The Power of Pivoting After a Layoff

New industries and roles are constantly emerging. For those willing to pivot, they offer exciting avenues for career development.

By Julie Norwell

There is a curious disconnect in the U.S. labor market. Monthly job gains have been healthy and steady for the past 12 months. Layoff rates are lower than pre-pandemic rates. And the unemployment rate hovers at a historic low.

And, yet, job seeker confidence dropped to its lowest level in over two years. Employee confidence, too, is wallowing.

Glassdoor, a purveyor of career community, reported in its Employee Confidence Index that employee sentiment ticked down in June. The index, which measures the share of employees reporting a positive 6-month business outlook for their employers, fell to 48%. According to the report, employee confidence took a dramatic dive throughout 2022 and 2023, hitting a low this past February.

The beginnings of a rebound emerged this spring but, apparently, employees are having second thoughts about the business outlook.

Perhaps employees can be forgiven for these “mixed emotions,” as Daniel Zhao, lead economist of Glassdoor’s Economic Research team, calls them. After all, job cuts soared 98% in 2023 from the year before, particularly in the tech sector. A smaller, albeit significant, round of mass layoffs kickstarted 2024 – again, led by the tech sector.

Finding a new job hasn’t necessarily been easy, either. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) has risen to 1.5 million. The long-term unemployed now account for 22% of all unemployed people, up from 18.8% a year ago.

For tech workers, the job market has been a wild roller coaster ride. Just a few years ago, software developers and data scientists were among the most marketable and sought-after professionals in the world. Now, many can’t find jobs at all.

What can you do when you are at the mercy of corporate leadership and face an insanely competitive job market? Well, daunting though it may seem, there is power in pivoting in your career after a layoff.

Six Reasons to Pivot

A career pivot involves making a strategic shift to a new industry, role, or function that leverages existing skills and experiences. There are plenty of benefits of pivoting, especially after a layoff. It’s a proactive way to adapt to changing circumstances. It’s a way of regaining a measure of control over your job security. And it is a means of pursuing greater satisfaction and exploring new opportunities for growth and advancement that you may not have considered before.

Of course, you don’t have to be laid off to pivot. Sometimes, other circumstances are enough to push you to consider it, too. Here are six real-life scenarios of people who pivoted, and the reasons that compelled them, who achieved a level of career success they never anticipated.

1. Adapt to Market Changes

Technological advancements, evolving economies, and global events can render certain skills obsolete or, at least, out-of-demand while creating demand for new ones. Derek Maxwell’s story is an example of someone who made an impressive leap during a market change.

Derek was global technical support manager of electrical, mechanical, marine and drilling systems for an industry-leading, offshore drilling company. His career in the drilling industry spanned 30 years. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, however, Derek’s employer went bankrupt, and his entire team was laid off.

He launched a job search, but it became quite evident that the industry would not improve for a couple years.

“I reached out to people in my industry, but they were in a similar situation. The industry was having such a terrible time,” said Derek. “People in my network were focused on keeping their own jobs and couldn’t help me in my job search.”

Derek knew he’d have to get out of his comfort zone. He took stock of his skills and began building social capital beyond the oil and gas industry to explore where they might transfer.

He never guessed where he would end up.

After reconnecting with an old friend on LinkedIn, Derek’s LinkedIn feed began showing more content about his friend’s company, a multinational retailer, including a job ad for a role of senior manager of maintenance and supply chain operations. Intrigued, he applied.

Derek had no background in retail, but he had a lot of expertise in manufacturing processes. The hiring managers recognized that value. To his great delight – and surprise– Derek was hired and, after several weeks of cross-training, began a brand-new career in the retail industry.

New industries and roles are constantly emerging. For those willing to pivot, they offer exciting opportunities and new avenues for career development.

2. Attain Career Freedom

Professional life can be unpredictable and even confining. Cameron Carnegie’s layoff was the catalyst he needed to recognize that starting his own company offered him freedom to focus on doing what he loves.

Cameron had a 15-year career as an engineer and conceptual design expert in the airline industry. When the pandemic hit, however, it devastated the global airline industry and Cameron was laid off. Cameron’s employment prospects looked bleak. 

Cameron found himself at a crossroads. He had always expected to become an executive at a major airline. After some soul-searching, though, Cameron realized that becoming an executive would take him away from the hands-on engineering work that he loved. So, he shifted his career objective.

Seeing a trend in the aviation industry whereby startups were challenging larger companies, he decided to pursue engineering work at smaller companies as an independent consultant.

He had a lot to learn about running a consulting business, but Cameron was prepared to brave the risks. For him, the risks were worth the reward. 

“Running my own company is terrifying,” Cameron said, “But it gives me the freedom and the lifestyle I want to have.”

3. Enhance Career Growth and Advancement

Have you ever felt stuck in a role with limited opportunities for growth or advancement? Pivoting can provide a fresh start and fresh challenges, as it did for Justin Kinney.

Justin was senior manager of robotics at an American multinational that services the oil & gas industry. He was proud of the work he and his team did. But he felt management did not provide the professional development, support, or rewards they merited. So, he took measures into his own hands to advance his career.

Because most robotics development is in the manufacturing and distribution industries, those became Justin’s focus. Making the transition wasn’t easy, though.

“It was hard to break out of oil & gas. I have spent so much of my career there that hiring managers in other industries didn’t see how I could do any other kind of work. That was my biggest hurdle,” said Justin. 

Justin overhauled his resume, practiced interviewing skills, and reached out to his network. He focused on areas where he was weakest. And it paid off.

It took about six months, but when he landed, Justin succeeded not only in finding a position in his target industry, but also a more senior role and at a higher compensation level than he had been at.

For many people, a pivot is needed to achieve greater job satisfaction, better work-life balance, or overall well-being.

4. Exploit Emerging Opportunities

New industries and roles are constantly emerging. For those willing to pivot, they offer exciting opportunities and new avenues for career development.

Kia Banisadre, for example, had a long career in sales and business development in the healthcare industry. After three layoffs in relatively quick succession, though, Kia was fed up. He was determined to do something different and began reaching out to his network. This exercise turned out to be Kia’s ticket to a brand-new career in an industry he never imagined working in.

A former colleague with an accounting firm told Kia about some interesting market trends in the veterinary industry that his firm had benefited from. He had gotten several referrals for some high-margin business deals and wanted Kia’s advice about whether it made sense to hire a salesperson to bring in even more business.

Kia was happy to offer his perspective. What he didn’t expect, however, is that his colleague would then ask him to consider helping him build out a sales program for his firm and, eventually, a department to capitalize on this attractive new market opportunity. Ultimately, Kia accepted a role as VP of sales and business development and dived right into a career in a new industry.

“Next thing you know, I have a job that I love that plays to my strengths!” said Kia. “I could not have asked for a better fit! The only difference is that I am in veterinary healthcare, not human healthcare.”

5. Respond to Personal Life Changes

Sometimes, personal circumstances, such as family needs or health considerations, might necessitate a career change. Pivoting allows you to adapt your career to better fit your personal life and priorities.

For Keith Brown, moving close to family in Houston was the motivation to give up his career as executive pastor and administrative consultant for a large, multicultural Baptist church in California. He had two challenges, however. First, he wanted to run a covert job search. And, as the faith world is small, that meant he would need to transition to a new industry lest word get out. But Keith had no idea where his skills would transfer. His second challenge was that he had no network in Houston to facilitate such a move. He would have to develop it from scratch.

Undeterred, Keith began building out his network by talking to people that he thought could offer him good perspective. The more he talked, the more it became clear that his skills would probably translate well to a career in nonprofit business development. He tailored his resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect his new brand, then he actively cultivated contacts in this new field.

In the process, he met an important figure in the development industry in Houston who decided to mentor him. She turned out to be critical to Keith’s success.

Within three short months, Keith landed as director of development for a small, charitable nonprofit in the healthcare field.

“I landed in an industry with a lot of upside potential that I would never have considered before,” said Keith.

When pivoting, your network is the single most valuable channel for sourcing opportunities and gaining market access to jobs.

6. Pursue Passion and Fulfillment

For many people, a pivot is needed to achieve greater job satisfaction, better work-life balance, or overall well-being. This was certainly true for Bibi.

After rising to the level of chief administrative officer of a large university, where she spent 24 years, Bibi was burned out and wanted a wholesale change. But she had no idea what opportunities there might be for someone with her skills outside academia, nor how to pursue them. Recruiters were no help and she had little confidence in finding a position that made her truly happy.

“I was eager to do something I really care about, which is working with trees. But I never, in a million years, thought I’d be able to do it.”

Bibi learned, though, that leveraging the unpublished market is the key to unlocking unanticipated opportunities. She began gathering information about environmental groups and sent emails directly to the CEOs of those organizations, offering to discuss ways in which she might help them. As she expected, most did not respond. But one did – and it was the CEO of the company where she most wanted to work.

The CEO invited her to meet. They had a long discussion about his organization’s needs and how she could help him. That one meeting led not only to a job offer, but also an invitation to Bibi to write the job description herself.

“What I learned about the unpublished market changed my whole approach to job seeking and led to a very successful ending,” said Bibi. “To say it’s a dream come true is an understatement. I’m still in shock!” 

How to Start a Career Pivot

The idea of pivoting a career can feel overwhelming. But taking the following steps will give you a plan and purpose.

Your first action should be a thorough self-assessment of your strengths, interests and transferable skills. Identify what about your previous roles you enjoyed and excelled at and consider how these can be applied in a new context. Talk to others to get outside perspectives.

Next, research potential industries or roles that align with your skills and interests. Keep an open mind. Look for areas that are growing and have a demand for the skills you possess. Networking with professionals in these fields can provide valuable insights and help you understand the requirements and expectations. If you have gaps in your skills or knowledge that might be needed, enroll in courses, attend workshops, and obtain whatever credentials or competencies are called for. Online platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning are good resources for upskilling.

After identifying your focus, develop your new brand. Update your resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect your new career direction. Highlight transferable skills and experiences that are relevant to your desired role. Practice interviewing until your responses to potential questions from a hiring manager become second nature.

The next step is extremely important: leverage your network. And not just your close ties. Weak ties are far more useful in a career transition. When pivoting, your network is the single most valuable channel for sourcing opportunities and gaining market access to jobs.

To be clear, this step is not about asking for a job. It’s about reaching out, nurturing relationships, and, whenever possible, “paying it forward.” Doing so builds social capital, unlocks hidden opportunities, and keeps you top of mind among your contacts.

Lastly, keep learning and adapting. Stay resilient and flexible. A career pivot can be challenging, especially when you’re reeling from a job loss and the scariness of unemployment. You may face setbacks along the way. But, with the right approach, setbacks can be converted to opportunities.

Who knows? A career pivot could turn out to be the best career decision you’ve ever made.

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Written by Julie Norwell, senior writer & content manager at The Barrett Group.

 

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