How to handle a career identity crisis
Five ways to help define what you do and be clearer on 'What do I do?'
Saying what we do is a big part of our lives. It’s one of the first - if not the first - thing we ask each other. Not just at work events, or networking - even on the radio, when someone phones in, they are asked ‘And what do you do?’.
We are defined by our job titles, our roles, our industry and therefore our choices when it comes to our work. Our choices to stick or twist, to pivot, to be ‘employed’ or ‘self-employed’.
But it can be difficult when we’re in a career identity crisis. If we do more than one thing, if we’re pivoting, or if we are unsure about what we do for a job and are craving change, suddenly it’s not so simple to just ‘say what we do’.
I’ve been experiencing this myself and I was going to say over the past year, or five years (since I trained as a coach) but actually, I’d say I’ve been having career identity crises throughout my career!
The common thread has always been ‘writer’. Not always journalist, but ALWAYS writer. Journalist is a word I associate with news, and at the start of my career I was a news journalist. I was a reporter on a local newspaper in Guildford (The one where I messed up and had to quit).
I yearned to write for women’s magazines, and moved to a features agency, then onto weekly mags. And finally I decided to go freelance, as a lifestyle journalist. I wanted to write about relationships, and my big goal was to say I was a columnist.
In fact, I did secure a column in a national newspaper, called Boyfriend by Christmas. I’m going to write more about that closer to Christmas Day but it led to a book deal, and I added ‘author’ to the writer portfolio. I even went to New York to write about dating!
Fast forward a few years and after redundancy and some soul searching, I decided I wanted to train as a coach. I’d been a guinea pig for a couple of friends and loved the process - plus I wanted a change, to explore something new.
The idea at the time was I wouldn’t be a journalist at all anymore. I would be a coach and I’d work with freelancers. I even started a platform for freelancers, which was the original reason for this Substack (it was called Freelance Feels). You see, the writer in me didn’t want to go away completely. It always crept back in (it always does).
And so, now, five years on from my training, I find myself with a bit of an identity crisis. I find myself referring to myself as all kinds of mixtures of definitions of what I do. Coach and Writer - Coach and Journalist - A career coach who also does some journalism on the side….
The thing is, when you tell people you’re a journalist, they are a) really interested b) want to talk about all the journalism stuff.
So coaching takes a conversational back seat. Which isn’t what I want to happen!
BUT when I say ‘I’m a career happiness coach’ I somehow always end up also mentioning that ‘I used to be a journalist’ or ‘I still dabble in journalism’.
And it’s true, I do. I currently have two commissions on the go, both for glossy mags (there you go, past Jenny, see, you’re writing for Glossy Mags!).
Perhaps it’s about using a different word - rather than saying identity crisis, perhaps I should be saying ‘I have a blended career’. Or ‘I’m two things! Coach and Writer!’
I think it depends who the audience is, too. Here in the Cotswolds, at networking events, I push harder on ‘Coach Jenny’ as I am looking for clients not case studies. But at a journalism networking event, I’m also ‘Jenny from the No1 Freelance Media Women group’.
We also define ourselves in our bios, on our websites, on our business cards and email signatures. Some jobs are a one-word answer: Journalist, Architect, Graphic Designer, Chef, Plumber, HR Generalist and so on.
We can always go a bit more in-depth, eg: Lifestyle Journalist, Architect specialising in eco homes, Graphic Designer for food brands, Plumber in the Cotswolds…
If all this is resonating, I have some advice on how to try and move through the ‘crisis’ feelings and define what you do. Even if you are pivoting, or unsure, or unhappy with what you do, there are some things you can do to try and find clarity with it all.
Define your values: Get a pen and some paper (or a notes app if you like) and write down words that feel like they represent the feels of what you do, not the title or name of your industry. For example: Worthwhile, learning, happiness, focus, creativity… Try and zone in on what the words mean to you, over and above your job title. You might be a manager, or a ‘head of XYZ’ but are you also a leader, a confidante, a happiness-bringer?
Practice saying what you do outloud: I do this in the car on the way to meetings and events. Think of the target audience for that particular moment, and what you want them to really know about you and how you want your intro to land.
Update your bios and email signature: If your bio, especially on LinkedIn, feels a bit clumsy and ‘over-explaining’ today could be the day to streamline it. Don’t be afraid to take things out, to make it simpler.
Make a mind map: Put the word you use to define what you do in the middle in a circle and then draw lines coming out of that circle. What else comes to mind when you think about what you do? What ‘sub categories’ of words come up when you look at the paper and think about what you do? Eg if I had ‘Coach’ in the middle, I’d then have words like ‘trainer’, ‘leader’, ‘teacher’ coming off it on the mind map. (My Dad loved mind maps!!)
Talk to a professional: When you’re at a career crossroads, friends and family will all have ‘advice’ for you. But if you want to really make changes and find clarity, what you need is a career coach. I’ve actually been working through my mini identity crisis lately with an amazing coach/mentor and it’s helping me work out how I want to speak about myself and the business I want to build. To find out about coaching with me, reply to this Substack or email jennysholliday@gmail.com. You can also find out more about what I do and read testimonials on my website. At the moment you can book a set of six sessions (with a bonus CV and LinkedIn audit session) and split them over pre and post Christmas. Eg three sessions between now and the end of December, and three sessions in January/February.
Thanks as always for reading - and I hope to hear from you!
xJenny
Here’s me spinning round on a dog walk…
Another layer to defining yourself, as I've learned and am still learning through trial and error, is considering people's definitions of roles and expectations of what you do. Not to mention taking AI searches into account. I used to describe myself as a senior sub-editor – which at the time was one step down from deputy chief sub. In recent years, however, I've been approached for what are effectively chief sub jobs, by recruiters and even editorial professionals. So these days, I just say sub-editor and make it clear from the outset that I'm looking to work with words and layouts, not run a desk or take charge of a production schedule.
On a lighter note, I listed one of my jobs as 'caretaker editor' (when I covered an editor and her deputy's overlapping maternity leave for a short stint). Cue approaches from recruiters seeking school caretakers (enough that I changed the wording on my CV and LinkedIn).