Apple shared that it is trimming staff. Canva announced that it is cutting 25% of its workforce. Microsoft gave about 60,000 employees a choice: take a buyout or stay. Skydance made a similar offer the same day. Thousands of professionals now have a deadline to decide what comes next.
Most people will never receive an offer like that. But the question behind it applies to every one of us:
If someone asked you tomorrow to choose between staying and leaving, would you know your answer?
Most of us wouldn’t. Not because we lack options, but because we’ve been too busy doing the work to step back and look at it. We know our job descriptions. We rarely know, with any precision, which parts of our work are gaining value and which parts are quietly losing it.
Why this question matters now
AI is not replacing roles in one clean sweep. It is reshaping them task by task. Some of what you do every week is already being automated. Some of it is being accelerated. And some of it depends on things no tool can supply.
The professionals who move first, whether that means negotiating a better role, accepting an exit on their terms, or building something of their own, share one advantage. They already know where they fit. They did the thinking before the deadline arrived.
That is what I call the Fit Check.
The Fit Check: three steps to know where you stand
The first step is the Audit. Look honestly at your work and sort it into three groups: the tasks AI will take over, the tasks AI will assist, and the tasks AI can’t touch. Most people are surprised by this exercise. The parts of the job they spend the most time on are often the parts most exposed, while the parts they undervalue turn out to be the hardest to replace.
The second step is Value. Once you see what is exposed, name what you bring that the tools can’t. For most experienced professionals, it comes down to three things: judgment, relationships, and context. Judgment is knowing which decision to make when the data points in two directions. Relationships are the trust you’ve built with colleagues, clients, and partners over years. Context is understanding why things work the way they do inside your organization or industry. The goal is to turn these into two or three clear value statements you can say out loud with confidence, in an interview, a performance conversation, or a negotiation.
The third step is Direction. With your audit and your value statements in hand, decide what work you actually want to be doing. Then consider where: your current company, a new one, fractional work, or your own business. Finally, consider how: full-time, a portfolio of work, or something new entirely. This is not about committing to a final answer today. It is about having a first draft of your next chapter so you are choosing, not reacting.
What changes when you know your answer
When you have done the Fit Check, an unexpected offer stops feeling like a crisis and starts feeling like a decision. A reorganization becomes a conversation you can shape. A recruiter’s message becomes something you can evaluate in minutes instead of weeks.
And if no offer ever comes, you still win. You walk into your next review, your next networking conversation, or your next pitch with a clear view of where you stand and what you are worth.
Take a step back this Thursday
I’m walking through the full Fit Check live in a free 30-minute session. You’ll leave with a clear view of where your role is exposed, two or three value statements you can say with confidence, and a first draft of your next move.
This session is for you if you sense your role is shifting, you’ve been offered a buyout or expect one, or you simply haven’t stepped back in a while. It does not cover the financial or legal terms of an offer. For those, talk to a financial advisor or an employment attorney. This session covers the career decision.
If the Offer Came Tomorrow: Your Role, Your Value, Your Next Move Thursday, November 12 | 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT | 30 minutes | Live on Zoom
Register here to save your seat
Jaime Chambron | Career Catalyst & Visibility Architect | http://careeragilitysystem.com