Career Change: 7 Do’s and Don’ts
– Meridith Levinson, CIO
September 17, 2009
What’s one positive outcome of the recession? It’s leading people to consider a career change. Though the process of figuring out what to do next can be overwhelming, it’s also empowering. Taking stock of one’s skills, strengths, interests and experience makes an individual realize how much he or she knows and has to offer. Investigating career options also helps employed professionals extricate themselves from dead-end jobs. For people who are unemployed, a layoff can be the catalyst for pursuing a professional dream. (See How to Create a Better Life After a Layoff.)
Considering alternatives to the work you’re currently doing or you’ve done in the past is a worthwhile exercise for anyone, at any point in a career. Despite what the unemployment rate may lead you to believe, there are always options.
Yet those options may make career change difficult. Figuring out what path to pursue and where to focus your limited time and energy can be daunting. As a result, professionals sometimes go about career change in a scatter-shot way that squanders time and energy. To help you focus, career experts offer some realistic advice for pursuing a career change.
1. Don’t rush to go back to school. Many people decide to enter academia after they’ve been laid off because going back to school is socially acceptable, says Martha Manglesdorf, author of Strategies for Successful Career Change (Ten Speed Press 2009.) “It’s easy to rush the decision to go back to school because it feels like you’re making progress,” she says.
The danger is wasting your time and money on a degree that you end up not using, which happens often enough, says Mangelsdorf. She recommends talking to people with the degree you’re thinking of pursuing, to find out what’s involved, how they’re applying it, and whether it’s right for you.
2. Figure out what you want to do. Kim Batson, a certified career management and leadership coach, asks her clients a variety of questions to help them zero in on their next career moves: What do you really want to do? What have you always dreamed of doing? What’s motivating you to consider a career change? Is there an industry or group of people you’d like to serve? What are your strengths and skills, and how—and where—else might you use them?
3. Find out what the work is like. If you have an idea of the work you’d like to do, test your theory that it’s right for you, says Carl Wellenstein, a career coach and author of 12 Steps to a New Career (Career Press 2009.) Do research on the field or profession that interests you. Find people who are working in the profession you’re considering and talk to them, says Wellenstein. You might even be able to shadow them on the job. Look into signing up for a program like VocationVacations, which allows you to “test-drive” your dream job by working in it for a one- to three days.
4. Don’t assume that pursuing your passion will lead to riches. The idea that following your dream will lead to financial liberation is a misconception, says Mangelsdorf. When she interviewed people for her book on career change, she says she didn’t see a correlation between people’s passion and their financial success. “If you’re thinking about a career change because you have a dream you really want to pursue, do some homework first to make sure that the economic opportunities are o.k. with you,” she says.
5. Realize that any kind of career change takes time. “A career change can take significant thought, motivation, time, money, support and perseverance,” says Batson. “It is harder to achieve than searching for a job in the same function, even in a recession.”
That’s why it’s important for people pursuing a career change to be patient with themselves and with the process, and to persevere when they hit roadblocks or dead-ends. And if you have any inkling that your job may not be secure or that you just want to try something different, start the process now, because you may not have the luxury of time later if you do get laid off and find yourself under financial pressure to take another job. An easy way to start the career change process: start following people on Twitter who work in the fields that interest you.
6. Consider small changes. If a wholesale change in your career seems too risky, consider smaller shifts you could make, says Mangelsdorf. For example, if you’re employed, are there projects you could take on that would help you transition into a new role?
“Organizations that have had to downsize are having their remaining workers take on more roles,” notes Mangelsdorf. “If you’re currently employed, that could be an opportunity for you to take on work that will bring you closer to your long-term career goal.”
A series of small changes during a longer period of time can lead you to the more dramatic change you ultimately desire. “Career change is often a gradual process,” says Mangelsdorf.
7. Don’t dwell about losing a job you loved. You may feel forced into a career change if you lost a job you loved through a layoff and you know your odds of finding a job in your field are slim (e.g. you’re in a specialized area of IT that’s being outsourced to a developing nation.) As hard is it is to let go of things we love, it’s important to realize that something better can come along. Says Mangelsdorf: “Keep in mind that if you’ve had success in one field and been happy in that work, that’s a good thing. It means you can find another field where you’ll be happy.”
Looking for a Job? Study Shakespeare
Soaring unemployment has plenty of people wondering how to improve their odds in today’s ultra-competitive job market — and do something constructive with all of their extra free time.
Laid-off workers who think that taking the latest computer training course or getting a fancy new certification in marketing will help win over prospective employers are in for a surprise, however. While such courses can indeed prove valuable, the truth is employers would much rather hire someone who excels at reading, writing and speaking effectively.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2009 report found that among the traits that employers want the most in a job candidate, communication skills top the list (other prized attributes include a strong work ethic, ability to work in a team, and initiative). Evidently, however, such skills are hard to come by. The U.S. Department of Education’s 2003 Assessment of Adult Literacy (the most recent study to be conducted) found that less than one-third of college graduates are “proficient” in the three measures of literacy. Not only that, but majors or specific courses of study carry a lot less weight with employers than you might think.
A 2007 report conducted by Seattle-based consulting firm Payscale found that choice of career impacts earnings far more than choice of major: History majors who become business consultants earn a median total compensation of $104,000 one decade into their careers — around the same as business majors who became business consultants, says Payscale. But perhaps the best part about boosting your communications prowess: It won’t cost you much. You can take classes a la carte at a local community college or online for less than $500 per class — sometimes much less. Also, check out continuing education programs at a local university or college. To help make classes even more affordable, tap into scholarships.
To give you an idea of which classes might be both interesting and helpful, here are a few suggestions. Just remember: Pick classes that interest you. At the very least, you’ll have a cool story to tell future employers: Who wouldn’t be impressed by someone who went back to school to study Shakespeare just for kicks?
* Advanced Composition: You know that stack of classics you’ve never gotten around to reading? Taking a literature class with a heavy emphasis on writing essays will give you an opportunity to dust off Catch 22 and sniff out symbolism in everything from literature to sarcastic office memos. At the very least, you’ll be able to fit in at pretentious cocktail parties or impress your boss with your wealth of literary knowledge.
* Public Speaking: Conquer your fears and take a stand. Public speaking courses allow you to improve your presentation skills while debating your favorite issues. Such skills of public persuasion can prove really helpful at the office and it just might put an end to those anxiety dreams of standing in front of a crowd in your underwear.
* Sociology: Learn about all of the complexities of gender, race and culture while also figuring out what props up that glass ceiling and how to break through it.
* Interpersonal Psychology: Want to enhance your people-reading skills? Take an interpersonal psychology course and learn about personality traits, communication/leadership styles, effective problem solving, and cultural diversity. HR people and managers have spent millions of hours developing the tactics necessary to read and manipulate prospective hires and employees. It only seems fair that you should have a clue as to how it works, too.
Laid Off? Check Your Look … and Your Attitude
Newly Jobless Update Wardrobes, Rein In Resentment and Embrace Punctuation
By CHRISTINA BINKLEY
After Michael Guarini lost his job as president of the health division of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide last year, he started dressing up more. The advertising and public relations firm had a business-casual dress code, but now for networking meetings, Mr. Guarini says he generally wears business suits, even with people with whom he is long acquainted.
This often requires humorous deflecting. “People invariably say, ‘I hope you didn’t wear a suit for me,’?” says Mr. Guarini. He has two pat replies: “You’re worth it,” or, “I had some other meetings today.”
In the aftermath of a layoff, style is critical. And it’s about more than the decision to polish a wardrobe. The way people comport themselves after losing a job can make all the difference in what comes next. From how they convey the news to colleagues, to the type of clothes they wear and how they punctuate their emails, the newly jobless must use careful footwork to navigate the job hunt.
When in doubt, it’s a safe bet to retreat to conservative styles. After Michael Bragg was downsized from his New York-based job at a high-end European fashion brand, he went out and bought a new pair of shoes—lace-up, American-made Aldens. Play it straight with email, too. Sure, sometimes it’s perfectly acceptable to shoot off a short, all lowercase missive to a colleague. But punctuation is a risk-free option. The same goes for social-networking. Now is not the time to post pics from a beer-sodden barbecue and share them with everyone in your network.
Many executives must learn to rein in their presumptuous, free-wheeling style. Amy Friedman, chief executive of Partners in Human Resources International, got an emergency call to help a recently fired senior marketing executive at a big media company. The laid-off executive had broadly bad-mouthed her former employer in what she saw as casual conversations. Three weeks later, with damaging gossip swirling, it was Ms. Friedman’s job to form a recovery plan.
“We scripted it out,” Ms. Friedman says. They made a list of each person the executive had phoned, including what she told them, to the best of her memory. Then they rehearsed an apology, along the lines of: “I was very reactive that day, but I’m on good terms with my former organization and I’d really like to enlist your support.”
There’s no reason to agonize over telling people you’re job hunting. One out of 10 workers is unemployed these days, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And most economic forecasts suggest that the employment situation will worsen before it improves. Jonscott Turco, a vice president with Partners in Human Resources, says most people have become so accustomed to layoffs that they assume it was a downsizing even if the person was fired for cause. It’s best to choose words that are direct and clear without providing much detail: I’m no longer with my company and I’m looking for opportunities. “People get into a jam when they start to give details,” Mr. Turco says.
Most people say they know to avoid the sort of bridge-burning tantrum thrown by the ad exec who was fired on the season premier of “Mad Men” this week. Yet just type in “I lost my job today” on YouTube. The site is chock-full of videos of stunned, suddenly jobless people putting their worst foot forward.
Digging at his ear and mumbling, Don Bell called his former company an obscene name in a video he posted the day he lost his job. “I was really distraught,” says Mr. Bell, a truck driver in Gahanna, Ohio. He says his former employer hasn’t seen the video.
After I spent time watching his and other just-fired videos one evening, my young son asked, “Mom, why are you watching crazy people?” Of course, we’d all like to think we’d handle the bad news more sanely. But even people in the employment business can be caught off guard, proving just how important it can be to consider your “fired style.”
An executive recruiter for hedge funds says that after he was fired earlier this year, “The rest of the day I was on the phone with people telling them what happened and basically getting it off my chest.” The recruiter, who asked that his name not be used, says he didn’t think of this as a networking move because the people were friends.
Many career counselors recommend taking several days or even weeks off after losing a job—time to prepare mentally as well as to organize for a search. Joelyn Cecere, who heads the financial services practice at career consulting firm Drake, Beam, Morin Inc., likens this with recovering from a marital split.
“Sometimes when you go through a divorce, you think you’re ready to date,” Ms. Cecere says. “But often…it’s obvious to everybody but the person that that person does not need to be out there dating.”
Hello and Welcome!
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting my blog! It is my hope that this blog site will be your complete professional resource! Please bookmark this blog page and visit it often. I will be posting up to date interview information, new job postings, networking group information, tips & tricks, and more!
Thank you!
Barbara – “Your Helping Hand To A Successful Career”