Career Coach and Executive Resume Writer at www.dreamlifeteam.com. Stunning, top-tier resumes that land offers in as little as 60 days.
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Feeling discouraged because many people in your industry are facing layoffs? You’re not alone. Professionals in industries such as home loan mortgages and travel may find that the job they have held may not be opening back up anytime soon. Consider making a “career pivot” where you will use the skills that you already have and apply them to a new career.
A career pivot is less disruptive than a “career change,” where you are choosing a completely different career and often starting over. In launching a career pivot, you typically do not have to start over since you are applying already developed skills, just in a different career.
To develop your career pivot plan, take a day or two off to think deeply about the following questions:
- What is my ideal workplace or culture?
- What skills do I have? Of these, which do I enjoy using and which do I not enjoy using?
- What are my workplace values? Some examples would be hybrid/remote work, high pay, a flexible work schedule, change, variety and meaningful work.
- What are my passions? List them all. Some might not be able to be part of your career (like hiking) but can be done on the side.
To determine your passions, try to answer some of the following questions:
- If you had unlimited resources in life and knew you would not fail, what would you do?
- If you were given $500,000 to start a nonprofit, what type of nonprofit would you start and who would you help?
- What charges you up? What do you want your life to look like?
After you have thought through your skill set, values and passions, brainstorm new roles that engage your skills and interests:
- Mortgage loan officers have many transferable skills including sales, client services and knowledge of loans and the housing market.
- Travel industry professionals have different transferable skills including administration, hospitality, client services and sales.
Once you pinpoint some ideal roles for your career pivot, you will want to rewrite your resume:
- Find a handful of job descriptions for your new role.
- Identify the necessary skills (which hopefully coincide with your skill set).
- Highlight why you are a great fit for that type of role.
Develop a list of 25 or more target companies or places where you would like to work. You can either reach out for an informational interview or see if anyone in your network knows decision-makers at your target list of companies.
Lastly, you will want to engage your network in your job search. While you can apply for jobs online, when switching careers, you may land your new gig faster by reaching out to people who know you. To engage your network, make a list of people you know: friends, previous/present colleagues, vendors, customers and LinkedIn connections. Then, find network connections who work at your target companies or develop new connections.
In summary, although it is difficult to go through industry-wide layoffs, it doesn’t mean that your employed life has ended. Although there may not be new jobs in your present field, there are other jobs available in other industries—and they need someone with your skills. Identify your optimal new direction and convert your resume. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to an exciting new career.
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