11/01/2025
Career Crossroads: Guiding Clients Through Transition and Reinvention
By Gaeun (Gwenn) Seo and Megan Elrath
Career transitions are increasingly common across all sectors and life stages (Akkermans et al., 2024; Mussagulova et al., 2023). For many clients, these shifts are sparked by internal motivations such as a desire for more flexibility, higher earning potential, or new challenges. Some transitions are voluntary; others by necessity.
As organizations across multiple industries embrace automation and AI-driven efficiencies, job displacement is accelerating, especially among entry- and mid-level roles (Leopold, 2025; Murray, 2024). In 2024, over 150,000 tech jobs were eliminated across 500+ companies, with no slowdown expected in 2025 (Corrall et al., 2025). Whether due to tech layoffs, educators leaving classrooms, mid-career professionals returning to school, or students pivoting into new fields, many people now stand at professional crossroads.
While transitions offer opportunities, they also bring uncertainty, stress, identity shifts, and difficult decisions (Coppola & Young, 2022). Whether planned or unexpected, these changes require more than a polished resume; they call for reflection, resilience, and strategy. Career professionals are uniquely positioned to guide clients through change with clarity and confidence. Drawing from work with adult learners and career changers, this article shares core strategies that have helped clients gain momentum during uncertain times.
1. Understand the Type of Transition and Clarify the Why
Career transitions are not one-size-fits-all. Before offering tools or strategies, first identify the type of transition the client faces. Are they switching industries, re-entering the workforce, or navigating a layoff? Is it voluntary or involuntary? Clarifying this helps you recognize the emotional context, tailor your approach, and ensure you are on the same page as your client. It also gives clients language to articulate what they are experiencing, easing anxiety and normalizing its complexity.
Once the transition type is clear, explore why the client is making this move. Understanding their motivation enables them to build intrinsic drive, make intentional decisions, and stay grounded when the journey feels uncertain. Encourage clients to reflect on what they want to move toward and what they hope to leave behind. Even in forced change, knowing what they want in their next chapter matters. Are they seeking stronger value alignment, meaningful work, greater challenges, upskilling, flexibility, or a healthier environment? A clear, personal answer to the why question provides an anchor clients can return to during the ups and downs of transition.
2. Boost Clients’ Confidence in Their Prior Experience and Transferrable Skills
After clarifying their why, clients can begin strategizing their next career move. Clients often hold a mistaken belief that a career transition equates to a reset, requiring them to start over with an entry-level role. While this may hold true in some circumstances, employers value prior experience, even if not a direct match. Embracing transferrable skills and communicating them confidently improves clients’ chances of landing a desirable opportunity.
Encourage clients to reflect on the skills they have mastered throughout their careers. For instance, a teacher aiming to transition out of the classroom is likely to be highly skilled in communicating, balancing multiple priorities, and pivoting to a new plan at a moment’s notice - assets in many roles and industries. As clients recognize their skills and values, highlight how they align with their desired next steps. This new mindset empowers clients to articulate their experience and transferable strengths with confidence, making them stand out in a new field.
3. Personal Branding and Storytelling Skills Matter
Clients in transition benefit from viewing their job search through a marketing lens where they are the product and employers are the customer. The most effective marketing campaigns tell a compelling story capturing the audience’s attention, engaging their emotions, and leaving an impression. Storytelling enables clients to frame their transition as a value-add for employers.
A compelling story has a beginning, middle, and end; plus includes some form of conflict and resolution for the main character (the client!). Telling stories also provides critical opportunities for clients to bring key elements of their personal brand to life. Understanding their story empowers clients to control their narrative, rather than leaving it open to interpretation. Therefore, advise your clients to reflect on and prepare a brief story that describes the strengths they gained from their past experiences(beginning), what they have done to prepare for their next role (middle), and why they are excited about this new opportunity (end). Practicing telling these stories boosts confidence and enables clients to present themselves consistently and with authenticity.
4. Harness Social Capital for Career Reinvention
With personal brands clarified and compelling stories prepared, clients now need to build and leverage the relationships and audiences that will open doors to their next chapter. While networking has long been one of the most effective ways to land new opportunities and advance career prospects (Wolff & Moser, 2009; Campero & Kacperczyk, 2023), it is even more crucial during transitions, especially in a competitive job market. Additionally, with the rise of AI-generated application materials, employers increasingly value authentic connections, as evidenced by the growing return to in-person career fairs and relationship-based engagement (Gary, 2025).
Encourage clients to spend at least 50% of their job search time networking, whether through coffee chats, conferences, or LinkedIn. Shift the focus from quantity to intentionality by helping clients set manageable goals, tied to their personal why, within (or slightly beyond) their comfort zones. Examples include identifying roles where they can add value, building relationships in key organizations, or gathering insights that align with their motivations and career story. Begin with small, concrete objectives, such as three focused outreach emails or LinkedIn invitations per week or identify and attend one industry webinar or meetup per month to learn current trends and make at least one new professional connection. These intentional steps allow clients to create and maintain momentum without feeling overwhelm. For networking-hesitant clients, frame networking as an exercise in curiosity and fact-finding. Asking thoughtful questions and actively listening can yield valuable insights and strong impressions, and steady momentum towards their career goals.
From Crossroad to Confidence
As the nature of work continues to evolve, driven by rapid advancements in AI and automation that both displace and create jobs (Leopold, 2025), career transition and reinvention are becoming less of an exception and more of a lifelong reality. This shift challenges us as career professionals to move beyond reactive, transactional support and instead embrace a proactive, human-centered approach to career development. Standing with clients at these career crossroads is not just about helping them land a job; it is about empowering them to make informed, value-aligned decisions in the face of uncertainty. When clients are guided by career professionals to reflect deeply, communicate clearly, and connect intentionally, they are positioned not only to transition but to transform and thrive.
References
Akkermans, J., da Motta Veiga, S. P., Hirschi, A., & Marciniak, J. (2024). Career transitions across the lifespan: A review and research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 148, Article 103957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103957
Campero, S., & Kacperczyk, A. (2023). Network referrals and self-presentation in the high-tech labor market. Organization Science, 35(4), 1342-1362. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.16674
Coppola, P. J., & Young, A. F. (2022). Making the difficult career transition: Writing the next chapter during the great resignation or in the future. Frontiers in Psychology, 13:905813. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.905813
Corrall, C., Stringer, A., & Park, K. (2025, July 16). A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/16/tech-layoffs-2025-list/
Gray, K. (2025, March 10). Employers, students favor in-person career fairs. National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). https://www.naceweb.org/career-development/trends-and-predictions/employers-students-favor-in-person-career-fairs/
Leopold, T. (2025, April 30). How AI is reshaping the career ladder, and other trends in jobs and skills on Labour Day. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/04/ai-jobs-international-workers-day/
Murray, S. (2024, August 20). The impact of automation on corporate decision‑making. Knowledge at Wharton. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-impact-of-automation-on-corporate-decision-making/
Mussagulova, A., Chng, S., Goh, Z. A. G., Tang, C. J., & Jayasekara, D. N. (2023). When is a career transition successful? A systematic literature review and outlook (1980-2022). Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1141202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141202
Wolff, H., & Moser, K. (2009). Effects of networking on career success: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(1), 196–206. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013350
Gaeun (Gwenn) Seo, Ph.D., is Director of Graduate Career Development and Academic Professional (Non-tenure track faculty) within the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education and the Career Center at Georgia Tech. Since 2023, she has led the Graduate Career Development Team and provided leadership and strategic support for the Graduate Internship Program. Before joining Georgia Tech, Seo worked at Princeton University, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she supported career and professional development for graduate and international students. Her research and publications focus on graduate career decision-making, career competencies, and leadership development and advancement. She currently serves as Career Convergence Field Editor. Seo earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership (concentration: Human Resource Development) from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and an M.A. and B.A. in International Office Administration from Ewha Womans University in South Korea. She can be reached at gwenn.seo@gatech.edu.
Megan R. Elrath is an Online Career Services Manager at the Georgia Tech Career Center and College of Lifetime Learning, working with online Master of Science (OMS) students and professional education learners as they launch their careers, prepare for career transitions, and/or ascend to leadership roles. Megan is a Certified Professional Career Coach and Certified Professional Resume Writer, with expertise in advising professionals at all stages of their careers. With over 15 years of experience in career services, Megan has provided career coaching to students at Drexel University and the University of Georgia, plus worked as a contracted resume writer with several career advisory firms. She earned her MSEd in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania and her BS in Psychology from TCU. Megan enjoys baking, reading, fitness, and rewatching her favorite comfort television show, The Office. She can be reached at melrath3@gatech.edu.