Since 2008 my life coaching practice has witnessed a shift. In prior years my clients were mostly folks who were interested in improving their life, growing their business, and advancing in their profession. Since the “Great Recession” my clients are focusing on transitioning from one career to another and finding a job after being laid off from their six figure positions.
In previous years it was possible to think about a career and a job that would last for decades. One could work for a company from the time one graduated from college until retirement. In a robust economy, when jobs were plentiful, it was possible to readily shift from one job to another within the same career. This is becoming increasingly more difficult, with many economists saying that those days are gone forever.
Finding a job in today’s economy, and for the future, requires a paradigm shift. Rather than thinking that security will come from the right job, you have to believe that security will come from within yourself. Specifically, that means that security will come from your ability to think outside the box, to shift from one position to another much like a sailor shifts the position of his sails depending on the winds and water currents. Security will come from confidence in your ability to stay afloat regardless of the economic winds and currents.
You can no longer define yourself by the job you hold. You cannot think of yourself solely as an employee; you must also think of yourself as an entrepreneur, captain of your ship, CEO of your own company. For example, this means that you must think of yourself as a consultant seeking clients for whom you provide a service. You might find one client for whom you provide a service for 40 hours per week; the contract may last a month, a year, or several years. And then you find a different client. You might find two or more clients for whom you provide services 10-20 hours per week each (back in the day this would be similar to finding two or more part-time jobs, but with a twist).
While this may sound like a simple matter of words, the truth is that if you adopt this paradigm you begin to think and feel differently. You think about how you will advertise your services, to whom will you offer your services, and you begin to network differently.
Entrepreneurs know the importance of networking and the value of marketing. Marketing refers to connecting with people who would find your services of value; it is showing people that your services will add value to their business or life. Networking refers to reaching out to people in various venues, shaking hands, introducing yourself, and letting them know what you have to offer; networking is about building relationships. (I will be writing more about networking in a subsequent post.) As an entrepreneur it is necessary that you see each person with whom you come into contact as a potential client or customer for your service or product.
Until now you may have viewed yourself as simply an employee who is willing to work for someone else in exchange for a paycheck. With this model you are working for yourself and offering your services to others that will benefit them; and you charge a fee for your services. This model puts the locus of control in your hands; it empowers you. It is a psychological shift where you now own your company providing a service for which you receive financial remuneration, rather than a person simply seeking a job. It becomes your responsibility to inform the potential client of your services and why they would be smart to hire your company to provide the service to them.
Rather then putting yourself in the position of a job hunter, you are now in the position to aggressively find companies (or individuals) that would benefit from your services. You no longer are solely going around asking for a job; you are now telling companies about your services and how they would benefit from using them. This is a psychological shift that puts the power in your hands.
[Dr. Dreyfus is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist, relationship counselor, sex therapist, and life coach in the Santa Monica - Los Angeles area treating low sexual desire, premature ejaculation, sexual addictions, drug and alcohol abuse as well marriage and relationship communication and intimacy issues. The profits from his latest book, LIVING LIFE FROM THE INSIDE OUT along with his other five books, are being donated to charity through the website Book Royalties for Charity and can be purchased through Amazon.com. Please become a fan on his Facebook Fan Page by indicating "like" on the page by clicking here. You can also find more tools to help you experience a more fulfilling life by clicking here to visit his website.]
Tags: career change, life changes, men and work, Personal Growth, social issues, women and work
