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Afterword
I wrote this document 3 years ago, straight after using it. Here is what happened.
The process got me down to two options: Everlab in Melbourne and Lorikeet in Sydney. I picked Everlab because I did not want to move to Sydney at the time.
Everlab has since raised a $65m Series A led by Airtree and is valued at close to $500m. Lorikeet has raised more than US$50m and is now one of the best AI companies to come out of Australia. Either choice would have worked out thankfully.
I joined Everlab at the founding stage as Chief of Staff of Growth and moved into leading growth a few months in. Two and a half years there, and I learned more in that period than any other in my life.
In 2026 I left to start Levercon AI with Cara Davies, an AI operating system for credit funds. It is showing promising early signs, and more to the point it is exactly the work I want to be doing and love doing!
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✍️ Written in January 2024 by Jake Carp
In 2023 the company I co-founded (Steppen) was acquired by combat Sports-tech company Alta (NYSE:MMA), concluding a crazy 3 year journey. Steppen was my first and only full time work experience. Now 12 months on from the sale, I thought I would share some key learnings about my experience searching for work and transitioning from founder to employee.
After selling Steppen I initially rushed into my first role (abiding by none of the framework below) and it ultimately turned out poorly for me. The role was a complete misalignment with what I truly wanted and after 7 months I was back at square one. No fault of the company I joined, but the culture, working role and impact I was having did not align with my short term career goal. For me that goal is to learn. I wanted to learn as much and as fast as I can, and eventually take these learnings into a successful world changing company (my long term career goal).
Now going through this process for the 2nd time, I was determined not to make the same mistakes. As a result I followed the framework outlined below and have landed a gig as the Chief of Staff at Everlab - a company building preventative health services of the future.
Whilst I cannot say I am 100% confident with my decision (who ever can be), I know I did everything I could to get the best possible outcome for myself.
Okay enough about me, let’s move onto the framework. The ‘Working Career Fit’ framework below is a step by step guide to finding the right role that aligns with your desired career trajectory, values and lifestyle.
Important Caveats
Role criteria refers to the specific requirements or standards used to evaluate the suitability of an individual for a particular role. Now flip this on its head and instead of starting with a job description ‘requirements’, create your own that fits what matters most to you. Think closely about the type of work you want to be doing, who you want to be doing it for and what your overall purpose is. The outcome of this exercise should be a list of 5-7 items that matter most to you in your career.