How to take your career disruption and turn it into a career gain?

Career Disruptions – the layoffs, firing, economic downturns, and more. Most of us have experienced at least one of these in our careers. Me included. I’ve gone through unexpected restructurings, voluntary severances, and more. But these disruptions, can they actually be seen as an opportunity rather than bad news?

Let me tell you about a client of mine, Sarah. Sarah, like a lot of us, just kind of fell into her career in marketing. She had progressed through multiple positions because she had a talent for telling stories, not because she was passionate about it. Sarah was one of the many who was impacted by the tech layoffs and found herself at a crossroads. Does she keep doing what she was good at, or does she take a step back to find something she loves?

With any career disruption, three things need to happen:

Step One - Pause and reflect

Any career disruption is going to come with a lot of emotion. You might be hit with a wave of sadness or anger. Maybe you’ll be happy that you are finally out. Regardless, you will have emotions regarding the change so take time to address those emotions. Your 1st instinct will be to rush to the online job boards and apply for as many jobs as possible (yes, this is my reaction during my 1st layoff) but I urge you to pause. Reflect on how you are feeling and take a day or two to breathe so then you are ready for step two.

Step Two - Assess the Situation

Now that you have taken the time to address your emotions about the disruption, it’s time to assess. Try to be as honest as possible during this step (it’ll be hard, trust me). But ask yourself a few questions:

Did I truly love the day-to-day work I was doing?

Did I feel challenged and motivated in my work?

Did I love what I was doing or was I just good at it?

If I could do anything right now, what would it be?

Sit with these questions for a day or two. Honestly assess how your previous situation was so you can make the best decision moving forward into step three.

Step Three – Make A Plan

This step is going to look vastly different for everyone. It depends a lot on how you answered the questions in step two.

If you were honestly positive about the type of work you were doing, great! Make a plan to have your brand updated, create a networking and job search strategy, and get out there and start finding a new place to call home. Your disruption was merely a bump in the road.

But, if, like Sarah, you realize that this disruption is opening your eyes to the fact that maybe the work you were doing was not what you truly want to do, now is the time to turn this disruption into an opportunity. The disruption is creating a new road for you to take.

This new road is an opportunity to explore what having a fulfilling and aligned career means. Think about those activities that light you up, the values you aligned with, how and where you work best, and what motivates you. Taking time to get clear on what your next step looks like for you will only turn your career loss into a gain.

If you want some help getting clear on what your next step is, click here to schedule a free consultation.