As the picture above says, “you didn’t come this far only to come this far”. You have gotten to the position that you are in due to your hard work, your expertise and the opportunities that you have created for yourself.
The workplace will change exponentially over the next few years. You don’t believe me? Just look at how much it has changed over the l8 months. Covid was a catalyst to drive the change. One thing you can be sure of is that change will continue to happen, the question is, are you equipped to keep up with it?
Carry on reading for a few hints and tips for future-proofing your career.
1. Choose a career that will grow as new technology develops
If you choose a career that grows as technology develops, you have no choice but to be at the forefront of technological changes. You need to play your part and make sure that you are front and centre of any updates. That is valuable to any employer.
Of course technology cannot exist in isolation and all technological industries need to build their customer experience / customer service team at the same pace.
On the flip side, you could choose something that won’t be affected by digital changes, can a computer ever take the work of the creative industries like cooking, artists, sculptors etc?
2. Network with those people who have job titles that you would like to have
What is your dream job title?
What role would get you bouncing out of bed every morning?
Go and find people with these job titles and connect with them here on LinkedIn. If you are feeling really brave, ask them if they could spare 15 minutes of their time and set up a Zoom meeting.
Ask them about their journey to where they are today and for any advice that would help to get you to where you would like to be.
3. Keep abreast of trends
I don’t mean that you have to adopt the lockdown Athleisure look if that is really not your thing. Just keep your eyes open for what is going on around you right now. Is everyone addicted to a certain Netflix show? Are they investing in the bitcoin that Elon Musk mentioned? How many of your contacts now drive an electric vehicle?
Some trends are here to stay and they create opportunities that might not exist today.
4. Slow down to speed up
Inspired by the story of “The tortoise and the hare”, this piece of advice can apply to a myriad of things.
When I begin working 1:1 with my clients, the very first thing that I do is an exercise to uncover their values. This is important as people often tell you the values that they think they should have rather than the ones that are true. They are also likely to change over time, maybe as a result of life events and we rarely go back and figure out what they are NOW.
Completing this exercise is the foundation for any job search as it will help you to determine which organisations’ culture and values align with yours.
5. Become more tech savvy
As I mentioned in #1, technology is going to become more and more important over the next few years. You need to hone your tech skills.
There are so many places that you can do this for free, try out Google’s Digital Garage or if you have the Premium version of LinkedIn, you get access to LinkedIn Learning as part of your subscription.
6. Invest in training and development
Learning is a lifelong process, whether you learn something for fun or to enhance skills that you already have so that you become the go-to person in your field.
Work out what you’re good at and keep honing your expertise in that area.
7. Curate your online brand
Having an online presence is essential nowadays as this is how you can demonstrate your credibility which will set up apart from the competition. The great thing is that you can curate your online brand to say whatever you want it to say (as long as you are telling the truth).
Decide where you are going to focus your attention and go “all in” on these platforms, rather than spreading yourself too thin. Make sure that there is cohesion and consistency across all your platforms, if not, you could undo all of your hard work to date.
What about you? What hints and tips would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below.
If you would like to work with Jane on a 1:1 basis then her 10 Week VIP Career Coaching Programme could be just the thing for you. Click here for the full details, please get in touch if you are up for the challenge.
