Five Steps to Create the Right Opportunity

Experiences such as being laid off, demoted, passed over for promotions, stuck in a dead-end position, or working for a horrible boss can contribute to the sense of career chaos. Last week, two people reached out to me for advice or resources to pass on to friends who had been laid off recently. As an executive coach with an extensive background in HR, I often help individuals find order when they are experiencing chaos in their careers.

Being laid off typically puts one in crisis mode as the need to maintain an income is often critical to staying financially afloat. It’s not uncommon for people in this situation to take the first thing that comes up in their current industry or occupation. New job, crisis solved, right? Career chaos, however, may not be averted if taking that job was the expedient answer, but not the right opportunity.

So, how do you find the right opportunity when you are in crisis mode? How, in fact, do you find the right opportunity when you are experiencing any kind of career chaos? I encourage people to stay focused on the following five steps:

Assess your situation. Remember that this economy still has a low unemployment rate and plenty of job openings exist. This is not like the Great Recession. Keep perspective.
Evaluate what you really want. If what you’ve been doing is what you want to do, then pursue this by all means. If not, research areas of interest and do an honest self-evaluation of your skills and background. Learn what’s required to enter and succeed in your areas of interest. The skills and experience you’ve acquired to date likely make multiple opportunities possible.
Partner with a coach. A coach can help by providing assessments and tools, implementing processes, and using experience to guide you to pursue best fit opportunities based on your complete background and desired future path. You’ll likely be introduced to new ideas that include careers or industries that align with your motivations, play to your strengths, and fit well with your values.
Reach out to your trusted network. Let the people in your network know what you’re seeking. These people want you to succeed and can often reference you to opportunities for which they believe you would be a great fit. Your network may have knowledge of job openings that you don’t know about; an insider reference to such opportunities can carry extra weight with hiring managers. After all, people only tend to refer those in their network they believe would do well in a position.
Adapt to your new job. On landing a new opportunity, make it a priority to understand the culture of the new organization. Don’t assume the new situation will be like those in your past. Be curious. Ask questions. Seek to find out what the success factors are that are valued in your new enterprise and do your best to deliver or exceed expectations while working well with others. Circle back to your trusted network and let them know where you landed. Thank them for their help in the process and ask how you can be of service to them.

Following the steps above can help you move beyond chaos and find career success. People tend to have an average of twelve jobs over their working careers, according to the most recent data sources. Finding the opportunity that is in harmony with your inner desires can lessen the upheaval that comes with multiple job and career changes caused by not being in the right fit.

If you are going through career chaos, I encourage you to start the process of finding the right opportunity for you. Partnering with a coach to help you navigate this process can be invaluable in aligning your inner values, motivations, preferences and strengths with positions and careers that allow you to be your best.

How can coaching help you find the right opportunity if you are dealing with career chaos?

Lance Hazzard, PCC, CPCC, is a certified Executive Coach and Executive Team Coach helping people and organizations achieve success. Lance and Eric T. Hicks, Ph.D., co-authored Accelerating Leadership, published in June 2019. Lance is Executive Coach and President at Oppnå^® Executive & Achievement Coaching. More information on the book, Lance and Oppnå^®Coaching can be found at the links below: