A job for life is not a realistic goal these days. Here are five tips to help you progress from one job to another.
THE workplace of today and of the future does not come close to the one most people entered 10, 15 or 20 years ago.
A shift in the job market has been taking place in recent years. To manage their staff costs better, many employers have been hiring people on a project basis, with no guarantee of future work.
How will you be impacted if companies continue to rely heavily on temporary staff or contract workers?
The advancement of medical science has increased life expectancy, which in turn means that workers are anticipating a longer work life. Employees can expect to switch jobs many times. It will not be unusual for employees to change jobs 10 or more times, or take up a whole new career two or three times in their lives.
So how will this scenario affect your career plan? Clearly, you are responsible for managing your own career. It might be helpful to think of yourself as being self-employed even though you are working for an organisation. Remember, if you are self-employed, you are not going to wait for your boss to do a career planning session with you. Your career is your own, and you will want to have the flexibility to plan for moves beyond your current job.
Here are five steps to help you transit from one job to another, or go from being an employee to an entrepreneur:
Step 1: Discover yourself
Whether you are contented to be an employee or aspire to be an entrepreneur, you need to discover your true self — the self you are designed to be, with your unique strengths and talents.
Choose a vocation that suits you and experience a lifetime of joy and growth doing the work you enjoy. Key components include your skills, life purpose, passion, values, experience, perceived barriers, expertise, network, drive and the number of dependants you have.
Step 2: Research the market
With the information gathered in the first step, research what the market wants and the opportunities available for you as an individual. An awareness of market trends and growth opportunities is mandatory. Use tools such as Internet search engines, the classified advertisements and your network. It is even better if you can spot upcoming trends.
Step 3: Identify your niche
Once you have explored the opportunities available, you can pursue a full-time position in the job market as an employee, or become a freelancer or an entrepreneur. Set an objective and plan your route of advance. Then execute your plan.
Step 4: Live your plan
If you choose to remain an employee, focus your efforts on job search strategies, resumé design secrets, power interview skills, job offer evaluation and remuneration negotiation.
If you opt to become a freelancer or an entrepreneur, concentrate on bundling your skills and experience, designing a unique value preposition, targeting prospective clients, delivering great value and quality service, and building your portfolio or business.
Step 5: Evaluate your results
Measure your progress against your preset targets in Step 3. Without targets, you cannot tell if you are on or off track. Spend time setting clear targets. If you like the result, keep at it to improve. If you do not like the result, build on what you have achieved and change strategy.
In this last step, loop back to any step in the process, depending on your results, situation and aspiration. Remember, take time to plan your career, and it can make you a lot happier and more satisfied with the job you will eventually get.
THE workplace of today and of the future does not come close to the one most people entered 10, 15 or 20 years ago.
A shift in the job market has been taking place in recent years. To manage their staff costs better, many employers have been hiring people on a project basis, with no guarantee of future work.
How will you be impacted if companies continue to rely heavily on temporary staff or contract workers?
The advancement of medical science has increased life expectancy, which in turn means that workers are anticipating a longer work life. Employees can expect to switch jobs many times. It will not be unusual for employees to change jobs 10 or more times, or take up a whole new career two or three times in their lives.
So how will this scenario affect your career plan? Clearly, you are responsible for managing your own career. It might be helpful to think of yourself as being self-employed even though you are working for an organisation. Remember, if you are self-employed, you are not going to wait for your boss to do a career planning session with you. Your career is your own, and you will want to have the flexibility to plan for moves beyond your current job.
Here are five steps to help you transit from one job to another, or go from being an employee to an entrepreneur:
Step 1: Discover yourself
Whether you are contented to be an employee or aspire to be an entrepreneur, you need to discover your true self — the self you are designed to be, with your unique strengths and talents.
Choose a vocation that suits you and experience a lifetime of joy and growth doing the work you enjoy. Key components include your skills, life purpose, passion, values, experience, perceived barriers, expertise, network, drive and the number of dependants you have.
Step 2: Research the market
With the information gathered in the first step, research what the market wants and the opportunities available for you as an individual. An awareness of market trends and growth opportunities is mandatory. Use tools such as Internet search engines, the classified advertisements and your network. It is even better if you can spot upcoming trends.
Step 3: Identify your niche
Once you have explored the opportunities available, you can pursue a full-time position in the job market as an employee, or become a freelancer or an entrepreneur. Set an objective and plan your route of advance. Then execute your plan.
Step 4: Live your plan
If you choose to remain an employee, focus your efforts on job search strategies, resumé design secrets, power interview skills, job offer evaluation and remuneration negotiation.
If you opt to become a freelancer or an entrepreneur, concentrate on bundling your skills and experience, designing a unique value preposition, targeting prospective clients, delivering great value and quality service, and building your portfolio or business.
Step 5: Evaluate your results
Measure your progress against your preset targets in Step 3. Without targets, you cannot tell if you are on or off track. Spend time setting clear targets. If you like the result, keep at it to improve. If you do not like the result, build on what you have achieved and change strategy.
In this last step, loop back to any step in the process, depending on your results, situation and aspiration. Remember, take time to plan your career, and it can make you a lot happier and more satisfied with the job you will eventually get.
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