Keeping your career on track
In the current turbulent business climate, uncertainty surrounding career and job stability is causing wider anxieties for professionals looking at long-term career goals.
Robert Walters offers advice on maintaining career momentum, looking at the longer term solutions to help strengthen your career trajectory as you continue to adapt and grow within a new working world.
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Our on demand webinar brings together the expert Robert Walters team to explore:
- Avoiding COVID-related CV 'blips'
- Future-proofing your employability
- Remapping your progression route
- Preparing for a new era of work
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In a challenging economic landscape, organisations are compelled to take difficult measures to furlough staff or issue redundancies. With mounting job insecurity or job loss prevalent across a displaced, global workforce, it’s a time where many of us are battling career uncertainty. But where there’s time, there’s opportunity to learn new skills that will benefit your future employability.
How can you look to future-proof your career when on temporary leave, or facing redundancy? In a turbulent working climate, we explore the top skills that will enable you adapt to the new era of jobs.
Switch on your tech brain
As the working world becomes increasingly powered by digital, the future of the recruitment marketplace dictates that even if you don’t work in tech, there is a high probability that you’ll need a requisite level of competency to succeed. Many industries including accountancy, investment banking, manufacturing and e-commerce are increasingly reliant on tech to streamline and automate processes, so expanding your technical skillset is a recommended to give your CV a boost.
There may be technologies in your current profession that you’ve already got your eye on mastering, but if you’re looking to improve your general tech prowess, coding could be a great place to start and provides surprisingly broad benefits. Even simplistic coding skills are revered by employers as they provide a more logical and methodical approach to problem-solving. What’s more, they are not solely valuable for people in highly technical jobs. From marketing, to design, to project management, a basic knowledge of code not only makes you a self-sufficient, integral team member, but allows you to better understand and engage with technical stakeholders in your business. Check out Codeacademy or edX to access beginners courses.
Broaden your transferrable skills
What are the cross-functional skills that you can take with you throughout your career? A strong spectrum of soft skills opens doors to new industries or alternative career paths. In an evolving world of work, as specialist skills become obsolete, there will be core, practical and cognitive skills that will permanently be sought after. in fact, in Robert Walters skills research, 60% of employers demand professional business skills in the roles they recruit for, including problem-solving, communication, people management and innovation.
COVID-19 will have ramifications on our future ways of working. Demonstrating your ability to deliver and engage just as well in a virtual team as in an office will be a key consideration for employers engineering the future, mobile workforce.
Audit your current skillset and consider the soft skills that could boost your long-term employability: for example, where you may thrive in teamwork and generating new ideas, there’s opportunity to strengthen your confidence in leadership and communication. Once you’ve identified those areas of improvement, develop a personal learning plan to structure how you will gain those skills. While it can be harder to find an opportunity to develop those skills outside of the workplace, there’s also some helpful e-learning platforms out there like Cousera or Udemy to support your self-development.
Networking and commercial awareness
Building on your professional network helps you to learn tips and tricks from inspiring leaders, as well as boosting your exposure for job referrals. Whilst ‘networking’ in itself isn’t perceived as a skill, it’s a gateway to access new skills from outside your organisation and collaborate, on top of giving credibility to your profile.
If networking is something you’re not over familiar with practising, LinkedIn is a great starting point to join professional groups, access industry leading content and training webinars, as well as checking in with former colleagues. Networking also goes hand in hand with commercial awareness. An ability to engage digitally means you’re finger is on the pulse with the latest trends impacting on your profession, elevating your understanding of how industries operate.
Become spreadsheet savvy
From financial planning and project management, to data analysis and presenting results, you’ll find an excel spreadsheet will often find its way into your working life, seen as a standard in the business world. Getting clued up on handy formulae, discovering key shortcuts or learning to extend your use of the platform could help you to progress from being an intermediate, to an advanced user. As a globally applied management platform, you’ll find no trouble in accessing online tutorials to help you.
Going further, platforms such as Excel organically help you to enhance your data analysis skills, as you identify trends and making interpretations from data – a skill you can transfer seamlessly to other data or CRM platforms that you’ll no doubt encounter in your career.
Stay in touch with your human skills
Something automation and robotization cannot replace the value of human interaction, so it’s important to nurture your empathy and compassion for others. Whether your role requires customer service, or your working within a team, communication built upon an understanding of each party’s needs are crucial for successful business relationships and a cohesive team culture.
Adaptability
The World Economic Forum (WEF) reveals that 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new jobs that don’t yet exist, so sticking to set career path could limit your options in the future jobs market – you need to be flexible and adaptive as and when opportunities come your way. And it’s not just about keeping an open mind to alternative career paths, COVID-19 will have ramifications on our future ways of working. Demonstrating your ability to deliver and engage just as well in a virtual team as in an office will be a key consideration for employers engineering the future, mobile workforce.
Want to avoid a career dead-end? Focusing on building a fluid professional skillset is the key to excel to the next generation of jobs and adapt to the ever-changing workplace. Whilst a period of time out of work is understandably daunting, capitalise on this time to prepare for the future.
Find out how to keep your career on track.
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Redundancy: with all its associations of uncertainty and anxiety, it’s a word that employees dread and, in the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak, a reality that many are facing.
While you may think your chances of finding new employment immediately are slim, there are steps you can take now to help you move forward. Our experts share their advice on keeping your career on track.
Refocus your mindset
Being made redundant can trigger intense emotions which can lead to hasty actions that you may later regret. Being calm, methodical and logical will help you to focus on proactively moving forward. “Redundancies are a business decision, so it’s essential that you don’t take it personally,” advises Habiba Khatoon, Director at Robert Walters’ Birmingham office. In these increasingly uncertain times, company restructuring may be essential to a business’s survival and this can inevitably lead to redundancies, especially at more senior levels.
“Don’t take their decision to let you go as a reflection of your ability or what you’ve brought to the role,” Habiba says. “It’s simply a business decision and understanding this will help you move on more effectively.”
Get organised
“As soon as you become aware that redundancy is imminent, start organising yourself as quickly as possible,” suggests Daniel Harris, Director at Robert Walters’ London office. You should contact your line manager and request written references that you can share with potential future employers, he says.
You also need to make sure you sort out your payslips and other employment documentation. “That paperwork can be a lot more difficult to acquire once you’ve left a company, so try to get as much sorted as possible before you leave.”
Give yourself time to process
“One of the most important things to remember if you’re made redundant is not to panic – as this could see you make the wrong decision for you and your career,” Daniel advises.
“The knee-jerk reaction will be to think you need to find something new tomorrow, but often the time and money that redundancy can give offers an opportunity for you to think about what’s the best next step for you and your career,” he says.
Re-evaluate
“Redundancy is difficult, but it can also be an opportunity to make positive changes,” says Habiba. Taking the time to reassess your career and work-life balance can help you to identify what you want from your next role and employer. For example, you may want more flexibility than you were previously offered or a shorter commute.
Additionally, the time and money afforded by redundancy can provide the impetus you need to make the bold changes you’ve been dreaming of, such as a career change or returning to full-time education.
“Despite the stress and anxiety that being made redundant ultimately brings, it’s essential you take the positives and look at ways to make your new circumstances work for you,” advises Habiba.
Stay connected
“One of the fears many people share regarding redundancy is that they’ll quickly lose contact with their colleagues, peers, and wider industry networks – but this doesn’t have to happen,” says Habiba.
These days, there are plenty of virtual ways to network and connect with those in your industry – including potential employers, she notes. “Some employers will put you in touch with professional networks when making you redundant, but do make sure to explore your personal, social media, and professional networks to keep yourself connected too.”
Revamp your CV
“Once you’ve decided on the right move for you, invest energy in bringing your CV and social media profiles up-to-date, highlighting all relevant skills and experience,” says Daniel.
Many people who have been in the same senior role for some time are unlikely to have updated their CV, yet their most recent experience and expertise may be their most valuable. Don’t be evasive about your situation either: “In terms of your redundancy, it’s always better to be up-front and honest with hiring managers.”
Gain market insight
“Being back on the job market can be a daunting prospect, especially when dealing with the uncertainty that redundancy brings, but connecting with a recruiter can make this process a lot more manageable,” suggests Habiba.
Not only will a recruiter provide much-needed advice when it comes to your CV and interview technique, they’ll also give you invaluable market insight and introductions. “Recruiters can provide access to jobs that aren’t being advertised, such as commercially sensitive roles – access you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get.”
Take an open-minded and positive approach
“When it comes to your job search, it’s important to remember that you might not be offered your dream role straight away, particularly in the current market – so be flexible with your expectations,” Daniel says.
On the other hand, the search might well introduce you to roles you hadn’t previously considered, so prepare to be open-minded and assess every role on its merits.
“When it comes to the interviews themselves, approach them positively, focusing on what you can bring to the role and not dwelling on the redundancy and your former employers,” he says.
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So you’ve decided to work on your skillset – to have a more balanced mix of hard and soft skills. But how can you work out the areas you need to focus on to plug any skills gaps? How can you present your skill set during the job search?
A well-balanced skill set is a must for any serious jobseeker. But there’s a big difference between soft and hard skills, and the way to showcase them to a potential employer. In our Keeping Your Career on Track insights series, Lucy Bisset, Director of Robert Walters and Walters People North West, explains how to audit your skill set to help you stop your career from stalling.
Differentiating hard and soft skills
Hard skills are easier to quantify than soft skills and they tend to be technical, usually in a specific field of knowledge or expertise, and often are formally certified, for example coding or SAP. They tend to relate to the acquisition of knowledge in structured, formal ways.
Transferable skills are skills that are easy to transfer between different jobs, sectors and even careers. Hard skills are less transferable. For example, in HR a hard skill might be knowledge of specific local employment laws, or the ability to recruit in one niche sector. Looking more widely, proficiency in one very local language would be another example. Soft skills are more transferable because they are needed in all professions. The more soft skills you have, the more options you have.
The importance of a mix of skill sets
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here because it really depends on the job position. For example, in the case of a mechanical engineer or R&D manager, the lack of hard skills would be unacceptable, whereas a lack of certain soft skills would be more tolerated.
But in other professions, soft skills are much more important. In sales, for example, you wouldn’t be expected to be a technical expert in what you’re selling. But you do have to have the soft skills – the ability to engage people, build rapport, listen actively, close a deal.
Demonstrating your repertoire of skills during the job search
Recruiters screen candidates for hard skills pre-interview – these are often clear from the CV. You can’t assess soft skills from a CV, but you can assess lots of them from an interview situation.
Because soft skills are often about people and communication, your interview is always a kind of test of them. Interviewers need to interact with you to really get a sense of your level of soft skills. Or if it’s an internal interview, they can also talk to people who have experience of managing and interacting with you every day.
Hard skills are easier to evidence, whereas soft skills require more storytelling. STAR stories are great for communicating soft and transferable skills, especially if you’re moving between industries and functions, because they help you translate experience from one industry to another. Showing how you ’influenced change within a complex stakeholder structure’, for example, is a tale that can resonate whether you did it in a learning consultancy or a legal firm or a bank.
Take a look our tips to approach interview questions around soft skills
The skills that matter as your career develops
In lots of business cases, soft skills are key for success in terms of performance and promotion. The requirements for technical skills at a senior level come down, while the emphasis on soft skills grows. This stands to reason, because at this level you need to demonstrate things like leadership, people management abilities and influencing skills.
If you are doing a technical role where hard skills are more important and you have excellent soft skills as well, especially compared to your peers – then you have more potential to transfer to senior managerial and commercial roles.
Identifying gaps in your skillset
o work out what’s lacking or needs improvement in your skillset, you need to be actively listening and really ready to change. Some people say they want to improve but in reality, they’re not actually that open to constructive feedback. If you do want to develop, you could consult with a mentor or expert in that specific skillset. Use a soft learning target e.g. ‘I want to get better at listening actively’ or ‘I will respond more positively to feedback’' as a lens to practise in your daily working routine.
Some soft skills are very hard and time-consuming to acquire, so you need to prioritise – if a soft skill isn’t essential for success in your profession, you probably want to focus on something else first.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. For job interviews, people will always prepare questions about things like expectations of role, potential challenges and opportunities. But I see very few candidates ask the recruitment consultant or the HR person for direct, constructive feedback about how they performed at interview in terms of soft skills. That’s the best opportunity to get feedback and develop insight into your own soft skills right there.
Plugging skills gaps
Lots of people don’t appreciate the value of recruitment consultants and HR professionals when you want to know more about gaps in your skillset. Big companies will often have talent development experts or Centres of Excellence who you can consult about the gaps in your skillset. They are also very good on what’s needed in your sector and for your next promotion, all of which can help you plan.
Finally, we need to understand that different people have different strengths and weakness, and some soft skills, while desirable, may not be essential in your line of work. Some soft skills are very hard and time-consuming to acquire, so you need to prioritise – if a soft skill isn’t essential for success in your profession, you probably want to focus on something else first. If you only focus on what’s lacking, you may miss the opportunity to excel in another area.
For many very technical people, such as in law, tech and finance, stepping up into management or strategy can be a very painful transition because they just don’t have the soft skills. Stepping up takes them away from the things they most love doing. But if a person really wants to develop their soft skills, they could explore stretch projects and opportunities to grow even outside work – you can develop a lot of soft skills by managing a sports teams or organising a complex volunteering project.
There’s also of course lots of training available to help you develop things like leadership skills, team-building and communicating with greater impact. Take every opportunity to practise, listen with humility, and ask for feedback.
Skills for the future workplace
Employers are putting more and more emphasis on soft skills. It’s easy to train many hard skills e.g. how to use a new system or understand a new piece of industry regulation, but it’s much more difficult to train an employee in a soft skill such as flexibility, a sense of urgency, the ability to handle pressure, or emotional intelligence.
In our current economic environment, everything is constantly changing so much and so fast that hard skills which were once super-valuable and sought after may not be so in the future. A key soft skill for me would be adaptability – a mindset that allows you to take on new skills and cope with rapidly changing scenarios. Another is collaboration, which is related to teamwork, the ability to influence, communication and so on – this is very important for lots of companies, especially with agile working styles and rapid team changes.
Take a look at our top pick of future skills to boost your employability
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The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in self-isolation and left many – either working from home, on prolonged rest as part of the Furlough scheme, working reduced hours or even being made redundant – resulting in more time on your hands.
Rather than sitting at home binge-watching TV or catching up on the latest TV dramas, our experts say this is the perfect opportunity to develop your talent through upskilling and self-development.
Daniel Connors, Asscoiate Director of Qualified Finance says “this is a good opportunity to not only re-evaluate your current career direction, but also implement concrete actions to upskill yourself. In doing so will not only ensure you emerge from this crisis better equipped with necessary skills to make the most of any opportunity, it will allow you to take further steps on your overall career trajectory.”
Keeping your long-term career goals in mind, Daniel explore five fundamental questions to help you identify relevant areas for upskilling during this work-from-home period.
What am I interested in learning more about?
Getting started can be the toughest part of any journey, so it’s good to begin with something you have always been interested in. Perhaps you’re an HR professional with a strong interest in coding but never had the opportunity to learn it; or you might be interested in public speaking even though your job doesn’t require you to do so.
“List all the areas you have an interest in and do an online search to find resources you can tap on. Start with something that calls out to you – this can be a course, workshop, webinar, or podcast. It doesn’t have to be directly related to your work; you’ll never know when these additional professional skills will come in handy” says Daniel.
What will make me shine at work?
Now that you’ve got started, keep the momentum going. For many, the best way to do so is to learn something directly relevant to your work, so you can easily see the immediate payoffs of your learning efforts. Identify areas of your work where you’re already good at, explore what will make you stand out further, and focus your efforts on improving yourself within these areas.
“Everyone needs to start thinking about this. In today’s climate, which is only going to get even more competitive, professionals need to consider how you can stand out amongst others in a saturated marketplace. One thing is for sure, you can never be ‘too educated’ there is always room for growth and improvement, so identify areas you know will be in high demand in the future or areas you’ve always wanted to focus on and upskill.”
What will make me less frustrated at work?
“Upskilling doesn’t just have to be about learning new things – it can be about re-learning your basics too. The current work from home arrangements present the best opportunity to tackle particular aspects of your work that you struggle with. Take some time to think about what frustrates you the almost every day. Is it your overflowing inbox, or your ever-growing to-do list? Is it spending large amounts of time on tedious administrative tasks, or perhaps communicating effectively with others?”
Once you’ve identified the ’weak links’ in your daily work, find ways to improve these areas. This could include reaching out to a colleague to find out how they complete their administrative tasks quickly (they may have secret shortcuts) or reading recommended articles on how you can manage your time more effectively.
What will help me develop a competitive advantage outside my job?
Even if you see yourself staying at your current role for the long-term, your career goals should not be tied to your job and company. In the long-run, what do you see yourself doing – and what are the skills needed for you to work towards your goals?
“If you’re a developer but have plans to become a manager in the future, you will need more than technical skills to land the desired role. For instance, you will need to possess leadership skills, the ability to communicate across teams and stakeholders, as well as manage multiple project timelines. By developing these soft skills that many companies perceive are lacking in technical professionals, you’ll eventually find yourself with an advantage over your competitors, be it for a promotion for an internal role, or for a managerial role in a different company.”
Am I thinking holistically?
“While it’s good to have specific upskilling areas to work on, do also make sure you’re considering the bigger picture, and you’re not leaving out any other opportunities for improvements.
Evaluate whether you are too focused on the soft skills and not enough of the hard skills, or vice versa. Are you exploring all the resources that you can be tapping on, or mostly just relying on a single approach, such as webinars? Are you challenging yourself enough – or perhaps challenging yourself too much such that it’s unsustainable in the long run?”
Upskilling yourself is a long and continuous journey, so it’s best to make sure it’s sustainable, personally interesting, and provides growth in various aspects of your professional life.
For more ideas on how you can improve and upskill yourself, or prepare for your next job search, visit our Navigating COVID-19 career advice hub.
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