Written by: Nada Matijevic, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In today's fast-paced and ever-changing job market, career planning and ongoing development have become essential for career success. A good dose of awareness, confidence in your capabilities, and a willingness to stretch and grow outside your known comfort zone also helps.
The future of work is marked by rapid technological advancements, shifting industries, and new skill requirements. It's understandable how these changes can bring stress and uncertainty, causing many to feel overwhelmed and stuck in their careers. Staying stuck for too long comes with the risk of being left behind. On the other hand, making hasty, reactive decisions can also lead to an unrewarding, unsatisfying job or career path. However, individuals can survive and thrive in this dynamic landscape by embracing these changes and developing a proactive and well-considered approach.
The changing landscape of work
The workplace is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Automation and artificial intelligence are reshaping industries, and remote work is becoming the norm. It's crucial to recognise these changes and adapt accordingly. Being optimistic about the future of work means seeing opportunities in challenges and proactively acquiring the skills needed to thrive. Here are some things to consider:
1. Career planning: Setting the foundation
Building your awareness is foundational to effective career planning if your career is to be personally rewarding and fulfilling. Take the time to understand yourself, what makes you tick and what it would take to be at your peak, doing your best work. Consider your needs, strengths, interests and values. Establish clear guidelines based on these foundations and look for well-aligned options.
By having a roadmap, you're better prepared to navigate the uncertainties of the job market and seize the right opportunities. Being clear on your core foundational drivers and needs can save you years of directionless wandering and disappointment in your career. Knowing your higher-level drivers and value proposition empowers you to market yourself more effectively and achieve better-aligned goals.
2. Career development strategies
Continuous learning and professional growth are vital to staying relevant in your career. Seek career support and guidance when needed so you can keep evolving.
Find the right coaches and mentors and build a solid professional network. These connections can provide guidance and new perspectives and open doors to new opportunities.
Whether through formal education or self-study, lifelong learning is essential for keeping your skills current. So, adopt a lifelong learning mindset, get clear on your vision for the future and seize opportunities for growth and development to propel you towards the type of future you want.
3. Navigating career challenges positively
Challenges are often catalysts for change and growth and are a natural part of any career journey. Maintaining a positive attitude and resilience is crucial for navigating challenges like job loss or career transitions. These challenges can prompt us to get out of our known comfort zone and discover what else is possible and what else we’re capable of. Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth and learning can help you overcome them with grace and determination.
4. Future-ready skills and attributes
To thrive in the future workplace, focus on developing future-ready skills. Widely sought skills include adaptability, digital literacy, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking.
Don’t undervalue your experience and any highly sought-after transferrable skills you might have or can gain through experience.
Identify your transferrable skills, research the skills requirements of your area of focus in the job market, identify gaps, and develop the right skills to be future-ready.
Embrace technology and automation, and learn to see them as tools to enhance your work rather than threats to job security.
Trainers – such as engineers and scientists designing large language models (LLMs) on which AI tools such as ChatGPT depend
Explainers – the user experience designers making AI accessible to the public
Sustainers – the content creators, data curators and ethics and governance specialists to ensure AI systems are used well
Find the area you want to work in and focus on developing the skills you need to be future-ready and in-demand to ensure your career success.
5. Case studies and success stories
Some real-life success stories illustrate how this works in practice.
When we first met, “John” was a senior professional who had already left his role in an industry where he had spent most of his career after contemplating making a career change for almost a decade. John knew he wanted to discover a challenging, fulfilling professional role aligned with his values, which he could transition into, but he wasn’t clear on what that might be.
Staying too long on the previous career path had limited John’s career growth and sapped his enthusiasm. He felt pigeonholed due to a lack of experience, training and education outside his established field and sought career consulting help to identify options and make his next move.
The biggest obstacle I found wasn’t a lack of skills and experience, which boxed John in. A lack of clarity and direction prevented him from seeing his path and taking the steps to make that transition.
We did some groundwork to extract meaningful information, identify John’s marketable strengths and transferrable skills, and clarify what would make a personally fulfilling role and direction. It was then easier to identify the relevant skills gaps to fill and the steps and stepping stones John would need to take to get to his ideal role.
Having a vivid vision for his future, a plan and the conviction gained through this process fuelled John’s excitement, energy and drive to complete an impressive list of micro-credentials. He sought mentors and grew his professional network in alignment with that vision.
John then found an opening and transitioned into the technology field and a new, better-aligned role. Less than two years later, he progressed into another next-step role he loved.
With some guidance, the right path became more evident, and the obstacles became more manageable. John identified his future goals, developed the required skills to be future-ready and transitioned into a future-of-work growth area, putting himself into the driver's seat of growing a career he is passionate about.
“Cassie” had been a senior executive who left an established career and ended up feeling stuck and unhappy in a dysfunctional business relationship, eroding her confidence and feeling disempowered and stressed.
Cassie sought career planning and development support to develop a pathway to creating an inspiring, rewarding and challenging career. With this support, she could objectively see her strengths and possibilities, evaluate her options, research, analyse, and fine-tune her ideas to gain reassurance in making sound decisions.
Once clear on her goals, Cassie developed a clear plan and strategy. She was willing to learn and grow her skills and to seek the expertise of others to complement any remaining gaps to make her goals possible. With confidence in her unique brand and offering, Cassie was well-prepared to share her compelling business idea and value proposition to fill an unmet need in the market.
By seeking help, Cassie moved from being stuck and unhappy to being inspired, energised and excited to create a career path that felt right and enabled her to follow her heart. Cassie started implementing her plan with renewed enthusiasm and conviction while undertaking the career development and transition program. This ensured she had a trusted ally while she went out of her comfort zone and tackled new challenges.
Cassie’s willingness to seek expert help cleared the perceived obstacles and enabled her to see new possibilities. She took action to build a career path that allowed her to operate in her peak work zone and deliver what the market needs.
6. Building your unique career path
Everyone has a different combination of attributes, drivers, knowledge, skills, experience and capabilities that make them and their career needs and offerings unique. Whatever yours are, navigating your unique, personally rewarding and compelling career path to success is possible. With thoughtful career planning, you can develop the skills to be future-ready and succeed in a fast-changing job market.
Personal branding sets you apart and is a powerful tool for showcasing your strengths and making a memorable impression on potential employers or clients. The expert guidance of a career practitioner can help you join the missing links and craft the pieces of information into your unique value proposition and compelling brand story.
Once you discover your brand and drivers and how they fit into the bigger picture, it is easier to develop focused goals, differentiate yourself from your competition and build your unique career path to success your way.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the future of work holds immense potential for those who are clear on what they’re looking for, prepared to share their unique value proposition and pursue their goals confidently. You can survive and thrive in the evolving job market through thoughtful career planning, continuous development, and a positive mindset. If you struggle to plan and navigate your way to the career future you want, don’t be afraid to get expert help.
You can further explore your career health and what’s going on by taking this free online Career Health Check 1.
If you found this article insightful and wish to explore personalised career consulting, coaching and mentoring or have specific questions about your career development, please get in touch with me.
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Nada Matijevic, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nada Matijevic is a results-driven Career Consultant to professionals and executives who want to elevate their careers and lives. She provides coaching, guidance and tailored programs to enable people to identify their stand-out capacity for brilliance. She helps them define their career and life objectives, develop their personal brand and marketing toolkit and to chart and navigate their own path to their own version of success. Nada is passionate about helping her clients take on their most important leadership role of shaping a career and life they can thrive in so they are not dependent on external forces, or on chance, to determine their future for them.
