What Are Career Transition Services?

Many people have heard the term “career transition” and may be unsure what it means or how it works. We are going to be adding Career Transition Services to our product offerings in the coming weeks and it provides a perfect opportunity to bring clarity around what those services are.

In a nutshell, Career Transition Services help people through the process of changing careers or jobs. The job market is a scary place for a lot of people, especially since the pandemic began. It doesn’t need to be that intimidating and Career Transition Services help people navigate their job search confidently and effectively.

Talk to Tim about Career Transition Help!.

These services can be hired by individuals or companies. Oftentimes, companies will hire Career Transition help when they have to part ways with an employee for whatever reason. Doing so ensures that they are taken care of with the help they need to find their next job.

This blog will outline what Career Transition Services are, who hires these services, and the high-level steps of the process we use.

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What are Career Transition Services?

Simply put, Career Transition Services offer individuals guidance and help to make a career change or finding a new job.

A lot of people aren’t sure where to start when they make a change. Many are forced into making that change due to unexpected events, such as being laid off. The unexpected nature of job loss can amplify emotions. The task of changing jobs can seem monumental and intimidating at first.

Career Transition Services help remove that intimidation to help people make a career change effectively and with confidence.

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Who Hires Career Transition Services?

Career Transition Services can be hired either by individuals or companies.

Individuals can hire a Career Transition Coach to help them navigate a career change or job search.

More commonly, Career Transition Services are hired by companies when they are making the tough decision of parting ways with an employee. This is also commonly referred to as “Outplacement”.

When companies make these decisions, they often aren’t doing so because the affected person is a bad employee. The organization may need to go in a different strategic direction that requires a different type of personality. Other times, the organization might be shifting strategies to reduce one department and grow another. Maybe the organization simply needs to lay people off to stay within budget amidst changing economic realities. This was especially the case when the pandemic started.

When these things happen, the companies involved will often take responsibility for their strategic decisions and retain Career Transition Services for the affected employee.

The Career Transition process has several steps to help people avoid having an unfocused job search to effectively finding a new career that will bring them fulfillment.

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Step 1: Termination Support

The first step in the Career Transition process is to offer the Employer termination support. This step happens when a company hires Career Transition support.

Employers often make the mistake of having the wrong goal during the termination meeting. They often try to have the affected employee leaving the meeting liking them. This approach is rooted in good intentions. The employer is feeling bad about the tough decision they have made and wants validation that it was the right decision. They think the way for this to happen is to try feeling liked by the affected employee by underscoring the difficulty of the decision and overcompensating in the explanation.

This approach is a mistake because it makes the meeting all about the employer. The employer isn’t the victim here. They’ll be returning to their job the next day and the affected employee won’t.

The real goal of the termination meeting isn’t for the employer to be liked, it’s to be respected. To do this, the termination meeting needs to be all about respect and support for the affected employee.

When you hire Career Transition help, they will help the employer with Termination Planning and Coaching to ensure employers are focused on supporting and respecting the affected employee in the termination meeting. The employer needs to genuinely thank the employee for their service and let them know that because they are valued, career transition help has been retained for them.

Career Transition Coaches also attend the Termination Meeting. Once the employer has met with the affected employee, the Career Transition Coach meets with them immediately after. This helps ease the anxiety of the affected employee because they have peace of mind knowing that they have immediate help in front of them.

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Step 2: Job Search Strategy

The second step in the Career Transition Process is to create a job search strategy.

We sit with the candidate to narrow down what their next career steps should be.

The ultimate goal is to be deliberate about finding the right job. Instead of finding any job because you need one, you want to make sure your next career move is the best next step that fits what you want in your career.

First, we work to determine what kinds of jobs/careers will interest you. This is done through a variety of exercises to get to the bottom of what kind of work satisfies you. Psychometric analysis can also be used to help guide the candidate towards a career that fits their personality.

Many times, this can result in a complete career change because many skills are transferable across several disciplines. For example, if you are passionate about teaching others, you can do that in any number of jobs and industries. For me, teaching is something that I enjoy and have done in an operational role and as a coach. Both of those are different career paths using the same skill!

Next, we will identify the right organizations for you to target by being deliberate about your goals and values. You’ll use those goals and values to find organizations that have similar goals and values.

By knowing what kinds of jobs you are interested in and the organizations that fit you best, you’ll create a job search strategy focused on finding the right fit for you.

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Step 3: Resume Building and Interview Coaching

Once you have established a job search strategy, we get you the tools needed to execute that strategy effectively.

The first step is to craft your resume. An effective resume is an important part of any successful job search. You have between 3.5-6 seconds to attract the right attention to your resume. We make sure your resume is designed to get the attention of Applicant Tracking Systems and Recruiters.

We then help you prepare for your next interviews with interview coaching. We help you craft an effective message so you can show your next employer why they can’t move on without you on their team.

Having the right resume and interview messaging are powerful tools you need to successfully meet the goals of your job search strategy.

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Ongoing Support

Once you have your job search strategy and resume ready, a Career Transition Coach offers ongoing support for a set amount of time.

You’ll meet regularly with your Career Transition Coach to talk about how your strategy execution is going. It allows you to make tweaks and adjustments as you execute. It also gives you a chance to talk through any questions you may have or anything on your mind as you go through the process.

Your Career Transition Coach can also help you objectively consider any job offers you may receive.

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Hopefully, this blog brings you clarity around what Career Transition Services are and how we provide them.

If you ever have any questions about Career Transition Services or how we can help you, we would be happy to help!