Michael Gullan

THE World Economic Forum (WEF) says employees will have nine to 12 jobs in their lifetime. Salary needs, shifting roles, restructuring, retrenchments, toxic work environments, technology and flexible work arrangements are common reasons people change jobs.

Employees are changing jobs more frequently than ever before. Whether the changes are voluntary or involuntary, employees should actively future-proof their careers by taking personal responsibility for continually developing their knowledge and skills. The WEF also stated that as new technologies are adopted, 23% of jobs will change in the next five years. This is another reason employees should take personal responsibility to identify and close skills gaps that may prevent them from achieving their career and income goals.

Here are guidelines to help you manage job transitions - whether planned or unplanned.

Control the narrative

Take control of the narrative by announcing your job change to the right people, at the right time and in the right way. Decide who should hear it from you personally and who can hear it via the “grapevine”.

Tell key people such as your immediate team leaders, HR and colleagues first. Then let the rest of your colleagues and friends know.

Focus on the positive aspects of your current job so that you preserve all relationships and don’t burn bridges.

Notice period

Professional notice periods vary by industry, level of employment and organisation. Ensure you give adequate notice according to your employment contract; or more if you can. This will facilitate a professional handover and reduce your and your team’s stress.

If the transition is not voluntary, clarify what handover is expected and then establish if it will be realistic for you.

Knowledge transfer

You should aim to transfer knowledge that is relevant to the role as well as possible. This should include making a list of your ongoing projects, tasks and commitments. When a clear successor is known, hand over all the information gracefully so you set them up for success.

When the successor is unknown, or timing restricts your ability to do an in-person handover, create a detailed handover dossier. It should include processes, links, shortcuts and institutional knowledge to make the handover as professional, helpful and seamless as possible. Imagine you are the new hire taking over your role.

Energy management

People often underestimate how much time and energy changing jobs takes - from compiling your handover and managing the details of your new employment contract and package to preserving existing relationships and building new ones.

Don't neglect your health while dealing with all the change and stress. Continue with your exercise regime and healthy eating, get enough sleep, and don’t forget to enjoy some recreation. All of this will ensure you have enough energy for the change.

Contact list update

Before you move on, ensure you update the contact information of colleagues and professional associates.

Effective networking will remain essential, so make time to keep in touch with important people you’re leaving behind. You never know what relationships will grow over time or when you may need a referral, advice or a favour.

Do your best not to leave things on a sour note with colleagues, managers or suppliers.

Lessons learnt

All career transitions, especially the hard ones, teach you something.

Make notes on lessons and skills you have learnt in your job. Revisit your notes every couple of months after the transition. With time, you will gain additional clarity on areas you want and can develop. This will help you plan and be ready for the future.

New beginnings

Resist the temptation to take on tasks in your new job before your actual start date - especially if you’re working out your notice.

Once you start your new role, get clarity on your responsibilities, duties and how your performance will be measured.

Open, honest conversations and realistic expectation management are the cornerstones of healthy, happy and productive professional relationships.

Make time to learn

Onboarding happens at a stressful time of big change and requires your full attention to be successful.

List all the upcoming tasks and e-learning courses you need to complete. Create a timetable for the courses assigned to you. Once you’ve completed them, create another timetable of all the voluntary courses you want to complete.

Don’t limit yourself to completing the e-learning courses assigned to you and your role. Complete as many additional courses as possible. There is always something new to learn.

A growth mindset will ensure you continually expand your expertise and the value you can add to your current and future employers.

Build key relationships

Your managers, team leaders and peers will want to get to know you soon. Take the time to network and nurture new relationships.

There will also be people behind the scenes who are “wisdom keepers” with vast institutional and industry knowledge. Get to know them and their roles.

Build your new professional relationships - and make sure you let new colleagues in so they can get to know you. Relationships and conversations go both ways.

Ongoing feedback

Let your new managers and colleagues know you want to learn and grow as much as possible; and then be open to receiving constructive feedback.

Once you have established some trusted work friends, ask them to give you feedback if they notice anything that could be important to your success.

* Gullan is CEO of G&G Advocacy

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