Unexpected twists and turns occur in our careers, as well as life events that can impact our careers. Just as financial advisors recommend having a financial contingency plan via an emergency savings account, you should have a contingency plan for your career.
These scenarios occur every day:
- Your company re-organizes and you are laid off unexpectedly
- You don’t get the promotion you were promised
- Your company is in financial trouble
How do you ensure you can pivot quickly if needed to find a new role? Read on for 3 strategies for Creating a Contingency Plan for Your Career, including action tips!
Keep in touch with your network
There is the saying “your network is your net worth.” Who can you call on if you were to have a career emergency? Have you talked to them recently? Have you offered to help them?
If your network is only hearing from you each time you are looking for a new job, you are missing out. Not only are you missing out on valuable opportunities from your network related to resources for advancing your career, you will be in a much better position the next time you want or need to look for a new role if you have a network of people you can pick up the phone and call.
Action tip: Create a list of people in your network and a plan for how to stay connected.
Invest in yourself
Those who focus on a mindset of continuous learning have better positioned themselves for their next job search. What skills are in demand in your field? What skills might be in demand in the future? What are trends in your industry?
Investing in developing your skills through reading books or articles, taking online courses or certificate programs or attending industry conferences are a few ways to keep moving forward.
Action tip: Write down one activity you can complete this month to develop your skills and when you will do this.
Always be open to what’s next
Are you so busy in your current role that you don’t have time to think about what’s next?
Or where would you go if you needed to make a career move quickly?
Some questions to consider include:
- Where are new roles being created in your company?
- Where is most of the hiring occurring within your company?
- Where are promotional opportunities?
- What other companies in your industry are hiring right now?
- Do you have a side business that could expand?
Even if you are not actively looking, opportunities could present themselves that may be appealing. Ask yourself – can this opportunity help me grow my career and meet my career goals?
Action tip: Choose one of the questions from above to explore further this month.
Follow these 3 steps to create your career contingency plan so you can be more prepared for changes life may throw your way!
Need help thinking through your next career steps? Schedule a time to talk about what it would look like to work together.