How to Best Prepare for the Seasonal Changes in Your Career
How you prepare for the change of seasons in your own career journey is critical to your path. Winter gives us a much greater appreciation for the warm Summer sunshine. Spring gives us hope for the future just as Fall prepares us for transition. Every season offers new opportunities, how we seize them is what will define our career.
Spring is the season for new beginnings
For many, the first time they experience Spring is coming out of school or that first move after 2-3 years in position. It's a season of discovery and the excitement of new beginnings and opportunities. A relocation to a new job, a new city, and a new position on a bigger stage. The feeling of being wanted, valued, and actually courted.
After a couple moves, lots of hard work, sacrifice, and a number of seized opportunities, you may find yourself sitting in the Summertime of your career. That Director, Main Anchor, VP/GM, maybe even CMO, COO, or CFO role that you set your sights on. It's easy to get comfortable and some might become blinded by the sunshine. The glare from their corner office or the fame and attention from that anchor desk prohibits them from seeing what's happening around them. Summer is quickly turning into Fall.
Fall can be the best of times or worst of times.
The first time you transition into Fall in your career can be a roller-coaster. In some instances, the company you work for has been sold, or your department's being eliminated, there are layoffs or cutbacks. If you're in a critical role or influential in the next steps you could be offered a handsome retention bonus. Conversely it could mean that you are given a severance package. This is something to consider thoroughly before making a career changing decision.
Severance packages can be lucrative or they can be brutal. I've heard a recent story of a seven year tenured employee in a $4b publicly traded company getting 5 weeks severance. When he gave seven years of dedicated service and has now been thrown out on the street with 5 weeks of severance, he just entered into the Winter of his career.
Winter can feel like a kick in the gut.
Continuing with this same example, we now consider the Winter season of a career. The organization has literally told him that he is unwanted and unneeded. If this resonates with you, it could be because you gave that job everything and you are completely unprepared for what comes next. If you are fortunate, they offer you a coach, advisory or outplacement service. Let's consider this option carefully before moving onto the next season or stage in your career.
Lessons learned from seasonal changes
These are the two most important things I learned from an executive coach as I headed into the first Winter of my career (yeah, I've seen Winter):
Identify your strengths and passions
Identify and leverage your strengths and passions across industries and functions, this will create more opportunities during every change of season. In other words, think about all the ways you could transfer your skills. It might be a great time to explore a side hustle!
For example, multimedia talent could focus on 'merchandising' social media content. This means creating desirable content to be consumed in the right place at the right time.
Build out your Elevator Pitch
Your elevator pitch will support your career transition. If you're looking for a template to get you started, check out this post titled "Your Elevator Pitch in 3 Simple Steps".
In summary, the more seasons you experience in a career the better you become at recognizing the signs of impending change. If you've planned well and are living within your means, it's an amazing opportunity for positive and sometimes exhilarating change. In a world where the average job tenure is now less than 4 years, it's critical that you can prepare for change and actually manage it instead of it managing you. Embrace the seasons in your career by growing your skills and creating opportunities.
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