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With recent widespread layoffs across various industries, many professionals find themselves at a crossroads in their careers. Interruptions in employment (and income) can be a tremendous hindrance to career advancement, but there are ways to keep forging your path forward, even when you're between jobs.
The members of Forbes Human Resources Council suggest taking a multifaceted approach to career development. Below they offer their best advice for leveraging adaptability, continuous learning and networking to open doors to new career opportunities.
1. Find A Mentor In Your Organization
Employees can connect and develop relationships with mentors within their organization. If the company has a mentoring program in place, employees can leverage the opportunity to forge connections, upskill and reskill and build a network that will support them in case of layoffs. A strong network helps employees find a source of support during tough times and often, their next opportunity, too. - Matthew Reeves, Together Software
2. Practice Career Cushioning
I recommend candidates practice career cushioning, which is about preparing for the future and the worst. This is looking for other opportunities while still remaining employed. Like updating your social media platforms, especially LinkedIn. Network with individuals in your industry and have open conversations with colleagues within your own company to see what steps they are taking. - Jessica Kriegel, Culture Partners
3. Dive Into Professional Development
The best way to move forward is to channel your energy into your professional development and networking. Nobody can say for sure whether your employer will be affected by layoffs, so the most you can do is deliver your best performance and build connections within your industry. At times, most of us will “miss a beat” in our careers due to unexpected obstacles, so what matters is being prepared. - Niki Jorgensen, Insperity
4. Educate Yourself About AI
GenAI brings a new world of opportunities for employees in all areas and industries. We need to embrace this and learn how our jobs could become more productive and efficient with the use of AI. It is not about AI replacing jobs, it's about AI complementing and maximizing the work we currently do. The potential is immense, but we need to get on board and educate ourselves now. - Diego Ponce, Rotoplas
5. Build Your Network And Your Brand
Build your brand. Networking is a critical component to your career development, the connections you have are important and influential to your career. Find your tribe that you can learn and educate—in life, it's a give and get. People are more likely to refer and assist you in your career search when you're a known and vetted candidate. - Nakisha Dixon, Vercara
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
6. Evaluate Your Job Performance
Many people are understandably nervous about their jobs after a layoff and do not know how people were selected to be laid off. Existing employees should evaluate their performance. Many top performers are not laid off, for the most part. They should consider how else they can add value to an organization; they can even ask their supervisor this. Do they have a select skillset; if so, show it. - Erin ImHof, CertiK
7. Keep Learning
Continuous learning is critical. Identify emerging trends and skills in your industry and pursue relevant courses, certifications or workshops. Online learning platforms offer many options to help you stay competitive and make you a more attractive candidate for future opportunities. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
8. Be Adaptable To Change
In times of layoffs or technological shifts, employees can still advance by upskilling, networking and seeking or offering mentorship. Freelancing offers income stability while exploring new opportunities. Remaining adaptable and continuously updating skills ensure competitiveness in evolving industries. This could be as much an opportunity as a crisis. - William Stonehouse, Crawford Thomas Recruiting
9. Start Freelancing
Employees can leverage freelancing platforms. While these platforms may lack the stability of full-time positions, they provide avenues to expand professional networks that can lead to new career opportunities. Freelance projects allow individuals to hone their expertise, expand their portfolio and diversify income streams, mitigating the risk of relying solely on a single source of income. - Katrina Jones, Acacia Network
10. Build Your Shield
Job cuts? Don't sweat! Build your career shield: 1. Brand Audit: What problems do you solve (internal and external)? Are you in high demand? Who needs your skills? 2. Bridge the gap: Monthly skill boost relevant to your target problems. Network with industry leaders and clients. Showcase expertise (content, volunteering). 3. Be seen: Update profiles, connect with relevant groups and share insights. - Michael D. Brown, Global Recruiters of Buckhead
11. Prioritize Upskilling
One of the most effective ways to advance your career amid layoffs is to prioritize upskilling. Employees have little control over when or why layoffs occur. However, the more valuable your knowledge and skills, the less likely you will be affected. By prioritizing professional learning and growth, you become increasingly valuable to employers who will consider this when forced to cut staff. - John Feldmann, Insperity
12. Maintain Your Marketability
The nature of employment has changed; especially for younger employees (ages 25 to 34) the average tenure is now down to 2.8 years. Knowing that churn is inevitable; employees should be constantly assessing their skills and relevancy against the market. Employees need to maintain a view of their marketability even while in roles to ensure they're moving toward career objectives and picking up relevant skills. - Jon Lowe, DailyPay
13. Use This Time To Be Strategic
HR leaders aren’t putting strategies on hold—employee engagement, mobility and reskilling efforts are in high gear. They’re cultivating internal talent pools, fostering growth in-house and redeploying talent to use this time as an opportunity to be strategic. Employees can upskill, lean into tech innovation and training and stretch projects to support business-critical functions and future needs. - Laura Coccaro, iCIMS
