The process of being "in transition" is like no other. Not only do you have no outwardly dictated plans on any given weekday, but you don't know how long your unstructured time off will last (another week, another month, a few months?) or what your day-to-day life will look like once the transition is over.

​There's also the issue of figuring out what to do with yourself when you're not job searching--in addition to feeling guilty because you're not doing more job searching. As an extra added bonus, there are the occasional freakouts about money, nervousness about career prospects, and the once-in-a-great-while "I will never be employed ever again!" full-on panic.

Suffice it to say that job searching can be full of obstacles that make the process hard to manage. Knowing the possible issues is the first step towards figuring out how to mitigate each challenge and move forward. Here are five unfortunate reasons I have discovered about dealing with an unexpected career transition and a few coping strategies for dealing with each. 

Congratulations! You just found THE PERFECT JOB! You have all of the required and preferred qualifications!  It's at the right level with your dream company, and you even know someone who works there who will say great things about you! Surely your days of job searching are coming to a close because you are the purple squirrel for THE PERFECT JOB!

Enter reality. I'm sorry to say that you may not even manage to get so much as an initial phone screen for this position. Even when you feel like the job was tailor-made for you, someone in a decision-making position may not agree. Why might that happen? 

For one, the position may not actually be available. Some organizations post job openings to gauge interest in the position even though they have no plans to hire anytime soon. Conversely, the role may have been open for a while, and the selection process may be well underway. There could also be an internal person who will take the job without additional people being considered. In some cases, companies may have a policy that they need to post positions externally for a given length of time, even though they already have a candidate in mind.  Still other organizations may decide part way through the hiring process to leave a position unfilled but not remove it from their posted jobs.

Assuming the job is really, and for true accepting applicants, there may still be issues. For one, key organizational stakeholders may lack common agreement on what a job role will do and what constitutes being a well-qualified candidate. Decision makers may also each have their own non-negotiable requirements for the qualifications for the potential hire--which may or may not relate to the person's ability to do the job. Remember that no matter what the issue is, it seldom has anything to do with you personally. It's just the life of recruiting for and trying to fill positions with the best candidates they can find--sometimes with people who are (unfortunately) not you.

Remember a time at your last job when you had to deal with someone who was not good at what they did for a living? Like the rude salesperson who never did their paperwork right and missed deadlines? Or the recruiter who didn't keep good notes and forgot who they had phone screened? Or the company leader who wanted to approve every decision but would become unavailable for a week or more? During your job search, you'll realize those people exist in other organizations, too, and they sometimes stand between you and the job you want. 

It could come in the form of an administrative assistant who is supposed to coordinate your travel for an in-person interview--who didn't make reservations and then went on vacation, leaving you scrambling to find someone else to help. It may be the recruiter who doesn't realize that a learning management system and a learning content management system are roughly the same thing and wrongly screens you out early in the process. It may be the hiring manager who is overly concerned with your lack of industry knowledge and doesn't believe that anyone could just LEARN what they now know. It may be an insecure possible future coworker who wants to avoid hiring someone who might outshine them. Like the rest of life, things are not always "fair." You may not get the job, even if you are a strong candidate. And so it goes

I don't know about you, but I am friggin' delightful. I'm also able to connect and get along well with most people. However, during the interview process, no matter who I am or am not, it will not match what someone else thinks the candidate for the position should be. Whether they thought I should have smiled more, made a different outfit choice, or given more detailed examples, someone's negative reaction to who I am may take me out of the running for a job. 

People often have their own pet theories about what they'd like in a coworker, manager, or direct report. They may be convinced that having the title "account manager" is pivotal for success, that all candidates must have a master's degree, or that people who ride horses are pretentious. You might also have the misfortune of reminding them of the mean girl in high school and BOOM--instant dislike. Again, life isn't necessarily "fair."

The job interview process can be anything from one interview to many, many, many interviews, depending on the organization and the role. Typically, I expect to have a phone screen with an entry-level HR person to confirm that I can speak in sentences, an in-person interview with the manager and potential coworkers, and a final interview to demonstrate skills and/or meet with a company VP. In addition, a given employer may want you to do more to show that you have the skills necessary to do the job. For example, you might be asked to pass written assessments, submit work samples, present to a group or complete a project. They may even have you come into the office for the day and "work" as if you are already in the position you are applying for.

Interviews could take place over the phone, via web conference, through email, in person, or (more likely) a combination of all of the above. Some companies will have a pre-defined, structured process for the pacing and format of interviews. Other organizations will appear to be making it up as they go along. You may also inadvertently skip steps and realize near the end of the process that you should have talked about a basic topic like salary range or work location. Sometimes, it may seem that the interview process is never-ending because you have yet to talk with every single person in the organization. 

I remember being a child and how LONG the year seemed. It always took forever to get from my birthday at the end of August to Christmas. Enter adulthood. I find myself consistently marveling that it's already whatever day/month/season it is because it seems it was just that other day/month/season. In this scenario, your employer is the adult, and you are the child.
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​Some companies will be motivated to fill positions and move quickly. In contrast, others might have days, weeks, or even months between your contact with them--all because something that wasn't filling that position became a priority. 
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​What about that two days the employer estimated it would take them to contact you? It may turn into a week or two. Since they're busy addressing customer issues, traveling to client sites, and doing their expense reports, they didn't even realize it took that long. 

Or, as any job seeker doesn't want to hear, you may not be getting the job. Responding to a candidate quickly usually shows that the potential employer is interested. In many cases, taking longer to respond may indicate lagging interest. Such is how the whole process works.

​by  Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Recently, I have talked with many colleagues who are proactively updating their resumes. After we talk a little about what type of a position interests them, I usually give them additional feedback about preparing a resume to apply for a specific job. 

​As a many-time hiring manager, I have seen lots of bad and lots of sort of okay, and just a few resumes that were really, really good. For me, a resume needs to answer three fundamental questions. Having a resume that addresses these questions gets you out of the no pile and into the “I am excited to talk with them” pile.

In a previous job, I was working on filling an instructional designer position on my team at a software company. I received one resume where the person’s career objective stated that they wanted to be a curator at a museum. The good news: this person knew what they wanted and made it clear in their resume. The bad news: they didn’t want the job I had available.

Most (like maybe a good half) of resumes that end up in the “no” pile are so nondescript that they could be applying for any number of office positions. Once, when I was hiring for a technical trainer position, I received a resume for someone with a lot of experience working as a corrections officer. The good news: this person had many potentially transferable skills. The bad news: I didn’t know if this person was interested in this particular role or was mass applying for anything that wasn’t their current job.

For many people, it may be easy enough to tell if a person wants the job based on their past job titles. For example, if they have always been a project manager, and this is a project manager position, or a senior project manager position, it’s a pretty good bet that they are interested in this job. 

​Then there are the rest of us, who are decidedly less well-behaved. Some people have a variety of job titles that don’t necessarily flow together (like people who have changed careers). Others have careers where positions went from managing people to being an individual contributor, to freelancing, to being at a VP level, to being an individual contributor again. Again, no career path is wrong, but when applying for a job, clarify what you are looking for now—and that it is the open position.

​Overall, do just enough tailoring on your resume, so the hiring manager knows you are interested in the available job and applied for it on purpose. Given how costly a bad hire can be, help the hiring manager know that you want to do the job in question.

Once I know a given candidate wants the job, I look for some indication that the person has the skills to do the job. Some candidates’ work experience is neat and tidy and points logically toward the open role. For example, they were a call center representative, then a senior call center representative, then a call center supervisor, then a call center manager. If they were applying for a call center manager position, from their job titles alone, I could be reasonably sure they could do the job. With that, adding in keywords from the job description and adding details about their previous education and work responsibilities as they relate to this specific position, it’s not a stretch to think they are qualified.  

If the candidate didn’t have much experience in a similar role, I’d expect them to describe what they did in previous positions and show how their work experience prepared them for this role. For example, if I’m hiring for an instructional designer position, the job description might include “collaborate with subject matter experts to create learning materials for client-facing courses.” If someone with a background as an elementary school teacher applies, they should show how their previous work experience relates to the available position. For example, they might include “collaborated with subject matter experts in the media center to create learning materials for a course for parents on encouraging their children to read more.” Without emphasizing those transferable skills, I might not be convinced they could perform the required tasks.
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Overall, be sure to make it apparent that you can do the core tasks that the job requires.

Filling an open position takes a long time and is a huge gamble. The goal is to find someone who wants the job, can do it, and will want to be in that position (or a part of your organization) for a good long time.

This part of resume assessment is teeing up the phone screen and helping me determine the questions I need to ask. For example, will this salary be in line with their desired salary range? Will they be happy working from the office or working from home for the amount required? Will they work well with this organization's structure and formality level? Will they want to travel as much (or as little) as is needed with this job? Are they going to be happy managing or not managing people? As a hiring manager, details in the resume are helpful as a starting point for those questions. 

When it comes to job searching, professional networking is a critical component of success. Ideally, you make initial connections with people through LinkedIn (maybe even after meeting them in person or at an online group event). While this is a great start, there is value in building relationships beyond that initial connection. A 1:1 meeting can significantly strengthen a networking relationship​ and help you learn how you and your new connection can help one another succeed.

So what exactly is a networking meeting? Back in the day, I remember hearing people talk about doing "informational interviews." In short, if you were interested in having a particular job or working with a specific company, you would contact an organization or individual and ask if they would meet you for an informational interview. In this 1:1 meeting, which could take place via phone or in person, you might learn about the company, what they are looking for, skills to acquire, and more. It also allowed you to start to build a relationship with a company--or a possible advocate in the person doling out said information. 

Fast forward to now. Today, a networking meeting is typically between you and another person deciding to spend a half hour-ish together. This meeting, sometimes called a coffee chat, could happen virtually via Zoom or in person, often over coffee.

If you're job searching, the typical focus will be on how to progress in your job search. Someone may agree to a networking meeting because you have things in common (like a field of work, background, professional goals), because they are generally committed to helping people when they are job searching, or because you have a mutual acquaintance to ask that person to meet with you to help you out.

Whenever you have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with someone, remember that you are taking part in a type of informal interview. Whenever I meet with someone in career transition, my goal is to help them figure out their next steps, offer advice (if they ask and are interested), and give them ideas on further steps they might take, including who they should speak with next 

While I go in with this idea, the amount of help I'll provide also depends on how this networking meeting goes. Ideally, we have a good, productive conversation, and I think to myself, "I totally want to help this person more."

If the meeting goes well, I'll refer them to specific resources that might benefit them (like a networking group they might want to join, a company to check out, someone to follow on LinkedIn) and even put in a good word for them to have a networking meeting with someone else who might get them closer to their goals.

In addition, if it goes REALLY well, this is a person who I'll refer to others for openings, pass on job opportunities, and maybe even hire someday. If the meeting doesn't go well, I'll share a few resources, but I may not be willing to help them as actively moving forward. 

Remember, any interaction you have with people will impact their desire to help you in the future.

Here are a few best practices for networking meetings:

• Thank the person for meeting with you and for their input.
• Let the person know your goals for the networking meeting.
• Let the other person talk. Remember, you're there to learn from them. Be sure to listen to what they have to say!
• Ask them for the advice they wish they had received.
• Ask them for their recommendations on the next steps you should take.
• Ask them what you can do for them. Remember, they typically meet with you because someone they value asked them or they genuinely want to help. Be sure to return the favor!
• Be ready to help that person in the future--whether it's liking one of their LinkedIn posts, sharing a post they made, or helping them promote a job opening they have. Be a good LinkedIn/professional networking neighbor. 
• Send them a quick thank you message afterward and reiterate any next steps you talked about.
• Follow up with anyone who they introduce you to. Even if you end up not doing a lot with that connection, be sure to be professional about it all. 

When people talk about how they "networked" into a new job, typically, that means they leveraged their initial connections to help make inroads with new contacts, who helped them get closer to a new position.

​The holy grail of networking meetings is when the person you meet with agrees to introduce you to someone else they know who could help you. That process repeats until you're talking to a hiring manager or influencer who can help you get an interview for a job. Having good networking meetings is a critical step in that process.

Since forever, I have worked in the field of learning and development. I have been laid off a great many times due to economic downturns, companies being bought or sold, new company leadership, or good old fashion reorganizations. 

​While each period of unplanned job transition is rough in its own way, here are three core truths that help me weather the storm each time I search for a new work home.

When you're a hiring manager, you have a ton going on, and only one of those things is hiring a new person. You're still trying to manage your team, meet deadlines, troubleshoot customer problems, and juggle all the people you're considering for your open position. In an interview, when one candidate asks about the hiring process, you tell them you should know who will move on to the next steps in the process "by the end of this week"--and at the time, you believe that is a reasonable deadline. Then there is a software release with a bug that causes three meetings to be scheduled with big clients, or someone quits suddenly, leaving a lot of arrangements to be made, or your child has to be picked up from daycare with the flu. Friday comes and goes, and getting in touch with a candidate falls off your radar until next week. 

Meanwhile, as a job seeker, you put a note on your calendar that you'll know one way or another by Friday. Then you analyze every syllable you uttered in the interview, hoping you didn't say anything awful. You rethink a facial expression you interpreted as approving and wonder if it really was that at all. You suffer through Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, secretly worrying that you will never work again. Ever.  

Instead of spiraling, take action to get you closer to your job of being happily,  gainfully employed. 

After the interview, email the hiring manager a thank you message and send them a personalized connection request on LinkedIn. Put a note on your calendar for a few days after the hiring manager said they would contact you. Reach out to them at that time, including a few pleasantries, reiterating your interest in the role, and asking for an update. Will you get the job? Who knows. You did your part, identified what you can work on, and will continue to learn and grow as you go through the process for more roles. 

In addition, network with three more people and apply for three more jobs.

Inevitably as a job searcher, you run across it. THE job. It's the one you know is meant to be yours. It's perfect--easy commute, a great title, the go-to company, exactly what you are qualified (and want) to do. In your head you know it--this is MY job. You picture your new business cards, where you'll park, and how you'll introduce yourself as the "Director of Awesomeness" for this perfect company. You think--why should I even bother applying for anything else because this is SO my job!

Except, well, it's not actually your job yet. You're looking at it and seeing yourself in it, but it's not real. You don't work there. No one is sending you a paycheck for it. They don't even know your name yet. This MAY be the job you eventually get, but nothing is done yet. You know what else? It may not end up being your job. You need to remind yourself that it's not a done deal. Apply for that job--even work hard to get it. Know, though, that you may end up not even getting called in for an interview. This doesn't mean you're not still awesome. There's just a lot going on. There may be an internal candidate, or a previous coworker of the hiring manager, or someone who has a referral from a college friend, or someone who has even slightly more of a qualification that didn't make that job posting. 

Instead of spiraling, take action to get you closer to your job of being happily,  gainfully employed. 

Whenever you fall in love with a job or think of something as "your job,” make an extra effort to apply for additional jobs. If the job you see yourself in works out, great. If not, you're still working towards your ultimate goal of finding a new role (complete with a paycheck), whichever one that might be. 

In addition, network with three more people and apply for three more jobs.

Applying for jobs is a process. Looking back at my records, I have typically applied for between 40 and 100 jobs when I've been in career transition. It's easy to get discouraged. Sometimes you apply and hear back a fat lot of nothing. Sometimes my stomach sinks when I see a job that I've applied for (and was quickly rejected), and it's reposted, and realizing that they will hire "not me" for that role.  It's hard when the job where you interviewed a ton of times tells you they really liked you, but went with an internal candidate. It's rough to hear that you were great, but that you came in second. There is so much rejection in the job search process that you’ll inevitably feel down, like a loser, and like there is no hope. 

At the end of the day, though, you only need one job. You need one organization to tell you "yes.” You need one place where you and the employer agree to work together. When I remind myself that I only need an ultimate success rate of 1 in 100 to be happily, gainfully employed, it makes it all seem much more manageable. All those no answers get you to the one yes you need. The trick is that you don't know which one will be that yes. 

Instead of spiraling, take action to get you closer to your job of being happily,  gainfully employed. 

In addition, network with three more people and apply for three more jobs. 

Businesses are always changing. They constantly update their strategy to stay viable long-term. Changing staffing levels is one way they evolve to meet needs. While changes may bring great opportunities, they could also mean a few layoffs--or a company-wide reduction in force (RIF) may be imminent.
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Here are a few signs layoffs might be a-coming

From the dot.com bubble, to the 9/11 attacks, to the subprime mortgage crisis, to pandemic fallout and beyond, economic conditions impact the viability of individual businesses.

For example, during the pandemic, we saw some businesses boom (like video conferencing) while others struggled (like hospitality). Consequently, for those organizations that were floundering, job eliminations followed. More recently, mortgage rates rose, causing mortgage companies to streamline their operations.

Not all companies are successful--even in a strong economy. Companies might miss their sales targets for a quarter (or longer) or start to lose market share to a competitor.

To adjust, they may start with small cost-cutting measures, like having fewer snacks in the breakroom or downsizing employee events. Then, on a bigger level, there may be hiring freezes, no raises, or stopping performance bonuses. There could even be temporary pay cuts or eliminating some benefits (like employer contributions to a retirement plan).
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Since salaries are one of the biggest line items companies have, eliminating staff is one way to address financial troubles that shows a significant, more immediate impact on the bottom line.

Whether a CEO or a frontline manager, leadership changes can impact an employee’s future. When a president is replaced, a VP of a critical department moves on, or a manager leaves due to personal reasons, new people fill those gaps.

New leaders typically review the current state, assess staffing levels, revisit company goals, and make changes. This may include them bringing in their own people, restructuring departments, halting unsuccessful projects, or starting new initiatives. In some cases, they may bring in one or more consultants to make recommendations—including the jobs that will continue, their scope, and who will do them. ​

When companies have new owners, changes are inevitable. Duplicate teams will combine and some positions may be consolidated or eliminated. In addition, differences in company values may mean that a department in one company is no longer valued in another.
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Regardless of the circumstances, one thing is sure. The organizations in question will determine changes that need to be made and move forward to strengthen the company—which may or may not include a job for you.

Occasionally, companies revisit their goals and decide to switch directions. For example, a call center might start expecting all agents to be able to answer all call types, then shift to having specialized teams, then decide later to outsource or eliminate a service altogether.
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Shifts take place to minimize costs or capitalize on a potentially lucrative market. Unfortunately, this also means that the job you have that was once considered essential may be deemed out of scope.

On an individual level, changes to your job (especially if it becomes less challenging) may be a hint about the future of your role. If at one point, you led projects, and now you find yourself being left out of crucial meetings, take notice. See if this is an isolated incident or a pattern.
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This may also be a downstream effect from changes elsewhere in the organization. For example, a new manager may observe you doing your (now less challenging) job and see a misalignment between the value you bring and the salary you receive. Whether this is due to a new boss who isn’t your biggest fan, or one who has a former colleague they want to bring in to replace you, it’s important to pay attention. Changes in responsibilities may put you in jeopardy as the organization evolves.

Depending on company culture, the amount of voluntary and involuntary turnover varies.  While some companies have employees who have been there well over a decade, others may have the bulk of their staff there for less than a year.
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A larger, more established company has a better chance of longevity, while a tech startup may have more people regularly coming and going. Some may quickly decide if an employee is an organizational fit and take action. Others will have a structured (and often lengthy) procedure for attempting to correct performance before terminating. An organization’s mission, values, and day-to-day practices impact the likelihood that someone else will decide when you move on.

Sometimes, a layoff is inevitably caused by a series of events. For example, it may start as an economic downturn, followed by the company’s financial issues, then a leadership change, a resulting reorganization, and ending with the company being sold. ​