter (Amazon, JPMorgan, and 14 others across 16 years) who has personally reviewed over a million resumes and hired 10,000+ candidates. She built Talent Paradigm to teach senior professionals how to land six-figure remote roles without submitting a single application. She is a 2x bestselling author with 20,000+ clients across 121 countries, featured in CNBC Make It, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and Forbes.
What is Intentional Career Design™?
Intentional Career Design™ is Lindsay's methodology for building a career on your terms instead of taking whatever the market hands you. It covers the full arc: knowing your worth, building visibility, engineering the right relationships, and stepping into roles that fit your life - not the other way around. It's the operating system for people who refuse to be replaceable.
What is the Candidate of Choice™?
Candidate of Choice™ is the positioning outcome where companies compete for you instead of the other way around. You stop being one candidate among hundreds and become one of a shortlist that hiring managers already know, already trust, and are already asking about. It's the difference between chasing openings and having doors open before you knock.
How do I learn more?
The full six-figure remote career strategy is at SixFigureRemoteCareerStrategy.com. If you want to understand the 'why behind the theory,' the full manifesto is at TheoryOfHireability.com.
