The new world of work presents us all with unprecedented challenges. These challenges brings lots of questions. For example. How can I best manage and survive in this new world? Will my skills be marketable in this new world? How long will my new MBA be marketable before it is redundant and outdated? Should I change careers? What should I do to prevent being unemployed? How do I continue to be competitive when so many people are unemployed in my profession? How can I avoid being made redundant? How long will be my working life? Will it be enough to provide for my retirement?

These questions add a new uncertainty to our working life that our parents’ generation did not experience. Undoubtedly they had different challenges.

In terms of designing a career today we need to understand the underlying assumptions that are invalidating our career plans and making them obsolete.

Technology, globalization, increased business competition, mergers and acquisitions have been the main drivers of change. The impact of these changes has seen the disappearance of whole job categories.

Companies are challenged to meet stakeholders expectations while struggling to be ahead of the competition which comes from all directions while operating in an unstable economic environment. Companies are constantly restructuring and reorganizing along geographic lines, then product lines, people are confused as their reporting lines are changed to matrix reporting with bosses sometimes located in different time zones. These new initiatives never seem to settle before there is another change. Many companies have reduced their headcount and employees realize that loyalty is no longer valued.

The impact on our lives is that everything is done faster, people disregard time zones and personal time has been severely impacted. For many they feel they are owned by their clients/employer/business partners.

I recently met a human resources professional who felt constantly stressed because of the need to be seen to be adding real value to the organisation every day.

The new world of work is becoming more challenging with the need to deliver more for less, to be at the leading edge of your profession, to ensure that your skills and knowledge are constantly updated, to be multiskilled, multilingual, to know that restructuring whether by takeover, merger or reorganisation is here to stay and no one’s job is guaranteed and that a job for life is part of work history.

The first step is to put yourself in the driving seat of your career. You are the managing director of You Inc. Most people have delegated this responsibility to the human resources department or chance. Many people take an opportunistic approach to their career management and change jobs when a more interesting/challenging position becomes available.

So what is it going to take to ‘make it’? In the following columns we will be exploring strategies for people to keep themselves employable. Employability is the key to the employment game.

As a career coach Lynda partners with people in career transition, those who want to reassess their career options, get strategies to improve their work performance and employability.

Lynda Aurora FCCA ACA CPA MBA MA-HRM MCC
Asia’s first and only Professional Certified Coach
Member of the International Coach Federation

If you are interested in being coached Lynda can be contacted at: Lynda@LyndaAurora.com