You career is always on. It doesn’t stop just because you’re between paychecks. Whether you’re conducting a full on job search or you’ve gone back to school or you’re contemplating changing from one job category to another, your career is still ongoing.
The real question then becomes: What are you doing each day to show up? What does your network strategy look like? Are you actively engaged in your professional self-development? Are you mentoring someone or seeking one for yourself?
Professional sports coaches and managers will tell you that they know the clock is ticking as soon as they accept a job. They expect to be fired at some point in their tenure. But they’re not sitting on their hands between gigs. They’re actively preparing for their next assignment by staying current with fitness trends, talent pipelines, coaching philosophies and on and on. They’re showing up every day to hone their craft. Whether you’re a C level executive or a middle manager or a single contributor, you owe it to yourself to show up every day.