Surrounding yourself with people with a diversity in thinking styles is one of the key ingredients to streamlining and simplifying your career transition. It can be easy to think it’s best to go it alone, but as this list will show, creating a transition tribe of varied people and skill sets will help to increase your chances of success and also of making your transition enjoyable and interesting.

So, who are some of the people you are recruiting into your transition tribe?

The supporter 

This is your trusted partner or a close friend whose job it is to have your back no matter what. They are the major emotional support through what can be an uncertain and at times difficult process. Finding your next opportunity requires you to step out into the world with confidence and it is important to have a space where you can go to let the walls down, vent and ask for help.

The career transition generalist

This is often where a career coach comes in. They oversee the different aspects of navigating your transition from reflecting on who you are, through to supporting you in your job application process. This tribe member has to have an interesting balance of strong listening and coaching skills to help you to reflect on what you are looking for in your next role, while providing a general scaffold for some of the key upcoming things to consider like updating your resume, LinkedIn and how you share and reach out to your network.

The challenger and questioner

It’s easy to live in a cave of reinforcement where your views become tightly held. Transition is a process of reassessing and rethinking and having someone who you know who is happy to challenge and push you to extend beyond your comfort zone, whether that is applying for the job you don’t think you’re ready for, or looking into alternative industries. They are also likely to help you to stay accountable to what you set out to do.

The connector 

You know the friend who always knows someone in the job you are looking for, or in the company that you love. Some people are natural relationship builders and thrive in connecting people together in a genuine and meaningful way. This person will be invaluable to you in your transition, but make sure to be clear and not to overstay or overextend your welcome. It takes confidence and trust in you to build connections with others and into new organisations and if the connection doesn’t go well, it can have negative consequences for you and the connector.

This person is a community builder and any connection you create through this person, should be held and developed with the same level of trust and care.

The economist or job predictor 

If you are navigating a big open career transition having a person who is really tapped into the labour market is invaluable. This person will be a great help for sharing different organisations that are out there, to deconstructing what type of roles may be out there and which ones are set to grow. They might also know you well and be able to match you to roles that are a good fit that you would not have otherwise considered. Think of them as a helpful funnel for sharing the range of career options that exist and a brains trust for narrowing down those options.

The recruiter 

Recruitment and applying for jobs is a technology rich space. There are hidden doors, technology tricks and things you just need to know in order to get your resume seen and to be considered. Having someone with experience in recruitment in your tribe will help you to make sure that you are equipped with all of the information you need to maximise your chance of success once you know what you are looking to do. Your career transition generalist should also be able to lean into this space.

The eye for detail 

Do you have a friend that loves dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. This friend is a great person to ask to look over your job application information. In the space where mistakes can cost you the job, this person is worth their weight in gold. They are also really valuable for looking over your LinkedIn and other emails and if they have a special way with words and crafting stories that’s even better.

The industry expert 

Once you know which industry or role you want to move into having an industry expert in your tribe is critical. The job application process is specific to each industry and getting insider knowledge from someone on the ground is really important. They may also be able to make a range of great recommendations from people to meet, to tips on how to maximise your onboarding and move into the new job/industry.

This person will also be helpful for providing insider knowledge on salaries and negotiation which can be tough if you have not had any previous experience in the area.

The invested party 

There is nothing like someone with skin in the game. Again, this is where recruiters or people who can internally recommend you from within an organisation (for a bonus) come in handy. Having someone to share your story, strengths and value for you, that is incentivised to support you can be the make or break to landing your dream role.

Connecting your tribe and being in other peoples’ tribes 

As a final note it’s important to say that it is not just about you building a career transition tribe. Building your community also means that at other times people will call on you to be in their tribe and will ask you for support. Your spirit of generosity, sharing and kindness for them is likely to be reflected in the support they share with you. At the end of the day, it is all about holding each other up and building support and community around each other.

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