Indulge me for a moment. . .
Think about the last time you actually took time to think about your career, not just your job, but your Ikigai (your purpose).
When did you know you wanted to be [profession]?
Why did you pursue this direction when there are 1000s of other career paths? What do you really enjoy about your job/roles?
How have you excelled in your role and mastered your skills?
What motivated you to go so far? What’s keeping you from going farther?
It’s not often we think about the career, how far we’ve come, and how far we want to go, and what’s standing in the way, or even how far we’ve deviated from our purpose and have been slowly depressed from doing something we didn’t enjoy, in an organization we didn’t like, and always chased for the weekend. Trapped in the cycle of I need to work, so I can pay for my home, so I can rest and get back to work. Stuck in the rat race without a second thought if it was important to us.
Yes, layoffs are tragic. It took you from the height of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Self-Actualized, to scrambling to figure out how to manage all the responsibilities, to impacting our relationships, and our children (multi-generational), which ultimately impacts our self-identity and professional identity. It’s tragic.
Let this traumatic experience be your catalyst for something new and incredibly fulfilling?
If you’re here, that mean you or someone you love is going through a layoff and you want to find easier way to make a career pivot so it aligns with purpose.
You’re not alone in navigating this.
Many incredible professionals find themselves at this crossroads, and it doesn’t define their talent or potential. As you take a moment to recover and resume your job search, come on this discovery stage with me to you can make a career pivot and realign you and your career.
Why layoffs are a catalyst for change
In 2020, we, collectively, globally, were forced to live through something tragic, and it propelled us to self-reflect on our values, the importance of work and how much meaning we received from our 9-5 schedule. Parts we enjoyed to parts we tolerated, and the cost of tolerating aspects that didn’t align with ourselves or our future. Nearly 30% of Americans were forced to pivot due to layoffs during COVID, 43% had to change their industries, and 4% changed their entire career path as a result of the layoffs (UC Irvine).
These stories can be a tough lesson for all of us, and as you navigate the career change, it’s so important to remember that layoffs are almost always systemic business decisions, not a reflection of your personal performance or worth (Psychology Today). While it feels deeply personal, this forced pause can be a unique opportunity for reflection.
This disruption is a wake up call, and it can provide:
Greater clarity on values: You might discover what you truly value in a job, a company culture, skills mastery, community, or even your work-life balance. This can provide an opportunity to connect with companies, industries, or even starting your own business as a result of creating a better future for yourself.
Improved work-life balance: This break can help you reassess how work fits into your life, leading to healthier boundaries in your next role. Perhaps in your future you aren’t working to work, but working to have more flexibility and freedom to do what you want, when you want.
Opportunities for growth: When we’re in the grind, it’s tough for us to look around at other opportunities, companies. This is why many people lose sight of their career progress and focus on if I do the best job I’ll get promoted and a salary increase. Where in honesty, people find greater salary increases and promotions when they leave their current organization. This is your opportunity to look for positions higher than your previous role.
Did you know, that after the Great Recession of 2007-2009, we had one of the biggest innovation boom? It was led by people who were laid off during the Great Recession, and created Airbnb, Slack, WhatsApp, etc. (Republic). The modern career path is rarely a straight line, it’s a complex path with the evolution of technology, education, access, etc. that make your roles more complicated than before, and creates opportunities for your to discover new industries, functions, roles, that is a better alignment for your goals. Your layoff, though painful, can be a pivotal moment in this evolving journey.
Seven steps for easier career pivot
Layoffs aren’t easy, and the complicated factors in being laid off goes beyond a company but can be an indicator of the economy at large. Slowed economy leads to more layoffs causing an influx of individuals applying for the same/similar roles. The key component that can set you apart is managing the emotional and psychological rollercoaster. We’ve discussed how to manage it individually, as a friend, with your partner, and as a family. These all have something in common, you have to be intentional about addressing the underlying emotional and psychological factors first and early. By addressing them early, you set yourself up for success by being intentional and strategic.
Prioritize self-care: This is essential for managing stress and maintaining motivation. Maintain a daily routine, set SMART goals, and celebrate progress. Ensure adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise throughout the journey. Neglecting this can result in showing up to an interview while exhausted, unprepared, sleep deprived, disheveled, etc.
Pause to gain perspective (Seriously!): In the immediate aftermath, emotions run high. It’s important to acknowledge the layoff as a professional trauma and give yourself time to process it. Don’t rush into the next thing without reflection. This pause can help you learn from the experience and regain your balance.
Re-evaluate values & skills: Use this time for deep self-assessment. What truly motivates you? What are your core values? What skills do you genuinely enjoy using? Identify your transferable skills – those abilities that can apply to different roles or industries. Not just the ones on your task list, but those skills that come naturally to you, and those you’ve been sharpening in your hobbies. ALL skills and values you care needs to be outlined.
Upskill and reskill strategically: Strategically is key! If you were laid off from a technology company/role, and there is a tech bust in the economy, this isn’t the best time to invest in tech, maybe another venture/skill that is booming in the industry. For example, during the Great Recession investing in real estate skills wouldn’t be helpful but another related skills might have been sales, technology, might have been a better investment. Recognizing your values and skills is ideal, so you can balance our what is hurting (layoffs) to what is growing (emerging industries).
Build a strategic network: Reach out to former colleagues, managers, and industry contacts, attend industry events, join professional groups, and participate in online communities. The more you engage with people the greater your chance in discovering “hidden jobs markets”. It’s a lot easier to say, “we’re in a hiring freeze”, but people are still hired during a freeze because they rather make an exception for a highly attractive candidate than wait. Networking is a cornerstone of any successful career transition.
Explore new avenues: A layoff can be the perfect moment to explore different career models. Consider freelancing, consulting, or even entrepreneurship, like starting a franchise or buying an existing business. Your skills, values, and knowledge have a part to play in the economy, you just need to recognize your unique offerings.
Craft your new narrative: Update your resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect your new direction, highlighting recent achievements and skills. Be ready to confidently explain any career breaks, focusing on the growth and learning that occurred during that time. It’s time to re-invent and invest in yourself.
Investing in a career coach
Investing in a career coach isn’t for everyone, but when you’re able to invest, they can set you apart from the crowd, make the process easier and challenge you to grow in way you might not have considered. Here are a few ways a career coach can help you make a career pivot:
Gain clarity and vision: Coaches are experts at helping you assess your values, strengths, and career goals. We can guide you through self-reflection exercises to define your personal brand and craft a compelling vision for your next chapter. Start writing your narrative today and learn how to change it so it grows with you.
Identify transferable skills & growth opportunities: They’ll help you pinpoint your transferable skills and identify any areas where you might need to upskill or reskill to align with your new career direction. These are sometimes “basic” skills that we forget because we focus on the “challenging” skills, but most employers want to see a balance of both.
Develop a personalized roadmap: A coach can help you create a flexible, personalized job search roadmap, breaking down the overwhelming process into manageable steps and providing accountability to keep you moving forward. If a checklist inspires and motivates you, this is a great way to organize your journey and make sure you’re on task to reach your goals.
Boost confidence & emotional resilience: After a layoff, this is the first to go. We start questioning ourselves and our confidence is shot. Career coaches provide crucial emotional support, acting as sounding boards during emotionally volatile moments. They help you process grief, stress, and fear, building your emotional resilience and confidence for the journey ahead. A career counselor can go beyond and support you through the hardest of these journey and help you self-actualize and build unstoppable confidence.
Master your narrative & networking: Coaches are experts at helping you articulate your impact and contributions, even from non-traditional experiences. They can guide you in strategic networking, helping you connect with relevant contacts and even access the “hidden job market”.
In essence, a career coach can help you recover from your layoff faster by creating safe space for your to process the emotional and psychological effects of the trauma, create personalized roadmap to get you back into the work, and support you in your career pivot to your next chapter aligns better with your knowledge, skills, and values. They help you build confidence, practice interviews, create resume and linkedIn, etc. to make sure you’re reaching your goals systematically.
Career pivot is tricky, but now's the time to act
A layoff, while undoubtedly painful, can be a powerful catalyst for profound personal and professional reinvention. It’s an opportunity to pause, reflect, and intentionally design a career path that truly aligns with your values and aspirations.
By understanding the emotional challenges, embracing proactive strategies, and leveraging the invaluable support of career coaching services, you can transform this period of adversity. This isn’t just about finding a new job; it’s about cultivating resilience, reclaiming your sense of agency, and stepping into your future with renewed strength, clarity, and purpose. You have the power to turn this challenge into a powerful chapter of growth and discovery.