Career reinvention strategies over Lunar New Year

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In Taiwan, employees often contemplate job or profession changes, especially after receiving year-end bonuses around the Lunar New Year. Experts advise individuals of all ages to conduct thorough self-assessments before making a leap.

How to strategically approach a career change?

London Business School professor Herminia Ibarra outlines a set of guidelines:
• Experiment with new professional activities
• Expand your network
• Avoid excessive reliance on personality tests
• Enhance professional skills
• Revise your resume
• Adjust your mindset

Sun Hung-yueh, an associate professor from the Department of Technology and Human Resources at National Taiwan Normal University, emphasized, "In the past, when it comes to career transitions or choosing jobs, we often focus too much on societal expectations. When transitioning or transforming, it might not be like when young people are selecting a partner."

"More mature individuals, especially those who are older or getting remarried, tend to lean towards a 'mutually beneficial' approach, which is better than seeking a perfect match," he explained.

Fading myth of permanent employment in Taiwan

The long-standing culture of lifetime employment, similar to Japan's, is gradually diminishing in Taiwan. 

Globalization, the rise of remote work, the gig economy, and emerging technologies like AI challenge the notion that offices are the sole workplace for office workers.

Sun commented, "Learning new things is tough as all transitions start at zero. When it comes to income, it might be unstable initially or much less than what you have earned before." 

"Most career transitions occur because the current situation no longer allows you to maintain the status quo, so you are forced to switch to another one," he added.

Building career foundations

For those entering the workforce, experts recommend closely monitoring industry trends to avoid situations where years of education become outdated due to changing job markets. 

"After all, rapid industry fluctuations or geopolitical impacts may affect students' career planning post-graduation," Yang Tsung-pin, a public relations deputy manager at a job bank, suggested, "That is why they should enrich other expertise when at school."