Career Transition Coaching with LJN
I guess it’s not surprising, having gone through an unexpected and significant career transition myself in 2020, that the majority of my coaching clients over the past four years have been people who are themselves in a professional shake up. Some clients have had the rug pulled out from under them, and others are considering pulling out their own rug. Either way, a career transition is, as one client describes it, a roller coaster ride with hopeful ups and disappointing and discouraging lows. Being on the ride with my clients is such a privilege as we navigate an uncertain time in someone’s life - together.
As I head into the fifth year of LJN Advisory, I wanted to gain a clearer understanding of what career coaching looks like with me. Obviously, Bridges’ Transitions model - Endings, Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings is a grounding philosophy and tool, but there are a lot of career coaches out there with varying approaches. What is unique and most helpful about mine? It felt important to be able to answer this question so I could be clear when speaking with potential clients about what it is I do, and just as importantly, what I don’t do. The best way to find out, was of course, to ask my clients about their experience working with me. I reached out to a few long term career transition coaching (CTC) clients with four questions.
Firstly, I was interested to start with what their preconceptions about career coaching were before they started. Julie (all names have been changed to maintain client confidentiality) summarized everyone’s responses when she said, “I held a narrow view of career coaching, perceiving it as a surface-level service focused on refining application materials and interview skills to obtain a new position. I did not fully grasp the potential for the more comprehensive, transformative experience I was offered.”
Somewhat selfishly, I needed them to affirm that, at least with me, CTC has multiple purposes and desired outcomes. Getting a new job is just one of them. Friends, it’s tough out there - many jobs posted don’t actually exist, or have an internal candidate lined up, and if I had a dollar for every time someone told me that their applications go into a black hole with no acknowledgement, I’d be a rich woman. It’s taking a while for people to find a new professional home, so if I am carrying the pressure of the primary outcome being to find them that home, the imposter phenomenon can emerge and I become less effective.
Secondly, I wanted to know what they were hoping to get out of CTC. Sean, who was preparing to pull out his own rug, told me, “I was hoping to find a person who would help me with the career transition I had decided to make - someone who could guide me through each step of the journey. I needed to find a coach who understood the nonprofit arts world and could therefore have an appreciation for specific challenges or circumstances that I might encounter along the way. Additionally, my resume and online professional presence needed to better tell a cohesive story of the skills and leadership qualities I bring to the table.”
Clare seconded Sean in that she while needed technical help with her materials, she knew that was just a piece of the puzzle, “Honestly, I was just in search of a new job and felt completely overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin. I can confidently say that if you're seeking assistance in crafting an outstanding resume and cover letter, Lorna Jane is exceptionally skilled in delivering results. But not fully leveraging her extensive knowledge and holistic approach would be a missed opportunity for your own professional growth.”
Some clients, like Sarah, bring to the work an all too common experience - burnout from unhealthy working habits or workplace or trauma from a painful ending, “I felt very lost and burned out coming from an extremely high-performance position and making the clear decision to take some time off. The transition approach with Lorna Jane allowed me to re-evaluate my priorities, my strengths, and what my next steps could be. I spent a lot of time thinking about whether to re-enter the traditional job market versus finding a new pathway and Lorna Jane supported all the options. Perhaps most importantly, she provided the right pacing for my transition so as not to be overwhelming - for me, I needed to work very slowly at the beginning and end of transition and more intensely in the middle of the process.”
Thirdly, I wanted to get more granular - how would they summarize what CTC actually looks like with me? I asked them to codify their experience in three bullet points. Back to Sean who was really helpful by grouping his resposne into three areas:
Holistic - LJN goes beyond the well-being of someone’s professional career and considers the impact on a clients’ entire well-being. We worked together with the understanding that what was happening in my professional life would inform and affect my whole self and set goals that were in the best interest of that comprehensive perspective.
Collaborative and Reflective - LJN reflects back observations and asks thoughtful questions. This helped me build a plan for my career transition that felt true to me. Her collaborative approach is truly empowering.
Practical - Sessions always concluded with practical next steps that would bring me closer to either providing clarity around a career-related question I had or would move me towards achieving my goals. Sometimes that consisted of Lorna Jane sharing a related article or book, or asking me to complete a reflective exercise, or it might be an action to take. I always left our sessions with clarity around how I could continue working toward my goals, which was both motivating and gratifying.
It was helpful for me to hear that CTC with me is both holistic and practical - I work hard, when it’s desired by the client, to preserve that balance both within each session and over the arch of the engagement. And, some clients are looking solely for a holistic reset while others need a shorter engagement to primarily work on their materials. To put my search consultant hat on for a minute, when I meet with candidates for their first round screening interview, I want to recognize the person I am speaking with from what I have read about them. I don’t just mean checking that what they said they have done on their resume matches what they are telling me, but that they are using consistent language about their skills, achievements, and aspirations. If you can capture that in your materials, you can speak to it with more ease and confidence. Julie talks about this when she says, ‘LJN helped me release inner blockages that enabled me to quickly develop a more compelling narrative and resume, one that ended up unlocking a rewarding new chapter in my professional journey.’
Finally, I asked my clients to look back at their CTC experience and name what was most helpful. Clare - ‘My job search was unexpectedly long and an emotional rollercoaster that I wasn’t always prepared for. Lorna Jane played a crucial role in helping me maintain focus, recognize moments of learning and growth, stay accountable, and pushed me when I needed it the most.”
Sean reminds me that my training as a Gestalt practitioner is particularly helpful when clients are in an active search. “In addition to traditional interview preparation, Lorna Jane’s emphasis on creating a two-way street in interviews will elevate your confidence and help your decision-making throughout the job search process.” There are subtle power dynamics that fluctuate as the candidate moves through rounds of interviews with a variety of organizational stakeholders. Sean highlights a really important dynamic that I want my clients to feel grounded in - it’s a two way street. It’s as much about whether a role and organization is right for you, as whether you are right for them. If you present yourself authentically and consistently from your materials through to the final interview, you are in your own seat of power - ‘This is who I am - if I am the right fit for you, then hire me, if I am not, while I might be disappointed when I get the email releasing me from the search (hopefully you’ll get a personalized, honest, and kind one), it will be because I am not the right person for the job.’ Or, the organization’s values don’t line up with yours, or they simply don’t know what they are doing. Either way - not getting that particular job is a good outcome for the you. This framing creates a healthy amount of detachment between you and the search process - making it easier to be objective and to manage that roller coaster ride.
I’ll let Julie close us out, “For me, the absolute most helpful thing about my time working with LJN was the support and learning she provided. I am stronger at my work from my time spent with LJN. Moving through a difficult career transition has helped me to write better, speak better, ask better questions, and lead organizations better. Working with LJN during this very difficult time was truly a gift of all around support.”
I am hopeful that if you are someone in or considering a career transition, that you recognize your experience in these reflections. It’s hard, it’s lonely, and it’s not a straight line. A coach is not right for everyone, and my appoach is not right for everyone. I learned from my clients that I am focused on the whole (that’s the gestalt piece), that grounding a clients’ search in who they are and what they bring to the table and translating that into written and verbal communication is paramount, and that the balancing of practical assignments and tools with stepping back to ask questions and observe helps people to be present and open to whatever the ride throws at them.
If Career Transition Coaching with LJN is something you are interested in learning more about. Let’s set up a time to connect.