Career Planning Made Easy

Managing An Unexpected Career Change
If you are one of the millions of people who get an unexpected pink slip, the fact that you are
getting laid off can be terrifying. It doesn’t have to be that way, but many people don’t prepare
themselves for the eventuality of a career change and prefer instead to coast through life. When
market forces or a major illness interrupt their career, they may have no idea how to start a new
career. Let’s be clear, you can switch into another career quickly, but not if you don’t plan your
strategies way ahead of time. Once the emergency hits, you won’t have the calm head required
to look at all your options objectively. So, don’t wait until something happens to force you out of
your career, be proactive and start looking at ways to manage a potential career change even if
your job seems as secure as the rock of Gibraltar.
In this career planner, several different strategies will be discussed that can help you make a
successful career change in a week, should the unexpected arise. They are the foundation for
making a smooth transition. Each of these strategies may take time to settle in and that is why
you need to do them before you actually attempt to switch careers. You want to lay the
foundation and be prepared, just like you would if a hurricane were getting ready to strike your
town. Don’t expect the government forces to be able to reach your door to help you, in that
event. Similarly, in a situation where the economy is shaken, you may have fewer federal
resources available. Do check them out, but also prepare to take control of your own life.
Some of the items to be discussed will seem like common sense to you. They are. There is no
magic bullet that makes one suddenly qualified for a new position at just the right time. It takes a
common sense approach and the ability to plan and strategize for all contingencies. It starts with
a willingness to be realistically appraise your own skills and the determination to do the hard
work to make your own future secure, without relying on chance or fate. So, the advice given
here can help you whether you are laid off or whether you are making a leap into selfemployment.
If you have the strategies in place when the time comes to quit your job or leave, then you can
utilize the seven day plan to keep you on the right road to future income. It can give you a
feeling of security in rough times and it can help to motivate you. The worst thing that can
Career Planning Made Easy

happen when you are suddenly without work is that you decide to take it easy for a while. That
is not the time to take it easy, that’s the time to take out your plan and focus on some strategies
to either get you gainfully employed or make a dream come true. It all depends on how much
you’ve prepared in advance as to how easily you can move from having no job to being in total
control of your life.
Career Planning Made Easy

Prepare Ahead Of Time
You don’t want to get to the point where you have been given notice and have absolutely no
idea where to start looking for a job or even what jobs you qualify for. Always know what your
skills are and how those skills apply to the present marketplace. This can take a review of your
skills, yearly. This should be easy enough as that is normally done in your yearly review, with
your supervisor. Keep a copy of all of your achievements and skills at home at all times. If you
are asked to leave a company, you may have little time to take anything with you. So, act as a
faithful employee, but keep records at home – always. Don’t leave them in your desk at work.
You won’t be able to retrieve them if you leave suddenly.
Many companies ask you to specify your career goals and then evaluate how you did at year
end. This is a great strategy to help you plan on how to increase you on-the-job skills. You
should take advantage to express any areas that you think will also make you more marketable
outside the company and that can also benefit your own company. Always show how your
further training can increase the company’s bottom line. If it happens to increase your
marketability, that’s not something you need to draw attention to, but it can be invaluable during
a layoff.
Career Planning Made Easy

Resources For Career Changes
Within the career e-book, you are given specific resources that will help you assess your skills
and find out which of them apply to the marketplace. You want to know what the trends are in
salary and in employment for your current field. You also want to be able to find