I came across this article Falling Down the Career Ladder, recently and wanted to share it. This article addresses a very common question for people who are struggling to find work. At what point do you step down the career ladder?
My advice is to ask yourself what are you getting by taking a step down? If you have to pay your bills, think of the best way to strategically step down. Like if you are transitioning into another industry and you need relevant experience (and not just a hole in your resume). I often call jobs that are lower paying in between a job or college graduation and your ideal job a “bridge job”. You want these jobs to be strategic in order to get job experience and be as relevant as possible to your larger goals.
I have a great career coaching client example – a recent college graduate is really passionate about being a teacher. So far she has applied, and has had no interviews. She has an amazing resume, outstanding references, etc. Recently she saw a position for a teacher at a private school. She applied but it really was more of a preschool/daycare. They loved her and offered her the position on the spot. She liked the place but they offered her a very low pay, lower than she could get working at the GAP or likewise.
Her original plan if she didn’t get a job in a school district was to sub in that district to get her foot in the door in that school and network. She decided that the pay was too low, and that it would be taking too much of a step down from her ideal job. She then got a part-time job in a company that assigns tutors to local families and is going to sub in the district and work on networking.
How do you feel about stepping down the career ladder? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Hallie Crawford
Career Transition Coach
