How to Accelerate Your Career Transition During Uncertain Times

While the pandemic had a significant impact on certain areas of the economy, more traditional industries like insurance and finance have tended to provide relative stability during periods of uncertainty. If you’re thinking about a career transition, use the following tips to help guide you.

Be Informed and Have Fair Expectations 

If you are considering the financial industry, remember, financial professionals play a pivotal role during times of economic stress and uncertainty by advising clients on managing risk, cushioning against losses, and long-term stability.

While it’s certainly true that a career as a financial professional provides you with the opportunity to support clients, you may need to recalibrate your expectations of what the process, your education, and the learning curve may look like. For instance, here at M Financial, nearly all aspects of our business went digital during the pandemic. From virtual interviews to onboarding and training, the way we do business has been transformed for years to come.

Use Your Time Wisely

When considering a career change, it’s important to think about how transitioning into a new industry might be different, or require a new set of skills that you’ll need to learn.

“One of the biggest things, especially working in the insurance industry, is thinking about breaking tasks into tangible, meaningful parts,” said Lucy Bosworth, Vice President of Marketing and Practice Consulting at M Financial Group.

“More importantly now, with so many shifts in the business, and so many changing priorities, we need to ask ourselves, what needs to get done today? What have I been putting off? Maintaining perspective will provide a framework that helps you stay positive, focused, and moving forward,” Lucy said.

Prioritizing your to-do list and allocating time for additional items that are important can be a good way to achieve short-term balance and optimism during this time.

Leverage Transferable Skills and Experience

Remember, transferable skills are skills that you can take with you from one opportunity to the next. While your responsibilities may differ from job to job, your skills and experience are what you bring to your new opportunity. For example, critical thinking and problem solving are skills that transcend the parameters of all fields. In addition, think about how the current discipline you work in and the knowledge you have may translate to other industries, including insurance.

“There are so many undersold backgrounds that come out of math, engineering, and other fields,” said Lucy.

This is relevant and transferable experience that we welcome in the Magnet Program.

“For financial professionals, estate planning, for example, requires a grasp on math disciplines," Lucy said. "This is a good middle ground for people who have a diverse background, and also have a high affinity for people and engagement. A candidate who has really strong sales aptitude and is consultative, even if they’re not coming out of the insurance industry, will find countless opportunities for advancement throughout the Magnet Program.”

“The program is designed to give candidates the tools and skills they need to grow into strong financial professionals,” continued Lucy. “Not having an insurance background shouldn’t prohibit anyone from thinking they can be successful in this environment.”

Don’t Forget, This Is New for Everyone

Your career path may look different in the midst of our rapidly changing world, but your trajectory can remain set for success. It’s important to view recent events as an opportunity for growth, rather than a reason for despair.

As you go forth on your pursuit to advance your career transition, be informed, set fair expectations, use your time wisely, and leverage your transferable skills and experience.

The insurance industry has overcome some of the most challenging times we’ve ever seen. M Financial continues to help build a more resilient world, by protecting the assets our clients have spent their lives building.

“This industry provides stability and has weathered many storms, including pandemics and recessions,” Lucy concluded. “It means a lot to work for a company that can prevail through periods of uncertainty, because you know they’re going to be there through anything we may endure.”

There are many paths to success, and we’re here to support you on your journey. We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds with transferable skillsets and experience. Learn more about  M Financial’s Magnet Program.