[CAREER SUCCESS] Taking Control Over Your Career -- Even in Uncertain Times

"No matter what’s happening around you, you have the power to take control of your career and shape your future." ~ Audie Fridstein

February 4, 2025

Hi Audie,

Uncertainty can feel unsettling, especially when it comes to your career.

Whether you're searching for a new role, aiming for a promotion, or considering a career change, it’s easy to wonder if now is the right time to take action. The truth is, the best way to create stability isn’t by waiting—it’s by moving forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

If you're currently out of work, delaying your search isn’t an option—but neither is approaching it from a place of stress and desperation. Instead, focus on what you can control: refining your brand messaging, leveraging and strengthening your network, and positioning yourself for the right opportunities.

No matter what’s happening around you, you have the power to take control of your career and shape your future. Here’s how to move forward with intention and momentum.

Take Control of Your Career—Even in Uncertain Times

When the job market (or world around you) feels unpredictable or your career path seems unclear, it’s easy to hesitate—waiting for conditions to improve or the "perfect time" to make a move. But real progress isn’t about waiting for external stability; it’s about creating it for yourself.

Whether you’re actively searching for a new role, positioning yourself for advancement, or considering a career change, the key is to move forward with confidence and purpose.

Here’s how you can navigate uncertainty and take control of your career trajectory:

✨Stay Rooted in Your Core Strengths

External factors may shift, but your skills and experience remain steady.

• If you're in a job search, showcase what makes you a high-value candidate.
• If you're employed and seeking growth or advancement, identify how your strengths align with leadership opportunities.
• And, if you're considering a career change, recognize the transferable skills that will help you pivot successfully.

✨Progress Doesn’t Require Perfect Conditions

Waiting for the "right time" often leads to missed opportunities.

• If you’re looking for a new job, don’t let fear of an uncertain market hold you back—take small, consistent steps to network, explore options, and uplevel your job search strategies and interviewing skills.
• If you’re ready for advancement, initiate career conversations, take on visible projects, or start positioning yourself for external opportunities.
  Career growth happens through action, not passivity.

✨Control What You Can

You may not control hiring trends or your employer’s internal decisions, but you can control how you show up.

• If you're job searching, refine your resume, strengthen your LinkedIn presence, tap into the 'hidden job market', and master your interview skills.
• If you're aiming for a promotion, build relationships with decision-makers, demonstrate leadership, and advocate for your next step.
• And, if you're exploring a career change, start researching industries, developing new skills, and building a bridge to where you want to go.

✨Think Long-Term, Act with Intention and Purpose

When faced with uncertainty, it’s tempting to make short-term decisions out of desperation or just to feel a sense of progress.

Whether you're searching for a job, seeking advancement, or contemplating a new career path, ensure your next move aligns with your bigger vision. (Believe me, you won't want to be back in job search mode a few months later.)

Ask yourself: Is this step taking me closer to the career and life I want? If not, adjust course.

✨Lean on Your Network—You’re Not Alone

Career growth—whether through a job search, promotion, or transition—isn’t something you have to navigate alone.

• Tap into your network
• Connect with mentors
• Engage with professionals in your field
• Give yourself a competitive edge and work with a highly experienced and proven Executive Job Search/Career Transition Coach -- who tailors their coaching program to you, provides mindset shifts, advanced strategies geared to the mid- to senior-level corporate leader, what to look out for, and tons of personalized guidance and support to help you confidently stand out in a competitive market and fast-track your search for the right opportunity at the right company that's a great fit for you.

Conversations open doors, and guidance from others can provide tremendous clarity and momentum.

Transformation Begins in Uncertainty

Every promotion or career change—whether planned or unexpected—comes with a messy middle. But within that uncertainty lies opportunity.

Like a seed pushing through the soil, your next chapter is already taking shape, even if you can’t see it yet. Instead of resisting change, embrace it. Trust your skills, take strategic action, and move forward with purpose.

Your next opportunity—whether a new job, a promotion, or a career pivot—is out there. It’s yours to claim.🥇

📝Your Career, Your Next Move

Imagine it's six months from now and you've landed your ideal role, earned that promotion, or made a successful career pivot.

1. What actions did you take to get there?
2. What mindset shifts helped you push past hesitation?
3. Now, bring that vision into today: what's the first step you can take right now to start making it a reality?

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If you're feeling stuck, I'd love to help you. Let's figure it out together!

If you’re ready to take your next step with clarity and focus, reach out today—I’d be honored to support you. Reply to this email or click here to schedule a call.

Warmly,

Audie xx

P.S. Did you enjoy this newsletter? If so, I'd really appreciate your sharing this email with your network of corporate leaders and executives you feel could benefit from it. Thank you!

P.P.S. If you are a mid- to senior-level corporate leader/executive and motivated to secure "what's next" in your career (or know someone who is), I'd love to speak with you to better understand your situation and see how I can help you secure that next opportunity faster and with less frustration. Click here to schedule a complimentary 30-minute strategy session.