publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/535467
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JUNE 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 9 What are the top three things you faced during your job transition? • Controlling the Messaging: During the transition, you can feel lost and uncertain. Especially among IT people, the natural reaction is to withdraw and work things out before connecting with colleagues. But nature abhors a vacuum, and rumors will fly if you do not get in front of them. You need to craft the messages you want the world to hear, tailor them to their audiences and time their release. You want to stay on people's radar screens without spamming their inboxes. • Exploring All Possibilities: Do not automatically look for a new job just like the old one. This is the perfect opportunity to explore things you might never have thought of before. Structure informational interviews; meet with anyone who will give you 15 minutes and get their insights on where your skills might be valuable. Ask each person for three more people with whom you might talk and if they mind you using them as a reference. Write brief thank you notes to everyone! All of this takes a lot of organization and emotional energy, but it opens up your point of view and can lead to some amazing, unexpected next steps. • Fighting Loneliness and Isolation: Your working hours take up most of your waking time, and the people with whom you work are probably the majority of the people you see daily. With these two major aspects of your life gone, work hard to fill the void. Contact old colleagues and work to make new connections. Commit to meeting people for lunch or drinks several times a week, even if you would rather stay home in your pajamas. These connections are critical to your mental and emotional health, and they are key to the networking that will help you get on with your life! What one piece of advice would have been most helpful during that initial point of transition? Take some time — at least a few days and preferably a few weeks — to decompress and clear your head. Rather than thinking about the past or the future, live in the present (this is much harder than it sounds). Do something you always promised yourself you would do but were too busy to do while working. Maybe you finally paint the guest bedroom, binge-watch your favorite TV shows or attend two weeks of spring training for your favorite baseball team. If you can give yourself this gift, you will approach the next steps in reinventing yourself from a place of accomplishment and satisfaction and will come through this process stronger. Sally Gonzalez NAVIGATING THE WATERS OF A JOB CHANGE Part of the ECO Network These professionals within legal are available to assist those undergoing a job transition. Hear what these members of the ECO network have to say: