How to Handle Job Transitions

Transitioning from one job to another can be a major life event. There are many reasons for job transitions, including looking for better pay, wanting more fulfillment in your work, being laid off, moving to a new city, or choosing to retire. All of these circumstances can create stress. But if you have been terminated, no matter what the reason, this can be a particularly major life event. 

If you are in a job transition now, know that you're not alone – the average person changes jobs an average of 12 times during their career! And data shows that people change career paths several times in a lifetime. There are many research-supported approaches to navigating a job transition that may help you with yours; please see the many useful resources below.

Job transitions can feel overwhelmingly complicated and stressful regardless of whether you’ve chosen to leave a job on your own, or if you were downsized or let go. Making the major decision to retire is different than the other circumstances, but there too, the prospect of looking at what you’ll choose to do with your time requires similar steps to that of going through a job transition.

It's Temporary

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that this transition is just that: a temporary period of transition. Job transition phases happen in a rather predictable fashion. One way or another there has been an ending. The ending may look like the realization that you are no longer satisfied with the kind of work you are doing on a day-to-day basis, or perhaps there were a series of changes in your work environment which brought you to the conclusion that it’s time to move on. Or there may have been interpersonal relationship conflicts that became untenable. Or you may have been fired or downsized for any number of reasons. These situations can affect you in many ways. Sometimes, people actually feel relieved because the position was not a good fit. This turns out to be the case more often than you might think! 

A New Opportunity

Losing your job may have been a surprise, or maybe you saw it coming. Either way, you want to make the best of this situation. Regardless of the reasons, it is possible to look at this life event from the perspective of possibility and opportunity. It will be important to spend some time reflecting on what worked and was engaging for you in your previous jobs, and also what was difficult and not to your liking. 

A forced job change can bring up feelings of being powerless; the employers seem to hold all of the cards. But instead of taking a victim perspective, you can use this time to imagine what you’d most like to do, and take a more proactive approach and perspective to find something more suitable to you. Spending time making lists of the skills you have developed, used, liked, and also those you disliked in your previous jobs can help to clarify what sort of job you really want to find. Making a list of the types of environments you feel most at ease in, and feel most productive in, can similarly shine a light on what you need to be able to work at your best level of productivity. You may also realize, as you look at new opportunities or talk to others about their jobs, that it’s time for you to add new skills to enable you to be the job applicant you want to be.

READ MORE for approaches on how to handle a sudden job transition