If you’ve been laid off, furloughed, or don’t see a future in your current role because of the impact of the pandemic, you may be asking yourself if it’s time to consider a new career. And then you may find yourself overwhelmed by the uncertainty of that question. To what? Am I qualified? How would I even do that?

When it comes to making a pivot, I can suggest a few things that have worked for a lot of people (including me!). 

  1. Get really clear on the actual skills you offer. For example, if you were working as a manager in a restaurant, your skill set possibly includes supervision, budgeting, inventory, customer service, problem solving, multi-tasking, and marketing and promotions. 
  2. Consider which of these skills you actually enjoy. Most of us are good at plenty of things we don’t really love. If you’re going to pivot, you might as well lead with what you like best in your current role.
  3. Ask people who know you best and those you trust what they could see you doing. Then do some research into those roles and ask yourself if you could see yourself doing any of those things.
  4. Take a career assessment. Are there overlaps with what you’ve learned about yourself? 
  5. Talk to people in those roles. Ask them what they like best about the work, and what they hadn’t expected. Ask about their backgrounds and how they found their roles. Ask about what’s needed to be successful in that career.

And remember, there is a (often unwritten, but still true) caveat at the end of the “qualifications” list for most jobs: “…Or other comparable experience/background.” 

Cheers to your career!

Sign up now for my free, easy and accessible
10 Days to Jump-Start Your Job Search program!