We Got Let Go, and We're Owning It – Learn How to Land a New Role That Works for You
A new year's onset is often a time for reflection, and for a lot of us, that involves evaluating our professional paths.
A pair of editors who were made redundant from their positions after corporate restructures initially felt it was a disaster.
"I poured my heart into the position... I believed in the values we stood for. But in my case, those values were absent," one of them remarks.
The two opted to employ the word "fired" and believe that being honest about the situation can help you process the event.
"People rely on numerous soft terms for job loss. But the faster you acknowledge it, the sooner you're candid regarding it, the faster you can advance.
"That's the direct path to whatever you wish next," she adds.
Now, they are excelling in different roles, with one owning her own media company and another holding the position of top editor for a luxury magazine.
If you've been laid off or are just contemplating a change, consider these four approaches that can help.
1. Contemplate Last Year
It's common to have some apprehension about work post-festive period.
A professional advisor stresses the necessity of looking back before embarking on a new job search.
She suggests professionals to evaluate what they desire to pursue more, what to reduce, and the things that energizes or exhausts them.
Looking back at your past successes to identify recurring patterns can also help. "Try to avoid focusing solely on the most recent period, since everyone suffer from for recent-event bias that can obstruct clear thinking," she adds.
She also says it is crucial to decide where your work fits in your life.
This means being honest about the amount of time you devote to work and its effect on your social and family life.
After her own experience, she advises not allowing your identity be dictated by your career.
2. Take Gradual Moves
She says people can implement gradual progress towards a career shift without diving in headfirst.
She took seven years to move from a traditional job to managing her own company full-time, working on her project while still employed, which meant she could pay herself.
"It needed additional time, however, that was the method I used without risk," she explains.
She advocates for a "try before you buy" strategy.
This can include pro bono work, participating in an initiative that captures your interest, or accepting a different task in your existing role.
"The worst outcome, you discover you don't like, but it's preferable to know now rather than after you've committed fully," she remarks.
Additionally, she suggests considering interim roles. They are perhaps not the perfect role, yet they function as a step forward, for example a position with parallels to the career you want, but in a different area.
"It involves granting yourself the space to say this works for now, but that isn't the same as forever.
"That can be a very smart strategy to get much closer to a desired transition."
3. Acknowledge Your Successes
Should you have just left your role, you are not the only one – redundancy rates have increased significantly in recent times.
She held a senior role in a magazine, previously she were made redundant when the firm closed the print version.
Recognizing that this event did not reflect of her skills allowed her to handle the transition.
"What you've learned doesn't go away simply due to were dismissed.
"Don't give up your power, it's important for everybody to remember their own value."
Her colleague was let go after ten years in a business journal following a regime change at the top and the appointment of new leadership.
She emphasizes that much of the stigma of job loss is self-imposed.
"Considering the vast numbers of professionals losing jobs, it's rarely personal. Chances are not about you, so refrain from bearing that ball of shame around with you."
4. Build a Career Checklist
When you're urgently looking for employment or are utterly miserable at work, you might be tempted to jump at at any opportunity – disregarding personal fulfillment.
But this is a significant mistake.
Instead, she suggests a method called "scanning" – narrowing your search to only position summaries that sound interesting.
She recommends searching professional networks and gathering several that seem promising.
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