“Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Don’t you wish! Some disruptions: Economic disruptions like the pandemic; organization disruptions like a merger or acquisition. Make sure you continue to develop advanced skills and experiences by keeping up with the changing technology and increasingly demanding job expectations. Why are these disruptions a critical part of your future? If your organization doesn’t provide you with the opportunity to grow internally, beyond your expertise, you may fall short of the skill sets that the organization needs. Then someone else will fill those needs.
Automatic career advancements within the same company are a thing of the past. Historically, a newly minted graduate moves into an entry level position. Over time they became a valued individual contributor. Gradually a supervisory position opens up, and eventually a manager or director level.
A successful career in today’s world accumulates sets of diverse experiences that prepares for the next step, usually in a different field, function, industry or level. It’s more of a matrix than a formulated step-stone. So, how does a professional move up the career ladder? Here are a few thoughts:
- You have to find ways to get the experiences and skills that are essential to building a foundation to move forward. Your goal is a more elastic and malleable career direction, rather than a one-dimensional vertical function with limited opportunities
- The pandemic is holding everyone hostage, The drive for remote work moves talented individuals further away from connections of those from whom they can learn. The churn in the marketplace of those wanting to better themselves by moving to another organization is a fact. Companies that don’t provide opportunities for employees to learn new skills and experiences will lose their talent to competitors
- The future will depend upon different sets of experiences using diverse skills, applied to a wider range of situations. Tomorrow’s world will prize the individual who knows more and more about various situations and can adapt to changing environments
- Having both successful remote experiences and group office experiences is essential. The hybrid model is here to stay, at least for the next 2 years. You can’t afford to be “out of sight, out of mind”. Optimize your in-office time with the boss
- CEO’s have ranked the biggest business challenge as the need to develop new skills and greater responsibilities within their current workforce. Get that new set of skills through the company or through your own efforts, but get it
- Training/development programs from companies have been greatly diminished. It’s what you have done on your own that will keep you in the game
- One great shift from the past to the future is the change from “who you know” to “what you know”. There are exceptions, but results override most everything.
Careers are currently in the hands of the individual, and not in the hands of the organization. Until that changes, you control your destiny and your career.
For a FREE confidential critique of your resume, send to: wkaufmann44@gmail.com