How do you feel about talking to your friends and family about your career? Are you regretting the career move you made during the Great Resignation and know your cousins will say “I told you so”? Did you join the Gig Economy and are unsure how your uncle is going to react when he finds out?
No matter what your career choices are, discussing them with others can cause stress and anxiety. We understand these issues and want to help you feel less stressed when having career conversations with your loved ones. Here are some tips that can help you.
Prepare in advance. Advance preparation can always help to ease feelings of anxiety, and it’s no different when talking about your career. Think about any concerns or red flags that others may bring up in conversation and decide how you will handle those. Imagine the worst thing that could happen when you discuss your career with your friends and family. The reality generally isn’t as bad as what we imagine.
Set boundaries. Decide what and how much you are willing to share with others and set boundaries for yourself. Keep in mind that boundaries are not to control what other people say, but to change how you handle those comments. For example, are you a lot happier now that you switched jobs? Has your health improved? You may decide to share how your career change is helping you. On the other hand, if you are regretting your recent career move, you may decide to express that briefly, but then shift the conversation to what you are doing to move forward. For example, you could say “Dave, I have realized that this job isn’t the best fit for me. But I have a few leads and I hope to find a new position soon. In fact, I recently spoke with…”
Respect differences of opinion. Your uncle may not agree with your moving to the Gig Economy and losing out on the job perks you had previously, and that is OK! He doesn’t have to agree. Remember that we all have different ideas about what an ideal job and career look like. Realizing and respecting that can go a long way to easing feelings of tension during a career conversation. For example, “Uncle Frank, I know we have different visions about what a successful career looks like. You sure have made a success of yours. I hope to do the same on my new career path. I know there is some risk, but doing something new is always risky, and I have prepared for that. I hope that you can be happy for me.”
We hope these tips will help you feel more at ease when talking about your career with friends and family. Need more help? Schedule a free consult today.
