50: Gaps, Pivots, and the Non-Linear Career Path

Our milestone episode number 50 is full of excitement! First, we announce the launch of the Inside Hive. The Hive is an extension of the podcast – we are creating a community for people who want to experience coaching, access exclusive content, and engage with us (and with each other) to better improve the way we all experience the intersection of work and life. More details will be forthcoming! Then we make fun of Nayla's huge face, but nice eyebrows, from our too-zoomed-in Instagram Live event. Finally, and most importantly, we tackle a question posed by one of our loyal listeners who is returning to work after an extended time off and wants some thoughts on how to make a successful transition. This is similar to challenges we've heard from some of our clients who are also returning to work for a variety of reasons, making a significant career pivot, or navigating non-traditional career paths, so we were eager to talk about it. This is such a rich topic because for starters it's more common than we often believe. It's clear to us that the career path of today ain't your parents' career path. For that reason, we begin by stating emphatically that you do NOT need to apologize for gaps or for having a non-traditional career. Everything you have done has made you who you are – you simply need to be able to tell your story in a compelling way, and connect the dots between your strengths and what a hiring manager needs on their team. The chapters of your story do not need to be chronological, nor do they only have to focus on the traditional definition of work. In fact, Nayla routinely points out that the way you live your life provides so much evidence for how you would show up in a job. So mine your life for data and focus on the key moments, values, and learnings that make you interesting, unique, and a great fit for the "next thing". What matters the most in your narrative is the meaning you give to the impact you've had on the world. We share stories, examples, and thoughts on how to do this successfully regardless of the twists and turns your life and work have taken. And we have fun doing it, because we love helping our listeners advance their lives in meaningful ways. As always, we'd love to hear what's on your mind and what you think we should talk about in an upcoming episode. Contact us via insidejobthepodcast.com or on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @insidejobpodcast . Make sure you sign up for our newsletter so you are among the first to receive information about the Inside Hive!   Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson.   To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected].   To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes.   Let's connect! Instagram Facebook   We'd love to hear from you.