How Do You Successfully Ride the Waves of an Unpredictable Job Market?

When I go paddle boarding on the lake or river, I first try to predict what the conditions will be like by using the tools I have at my fingertips.

This includes a lake information app indicating the speed of the current, a weather app predicting wind speeds, and an app showing where there’s high boat traffic.

These are all important factors to take into consideration when planning a safe and fun day on the water.

But no matter how good those apps typically work, I know there’s a certain level of unpredictability involved.

Winds can change direction. Water currents can change speeds. And when paddling on a river with many twists and turns, tailwinds can become headwinds as I follow its course.

Not to mention, I never know when a boat is coming that could create some strong wake, making it more challenging to balance on my board.

When such changes occur, I have to adapt quickly. I may have to adjust my paddle stroke, change my footing on my board, move to another area on the water, or speed up.

Trying to stick with the original plan will no longer work with these changes.

Adaptable career coaching for an unpredictable job market

Similarly, we’ve seen a lot of changes in the job market the past two years due to the pandemic. Everything from furloughs and layoffs, to labor shortages and the Great Resignation.

The pendulum has swung from one extreme to another in record time. No one could’ve predicted this.

For people who prefer to be proactive in their career plans, they didn’t have this luxury during the pandemic. So much unexpected change, in a short period of time, forced people to be reactive.

I’m one of those people who prefers to be proactive, and enjoys working with proactive clients. We should all make plans for our career paths.

But a career coaching program will not work if it doesn’t adapt and shift with an unpredictable job market, or with the twists and turns of your job search.

This is why paNASH’s career coaching services are designed to adapt to both an unpredictable job market, and to unexpected shifts in your own career.

These services meet you where you are, help you plan where to go next, and adjust when the unpredictable occurs. This happens in a few different ways.

Tips and advice the moment you need it

First, the paNASH online video course was created with your most immediate job search needs in mind.

While other online job search courses make you wait for a live start date, paNASH’s program is available on-demand. This lets you start as soon as you need it. And it allows you to work at your own pace.

In addition, you can start with whichever job search or career development topic is most imperative to you at the moment.

Some other job search courses are set up as five- or six-week courses. And you have to wait, for instance, until week four, to learn about how to improve your interview skills.

What good is this if you get a call from an employer wanting to interview you next week?

If you need help preparing for an interview sooner than later, you can immediately access this topic from the paNASH video course, instead of having to wait several weeks for the information.

The online program is so flexible, it lets you jump around from topic to topic, allowing you to choose which order to complete the course.

And you can access the program whenever you want, without having to wait for the release of the next course.

Plus, I keep the information up-to-date by adding new downloadable handouts to the videos. For example, there are now new handouts with job search tips specific to navigating a post-COVID job market.

Personalized career coaching assistance in an unpredictable job market

Second, paNASH’s one-on-one career coaching services are personalized and tailored to your specific needs.

For instance, I once had a client who was seeking a job involving a lot of presentations and public speaking. Therefore, she knew she’d likely have to give a presentation as part of her interview process. She chose to use one of her coaching sessions for a critique of her presentation skills.

You can also use your sessions however you want to. The one-on-one coaching packages include the on-demand video course. As a result, this frees up the coaching session time, so we can focus on your unique and most immediate needs.

paNASH has a very organized and ordered plan in place for career coaching. But life and the job market doesn’t always happen in an orderly way.

Just like conditions on the water can change, so can the conditions of your job search or career plan. Tailwinds can turn into headwinds, and vice versa.

For example, some companies take a long time to schedule interviews or make job offers. But others want to interview you as soon as possible.

Also, many clients realize during the coaching process they may be on the wrong career path, and need to consider alternatives to their plan, or make a career change.

This could include changing industries or job functions, starting their own business, or going back to school.

paNASH has assisted clients in each of these areas, making the shift much smoother and quicker for them.

Finding your next opportunity sooner than later

Third, paNASH’s career coaching services keep up with your pace.

For example, if you’re in the career exploration program and make your discovery before using all of your sessions, you can easily shift your remaining sessions into the job search program.

And if you find a job before completing the job search program (which has happened several times), you can use your remaining sessions for the next coaching phase, which prepares you for your first year on your new job.

In other words, your sessions are never wasted. And, if you experience a tailwind and things happen faster than planned, you don’t have to buy a whole new package when you move from one program to the next.

This flexibility is just one of the many things paNASH clients appreciate about the service they receive.

Get started

If you’ve experienced several unpredictable twists and turns on your career path in recent times, despite being proactive, and need someone to help you adjust and adapt, let me know. I’d love to help you.

For more information, please complete the paNASH intake form to schedule a complimentary initial consultation. Filling out the form doesn’t obligate you in any way. I look forward to hearing from you and assisting you!