Future Proofing Your Career

No one has a crystal ball, but there are certain steps you should be taking now to future-proof your employability. This can give you some confidence that there will be opportunities for you in the future.

If your skills are in demand now and you’re well placed to find and keep jobs today, it pays to look ahead and consider what employers may need in future years in our rapidly changing world of work. There is an emerging trend with a skills gap between what employers are seeking in their staff, to what people possess once they have completed their education.

This constant change in the workforce and skill set required is also being fuelled by rapid technological advances. This makes continuous skills development vitally important to your career. The first way to future-proof your employability is to ensure your skills and experience expand, either through formal or on-the-job learning. Never stop learning.

Secondly, remain digitally proficient. In our increasingly digital lives almost every job now has a digital element to it, so become digitally adept, up-to-date with the latest technological advances related to your role and industry, and lean into the changes of a digital world. Embrace it, master it.

Take every opportunity to improve your soft skills. There’s been a lot of talk about how automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will, and has already begun to, impact a diverse range of workplaces and jobs. With automation and AI replacing or taking over manual and repetitive tasks, this will leave employees free to focus on the non-routine and more advanced aspects of their job. When we look at the skills automation is taking over, they are usually hard or technical skills. Soft skills are a lot more difficult to automate or outsource. Therefore, it is soft skills that will add to your value in the years ahead. This includes communication, teamwork, adaptability, creative thinking, and relationship-building skills.

Finally, remain connected to your sector and industry through social media, networking, and your recruiter. This will ensure new trends and technologies don’t pass you by.

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