I am in my 40s, and I realize that I no longer want to manage people.

7 Comments

1. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 3,2023 at 4:39AM UTC

   You may want to explore HR consulting companies. You might have the opportunity to work as an IC - not managing people if you don't want to but still be able to leverage your expertise.

2. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 7:28AM UTC

   Yes! I have recently realized I do not have it in me to be the ruthless, brutal, whip-cracking people manager most places want and am looking for a way to go back to being an individual contributor too. I am looking at program management and non profit management positions.

3. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 5:23PM UTC

   My recommendation is to shift the resume from strategic wording to more tactical. Specifically what you can do hands-on. Remove the word manager and instead just use Benefits expert in your wording. When asked about level you can during an interview let them know that you were the default manager because of your years of experience but prefer to be hands-on and an IC. You might try a stint at one of the big players that does outsourcing and will put you at a client site. Then after doing that for a bit you can decide if you want to do your own thing. Good luck. It's a tight market now but perhaps a smaller company is the place.

4. Megan LeasherJuly 4,2023 at 7:58PM UTC

   I agree with shifting your resume to a focus on what you did and led as an individual contributor, versus your leadership experience.

5. Megan LeasherJuly 4,2023 at 7:58PM UTC

   I agree with shifting your resume to a focus on what you did and led as an individual contributor, versus your leadership experience.

6. ChristineJuly 5,2023 at 12:28PM UTC

   Years ago I worked for attorneys and realized I never wanted to do that again. However, whenever it was picked up on my resume that I'd worked with legal folks, those are the offers I got over and over. I finally got smart and changed my resume to show that I had worked as an executive assistant, but it did not focus on the work with attorneys. I also made it clear to the headhunter I used, that no matter how much the job paid, I didn't want to work with attorneys again. He respected my request and only sent me for interviews with hospitals (my other past work) and I was fortunate to get just what I wanted.

7. AnonymousJuly 6,2023 at 3:10PM UTC

   I recently transitioned from a supervisory executive assistant position into a non-supervisory coordinator position that is right up my "academic alley" so to speak. I too realized that I had no interest in supervising anyone anymore, so now I am able to work from home in a role that allows me to interact with other professionals in my department, is much more creative than what I was doing previously, and is exactly what I went to school for so many years ago. Oh, and it pays more too!

   In terms of things I learned, probably the biggest was patience, because I've been looking to transition for several years now. Also, instead of trying to increase my title/level, I focused on the actual work that I would be doing to identify potential opportunities. As I was considering my current position, I was actually offered a position similar to what I was previously doing, that probably would have expanded into a major promotion, but honestly, I just didn't want the stress of the people management portion of the role.

   As someone who is always trying to move onward and upward, it was a little unsettling to realize that I wanted to "downsize" from a management role. But I also realized that what I really wanted was to develop a new set of skills that was more in line with my values and academic background. So, in addition to patience, I would recommend doing a deep dive into what you really want at this stage in your career. For example, I identified the job qualities that would make me happy - helping others, making a difference in my community, increased autonomy, creativity, travel, and public speaking. I found a position that offered all of the above, in addition to working from home, which really supports things that I'm dealing with in my personal life. I may change my mind down the road, but for now, I'm excited to step back, develop new skills, face new challenges, and see where they take me. So, patience, self-reflection, and a willingess to step away from the corporate focus on promotion. If you still love HR but aren't ready to start your own business, perhaps you can take your experience into a teaching or consulting role? Possibly look at non-profits or community organizations?

   I hope I was able to help, although I don't have any experience in starting my own business (although that WAS one of the options I was considering early on). For reference, I'm in my early 50s, so this may be an awful time in my career to be stepping back, but only time will tell, lol. Best of luck to you.