Keep your options open with career cushioning

Posted on 22 November 2024 • Career planning

The job market is constantly evolving and creating exciting roles which didn’t previously exist and that you might not have heard of. With this in mind, keep your career options open and take steps to advance your skills and connections to develop career resilience. This has become known as “career cushioning”.

“Career cushioning…means updating skills or building new ones, and increasing your knowledge. This type of cushioning can also make you more valuable in your current role.” Aliza Knox, Forbes

Adopt a ‘create-not-wait’ attitude and make career opportunities happen for yourself in six simple steps:

1. Look at where you are in your career journey

Use the 3-minute careers check-in to review your personal and career goals. You can return to this as many times as you like during your student journey, as your goals develop, clarify or change. Then, work out your next steps using the Navigate Your Future tool.

“A great tool and easy to use.” Navigate Your Future activity pathway student tester

2. Approach change with confidence

Thinking about change can sometimes sound challenging but it can be an exciting, energising process if you’re prepared. Read our develop your career confidence page to help you to be ready for anything that comes your way.

3. Hone your skills

Consider the skills you’ve used in your degree or current role by completing a skills audit. Honing your decision-making skills can also help you to feel more confident about the choices you make.

4. Expand your professional networks

Networking is crucial to “career-cushioning” and career development in general as it can open doors to new opportunities. LinkedIn is one of the best social media networks for professional networking and career development, providing a platform to connect with employers and showcase your skills.

5. Explore new career opportunities

Whether they align with your work or expose you to new fields, exploring a wide range of opportunities, including the latest job vacancies, volunteering opportunities, internships, and work experience, can provide you with invaluable insights and experience to take forward.

“The internship helped me get back my self-confidence and develop a better idea about what to do in the future.” OU student intern

6. Prepare your CV

You may wish to complete new job applications to provide a “cushion” for your existing role or just want to be prepared for your next career move. Either way, having an up-to-date and fine-tuned CV is imperative to your success. Find CV and job application support with our CV360 and CV Builder tool and join one of our regular live workshops – CV miss to CV hit.

 

Whether it’s “career cushioning” you need or “padding out” of your transferable and career-specific skills, Careers and Employability Services is here to support you to get clarity and consider all of the paths available to you. You may also wish to undertake our free OpenLearn course, Developing career resilience. Keep your options open and you might find success where you weren’t expecting.

 

References

Knox, A. (2024) Stability In A Time of Change: How Career Cushioning Can Help. Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/alizaknox/2024/07/01/stability-in-a-time-of-change-how-career-cushioning-can-help/ (Accessed: 9 August 2024).

 

Annabel Bennett is a Development Coordinator in the OU’s Careers and Employability Services. She supports careers-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.