Job Change? 6 Tips to Prevail
Changing jobs or career can be nerve wracking. I work with great people who were either laid off or at a life stage where a career pivot calls to them. Either way, there is a break in the status quo.
This does not mean you no longer know anything. Clients say ‘I used to do X, and now that’s gone, I don’t know what I can do.”
Let’s slow this down.
- Pragmatic suggestions: Connect to everyone you know on LinkedIn before leaving your job or career. People know you via a certain context, and it’s helpful to keep the connection your role/field is associated with. Also be sure to leave with your list of accomplishments (numbers, % changed, processes, etc. while they are fresh) and copies of your performance reviews.
- Wellbeing suggestion: Take time to feel. Loss of group identity and affiliation, routine, income, colleagues is jolting to the psyche. Self-care is important now — job search and career pivot can take time, you need to stay grounded in order to shine in interviews and networking. (Solopreneurs, this applies when pitching your work.)
- A renewed professional identity. When you are mostly ready, think about who you want to be next. Consider your skills, interest, values, personality. What’s the obvious transition (same as what you did), the adjacent, and the wild dream. Discern the work function (job title) you want to pursue, in what field and setting.
- Talk to people who are doing the work. Treat networking as career research and discover the latest technology, how AI is being used, and challenges in the fields of interest. Pay attention to how things sit with you. Are your values being honored? If you want to pursue a role/new field, upskill to close a skill gap. The networking will also inform your career messaging (resume, LinkedIn profile).
- Discern transferable skills. First, you need to connect what you did with what you want to do, because your career messaging or branding comes from that space. Make it easy/obvious for contacts and interviewers to say yes to the next step. Talk to mentors, use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to help brainstorm. You can cut and paste your resume, after scrubbing private info, into the AI; ask it to show you transferable skills for a job of interest. You can input your LinkedIn URL and ask the same thing.
- Consider upcycling from previous role for your next job or career. Remember YOU are the one aspect that is consistent throughout your education, training, jobs, and professional endeavors. Anything relevant to the next role is game! A good career coach can assist with distilling your professional story and help build confidence in the process.
Please see below for an update on my job search playbook – it has a new name now! I had to step back for better self-care (often writing til 1am) so I can sustain the publishing and outreach journey. It’s a labor of love and service, for sure 😀
More career tips on interviewing, networking here. Please connect if you’d like to chat about how I can support you in your quest.
To your career success,
Sue
WHAT’S NEWS
It’s happening – mid May! I’ve engaged an editor for The Thriving Job Seeker Playbook: Grow with Confidence & Get Hired
- Job seekers: Want to be a beta reader? I’d love 5 people’s feedback on the manuscript! More info and sign up here.
CHECK THIS OUT
I’ve been recommending it to every client The Unspoken Truths for Career Success: Navigating Pay, Promotions, and Power at Work by Tessa White. Understanding how things work inside of organizations helps one feel better and strategize for jobs and advancement.
