FOR THOSE out of work for longer than expected, there comes a moment to face reality ñ when they question if they should stop looking for what they want, and instead try to find what they need: this may mean they have to pursue an entirely different career path.
Career management experts say the timing varies for each person, depending on their individual circumstances. For some, financial considerations dictate that they have to take any job without further delay if they are to maintain their standard of living. Others, financially or emotionally more resilient, reach this conclusion only after a year or more of searching.
In a host of areas, from financial services to advertising, manufacturing to high-tech, engineering to defence industries, jobs ñ and career opportunities ñ have been lost. Factor in the trend towards outsourcing jobs overseas, and it is not surprising that many job seekers have to consider going in a new direction.
ìItís devastating to be out of work for any length of time, but itís even more stressful when a job seeker realises that he may never find a comparable position in his chosen field,î said David Northwood, UK client services director of Bernard Haldane Associates, the international career management firm which helps job hunters through more than 100 offices worldwide, eight of them in the UK.
There are a number of issues to consider when facing this situation: some obvious, but some that only each individual can assess to determine ëwhen to say whení in their career search. David Northwood, whose company has worked with a million clients worldwide, suggests certain key indications for those out of work and wondering if they should switch careers:
When you have taken all the right steps ñ networking, working with
recruiters, attending job fairs, etc. ñ with minimal results.
When you have not had a job offer throughout your search.
When positions in your field are going overseas.
When industry is down in your area and you are unwilling to move.
When your financial situation requires that you find a job immediately.
Once an individual realises that he or she must throw in the towel and start anew, the career adviser offers the following basic steps:
Get rid of any preconceptions.
Look at new possibilities.
List the core skills of your past experiences.
Identify the personality traits that apply to your work style, eg
detail-oriented v big picture, fast-paced v slow but steady, etc.
Take a positive decision about going forward, with no regrets or backward glances. This will communicate itself in applications, interviews and your CV.
Rewrite your CV to emphasise the elective change in direction.
Meantime, make new demands on yourself ñ physical, intellectual and social. For example, join a fitness club or take up swimming or cycling; start an academic course or an evening class, or read about philosophical thought; take a new social step such as joining a dramatic society or debating group, or become an organiser or fund raiser to put your abilities to work for a charity.
After reaching an honest assessment of skills, experience and expectations, you can make a decision about how to restart and renew a career, whether in the same industry or in a totally new direction.
ìItís often beneficial to work with an objective career adviser who can help you figure out what to do next in terms of finding work that is rewarding and satisfying with the prospect of long-term employment,î said Northwood.
Founded in 1947, Bernard Haldane Associates is the world’s oldest and largest career management firm. For more information, contact
When to say ’When’ to end a job search
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