We Were Dismissed, and We Accept It – This Is How to Land a New Role That Works Your Needs
The beginning of a new year is often a time for reflection, and for numerous people, that encompasses thinking about our professional paths.
A pair of editors who left their jobs after corporate restructures at first believed it was a disaster.
"I dedicated my heart into that role... I believed in the ethos we stood for. Yet, when it came to me, those principles were absent," one of them remarks.
The two decided to employ the word "fired" and believe that being open about what happened can aid you handle the event.
"We use numerous soft terms for being dismissed. But the faster you accept it, the quicker you're candid about it, the quicker you can advance.
"It's the direct path to what you want to do next," she notes.
Today, they are succeeding in different roles, where one owning a media business and another working as top editor for a high-end journal.
If you've lost your job or are simply contemplating a change, consider these four methods to assist you.
1. Reflect On The Previous Year
It's typical to have a bit low regarding your job post-festive period.
A career expert stresses the importance of reflection before starting the search for a new role.
She suggests individuals to think about what they want to pursue more, what to decrease, and the things that energizes or exhausts their energy.
Reviewing your accomplishments to find recurring patterns is also beneficial. "Avoid focusing solely on the recent past, as people often suffer from for recency bias that can impede clear thinking," she adds.
Another professional says it is crucial to decide the role of work fits in your life.
This means being truthful regarding the hours you devote to work and the influence on your personal and social life.
Following her job loss, she advises preventing yourself be shaped solely by your job.
2. Take Gradual Moves
The expert states that individuals can make incremental moves towards a career shift without committing fully.
She took several years to transition from her corporate career to operating her own company full-time, developing her idea concurrently with her role, which allowed financial stability.
"It took additional time, but that was how I did it sustainably," she says.
She advocates for a test-run approach.
This can include pro bono work, participating in a work project that captures your interest, or accepting something different within your current team.
"If it fails, you discover it's not a fit, however, it's wiser to know now instead of after you've committed fully," she adds.
She also advises looking into interim roles. They are perhaps not the ideal job, but they act as a move towards your goal, like a job with parallels to your desired career, yet not in the same industry or sector.
"It means allowing yourself the permission to accept this is suitable temporarily, but that does not mean permanent.
"That represents an intelligent strategy to get nearer to that new career."
3. Acknowledge Your Achievements
Should you have recently lost your role, many are in the same boat – redundancy rates have increased significantly lately.
One professional held a senior role for a fashion publication, but in 2022 she were made redundant after the company ceased print operations.
Understanding that this situation did not reflect of her skills helped her process the change.
"The skills you've gained doesn't disappear because you were dismissed.
"Don't give up your power, it's vital for everybody to recall their intrinsic value."
Another professional lost her job after a decade in a business journal due to leadership changes in management and the appointment of a new editor.
She notes that a lot of the shame of job loss is self-imposed.
"With many people being laid off, it's not personal. It's probably not about you, so refrain from bearing that burden of shame unnecessarily."
4. Create a Career Checklist
If you're actively hunting for a new job or feel utterly miserable in your current role, it can be tempting to jump at at any opportunity – overlooking your own happiness.
However, this represents a significant mistake.
Alternatively, she proposes an exercise called "scanning" – focusing your search down to role profiles that sound interesting.
She recommends browsing professional networks and saving several that appeal to you.
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