Why it can be good to be taken out of your professional comfort zone

Losing a job is stressful and confusing. It takes a good support system to get through the early days when the loss is still shocking and new. When you've gotten over the initial pain and are ready to focus on your next steps, know that it's both a loss and a new beginning.

Even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment, the layoff can be a catalyst for a career change. It forces you to rethink your previous role and ask yourself important questions. An unexpected job loss throws you out of your comfort zone and forces you to take a new direction that may have seemed too risky when you were still sitting in your comfortable seat. Trust yourself as you deal with the worries and fears that come with this career change.

What you are experiencing now happens to most professionals at some point in their careers. These challenges don’t have to consume us, they can define us and set us on a new and better course.

Ask big questions

Once we find a job that's a good fit for us, we often stick with it, even if we figure out the things that don't suit it: I don't learn much from my boss. I could do this job in my sleep. There are no opportunities for advancement here.

We value the benefits that our comfort zone offers us - security, a sense of routine, a network of trusted colleagues. But we are constantly evolving, and comfort loses its appeal as we seek new challenges. We often have the uneasy feeling that we could exchange the warm security for a risk that will help us move forward: I would like to take a job in my dream company. I think I would be a great leader. I wonder if I could make it as a freelancer or consultant.

But it's hard to turn your life around and take big risks when you're comfortable. Losing that comfort zone is unsettling, but it gives you the desperation, courage, and resilience of a survivor. Use this awareness and focus to your advantage.

Use your network

Use your network during this time. If you have reservations, if you feel uncomfortable about networking, question that. Remember: everyone in your network does this. That's how the professional world works. You're not asking for a favor. If you are in a position to help the same network of contacts, you will. Now you are on the side of the supplicants.

Reach out to your contacts and use your network to support your search. Your colleagues, former colleagues and contacts are particularly helpful because they know that the market is currently in upheaval due to the pandemic.

It is important for you to feel comfortable and take risks. It is an important byproduct of expanding your skills - a win for surviving this difficult time. Starting with your network is a good exercise in risk-taking. Your network is a safe audience from which you can receive support, help and information.

Think about people you've worked with whose employers or roles seem interesting to you. Ask about their experiences and work as you think about your next steps. Your network is powerful. Use it well.

Refine your brand

When we settle into a role, we often lose sight of the importance of keeping our records fresh, current and ready for use. Your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, social media presence, and any publications you've written or been quoted in make up your professional brand. It may prove helpful to refine your brand for your search. It can boost your confidence, sharpen your focus and give you the opportunity to imagine new possibilities.

As your career progresses, your personal brand should change depending on where you want to go in the future. As you move into a new role, advance to a new professional level, or focus on new initiatives, it may be time to reevaluate and update your brand to reflect the professional you are today.

This work can help you see where you have been in your career and what you plan to do next. This is important because it allows you to refine your materials for your search and also gives you the opportunity to engage with yourself, which can help you with your transition. Your professional brand can help recruiters and headhunters understand what type of roles you would be best suited for. That's why it's important that the brand you create is up to date and reflects your future goals.

Discomfort causes us to reinvent ourselves

Although it is difficult to find ourselves in these challenging positions, it also makes us strong, determined, persistent and courageous. It gives us the courage to take risks that we might have shied away from when we were in a more comfortable position. Your next big task is out there. Keep fighting for her.