3 Ways to Make the Most Out of a Career Setback

Sahaar Rezaie grew up helping her dad with the family business, so as graduation loomed, it seemed logical to scour the market for a job in business development. Jumping into account management was easy, and she quickly moved on and up, sharpening her skills in marketing and advertising over the years. But when the economy tanked and Sahaar was laid off, discoveredsomething meaningful was missing.

Here, Sahaar offers three insights on making it through a time of uncertainty – one that ultimately led to an impact career doing work she loves.

1) Give yourself the time and space to reflect.

Sahaar earned her break the hard way. But getting laid off gave her plenty of time to think about what she really wanted. Of course, you don’t need to be unemployed to reflect. "My issue was being able to identify and rank my career driver categories. Once I was able to articulate what my drivers were, everything else began to fall into place,” recalls Sahaar. “A pivotal moment in my career was realizing how important mission and values were to me in my decision making process." Net Impact's free self-assessments take just ten minutes, but can help you identify what kind of work is most meaningful to you.

2) Get a reality check from your trusted peers.

When the unexpected happens, we often crave familiarity, which sometimes means we avoid the opportunity to take risks. Sometimes running our options by those who know us best can make those risks a little less scary. When Sahaar told her best friend she was consideringmoving into the nonprofit sector, her friend told her: “Knowing you, and the type of things you want to be doing, this is the type of work you were meant to do.” Someone who knows what makes us tick can often hold up a mirror so we can see what wasn’t otherwise obvious about ourselves.

3) Build resiliency by putting yourself out there.

You know how it goes: it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up. It can be a personal blow to lose your job, and it’s a serious challenge to lose the paycheck. But when it comes to those big life challenges, says Sahaar, “looking at those in a positive light, and as a way to build character and to overcome – that’s key to success.” Sahaar was able to bounce back by putting herself in new situations, like volunteering, and that led directly to the career she has now.