Looking for a Second Career? Try Before You Buy.
MARC FREEDMAN: What one tip would I give to older Americans who are currently out of work, but who would like to find full-time employment?
Embrace action.
When determining how to move into new kinds of work, we can try to think things through in advance—or we can get out into the world. Both have value. But it’s hard to make any connections or have new experiences—both essential to transitions in work and life—without leaving the confines of one’s imagination, or home.
I’m fond of invoking the wisdom of Insead professor Herminia Ibarra, who wrote in her seminal book, “Working Identity,” that “doing comes first, knowing, second… Career transition follows a first-act-and-then-think sequence because who we are and what we do are so tightly connected.”
It’s immensely frustrating being out of work when we want—and need—to be contributing. When we stop “doing,” it’s easy to start questioning—who we are and why we’re here, our identity and our purpose. Which is why so many people turn to volunteering, pro-bono activities or other kinds of service in attempting to navigate this trying shift from what’s last to what’s next. In short, they opt to give themselves away.
Even if the service experience doesn’t lead directly to your next gig, you’ll have used your time to do something that matters—and you’ll have stepped outside your own head, to engage the world.
Click here to view original web page at blogs.wsj.com
Category: Anniversary, Blog
