Are you 'Career Pivoting' the right way?
It seems like a story from a past lifetime.
I recruited two woman candidates in a bank branch, who were back from a career break. I was skeptical in the beginning, about them not being serious about careers, and the likelihood that they may not continue for long. Little did I know that I will board the same train soon, and learn enough to be able to help others.
Those were the days when candidates were trained how to explain a gap on the resume. It was important to be doing something outside gainful employment, and it continues to be so. What has changed is the approach. Back then, they were grilled more on the Why’s of leaving a job. There was a lurking suspicion about negative performance or behavioral issues in the workplace. The curiosity seems to have petered off now, what with people being laid off for no fault of theirs, and the millennials choosing their assignments, rather than organisations choosing them.
It is a good time to be a woman returner. There is a break on many resumes, and work-from-home assignments are scaling up.
LinkedIn chooses ‘ a career pivot’ as a trending discussion point.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A CAREER PIVOT?
Jenny Blake explains it as follows on monster.com
Doubling down on what is working to make a purposeful shift in a new, related direction.” Pivoting, in this sense, is “an intentional, methodical process for nimbly navigating career changes.”
Covid19 has brought more people on the bandwagon, for a multitude of reasons.
Read stories you can relate with at
Hit by Covid, professionals are re-evaluating career choices
The case with women who made a choice before Covid19, the issue needs to be examined in a different perspective.
They know or have learnt, or need to know what is a pivot for life. A pivot can be related to relationships, change of geographical location, starting a family or just discovering your true call. A pivot is not just about careers, though that is what we discuss today.
ARE YOU PIVOTING THE RIGHT WAY?
Are you stuck in the sunk cost fallacy that you need to work in a particular field, because you have earned your degrees from an esteemed educational institution, or have spent a couple of years or decades in a certain profession?
Are you ruled by a sub-conscious belief that you will not be able to do justice to a different assignment?
Do you suffer from an impostor syndrome? You are being called a veteran compared to the newbies, but ….
The bigger question that comes up in every interaction with a potential employer is why should an organisation hire you? What do you bring to the table that other candidates do not.
ADVICE FROM LINKEDIN
Your job matters, and not the industry you are in. Know that your skills can be applicable in multiple ways.
Let your potential employer know about your skills that will help you cross over to another industry.
Get an idea of the average salary ranges in the market before you go for the job interview.
Source: Career Pivot amid a crisis
Keep sharing, keep writing.
In the coming weeks, we propose to discuss the following topics
Setting up your business
Power of networking
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