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Recalculating Your Career in 2022 and Beyond

By Lindsey Pollak, author of Recalculating; Navigating Your Career Through the Changing World of Work

When I first started to think about all the people thrown unexpectedly into career transition during the initial stages of the pandemic, I kept imagining that moment when you’re driving a car and the road forks, or you make a wrong turn, or you miss an exit. If you’re using the GPS on your phone or another device, it will glitch for a few seconds and then a robotic voice will say, “Recalculating,” sometimes over and over again.

Maybe you’re a recent grad trying to find your path after high school or college.

Maybe you were laid off from a longtime position and need to reinvent yourself in a new field.

Maybe you’re one of the millions of people who have decided to quit your current job and find a better fit.

Maybe you change your mind every hour and you’re not sure exactly what you want from your career.

Maybe you’re a stay-at-home parent who wants to reenter the workforce.

Maybe you’re thinking about landing a remote job so you can travel the world.

No matter what your specific situation, you are likely making readjustments and pivots all the time to keep up with the rapid pace of change. In the twenty-first century workplace, standing still means being left behind. We’re all recalculating now. Recalculating is no doubt a challenge, but I suggest you choose to view it as an opportunity. As I started to think about what happens when a GPS is recalculating, I felt a growing sense of optimism. After all, when the navigation app is recalculating, it’s demonstrating that there are multiple ways to get wherever you want to go. It factors in how far you’ve come already. And, if you decide to change your destination entirely, it can get you there as well. When you recalculate, you open up infinite possibilities. Sometimes winding paths can take you in unexpected directions that are even better than the journey you imagined. How can you embrace recalculation in your job search and beyond? Here are five strategies adapted from my book Recalculating; Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work.

Embrace uncertainty

A successful recalculation requires you to try new things and bust out of your comfort zone. You’ll have to consider working in industries you may have disregarded or have never even heard of before. You’ll need to use your imagination to brainstorm new ways to describe your skills and qualifications. You’ll be required to embrace new technologies and experiment with different methods of communication. You’ll be asked to expand your network to include people who think, look, and work differently from you.

of employers struggle to find candidates with the rights skills

This means identifying your transferable skills and thinking creatively about how and where you can apply them. According to Monster.com’s Future of Work Study, 91% of recruiters struggle to fill jobs because of a skills gap, and they need candidates to explain their transferable skills. A full 70% of employers are willing to hire a candidate and train them. So how do you identify transferable skills so you can market them to potential employers? One simple strategy is to visit your alma mater’s career center and take a skills assessment test like those offered by Myers Briggs, Gallup or Cappfinity (for which I serve as an ambassador).

Another strategy is to type your current job or college major into Google and add the phrase “common career transitions” to see how other people have applied similar skills to a different career. Applying your skills to a totally new industry may be more possible than you think. One job seeker had spent several decades as a chef and wanted to transition to an office job. A career assessment test helped him realize his aptitude for logistics, which he had built over years of managing and ordering supplies for his restaurant. He took an online class in the subject and landed a great job in logistics for a transportation company.

Recalculation cannot take place only in your brain. You must, must, must take action. One of the most common questions I’ve heard from job seekers since the pandemic began is, “How do I look for a job when I’m just feeling so burned out?”

Prioritize action

The only realistic answer that I’ve found is to take the smallest step you can to gain some momentum. Even a small action is still an action that can yield positive results. So, when you’re in a funk, send a single email to a former colleague asking if they know of anyone hiring in your desired field. When you’re frustrated, text a friend or networking contact to check in. When you’re having trouble getting off the couch, watch a TEDx talk or take one module of a free Udemy course. The biggest impediment to your success as a recalculator is overthinking. In the words of Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

The only sensible strategy is to put your energy into controlling what you can. You can control the amount of time you spend improving your résumé. You can control the number of people you connect and follow up with during your career change. You can control the amount of research you do about the appropriate salary range for your desired job, and you can control how much you rehearse your answer as to why you deserve even more. Control what you can and do your best to let the rest go.

I wish I could tell you how many résumés you’ll need to send to land your dream job. I would love to tell you the exact date when job market conditions will be ideal for a career change. I dream about giving you the single salary negotiation tip that will guarantee you the highest income possible. Of course, all these wishes are impossible, because so much in life is out of our control.

Control What You Can

You might take a step back in seniority, or stop making income for a few months, or work in an industry you never imagined, or move back in with your parents or a roommate. None of this is inherently “bad” or “good,” “wrong” or “right.” But it is your job to decide what compromises are okay to achieve your goals.

Know Your Nonnegotiables

Being adaptable and action-oriented and letting some things go does not mean disregarding your values or morals or material needs. However, there is a possibility you’ll have to make some trade-offs as part of your recalculation.

Some caregivers will not accept a job that does not allow them to pick their child up at school or day care at the end of the day. Some people with disabilities prioritize health insurance benefits above all else. You might have to compromise on some factors of a job, but you don’t have to compromise on all of them. Some younger workers are most interested in paying back their student loans quickly and are willing to work long hours and sacrifice some social time to do so. One recent college graduate with a marketing degree told me she decided to accept a job as a grocery store clerk so she could have some much-needed income immediately. This wasn’t her dream job by any means, but because she was fulfilling her most important need—to make money—she approached the job with a positive, can-do attitude. She chatted with all of her customers to practice her networking skills, and she asked the manager of the grocery store if she could help with some product displays and advertising campaigns to gain marketing knowledge. All of this helped her eventually land a full-time marketing job. According to the Monster study, 27% of candidates are looking for career growth and skills development. In my opinion, you can gain some skills from almost any job as the grocery store grad demonstrated.

You are never, ever alone in your current recalculation or at any point in your career journey. There are always people, organizations, websites, social media feeds, books, and articles that are here to help and support you (example: this one!). All you have to do is ask. Don’t know what salary request is appropriate in a particular industry? Ask. Don’t know how to tie a tie for your job interview? Ask. Don’t know what Slack is? Ask. You know when people say, “Don’t hesitate to ask?” Take them up on it. Ask early, ask often, ask forever. Sometimes on this long journey of career success, even the best of us have to ask for directions.

Ask for Help

Recalculating Your Career in 2022 and Beyond By Lindsey Pollak

Keep reading Lindsey Pollak's great tips. Monster wants to give you a free copy of Recalculating to help you take control of your career.

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