Jobs as Short-Term Projects: Challenges for Career Coaches LaBarre Spence 7/31/2019

Situation VUCA world – volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous Darwin – not survival of fittest – as much as survival of best equipped for change Adaptability is key --- speed of change* Creative destruction -- mass layoffs, buyouts . *Career Thought Leaders, 2011 Global Career Brainstorming Day

Situation Shorter job experiences Average number of career changes increasing* 7 to 11 careers Generational expectations and contrasts Gen Y’s and Millenials Experienced workers “New normal” . *???

Situation: Employers Great Expectations Investors expect more of companies Companies expect more of employees Employees expect more of companies Employees expect more of themselves 24/7 timeframe; global playing field .

Situation: Employers Less tolerant of poor fit, need to shift quickly Can’t/Don’t take as much time to build talent Needs, therefore jobs continually evolving Desire flexibility in engaging employees Part-time work, freelance, contract work .

Situation: Employers Change -- in worker’s opinions about career and workplace evolving at faster pace Growth opportunities for Employees Prefer opportunity for creative thinking (95%) Identifying new and better ways of doing things (88%) Work-life balance – satisfaction, productivity, retention – desired but not delivered Emerging Workforce Study, 2009 SFN Group .

Situation: Employers Retention - By 2015, 76% of U.S. jobs will demand highly skilled employees; labor shortage, knowledge gaps Cultural shifts Adoption of social media Workers’ desire to be connected to org’s mission and aligned with workers’ values Emerging Workforce Study, 2009 SFN Group .

Situation: Individuals Required to be more proactive; Career Management More aware of changes internally and externally More focused on own path; self sufficient Pursue experience/exposure vs. stability Short term approach with long-term view .

Situation: Individuals LinkedIn -- transparency in your skills/experiences and others’ skills Constantly expand skills and expertise Build network Seek opportunities to apply skills in new areas Part-time, freelance, contract work .

Situation: Individuals Careers utilizing strengths daily Pursue their passion – all ages accepted You, Inc. – Tom Peters Individual needs to Provide own health care Bridge income gaps with savings Manage own retirement planning Invest in own education .

Implications for Career Coaches? Career Vitality Role of Career Coach Brand Focused Development Oriented .

Implications: Career Vitality Always in demand, never extinct Change, adapt, skills and work focus to fit new goals and current business environment Build capability to continually build value From Lifetime Employment to Lifetime Employability* *Career Thought Leaders, 2011 Global Career Brainstorming Day .

Implications for Career Coaches Portfolio skills, building for the next job Vision, creativity, advocacy More proactive, more defined Increased value of short-term experiences – contract, projects Continuous evolution of capabilities/ ongoing checking in and assessment Longer duration, greater frequency .

Implications: Personal Brand Focused Distinctive value Roles, how, style Help client build personal brand Employed and in transition Extreme transparency/comparison opportunities .

Implications: Personal Brand Focused Help client self-market Proactive search – current job and in transition Social media LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ 82% of recruiters Online digital brand – William Arruda Lifelong career management/free agent attitude good branding => careful career search => job satisfaction* . *Career Thought Leaders, 2011 Global Career Brainstorming Day

Implications: Development Mentality Development vs. Placement Continually building for the next job Client/coach identify next role(s)/goals Know desired competencies/profile for next step Ongoing evaluation/research/observation Understand strengths/weaknesses – gap analysis Utilize multiple assessments .

Implications: Development Mentality Create/implement dynamic, capability building strategy Experience-, skill-, knowledge-building opportunities Clarity of purpose, value, outcomes .

Competencies for the Future Trans disciplinary Cross-cultural competency Computational thinking Programming, using data to solve real world problems . Future Skills 2020 Report, Institute for the Future

Competencies for the Future Sense making – drawing deeper meaning from facts Cognitive load management – continuous learning an managing attention challenges Social intelligence – synthesize knowledge, apply to help people, collaborate with people of different skills and emotional intelligence . Future Skills 2020 Report, Institute for the Future

Challenges/Opportunities Are we ready for this change? How do we change/evolve? Are our clients ready for this change? Do they have a choice? Success depends upon: Can control (desired brand, education, experience, track record, network) Can’t control (U.S. and world economy, politics, fads, management, government, weather) .