Is career discovery relevant during a recession? | Career Guidance
When times are good, it is easier for people to pursue work that they will love. This is simply because their basic needs are being met and hence they look to satisfy higher level needs. However, during bad times, when people are losing their jobs and there are fewer jobs available, people are less concerned with finding their ideal job.
This is why one important component of career discovery is being realistic. The process/outcome must be practical and take into account business reality and your personal constraints (financial, family, time, and so on). It is also a good idea to try to aim for a mix of jobs in terms of ease of attainment:
Reach - jobs which will not be very easy to get, based on your current education and experience. You might need to get additional training/education to attain these
Fit - jobs which are a good match, based on your education and experience. You will be very competitive for these roles
Safe - jobs for which you are slightly overqualified. The hiring manager would find it hard not to hire you for the position
Some scenarios to consider:
a) If the ideal jobs you identify during career discovery are in areas where you already have relevant work experience, education, training, skills and so on; then the discovery process will help you showcase and market yourself very effectively during the job search
b) In case your ideal jobs require you to obtain new education/training/skills, then focus your efforts on keeping your current job, or finding jobs (fit/safe category) that match your existing experience. The output from a career discovery exercise, will help you conduct a better job search here also. Use some of your spare time to obtain necessary education/training/skills, so that when the market turns you are prepared to get your ideal job right away.
c) You might lie somewhere in between the above extremes i.e. your ideal jobs are a mix of (a) and (b). You could then use a mix of the two approaches, depending on your personal circumstances
Source: Sandbox Advisors
