CAREER AND JOB ADVICE: HOW TO FUTURE-PROOF YOURSELF

Having served as futurist keynote speakers and future trends experts for 20+ years, we’ve worked with hundreds of leading businesses and brands to help future-proof products and solutions of all shapes and sizes. But as we note in bestselling book Make Change Work for You, similar formulas as leading organizations use to adapt to change can also be used by everyday individuals to future-proof their career and job outlook as well. In fact, oftentimes, finding ways to better position yourself for success, and create new working opportunities, is simply a matter of perspective – and a little up-front planning and forethought can go a long way towards helping you stay one step ahead of the curve, whatever the future brings.

To this point: In an age of growing unpredictability where uncertainty is the only certainty that working professionals can predict, how can you enjoy ongoing career success, even as lingering effects of COVID-19 and digital transformation continue to reshape entire industries and radically redefine the shape of work?

It gets simpler when you start thinking long-term (e.g. how you can use every work experience, assignment, and opportunity as a bridge to future opportunities); start building out your professional toolkit with new skills, talents, and insights you can mix and match in novel ways to solve problems; consistently work to expand your network of contacts; make a point to grab tomorrow’s most in-demand skills and talents today; and realize that risky is the new safe, provided you take smart risks (e.g. in that sometimes you have to take a step back for less pay to work at an organization that can provide you with new learnings, insights, and contacts that can help you leap further ahead in the end). In effect, if the old career ladder is looking a little rickety, you’ve got to figure out how to free climb your way to the top instead – constantly seeking out new pathways forward and working to create your own chances to progress.

Follow this strategy, and you’ll find your star rising accordingly – and don’t forget to keep following it as unexpected twists and turns pop up. See you in the penthouse suite!