Job and Career Change-Start With Yourself (10 Key Strategies for Success)

Over the past 20 years, as technology grew at a rapid pace to gave us the Internet, smartphones and instant connectivity, the resulting changes have forced us to re-examine our personal and professional lives, our goals and our careers.
As early as March 2002 a Wall Street Journal article described several manufacturers adopting an approach of continual cross-training and moving workers based on the needs of the company. Employees in those situations may have some amount of “employment security”, but since they are paid a different wage based on the job they do, this kind of transfer can seriously impact their finances, their day-to-day sense of security and well-being, and the “traditional” concept of moving up the career ladder.
More and more it becomes evident that although people used to change jobs every 7-10 years, now they change entire careers with the same or greater frequency. With our rapid technological advances, entire careers pop up or go away within a decade. Clearly, the days of working for the same employer for 30-40 years and then retiring are long gone.
In this age of being “free agents” it’s even more important for us to continually upgrade our skills since ultimately, we are the ones responsible for managing our careers. This may mean that we’re continually looking for the next thing, or plotting what our next upward or sideways move will be.
Fortunately or unfortunately, many of the “old” rules are gone.
Today we have a world economy – we are no longer isolated in our commerce. All kinds of jobs have moved overseas, shifting to areas where the cost of labor is less. And it’s across the board – manufacturing, development, even customer service have been affected.
With the tanking of the economy in the past several years, many people are now finding that they have to take jobs that are outside of their “normal” career path, and sometimes at lower salaries than they’re used to. And in some ways that means they’re lucky, because at least they have a job.
But even if this describes your current situation, it doesn’t mean you are stuck there forever. This series of books are designed to help you plan where to go from here.
These books are NOT about how to write a resume, or even how to interview for a job. There are several really good books already out there that can give you specialized information in these areas. However, as you go through the 10 Strategies, you’ll complete several different processes to gather information that will help you when you do write your resume, or get called in for an interview.
Plus, you’ll find several other resources to assist with the more traditional aspects of your job search or career change.
Being downsized or laid off is not always a tragedy. It certainly gives you an opportunity to re-evaluate where you are at this moment. Sometimes you can take advantage of this kind of shift, expanding it to move into a career that is even more meaningful for you.
It’s all up to you, and what you want to make of it.
The 10 Strategies that make up this series are what you need to start with – they will help you figure out what’s really next for you. Regardless of where you’ve been, the future is wide open. And regardless of what it might seem like right now, you’re the one who gets to choose.