It is a myth that career transition services are only required for those at a time of crises or difficulty such as redundancy. Many people still take a reactive approach rather than a proactive role when it comes to seeking career or professional development advice. There are several reasons why this mindset needs to change.
The big advantage of being ahead of the curve when it comes to your career is that you can avoid ever reaching a crisis point in the first place. Executive career transition services can help to ensure your skills remain relevant and aligned with what organisations are looking for, which in turn ensures your market value remains high. This increases the chances of both career-long security and satisfaction.
Careers paths are no longer linear, progressing from A to B in a straight line. Add to this the complexities of today’s business world means they are probably going to become even less direct. Many aspiring leaders, for instance, find that they have to acquire digital experience or skills if they are to progress into a senior position in the era of digital transformation and disruption. This can mean a lateral move or perhaps a secondment or project work.
Plotting a career journey on your own, therefore, can be difficult. Not only can a career transition expert look at your skillset objectively and assess your fit for future positions but they do so armed with market insight and intelligence. Data informs the vast majority of business decisions these days so why should career ones be any different?
Good careers transition experts have access to up-to-date data on skills, sectors and other requirements. At Rialto Consultancy, we can also offer the Rialto Accelerated Leadership Index (RALI) benchmarking tool. This uses real-time data to profile and assess the alignment of a leader’s current capability and experience to future market needs and to those of their competitors. We also look at the so-called ‘third horizon’ by scanning for the skills that might be required in three years’ time or longer.
It isn’t only about data though. Experts also have huge insight into what it takes to operate at CEO, board- and senior leader-levels across all sorts of sectors and precisely understand how the market for senior strategic opportunities works.
Another myth surrounding a career transition service is that it has to be a one-off exercise. There is a case for regularly checking in with career experts even if you aren’t ready for your next move. Rather like a mentor, they can be an extremely useful sounding board. And it doesn’t have to be about progressing in your career in the traditional sense. For instance, Rialto works with individuals who’d like to change direction, whether it be developing portfolio careers, securing non-executive director positions, starting up new business ventures or shaping investment portfolios.
Services are confidential and tapping in to their knowledge and expertise can help to identify the right time to take the next major step in your career as well as help you to prepare for it.
So in answer to the question: who needs a career transition service?, the answer is it can be anyone, and at any point in their careers.
Rialto Consultancy delivers a range of career transition, leadership development and coaching programmes for executives and senior leaders. For more information, please call 020 3043 8645 or go to Rialto Consultancy to fill out the contact form.
To benchmark your leadership profile for free, visit RALI.
To view Rialto Consultancy’s executive career transition statistics, visit Executive Transition Statistics.
