Career Cliffs on Channel 9 Today Extra

By Sue Ellson

Date: 21 November 2023 10:47am
Media: Channel 9’s Today Extra Show, National Australian Television
Story: Career Cliffs
Hosts: David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys
Guest: Sue Ellson
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllwalmtMic
Time: 00:04:37

On Tuesday 21 November 2023, I appeared on Channel 9’s Today Extra show to talk about the Career Cliff – the sudden or unexpected change in your career progression that Anne Hathaway has managed successfully.

David Campbell, Sylvia Jeffreys and Sue Ellson on the topic of a Career Cliff on Channel 9’s Today Extra

Transcript

Well Hollywood actor Anne Hathaway recently opened up about the career cliffs she faced as she edged closer to the age of 35 But in true Devil Wears Prada Fashion her work is far from over landing the lead in her most recent film at the age of 41. So to tell us more on how we can sight and avoid career cliffs we’re joined by workplace expert Sue Ellson from Adelaide Hey Sue How are you? Great to see you This career cliff what is that? How do we avoid that?

Well it’s basically a sudden or unexpected change in your career progression so obviously with Anne Hathaway, she was told that at 35 things would change but it could be because you start working part-time, because you start a family, because you move, because you’ve got health issues, you might decide to have a career change. So to avoid it you’re really going to have to manage and plan your career and make sure you’ve got some backup plans in place. But interestingly the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has found that 30% of women work part-time and only 7% are managerial roles so they’re actually quite high at risk there.

We we speak often about the career cliff that women um often face when they do take time to have a baby um and care for children does this also apply to men though?

It does and obviously, unfortunately here in Australia still 96% of women are taking on that primary or usual caregiving role and I often say to people that women will give you nine months notice before they’re going to leave and if a man takes on a job of looking after the children oh isn’t that fantastic and a woman is just at home cooking muffins so there’s a bit of a perception in the workplace but anybody who’s going to make those transitions runs the risk of facing those career cliffs.

Right, let’s talk then about motherhood. More mums are opting for part-time work than ever before so is it possible to keep building your career even if you’re cutting back the hours?

Well you’ve got to be really clear on career management skills so a lot of people know how how to do a job they don’t know how to get a job and so this is really about making sure that you’ve developed skills that will keep you up to date, that you maintain your networks, you don’t try and do a full-time job in part-time hours, you’ve got to be really clear on setting those boundaries and the other thing is you’re going to have to play a little bit of politics on occasion because you’re going to have to keep people informed as to your commitment and also what you’re actually achieving and you’re going to have to speak up about that.

What if you are at a position where you are changing Industries or careers altogether, what are your tips there?

Well don’t try and do it in two weeks! As a general rule I recommend a general transition of about two years and that sounds like a terribly long time but it actually gives you time to develop your skills and get some experience, make sure it’s really the area that you’d like to go into but also remember that you can speak to a career specialist and they’ll be able to give you some pathways into it.

So for example, you might be able to do a short course that’s funded you don’t necessarily have to go back to formal education for three to five years, you might be able to get a referral into a place and take up some options there as well.

What about moving cities or states or you know, heaven forbid, countries? How can you avoid falling off that cliff?

Yes look when people move countries it can take up to two years to be in an equivalent level position to what they were in in their previous location so they do need to do that research before they arrive, they need to network, ideally if they can find a local mentor that can help them with that networking, and if all else fails and they need to get some Australian experience do some part-time work that pays the bills but also consider doing some voluntary work in that area of expertise so that you can build up that local Australian experience and even mention the fact that you worked in a pizza shop that’s still Australian experience that people value.

What if you are just simply feeling like your career may have stalled or perhaps in the current role you’re in you can’t see a clear path for progression. What do we do about that?

Well again, first of all don’t panic. I mean there’s lots of opportunities around and you really can again ask for help to make that transition and plan those steps that you’re going to take. Some people just talk to their friends and family but they don’t necessarily have the greatest range of options available to you and they might stereotype you into a particular type of role, but for those of you who are not sure about, you know, I I need to earn money now, consider working close to home so it might be a job for now but because you’re working close to home, it meets some of those other requirements of of work and life.

Sue, great advice again. Good to see you mate, take care Thank you Sue. Thank you. Coming up

Graphics

COMMON CAREER CLIFFS

Starting a family
Working part-time
Career change
Moving
Health issues

MOTHERHOOD TIPS

Develop skills
Maintain networks
Define boundaries
Play politics

JOB CHANGE TIPS

Transition gradually
Get skills & experience first
Seek professional help

MOVING TIPS

Do your research
Network ahead of moving
Get a mentor
Consider Volunteering

CAREER STALLED TIPS

Don’t panic
Ask for help
Open up to new ideas
Look close to home

References

Part Time Promotion Career Cliff Research and Findings
https://sueellson.com/blog/part-time-promotion-career-cliff-research-and-findings

Anne Hathaway and Ageing Over 35
https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-au/porter/article-624926e64c1dc5dc

New data shows Australian workers face a ‘part-time promotion cliff’
https://www.wgea.gov.au/newsroom/New-data-Australian-workers-part-time-promotion-cliff

National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality – Discussion Paper in 2022
https://www.pmc.gov.au/resources/national-strategy-achieve-gender-equality-discussion-paper/current-state/burden-care

Shared Online

CAREER CLIFFS // 😲 Have you ever had a sudden or unexpected change in your career progression? Did you notice a massive shift ⬇️ in your opportunities when you started working part-time or started a family? What about if you faced a health issue, changed your career or moved?

The recent report from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) shows that 30% of women work part time and only 7% of managerial roles are part time and the National Strategy To Achieve Gender Equality Discussion Paper revealed that 96% of women take on the primary caring role for children, so women are definitely more at risk of a career cliff.

However, it does still affect men and potentially anyone going through a change.

I discuss these issues in this short segment on Channel Nine’s Today Extra with David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys, produced by Briana Goodchild. The main points include:

COMMON CAREER CLIFFS