Posted by One day you’re going about your job without much thought, and the next, you have a career setback that comes out of nowhere.
Maybe a loved one has sickness that can’t be cured or died suddenly. Maybe your spouse asked for a divorce, or you and your longtime partner broke up. Or perhaps you were laid off from your job or didn’t get the raise, new job, or client you wanted.
No matter what, something like that can throw you off. Even if it has nothing to do with your job, the loss will affect how you work and what comes next.
Here are the 3 best things to do when you are facing a career setback:
1. Recognize the power of pausing.
When something bad happens, your natural reaction may be to lash out in anger, denial, sadness, or a mix of all three. However, acting on these strong emotions right away isn’t always the best thing because it often leads to bad choices and actions you’ll regret later.
Instead, make yourself wait a moment before you respond. Putting things on hold will give you time to think about what happened and keep you from rashly saying or doing something you’ll regret later.
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2. Remind yourself that you have a choice.
Once you’ve had enough time to think about what happened, tell yourself you can choose how to act. Will you wallow in your bad luck, or will you use it to improve your job?
Depending on how you look at it, a career setback can either make or break you. Even if it’s hard, you should change the way you think about your problem and see it as a chance. Ask yourself how you can turn this loss into a professional win.
3. Do something positive.
After you’ve calmed down and looked at the situation from a different angle, it’s time to take positive action.
Research shows that escaping from problems at work is a common way to deal with them. Focus on more useful things instead of binge-watching Netflix, “doom-scrolling” on social media, or putting off important tasks.
Use your unique situation to move forward and start on a new path, whether switching to a new company, business, or role or going out on your own. Even if it’s hard to see at the time, a bad thing can often be a blessing in disguise because it forces you to finally act on your dreams, even if they’re in a job field you don’t know much about.
Dealing with a setback in your career is never easy. Still, you can get through it by taking a moment to think, telling yourself you have a choice, and then taking positive steps to move forward.
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Anisa is a writer who focuses on career and lifestyle topics in an effort to motivate both job searchers and employers towards greater fulfillment in their professional lives.
Reach me at anisa@jobstore.com.