Oblique Strategies for the Job Search

When the job search stalls, the problem is rarely a lack of information.

It’s a loop—the same moves producing the same silence, defended by a story about why they’re the only moves available.

Oblique Strategies is a card-based method developed by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt to promote creativity: a cryptic prompt that forces a sideways move when the straight line has stopped working. These Oblique Strategies were created by Gregory Heller, inspired by the original, specifically for breaking through a block in the job search.

Draw three cards. Sit with them for a moment. Then pick the one that makes you slightly uncomfortable, and do one thing about it today.