When Your Career Takes a Hit: What to Do in Changing Times

Transition | Change

In 1992, Queen Eizabeth II famously described a year of personal and professional upheaval as her “anus horribilis” – a horrible year. Even with a lifetime of preparation for her role, unexpected events forced her to adapt quickly to protect her reign and legacy. The Queen recognized that she had to make some changes for her reign and career.

Many can relate to having our version of the anus horribilis. Since January 2025, federal employees and contractors have faced nonstop workplace changes – return-to-office mandates (RTO), workforce reductions (RIF), early retirement offers, and even unexpected terminations. Similar negative career impacts are common in the private, academic, and public sectors. We predict that change will happen again, regardless of whether you are in the federal/state/local government, non-profit, or private sector. You are not alone if you have felt thrown off course in your career.

But here’s the truth: career disruptions are not new. Long-time employees have weathered similar storms, and we will likely all face major shakeups again, regardless of the sector we work in. So, what career advice do we recommend for those individuals experiencing a change like 2025 in their career strategy presently?

✅First, one must remain calm. Those with a cool head are more open to beginning the work needed to transition to a new career future. Those without resilience and a cool head tend to lapse into negative, nonproductive thinking that may limit their identification of resources, evaluation of possible options, and time available to prepare for moving forward.

✅Second, the advice is the same whether you are just starting out or deep into your career. We offer advice on the steps to take when your career path suddenly changes. We call it our “DID I DO IT” model for career self-preservation.

✅Try the “DID I DO IT?” Career Check-In (A practical guide to protecting and pivoting your career). Our steps are:

1. Dust off and update your resume truthfully periodically so you always have a baseline, current resume.

2. Identify possible career path options based on your career strengths, past successes, and job opportunities.

3. Develop an action plan with SMART goals, including milestones to achieve items.

4. Identify a strategy to keep yourself accountable for staying on track.

5. Do research on the job market on what employers seek from current job applicants’ qualifications.

6. Observe your competition in terms of what others are doing to land a job in your chosen field.

7. Invest in yourself and volunteer to gain new job experience at work or in other contexts. Also consider paying for tuition for new skills training, like becoming a leadership coach, etc., even if your current employer does or does not have the $$ to pay for new training to make yourself marketable.

8. Test drive your updated resume with others in your network and chosen field to determine what else you may want to consider in your plan for moving your career forward in times of change.

   
   

Change is hard, but reacting with panic won’t help. A calm, focused mindset opens the doors to problem-solving, planning, and taking meaningful steps toward your next opportunity. When we let stress take over, we risk falling into unproductive thinking - missing out on options, support, or the time we need to prepare for what’s next.

We end with a motivational poem by the great American poet Edgar A. Guest, It Couldn’t Be Done (https://poets.org/poem/it-couldnt-be-done). The poem’s essence is that careerists can move forward despite any negative impacts on their careers in a specific year. Just be positive and chunk some steps as part of an action plan to move your career forward.

✅Sign up now for scheduled offerings by Academy of Government and Military Coaching, visit https://academygmc.com to register! Still unsure, let’s have a conversation about your next career move!

Written By Dr. Judy Kruger and Dr. Sue Stein, 2025

Source: Poets.org