According to experts, the average person can expect to change careers or jobs at least six times in their lifetime. I thought that I would be in complete control of these job changes, and I was in control for three of them. But the fourth change was something I did not have control over! In fact, I had very little to do with this change, and soon found myself without a job and actively looking. And the search was longer, and more painful than I ever expected. I learned a lot during this search process, and would like to share some reasons why it really was a good change.
1. It was a great time to move on and increase my networking. After six years at the same company I was growing comfortable and complacent in my work and relationships. I wasn't meeting too many new people, and all of the people that I knew were in the same industry. When I moved on I had the opportunity to meet new people in various industries. I think I've at least quadrupled my network with significant contacts and have a much more diverse group of contacts.
2. I could now learn new things, or new ways to apply old things. I had learned a lot of things in my old job, from technology to sales, operations to strategy. But I felt that I was maxing out my personal growth, and my mentors didn't have much more to teach me. Taking what I learned from there and applying it in a different environment is a rich opportunity to continue to grow. Furthermore, getting new mentors and teachers was exactly what I needed, and I've been on a fast track to more personal growth.
3. I was forced to update my resume. I hadn't cared about my resume for at least six years, and didn't think I would need to for a long time. I was neglecting expert advice to always have a resume ready. I thought that it would be easy to throw together a quick resume but found I was wrong. It took me an entire week to get it "just right," and even then it was flawed. This was, however, a great time to sharpen my saw and get this important document up to date.
4. I began to focus on a much neglected area: my own career management. Like most people, I had given 110% to my job and my employer. I was a corporate guy, and I sacrificed personal and family stuff for "the cause." But that didn't pay off once I got laid off, with nothing more than a few weeks of severance and a "thanks for everything." I had done myself a major disservice by not doing things for my personal career management. Losing my job but keeping my mortgage payment was a huge eye-opener and made me step back and think about things that I should do to manage my career.
5. I got a sharp reminder of what's important, and an opportunity to refocus on important things. Going back to the "I sacrificed" statement, when I got laid off it was interesting to spend time at home and get reacquainted with my family. I had a two year old daughter that was a mommy's girl, but after a few weeks of actually being around her she really warmed up to me, and now she comes to me first in the morning. It really was good to have some time to reevaluate my life, my goals, and realize that I had to focus on the really important things.
6. This was a time to seek out better opportunities. When I was employed it was not fun thinking about how green the grass was somewhere else... I wanted to work towards the green grass in my own company! But the reality is there are green pastures in many different places. Not every place is free from problems, but changing jobs is a great opportunity to look for something better than what you just left. I encourage you to evaluate the satisfaction from your last job and think about how you would improve it - and then seek out employment that meets your criteria. There is no better time than the present to upgrade your own job.
7. I got a chance to seriously evaluate my career path and determine if its time for a change. Have you been an expert in your field for too long? Maybe you are ready for a career change - from customer service to sales, or from project management to operations. I had a terrific opportunity to move into an entrepreneurial role, which was very different than what I had done before (goodbye meetings that are too long with too many people, hello lean and shoestring!). This might seem like a Pollyanna attitude on getting laid off, but these are almost tangible results that I took away from my transition. What can you take away from your experience? Perhaps more important, how can this impact your long-term career management plans?
Copyright: Copyright © 2007-2008 Jason Alba
About the Author:Jason Alba is the founder of http://www.JibberJobber.com which is the
premier career management toolset designed to empower you
during your entire career. In Jason's last job search he
was frustrated at the oversupply of articles and advice
and surprised to not find any tool to allow him to put
the advice into practice. JibberJobber.com allows you
to manage important relationship like a salesman
manages his leads, track and organize your job
search, prepare for specific interviews, manage
career documents and much more. Sign up for
a free account at http://www.JibberJobber.com/signup.php
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