Over the past year, many people have lost their jobs and are faced with finding a new one. During challenges like this, reflecting on what you want to do next is normal. Some people will continue on the same professional path, while others will look to make a change. Since the pandemic, we’re seeing more people choose the latter. And while the new path is rewarding and exciting, it’s important to remember that career transitions are challenging.
Constantly evolving technology and a forced change in how we work have a large faction of the workforce reconsidering their career. The reasons for making career transitions are varied and unique to your situation. And while exciting and filled with opportunity, there isn’t a handbook laying a roadmap for making the change.
Career transitions are one of the most emotionally driven processes we’ll undertake, subjecting us to confusion, insecurity, and doubt. A recent article from the Harvard Business Review lays out some of the difficulties of career transitions and a few suggestions to make the process less scary.
One of the reasons the change is problematic is the lack of institutional support. Starting a career path in a field has a defined progression. You start at the entry-level role and progress as you master each role. People went through the process before you, and the steps are clear. However, the path is unclear as more people look at non-linear career paths, sometimes called career lattices. There is no timetable or outlined requirements to move to the next role. This is especially true when someone leaves a large enterprise company to join a small start-up or equity-backed company that doesn’t have the structure of a large company. It’s a bit of comparing apples to oranges, which makes the transition confusing for all parties involved.
Another challenge is the association of our professional identity with our job. According to the author, “Decades’ worth of research in social psychology shows that our sense of identity is anchored in the well-defined groups and organizations with which we are associated and by which we are recognized. Without the cover and support of a traditional employer and a stable work identity, we can quickly start to feel lost, anxious, irrelevant, and insecure.”
This can be a bigger challenge for more senior leaders. The roles they may be considering are often filled through word of mouth and not typically posted on job sites. It can result in the search process taking longer than expected. Then, there is also the expectation of hiring organizations that their unicorn is out there. Because of this, hiring processes are becoming more complicated and drawn out than in the past.
If you’re in this position or thinking about a career transition, knowing what you want to do next is one thing to consider. You’ve likely already figured out what you don’t want to do, but if you’re unsure what to do next in your transition, you’ll struggle with the change. Like most things, a career transition is iterative, and you will likely feel lost at the outset. Here are three suggestions from the article to help the journey.
Diverge and delay
Accept that it will take time, and be good to yourself. Use the time to reflect, explore options, and be creative without the pressure to commit.
Exploit and explore
If you’re still working and thinking about a career transition, don’t wait; it doesn’t have to be an either-or process. Start considering what you want to do next and what steps you need to take to get there.
Bridge and bond
Once you get started, one step that may sound intimidating but is fulfilling is building and re-engaging with people outside your current social set. These relationships help us expand our professional reach. Additionally, invest in your existing relationships for emotional support.
The nature of today’s workplace likely means that reinvention will be a common thread throughout people’s careers. Instead of a linear path that ends with a gold watch at retirement, career transitions will provide us with more learnings about ourselves and new skills.
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