Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career

Expertly interpreted cases of a multitude of people changing careers. I learned about this book because it was referenced in Reid Hoffman's "The Start-Up Of You", but this is way better. One of the reasons it excels at explaining a topic that is so hard to pin down is because it doesn't pretend to be a self-help book. These case studies are the result of academic research. There are about 10 pages towards the end of the book, in a section called "Putting These Unconventional Strategies to Work" that make up the only part of the book resembling advice. The entire remainder of the text is building up convincing arguments through lots and lots of case studies. The believability of these arguments is surely tied to the shear number of cases examined, each one interpreted, but also not weighted with too much meaning, so as to not lead readers to rely on mere anecdotes, as most self-help books seem to do.For anyone trying to identify with people examined in the case studies, be aware of the interviewed sample: you don't find out until the end that, "Almost half (46 percent) live and work outside the United States. It is a highly credentialed sample: All have college degrees, and about 74 percent have graduate degrees (e.g., business, science, law, and so on)." So if you don't resemble that demographic, you might have to make a bigger leap to relate to some of the cases. Still, worthwhile. Also, the interviews were all done between 1999 and 2001, so the importance of social media (e.g., LinkedIn) is not really considered. That didn't seem to matter, but worth mentioning. Finally, it's not exactly a nail-biter and some readers might find it a little dense at times, but overall it's very readable and enjoyable, and highly recommended for really anyone who's been working for more than a few years and isn't completely satisfied with their professional life.

I've had an odd experience with this book. I first bought it when I was informed of my near lay-off after years working for the same company; I got irritated with the theoretical business academic approach to the subject and the fact that most examples were of high-profile business or finance people. So I stopped reading it. I retook the book a couple of weeks ago, a few months after I first started reading it and after going through the process of transition on my own. All of the sudden, bingo!, Ibarra's words clicked with me, because I've found that many of the things that Ibarra mentions are really also part of my process of transition as I am experiencing it.Working Identity is structured in two parts. The first discusses the process of questioning and testing our work identities, and the second describes the actions that increase the likelihood of making a successful change. Chapter 8 is a summary of the whole book and really the part where I recommend you to start because it goes through the main points discusses throughout the book minus the fillers. The appendix is quite academic, but not too dry, and it was necessary to understand Ibarra's methodology and theoretical approach to the research that produced this book.Ibarra states that her objective was to generate rather than to test theory; also that her objective wasn't to predict who will or won't change careers, but rather to identify the basic tasks of reinvention. I think she succeeds at doing both things. Ibarra has a great insight into the process of change itself, which she describes with accuracy, and she's able to distill lessons from the many study cases and real life people mentioned throughout the book. Looking at my own experience in transitioning, I find that many of the things Ibarra says are really true for me, too, even though I am not, by any means, a high profile finance guy.Working Identity debunks the fallacy that our professional identity is one, and that our personal identity fits just one job identity. Regardless of whether the transition is voluntary or forced, and assuming that you want to change careers (otherwise you are wasting your time on this book), the core of the book is that our professional identity is as much a psychological construction as it is a social construction, and that transition takes us to roads that might be an extension, development or jump off the cliff from those things we are familiar with. The process of career transition is a long road of personal trial and error until we find something that it's just right and fits us perfectly. One thing is imagining ourselves doing whatever, and another thing doing it; one thing is learning how to do something new and then enjoying it; one thing is imagining our life-long hobby for X being our profession and another seeing that this won't give us the life, money or fulfillment that we crave. However, if we don't try those paths, we'll never know. Trying means learning on the spot, experiencing the challenges and chaos, and how we feel about the reality of the new 'thing' emerging, whether it suits us or not and whether we want to stay or move on. The process is intertwined with passion, drive, and our natural talents, but it needs of patience and perseverance. Sometimes the career transition will take us to places that we never considered ours, or thought we would be good at, or thought possible, and yet, if we have the determination, persistence and drive we might end just doing something totally 'unlike us', which is very much us.Ibarra's research unearths 9 unconventional strategies for reinventing our careers: 1/ act, then reflect; 2/ flirt with your selves; 3/ live the contradictions; 4/ make big change in small steps; 5/ experiment with new roles; 6/ find people who are what you want to be; 7/ don’t wait for a catalyst; 8/ step back periodically but not for too long; 9/ and seize windows of opportunity.If you have read a bit about change and transition possibly you won't be wowed by the list overall, and you have already heard/read some of the things in the list in other books. However Ibarra's focus on doing before thinking and her exploration of personal and professional identities, the many selves that we carry inside us, and how those selves morph during the period of chaos that goes from starting a career transition to really transitioning, as well as the importance of our personal 'myth' or story are excellent, enlightening and something that not everybody speaking about career transition will spend much time discussing, even though they are important, or so I feel. This was, as a matter of fact, what resonated with me the most.THE DOWNSIDESThe first downside of the book to me is that the case studies, diary records and summarizing of personal stories go forever, for pages. Those would have been necessary if this was a thesis presented in academic circles. As this is a book directed to the general public the need to be so exhaustive is not an issue. I understand the need to provide examples and real cases, but those occupy a good part of the written book. Was that necessary to convey Ibarra's point? I don't think so. She could have provide details of cases, without the need to go to the extent she does.Ibarra says "It is better to start by trying out a possible new role on a small scale—in our spare time, on a time-limited sabbatical, or as a weekend project. And as we will see in the next chapter, an added—and necessary—advantage of experimenting is that while we are trying out new roles, we meet people who will help change our lives." (p. 113). Most of the study cases are of financially stable people, quite well-off, who had the luxury of expending the time necessary to switch careers, juggle two things at the same time or take a sabbatical to work on their career reinvention. However, most people coming to this book, won't have that luxury. Ibarra itself explains that people who lose their jobs are at a great risk of short-circuiting the process as they can't stagger their time out because basically, for the transition to flourish, it needs of a basic level of security, personal, economical and psychological. However, she provides little evidence of this because his group of study basically has no person who is transitioning in that way, or is in their mid 50s, or unmarried for example. This being the case, many of the people who will get this book looking for help and inspiration will find that there is little for them in those examples.MINDThe group of people focus of the book are college-educated population, professionals and academics, most of them are related to the world of economics, finances and business. I'm a professional and I could barely relate to most of those examples except for one case. If you are one of the Harvard School guys, you will certainly enjoy the examples and find them meaningful to you. Otherwise, you will find those people and their stories are nothing you can relate to. It would have been great if Ibarra had chosen a more balanced mix of people, people from different backgrounds, people in their mid 50s, people who transition after being laid off, and people who are not so businessy.IN SHORTIf you read the book after your career reinvention, it will make great sense. If you do so at the beginning you might get irritated at the lack of how-to (because her how-to items of advice are too generic to be of any use), and, as Ibarra herself states the how-to varies from person to person and their circumstances. So, that's what I call a how-not-to-do a 'how to do". Overall, a very well-researched book, with great insight of what professional identity is.TYPOSAt least on Kindle for PC and in my android, there are repeated cases of lack of hyphen in cases where a word seems it was. Perhaps a space is what's is missing. I don't know. See for example:> twoyear period (p. 100)> a highprofile legal dispute (p. 106)> thirtytwo (p. 178)

I am not sure that I would have been ready for Dr. Ibarra's book in 2005 when I finally paid attention to the signals in my own environment that I needed a massive career change. I'm not sure that I would have heard its message, which is part of the point of the book as well.It would have helped me, however, realize that what I was going through was "normal". This book shakes up the myths that you need to discover what you are good at and make an educated series of career research actions and decisions. For most of us who have done the seemingly random walk through career and life transitions, she provides a backdrop of case studies to show patterns of uncertainties that happen to many other people as well. She illustrates well how the people around you signal and reinforce both change and drag factors, how the narratives develop over time in your new life, and how the new stories of your new life only start to make sense toward the END of the transition.I found the academic connections and endnotes refreshing, attaching this work to research and core theories in major thinkers. The examples were easy to relate to and memorable.I have recommended this book so far to a dozen friends over 40 who are trying to understand the smoke signals of change in their own lives, struggling through long transitions (exacerbated by the economic malaise), or staring at the tensions between their current work environments and the ticking timeclock of their lives. I have taken personal notes throughout my Kindle version of this on my iPad and keep rereading and thinking through the document -- nice way to enjoy this book!