How Do I Prepare for Abrupt Career Transition
These are very difficult times. The layoffs in the last 4 months have reached all time highs. None of us is immune. You may be wondering what you would do if you lost your job, or were suddenly put into a different position. What is your back up plan?
The old saying is that crisis is a time of opportunity. What do you do?
Even in uncharted territory, tried and true principles of personal change still work. Most of us, even if we have not suffered a job loss, are in a state of disbelief as we observe the economy unraveling before our eyes. The first step is keep eyes wide open.It is easy to slip into denial when no clear solutions are in front of us. As with any change, it is up to us to step forward and take advantage of the time of uncertainty by clarifying our value, where we want to go in our career and our strengths in getting there. Then we match our goals with opportunities through building relationships.
Take control of what you can.
Know that you cannot control the market or what your 401K is doing right now, the availability of credit, or ultimately how long the recession will last. What you can control is how you articulate your skills, how you position yourself, your attitude, your energy and spirit (have your stress management plan in place), and the amount of support you seek out (your network).
Conduct a Self Assessment
If you have not done a review of your talents, skills and passions, there is no better time than now. Exercise: Ask yourself what are the things in my life that I have done of which I am most proud? What results did I achieve? Make a list of 15-20. Take three of them and drill down: what exactly did I do? What skills did I use? Take some time, maybe a half day to do this self assessment. Then review it with a trusted advisor or coach. You will arrive at some useful insights.
Look in the Mirror
Pay attention to how you are being perceived by your bosses and co-workers. If you are not working, seek out some recent colleagues. Ask for feedback. Book some informational interviews with trusted contacts in business sectors you would like to explore. Ask for feedback about your strategy, and say thank you.
Raise Your Game
Look at your managerial style, your relationship with your manager. How are you doing managing up? Managing down? Do an honest appraisal and ask for feedback from trusted advisors, and look for opportunities for improvement. Jobs are hard to find and still harder to hold onto these days. This personal awareness will provide a tremendous advantage to you in surviving during tough times.
Assess the Opportunities
What industries and sectors appeal to you? How can you package your skills? Pros and cons of a career switch. Although head hunters do not value the switch, it may ultimately be in your best interest.
Consider Recession-Resistant sectors
Traditionally, these have been some recession resistant sectors:
Green companies
Health Care
Energy
Education
International
Food
Public Safety
You are in Charge
To paraphrase the words of Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff: never let a crisis pass without taking advantage of it. Make it a time of renewal for yourself. And never resist asking for help when you need it.
Pat Drew’s areas of expertise include top-level coaching, managing change/organizational resilience, and preparing executives and organizations for transitions. Pat is an innovator in Positive Work Environment, Managing for Performance, Managing High-Risk Assignments, and Resilience Training. She is an expert in the trend towards an older work force and its impact on HR policy. Her work leads to engagement and enhanced business results.
Pat’s work supports global leaders and their teams with tools to go through transition and challenging times. For example, she helps them leverage foreign assignments for business results by providing briefings and workshops for employees, families and managers to facilitate the rapid integration of these individuals into their new work location and successful re-entry back home. She teaches executives to thrive in high-stress assignments, such as the Katrina disaster, where she prepared and debriefed all NY Times writers and photographers who covered this story.
She has extensive experience coaching Fortune 100 senior leaders for rapid career change. She coaches them to hone their skills, find their passion, and know their personal style for greater satisfaction and career success.
Pat was Human Resources Director at The New York Times during the turbulent 1990’s where she developed coaching programs across five divisions leading to resolution of high cost performance problems. Pat has enhanced workplace productivity by designing and delivering change management training across organizations. She has created and led cross-functional teams that predicted future trends and recommended solutions at the corporate policy level.
While organizational development practice leader for a mid-size consulting firm, she developed internal protocols for coaching programs provided to Fortune 100 companies.
Earlier in her career, Pat was a Manager and Director of Training at the Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University. She was an Instructor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Associate Professor of Social Work at New York University. She has Master’s degrees in Psychology, Social Work and European History.
Pat has been a presenter at Harvard’s Neiman Foundation Symposium, “Journalists and Trauma” and faculty for the “Managing Global Account Certification” at Columbia Business School. She has been a member of the Work Life Leadership Council of the Conference Board and an expert resource for numerous publications including Crain’s New York Business, American Journalism Review, Editor and Publisher Magazine.
An Exclusive Global Women's Network
terms | privacy policy