There’s no doubt about it, wherever you are in the world and whatever your circumstances, the future feels pretty uncertain right now. Nobody, not even our political leaders seem to know how long this health crisis is going to go on for, or how it is likely to affect our economy.
In the midst of these worrying times, it can be tempting to sit tight and to stay with what is known and safe, while we wait to see what is going to happen.
AND, what I’d argue is that the people who will thrive in the new reality in which we will eventually find ourselves will be those who have started preparing themselves and their career for the future.
This is, by the way, always true – pandemic or no pandemic. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change”. The working world is shifting and evolving all the time, with some roles disappearing and others (social media managers, Uber drivers…) presenting opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago. In five years time (2025) it is estimated that over half of all jobs will be done by robots!
With this in mind, how can we ready ourselves and our careers for a changing and uncertain world? Here are my five suggestions…
Stay curious: Have you found yourself in an intellectual rut? When we’re young, we’re constantly learning, but as we get older and more set in our ways, our curiosity can stagnate. We can find ourselves always reading about the same things, or even losing sight of what we used to find interesting and exciting. This is especially true if you’re in work that drains you, and all you want to do when you get home is flop in front of some trashy TV. By reigniting our sense of curiosity, you can be more open to new possibilities, and you also get to tap into your deeper motivations and learn more about what could be exciting new work areas to explore . With my coaching clients, I recommend they start an Ideas Bank – a collection of pictures, articles, books and other things that inspire them as they go about their day. We can then use this to draw out patterns and bring out themes that will help focus their search for a more fulfilling future career. This is a powerful process, AND it’s one that takes time, so the sooner you start it – even if you’re currently happy and secure in your work – the more prepared you’ll be for change in the future.
Experiment with multiple possible selves: This is an idea suggested by Herminia Ibarra, an expert in career change and identity from the London Business School, who argues that career change is rarely neat and linear (and especially so right now) so it helps to have a few options to explore. With my clients, I’ll encourage them to be exploring at least two or three career themes at a time, using a methodology developed by the organisation I work with, Careershifters, to test them and discover which offer viable opportunities for work that excites them, which they’ll be good at and, importantly, that the world will pay them for. The benefit of having a few options on the table is that when one chain of enquiry hits a brick wall – perhaps you discover that it won’t offer enough financial security or it isn’t, in practice, as interesting as you first thought, you still have other possibilities that you’re actively exploring. In these times of change, career routes that initially seemed promising, could turn out to be less viable (I know my friends who work in the events industry are, sadly, discovering this right now) so it’s important to be able to change tack to be able to navigate these shifting tides.
Know your worth: If you’ve been doing the same kind of work for a while, or perhaps you’ve been on a work break, say, to have children – it can be hard to know what you’re good at and the value you offer – particularly to a new industry. It’s important, then, to become familiar with your key strengths and transferable skills – and to learn how to articulate these in a way that doesn’t pigeonhole you, but which makes sense to potential future employers. This is where a coach can come in handy, as they can help you identify your natural talents and the skills you’ve developed through your past experience that could be applied in new ways.
Deepen your network: As I’ve written about before, other people are your portal to career opportunities and to new information about what other types of work and organisations are out there that you don’t currently know about. Connecting with people beyond your close ties (i.e. your existing network of friends and family) is essential if you want to broaden your knowledge about what might be possible for you in the future. If you’re worried about the idea of cold-calling complete strangers, though, the good news is that research suggests, that there could be at least as much value to be had in re-igniting ‘dormant ties’ (i.e. people you used to be close to) than in making brand new connections, so it might be more about deepening your network than, necessarily, expanding it. Who can you re-connect with now that might be doing interesting work? Scanning through your LinkedIn contacts could help jog your memory, and then it’s just a matter of asking them to have a chat with you so you can find out more about what they do. One benefit to the current lockdown is that most people have a bit more time on their hands (and are often keen for connection!)
Improve your resilience: If change is the only true constant, as Heraclitus says, we need to ensure we are able to navigate shifting circumstances, and what is key to that is our ability to bounce back from adversity. A study in 2019 showed that resilience (57.5%) and being able to adapt (71.5%) were two of the top two skills favoured by employers, and while we all have natural tendencies in these areas, they are still competencies that can be practiced and developed over time. Practicing mindfulness is one way to build your resilience, as it can help you to become more aware of your emotions and reactivity to change. Another thing that can help is to remember times in the past when we have been able to bounce back – and what that took from us in terms of strengths, personal qualities and tactics. If you’re telling yourself “I can’t cope with change”, can you think of an example from your life of when that hasn’t been entirely true? Changing the story you tell about yourself and becoming more aware of your internal resources can really help build resilience and create more positive beliefs about your ability to cope in the future.
I hope this has been helpful. I’d love to hear from you how you’re feeling about the future in relation to your career, so do let me know in the comments below. If you’d like a bit more personal support, I offer a free 30 minute consultation so email me and we can arrange a chat.