How Workers Are Reinventing Their Careers After Layoffs and Industry Disruption

Being laid off can be devastating. It’s a typical workday morning when suddenly you get an email or a call from HR and they tell you that this is your last day with the company. A lot of workers have experienced this exact situation in the last couple of years. We’ve had news of mass layoffs from all over the world as entire industries underwent changes due to increasing automation and AI implementation.

But one’s career is not defined by a single setback. You pick yourself up, you learn new things, and figure out what’s your next move. Adaptation is the only way forward. Besides, your experience is still valuable. You just need to find where and how it fits into relevant industries. In other words, what you need is a career reinvention.

To inspire you, here we’ll take a look at how industries are shifting and how careers are evolving to adapt during these uncertain times.

Career reinvention is inevitable for millions

According to a report by the World Economic Forum that involves 1,000 large companies, by 2030, over 90 million people will lose their jobs. Sounds bleak, doesn’t it? But the same report also predicts that about 170 million jobs will be created during the stretch.

So lots of jobs will be retired but new ones will appear. The tricky part is that the emerging openings require new sets of skills.

For easy reference, let’s go over the sectors which are rapidly shifting.

• Administration: Office support roles are drastically being reduced because the work is easily handled by software.
• Manufacturing: Factory floors are now mostly occupied by automated machinery.
• Technology: New groundbreaking tools are being developed at unprecedented speed.
• Retail: Stores need fewer workers because of online shopping.

The rate and scale at which these changes are happening are mindbending. And honestly, we shouldn’t be surprised. Predictions about the advancements of computing and technology were made decades ago. But now we’ve reached the point of acceleration where it becomes hard to keep up with these shifts.

How to find new opportunities as a displaced worker

If you got laid off because your industry was hit hard, then the most logical thing to do is to start looking at sectors that are expanding.

According to the World Economic Forum, these show promising signs:

• Skilled trades: Not everything is digital. We still live and work in buildings that require plumbing, electricity, maintenance, and renovation.
• Public sector roles: Federal agencies, city administrations, and schools offer stability. After all, people’s problems are still largely solved by other people.
• Cybersecurity: Most data is now online. Keeping it safe is its own specialty field.
• Healthcare: One day humans might merge with machines. Until then, we’re still going to get sick and old so somebody needs to take care of us.
• Renewable energy: Solar and wind energy sourcing will become ever more present. They require installation and maintenance.

Being a career changer can be scary. At first, you might feel like an imposter. But you can already do more than you know. Your competencies are applicable elsewhere, too.

What are your transferable skills?

The so-called transferable skills are abilities that are needed in more than one field. For example, team leadership, data analysis, project management, and communication are required in pretty much every industry. So when you’re making the switch, your transferable skills are your key to entry.

How to rebrand your experience

Let’s say you were a retail manager. Someone who’s outside of retail might make a good guess and say that your job was to fold clothes and operate a register. 

But that’s not the whole story, isn’t it? You also handled payments, planned shift schedules, and were responsible for training new recruiters. And such skills are applicable in other places as well.

Here are some examples of roles that can be filled by somebody with matching transferable skills:

• Risk assessment specialist: Somebody with a military background fits the role well because they can plan and coordinate under pressure.
• Project coordinator: Running an office is a project on its own so an administrative assistant could fit well.
• Content strategist: A journalist with strong writing and research skills can easily transition into digital marketing.

It should be acknowledged that additional qualifications might be necessary to make a successful transition. But resources are now easily accessible online and you don’t have to go back to school to obtain them.

Digital tools for career changers

Of course, you know about LinkedIn. But have you actually ever reached out to somebody in search of new opportunities? Many users are passive lurkers who don’t have the courage to seize opportunities that present themselves.

But industry recruiters and leaders are on LinkedIn for a reason. They want to connect with like-minded people who are looking in the same professional direction as them.

And then there are online learning platforms. Now you have the opportunity to learn new lucrative skills from home. There are countless websites that teach pretty much any skills that you’d like to add to your resume.

Speaking of resumes, AI-integrated career tools can help you speed up your transition.

Best resume builders for career changers

You need an attention-grabbing resume when you’re transitioning into a new field. What’s paramount is presenting your skills in a way that convinces recruiters you can do the work you’re applying for. This task becomes much easier with a dedicated resume builder. These are perfect for career switchers.

Enhancv: overall best AI resume builder

Enhancv is the go-to choice for executives and senior professionals because it allows users to fit complex career narratives into every page. It’s perfect for career changes for the very same reason. In order to explain well how your previous experience applies to a new industry, you need a tool that gives you high levels of customization and flexibility. This is where Enhancv excels.

The main builder is an intuitive drag-and-drop canvas where you can quickly switch between templates, add and rearrange 20+ unique content sections, and customize appearance and formatting. Meanwhile, Enhancv combines AI writing and ATS feedback to help you tailor your resume to any job applications.

Several user case studies confirm senior professionals prefer Enhancv over other resume builders. But let’s go over a few other honorable mentions.

Teal: best for managing lots of applications

If you’re applying to lots of job ads, then you need to stay organized. A prolonged job search can become chaotic so Teal helps you keep track of things. In fact, in this job market, the new normal is to send out tens, even hundreds of resumes so a tool like this does come in handy.

Resume.io: best for quick resume creation

If for some reason you really need to make a new resume as quickly as possible, then Resume.io will do the job. It can take you from a blank document to an ATS-ready resume in 20 minutes or less, depending on how quickly you work.

Kickresume: best for AI-assisted drafts

If you’re experiencing a writer’s block, then you can use Kickresume to draft your first document. It’s a good starting point. Then you can manually rewrite the parts that need to accurately reflect your skills and experience.

Even if most of your resume content is AI-generated, that’s not an issue. ATS software doesn’t have AI detection. Recruiters don’t care about that either. However, what they do care about is accuracy. So take the time to manually edit your AI drafts.

Zety: best for guided resume creation

And finally, if you feel completely lost and confused about how to approach making your resume, then Zety is the answer. It’s known for its step-by-step guided approach that anyone can follow, no matter how unfamiliar they are with the process. You also benefit from ATS-safe templates, pre-written bullet point suggestions, and formatting that doesn’t break.

What do recruiters think about career changes?

First of all, career switching is common nowadays so recruiters and hiring decision-makers are already used to it. Second, such candidates are seen as highly motivated. They’re eager to learn and prove themselves. Yes, in many cases, roles will be filled by those with linear experience but there are employers out there willing to give switchers a chance.

Final thoughts

Being let go of a job you’re good at can feel like a disaster. But it’s not the end of the world. The shock fades. Your creativity and adaptability kick in. You do your research. You move forward. This in itself is a story worth admiring and it tells volumes about the kind of person that you are.