If this sounds like you, you may also note a strange limbo-like feeling where you’re standing in two different worlds. It’s a peculiar window of time that starts when you’re thinking seriously about changing jobs and the time you actually make the jump. It can drive some folks nuts. But it’s in this window that opportunities continue to appear if we’re open to seeing them. The problem is that we focus so much on that next great gig, we often don’t see them. These can be important stepping stones we can use to continue building our professional portfolios.

Here are a few springboard questions to ask:
Is there a gap in my resume or portfolio that I can work on now?
If you’ve started putting feelers out there for a new job (in particular if you’ve had some interviews), you’ve likely started getting ideas on areas where you can add a little extra meat to your portfolio (or extra tofu if you’re of the vegetarian persuasion). I’m a firm believer that a portfolio can always be enhanced so look for opportunities to improve your marketable expertise and results.

Is there a network or contact relationship that I can cultivate?
Don’t discount your internal contacts now. Just because you’re thinking of leaving a workplace doesn’t mean you have to stop making professional connections. If anything, this is a prime time to keep meeting and talking and learning from people. Oh…and those external networks are pretty good ones to continue to cultivate, too.

It could be that you’ve tapped out all of your opportunities. If that’s the case, then it’s definitely time to move on quickly. But if you recognize that there’s still something left in the tank, take some time to step back and reflect on what you can do right now to build a stronger portfolio rather than dwell exclusively on a future yet to come.

Any other road-tested wisdom out there from folks in job change limbo?

Also posted at Career Hub…read more articles at the #1 HR Blog according to HR World.

A few weeks ago, Steve reminded us that we are all truly self-employed. I was self-employed for a little while and I can say that being employed by a company is a far different proposition. The most notable differences are drawing regular paychecks and receiving benefits. The problem is that such stability can easily foster a sense of complacency and often undeserved submission to the company. All too often, we give up too much of what we are in order to hold tight to financial and professional stability.

Imagine a business saying to its biggest customer, “We’re going to drop all our other customers and serve only you.  Just tell us what you want done, and we’ll do it.  Pay us whatever you think is a fair price.  Invest in our growth however you see fit.  Tell us when we can go on vacation.  You command; we obey.”  While it wouldn’t be impossible to run a business this way, it would certainly be very risky and unstable compared to the alternatives.  Yet this is how many people choose to run their personal services businesses.  If I were an investor, I’d think twice about investing in such a business — I’d be more likely to invest in their competitors.

Instead, Steve asks us to try a different perspective. It calls up an entrepreneurial notion of professional independence. For those of us who may sometimes feel trapped, undervalued, underutilized, [fill in the blank] within our present organization, this perspective can be liberating. He calls this perspective our own personal services business and offers some reflective questions to help us understand the health of our business:

What investments are you making to improve your business?  Are you investing in training?  Morale improvements?  Productivity upgrades?

Are you charging a fair price for a quality product or service, or are you bilking your customers and hoping they won’t notice?

Are you doing a good job of marketing your business?  Do new potential customers seek you out, eager to do business with you?  Are you getting plenty of referrals and enjoying viral marketing?  Or does your business wallow in relative obscurity?

If your own personal services business has been languishing and suffering from a singular focus on one customer (think your present employer), ask what it might take to open your business to a wider customer base. It might just be the spark you need to reignite your professional fire.