1. Re-Launch You:
Career Transition
Tactics and Tools
Catherine Morgan
Career Transition Expert | Business Consultant
Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.

2. You are not alone
• Congratulations on getting here today
• Tales from the front

3. Some people feel relief
• I always ask if congratulations or condolences
are in order
– But you might feel guilty if you do feel relieved

4. What we will cover today
1. Reframing Transition
2. Exploring the New World of Work
3. Riding the Roller Coaster
4. Having an Easier Transition

5. Reframing Transition

6. Transition as a time to evaluate
• I encourage you to think of this as a time
to evaluate:
– What did you like?
– What would you change?
– What have you always wanted to try?
– What is on your life list that you
have been meaning to do?

7. You might say
• My life sucks 

8. I might say
• Probably only some parts of your life suck

9. Exercise: Wheel of Life
(not my creation but very helpful)
Career Health
SpiritualityFinances
Creativity
Family
Relationships
Social life

10. Transition as a time of opportunity
• This could be a time to:
– Get back on track
– Find work that fits around your life
– Find work that is more aligned with your values

11. What I call transition
“The squishy rich primordial stew
of infinite possibility”
~ Catherine Morgan
Photo credit: Maryanne Natarajan

12. Exploring the
New World of Work

13. The world of work has changed
• We are all self-employed
• We must take responsibility
for our own training
• We must constantly build
and nurture our network

14. What is your right next step?
• What is your overhead like?
• What obligations do you have coming up?
• What is your financial situation?

15. Has your job paradigm shifted?
• Will corporate rehire for your position?
• Is your industry in expansion or contraction?

16. New possibility – job portfolio
• Some people will look for traditional
full-time work
• Some people, either by choice or necessity,
will opt to have a “job portfolio”
– Several part-time jobs
– Primary job and a side project
– Freelance or consulting work
– Freelance work and their own business

17. Consulting or freelancing
• Do you pitch your own projects?
• Go through another company?

18. Connecting to your values
• Not all of us are money motivated
– But there is nothing wrong if you are
• Did your work leave you feeling hollow?

19. Leaving a legacy
• Have you been walking around thinking,
“Is this all there is?”
• What do you want your legacy to be?

20. The benefits of being clear
• There are huge benefits to being clear about
exactly what you are looking for
– You can use it as a lens through which
you evaluate opportunities

21. Beware the scarcity mindset
• Leave the door open for something better

22. Age discrimination often isn’t
• Is it an AGE issue or a WAGE issue?

23. Check yourself
• Are you really OK with a multigenerational
workforce?
– What if your manager or the CEO is 15-20 years
younger than you?
– Do you seem entitled?
– Are you being passive-aggressive?
• What if your manager is much older?

24. Riding the Roller Coaster

25. There are emotional ups and downs
• You will have good days and bad days
– I told one client I would be more worried
if she wasn’t depressed sometimes
• But you also may feel guilty about enjoying
your time off

26. Not unlike The Five Stages of Grief™
• The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as
The Five Stages of Grief™
– Denial
– Anger
– Bargaining
– Depression
– Acceptance

27. How to stay out of the dips
• Do something every day to move your job
search forward
– It can be something very small or a few very
small actions
– The trick is to feel like you are making progress

28. Learn and explore
• To learn new skills – shadow, volunteer,
consult
• To have stories to tell in interviews
• To explore different possibilities
and next steps

29. Go on informational interviews
• To find out what doing that job might be like
• To build your network

30. Post and publish on LinkedIn
• To establish yourself as an expert or
thought leader
• To keep yourself relevant and top of mind
• To pass the LinkedIn (and Google) test

31. Stay scheduled
• Spending too much time in your own head
is not good
• Work expands to the amount of time allotted
• If you keep things in your calendar you will get
more done

32. Play catch-up
• Catch up on things you have wanted to do
– Learn a new business skill
– Paint a room
– Organize your garage, basement, office, or closet
– Learn to cook
– Start eating healthily
– Begin (or continue) exercising regularly

33. BUT keep looking for a job
• Projects can distract
– They make you feel like you are doing something

34. Strike a balance
• What you can control
• What you can’t control

35. What causes overwhelm?
“Overwhelm is caused by
NOT knowing WHAT to do,
not by having too much to do.”
~ Michael Port

36. Avoidance happens when
• What we need to do is scary or tedious

37. Notice avoidance behaviors
• Job search is stressful and boring
• Notice when you start doing something
(anything!) to avoid the dreaded task
– Organizing your office
– Laundry
– Cleaning
– Email

38. Syncing progress and expectations
• Are you making progress?
• Are your expectations realistic?

39. Having an
Easier Transition

40. Is job search a full-time job?
• Is looking for a job a full-time job?

41. How to allocate your time
• 10% recruiters
• 20% online applications
• 30% networking with new people / groups
• 40% reaching out to people you already know
– And 20 companies you would like to work for

42. The story you’re making up
• Don’t spin stories
– You usually have no data points

43. Bad business breakups
• Take time to process if you need to
• Don’t burn through your network
before you are ready

44. Find support
• Get a buddy
• Join an accountability group
• Hire a coach

45. Suggestions
• Ensure your browser and email have
spellcheck enabled – this is a must!
• Become a connector
– A huge number of jobs don’t get posted publicly
– But you can’t ignore online postings
• Check out the consolidator sites - Indeed,
SimplyHired, ZipRecruiter, etc.

46. My best advice for job search
• Don’t do your own resume
• Don’t let your partner or relative coach you
• Do set boundaries, if needed

47. My best advice on how to thrive
• Evaluate all of your options
• Make the most of this time
• Reconnect with friends and family
• Help someone else
• Be extra kind to yourself

48. To see possibilities
• Can’t figure out what to do next?
– Read Re-Launch You: Discovering Your Point B
and Embracing Possibility
www.re-launch-you.com

49. Questions?
Catherine Morgan
Career Transition Expert | Business Consultant
Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.
877.672.5333
Catherine@PointAtoPointBTransitions.com
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/pointatopointb
Twitter @PointA_PointB