Career transitioning is challenging; socially, financially and psychologically. The personal energy needed to navigate such a change is profound and may be clouded by unmanaged emotions. I will address some of these key emotions in my blog today. My hope in this blog is speak to a world and a feeling that is not typically spoken about. A silent struggle that likely close to every professional will face at one point in their career. To acknowledge the purple elephant is to normalize and reduce the stigma.
I have been providing career transition support to Canadians for 7 years. Prior to launching Resume Restoration in March of 2020, the majority of my work has been assisting terminated employees. I would be hired by the dismissing employer to assist the former employee transition. Addressing the emotions related to losing a job has been challenging and educational.
As I have navigated this world of career transition providing support to close to 100 job seekers there is one piece that I am always mindful of – the mental toll that being a job seeker has on so many. This toll is displayed in a variety of ways, a handful of which I explore here.
1. Anger
In my initial meeting with a recently terminated job seeker I am often met with anger, frustration and resentment. Anger for being terminated, frustration that the employee did not see it coming, and resentment that there are others less deserving left still working (that should have been given the boot. )
Ultimately this anger subsides, but I think the most important reflection I have made and that I can share is if you find yourself in this place, allow yourself to feel it and be in it. Initiating career transition while in this head space is like trying to bake a cake over an open flame. You will get there, but it may take more time and effort and the final result will likely still not be great. One of the reasons why is because when we are in a heightened emotional state we are not at our best. Our ability to listen is challenged and our ability to think straight is challenged.
2. Fear of Not Being Good Enough
I cannot tell you how many times I have had the conversation with a job seeker where they are almost paralyzed in a state of fear that they are not good enough to land another job. A fear that they do not have the qualifications posted in the job postings or a fear that their limited experience in a certain field will prohibit them from being noticed. The fear of not being good enough often prevents applicants from even applying. This fear and so real that I often wonder how many job seekers allow themselves to sit in a job they are not satisfied with because the fear of not being good enough for a different position trumps their dissatisfaction; and disengaged they function through their 9 to 5’s.
3. Overwhelmed
Finding yourself as a job seeker is for many the equivalent of finding themselves divorced after 15 years of marriage, a recent divorcee now needing to learn and navigate this new way of dating. And this is fair, because like the world of dating has changed so drastically in 15 years so has the world of recruitment. Upon first glance so many job seekers put off applying because they don’t even know where to start. Not knowing how to write a resume, not completely clear on what LinkedIn is and how to use it, where to look for jobs, and the thought of interviewing is like the blind date you never even wanted.
This is why career transition services are so important because they speak to each of these as they:
- Allow for the anger to be defused
Provide coaching to the job seeker to help them identify their transferable skills and support them in articulating their professional story and skill set effectively, and
- Create a plan of action to break down the process and help the job seeker feel in control of their own career transition.
Career transition services are expensive and to this day the majority of companies do not provide terminated staff these services. This is one of main reasons we created Resume Restoration. We provide an efficient and cost-effective process that supports all job seekers. Our services include Resume review and formatting, LinkedIn updates, interview prep and cover letter audit and formatting. We are different from most other resume services in that we believe in getting to know our clients and articulating their professional story in an impactful
way.
We believe in addressing all the different challenges facing our clients, being in all ways supportive while professionally designing a strategy and resume to successfully achieve gainful employment.
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