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5 Ways to Handle an Unexpected Career Change

Published by Kim Thompson on July 15, 2022

Dealing with change is a big subject in your career, and how you approach it affects your results. Career change usually happens in a couple of ways: unexpected and planned.

Naturally, planned changes make you feel more in control when deciding to pursue a different career path or share your goals with your boss. Yet planning does not prevent surprise when change does happen, such as suspecting possible change when your employer is facing challenges. Even though you might have mentally prepared for change, it’s not like the real event when your department is affected.

When unexpected change happens, how you handle it often determines how fast you get back on your feet. Change is part of your career; learning how to work with it helps make you a more productive contributor and effective job seeker.

It helps to understand that change has a process to it. In talking about job loss, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief are often quoted to help normalize change. While her model was originally based on bereavement, the stages apply to various types of loss in life.

While losing a job and accepting a new one will happen in your career, no two people will experience the same reactions in the same way. So how does understanding the stages of grief help you with career changes, such as a job loss? It helps you gain a better perspective and see a change in a different way, to leverage it with a positive focus.

It’s also important to know that not everyone in a job loss will go through the same stages. I remember a friend once told me she bypassed all the stages and was in acceptance by the time she packed her office. She was ready to leave.

Contrast that to a job candidate who loved their job and through no fault of their own was affected by a shift in business. They will go through a job loss in a different phase, with denial most likely leading the way. It might take them weeks to arrive at the acceptance stage, and they could experience waves of loss while moving forward. You can experience pain from change and move toward your goals simultaneously.

Author M.J. Ryan, “How to Survive Change … You Didn’t Ask For” talks about some ways to approach change to empower your ability to get your career back on track and thrive.

• Focus on the solution, not the problem. While you may question, “why is this happening to me?” dwelling on it serves no purpose for you. Focusing on the problem can keep you stuck in despair. Instead, spend your energy on the solution.
• Fake it till you make it. Losing your job can often affect your confidence, and new brain research suggests the thoughts you hold create new pathways in your brain. The notion that changing your thoughts change your brain is valid. Act as though you are confident, and you’ll become confident.
• Set aside worrying time. This may sound counterproductive, but there is truth in it. Those who are prone to worry usually spend a great portion of the day and night worrying. Trying to stop worrying can be a futile exercise. Give yourself permission to worry by scheduling time, like 15 minutes a day at a certain time. It helps to control the habit of worrying all day.
• Hang around happy people. Get out and be around people who are positive. It’s contagious. Happy people count their blessings and tend to move forward with new ideas and perspectives. They are a great source of encouragement and support when you are experiencing an unexpected change.
• Consider options before saying no. A measure of fear will hold hands with change, and it’s easy to become closed-minded when faced with potential options. Before you say that something won’t work, take some time to consider it just might.

How have you handled unexpected career changes? What did you learn from it?