Career Transitions: What to Do when Waiting for Your Next (Big) Break
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Happy Thursday! Are you currently biting your nails, waiting to hear from your management about a long awaited promotion? Or did you just sit for a license or certification that will make all the difference between a successful or barely average career?Yet again, are you waiting to hear from a recruiter about a potential great job offer?
As many a corporate sister has experienced, there are those times in one’s career when you just have to wait it out! While these are times of grueling and painful uncertainty, they also may be some of the periods that teach us most about ourselves, our goals and objectives. So, while you anxiously wait:
1. Keep working! Oftentimes, the anxiety of the wait makes us feel paralyzed and unable to keep going until we find out the outcome. Yet, this waiting time is often crucial in sharpening the skills we’ll be using at the next level, to prepare for the next level, or even reflect on whether or not we even want that next level! One manager once confided in me that one of the criteria they rely on to finalize an employee’s promotion, is how this employee behaves once they know they are up for promotion! Are you working towards the next level? Are you keeping mentally and physically strong? It’s not how long you are waiting as much as how you are waiting…
2. Keep positive! Many a corporate sister has undertaken more or less challenging career transitions. Moving from one position to another, working to achieve a career or education milestone, waiting to start on a new career path: lots of opportunities to get lost in the shuffle of high-stress waiting periods! Your mental attitude is key here, keep positive, picture a positive outcome, and prepare for the best!
3. Last but not least, prepare your options! What’s a plan without options? While you prepare for the best, have options in case the worst strikes (because it may very well). If you don’t pass that license, plan to retake it as soon as possible! If the promotion does not come through, plan to expand your range of employment options, including lateral moves. If the job offer does not come through as expected, start sharpening your negotiation skills! While your options may not be definitive, they will be a source of assurance, and ultimately comfort, to you as you approach the situation’s outcome.
How are you waiting for your big career break?
The Corporate Sister.
