Coping With Upheaval Prompted by a Career Change
Entrepreneur’s Notebook
by Susan Reynolds
Many people have faced significant career changes during the past year due to the downturn in the economy, corporate scandals, or the events of Sept 11. As men and women try to make sense out of their new reality, several guidelines can ease some of the pain of transition.
Any transition has three phases: loss, void and new beginning and it is important to experience all three. At the start of your transition, you will experience the loss of your old position, accompanied by feelings of denial, anger, resentment, sadness, grief and depression. Unfortunately these feelings will block your movement forward into a new, fulfilling position unless dealt with appropriately. Accepting the loss is the key to moving forward.
As you move into the void between jobs, panic may set in, especially if you have little time or money with which to make a successful transition. It is best if you regard the void as a highly creative time in which you are free to create a wonderful new opportunity for yourself. No matter what turn of events you may be facing, the following steps will help you move forward successfully.
– Take time when entering a career or life transition to ascertain what you do very well that you also love to do. Do an honest self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, your skills, abilities and passions. Have friends and close associates give you feedback.
Where your skills and passions overlap you will find the natural abilities and talents you are meant to be using. If you take a job at which you are skilled, but for which you have no passion, you will be very unhappy and will most likely make another transition within 12 to 18 months.
– Visualize what would be the ideal new situation for you. Put as many details into your visualization as possible. From this ideal scenario develop a strategic plan for yourself, which includes a timeline to get you to your goal. Work backwards as you develop your action plan and never lose sight of the goal.
– Determine core values. These will be the best predictor of your cultural fit into a new organization or environment. If you value hard work and honesty but take a position in a company with less of a work ethic and where employees are encouraged to say anything to make the sale, you will be unhappy and will look for another position very soon.
– Create a career or life objective that you can write and say in a sentence or two. Your assessment of your skills and passions, as well as the ideal situation visualization, will help you become clearer about what you really want.
– Expand your network of friends and colleagues. You never know where the next offer may come from, so it is important to go to professional association meetings, business seminars, networking groups, volunteer organizations, or wherever else you have a circle of friends and colleagues.
– Update your resume and have it critiqued before you send it to any hiring manager or search professional. Ideally your resume should be two pages and never more than three pages. Begin with your career objective so the reader’s attention is focused on what you desire. Make sure your most recent work experience is near the top of the first page.
– Expand your knowledge of job search skills. Browse the career section of your favorite bookstore and buy the books you find most helpful. Learn when to use consultants, especially executive search consultants and executive coaches and know what they can and cannot do for you.
– Rehearse for job interviews. Remember, interviewers will ask more than just facts about your background. They will most likely also ask behavioral questions to find out how you have handled certain situations in the past. Questions may range from how you have handled an under-performing staff member or team of individuals to what lessons you have learned from dealing unsuccessfully with a difficult situation.
– Get advice about contract negotiations from books or from a coach or consultant. Learn how to ask for money, when to ask for money, how much to ask for and what benefit package is the norm. Compensation surveys can help you determine if your salary requirements are in the customary range for the position you are pursuing. Trade and professional associations are good sources for these surveys.
– Manage your stress during your time of transition. It is important to take good care of yourself even though you may feel anxious. If severely stressed, learn relaxation exercises or take up meditation. You will reach your goal sooner if you are tending to your own health and well-being.
Making a successful career transition requires hard work and commitment to the process. Too many people rush into a new beginning without recovering from their loss. Others experience so much fear while in the void between jobs that they do not take time to create and realize their dreams.
Susan Reynolds is president and chief executive of a business and executive coaching firm based in Los Angeles. She can be reached at
[email protected].
