What can you do when the ground beneath your feet keeps shifting? In higher education, times are tough. If cutbacks are leaving you feeling anxious and uncertain about your institution’s future and your place within it, read on.
Tempting though it may be to be pulled into ‘vortex of doom’ conversations, which will inevitably arise at such times, you’ll find it more productive to try to remain calm. This is a good time to remind yourself of your many skills and qualities. Put your energy into the things you can control and try to let go of those you can’t.
Reflect on your past achievements to boost your confidence
It can feel devastating to lose your job or find you’re at risk of redundancy. When you’ve been in a role a long time, part of your identity is inevitably bound up in it. That’s why, despite protestations from HR that “it’s not you, it’s the role that’s being deleted“, it will certainly feel personal. It’s worth reminding yourself that your many skills and attributes belong to you and not the role you’re currently employed in. Leave the role, and these go with you. In future roles, you’ll build on the skills and experiences you take with you, with new and different skills.
Update your CV and LinkedIn profile
Have you updated your CV recently? Does it reflect your skills and achievements and the impact you’ve had? Recruiters are increasingly looking at the skills people bring to a role to find the best fit rather than qualifications. Are you able to quantify and qualify the skills needed for roles you want to be considered for?
The ‘About’ section of your LinkedIn profile provides you with an opportunity to express yourself in 2,600 characters, It’s an opportunity to step beyond your current job role and capture your key skills, achievements, awards, values and motivations. You are so much more than your job role! Think about what you want to be known for.
Before I moved out of my previous role in HE, I had developed several interests. None of these were technically part of my job. But they were really important to me and I developed skills and experience in them. I rewrote my LinkedIn profile so that when people read it, they saw the things that mattered most to me and where I felt I excelled. That helped me step away from what was written in my role description and loosened my attachment to my role.
Looking forward
While you’ll have many valuable skills, which will be most helpful to develop going forward? A 2024 LinkedIn report identified the following most in-demand skills in workplaces. These are:
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Customer Service
- Leadership
- Project Management
- Management
- Analytics
- Teamwork
- Sales
- Problem solving
- Research
Which of these top employability skills can you provide evidence for on your CV and LinkedIn profile? Are there any it would be helpful to develop?
N.B. On your LinkedIn profile, you can edit your ‘Job Preferences’ so that recruiters who are hiring can see you’re looking for work. You don’t need to draw attention to the fact you’re looking by using the green ‘open to work’ circle on your LinkedIn photo. Your profile will appear in more searches by recruiters if you include some of the skills from the list above.
Knowledge
What are your current knowledge gaps? Are you up to date, for example, with the wider HE political landscape and the area you work within? Are there other institutions, departments or roles you may be interested in, if your role is put at risk? It’s worth doing your homework. Find out what you can about other departments through your connections, who may be able to make introductions to key people you could talk to.
AI
What’s interesting and reassuring about the skills list above, is the emphasis on people skills. While AI will automate many processes, it’s people with the interpersonal skills and knowledge of AI who will be the most employable. Becoming familiar with AI and what it can do is therefore important. If you’ve not explored the possibilities (and limitations) of AI, now is the time to become curious. Play with AI. Take a look at Chat GPT, Claude or Gemini, for example. There are newsletters which can keep you up to speed about developments. The Rundown AI offers regular updates and useful tips on how to get the most from AI. You don’t need any expertise to experiment with AI.
Build your support network
I wrote recently about the roles different people can play in supporting you and your career development. Check that post to see which roles may be helpful to you at the moment.
There are some great supportive communities where HE staff can access support. For example, Rachel Reeds’ ‘The Bold Collective‘ and Christina Hughes’ Women Space provide opportunities to take part in webinars, many of them free, on hot HE topics, including wellbeing and career development. If you’re not a member of a professional body, check out AHEP -the Association for Higher Education Professionals, which also offers both free and discounted training and webinars to members.
Self-care
It’s really important to look after yourself through these turbulent times. What works for you when you’re stressed? Any of the following can be helpful.
- Apps to help you disconnect from your phone/technology
- Being in nature
- Exercise of any kind can help restore equilibrium – literally getting out of your head and into your body
- Meditation and breathing exercises
- Connecting with family and friends. There is no substitute for meeting with others in person
What will you do?
Think of three things you could do now that will help to build your resilience.
Resilience is a precious skill. People who have it tend to also have three underlying advantages: a believe that they can influence life events; a tendency to find meaningful purpose in life’s turmoil; and a conviction that they can learn from both positive and negative experiences.
Amanda Ripley