Wouldn’t it be great if we could just look at a reliable list of the guaranteed jobs of the future and plan our careers accordingly? We could make sure that education and training choices were timely and cost-effective. Lifestyle stability would result from certain employment predictability. Anxiety stemming from career and work-related decision making could be dramatically reduced. Life would be so much easier! 

Although well researched “the careers of the future” lists occasionally pop up in the media and credit should be given to the U.S. Department of Labor for trying to identify careers with “Bright Outlooks” the sad truth is that no definitive list exists and never will that conclusively point the masses toward precise long-term occupations. The world of work has become too dynamic of a place with far too many unpredictable twists and turns, many of which are yet to come, to expect infallible certitude. 

Nevertheless, business and employment trends and patterns are emerging all the time, which should be tracked by the astute jobseeker. Even though selecting the direction of your career is not as limited and relatively straightforward as in the past, self-guiding your livelihood need not be an exercise of trying to be grounded within a vortex of random chaos. Although the top three career choices custom made for you will not likely jump off some list there is something which you can do that will benefit you for years to come. This involves adopting the right attitude for success, which can be summed up in a word ― adaptability. 

The more accepting of and prepared for change you are the greater your chances for career success will be. Employees and entrepreneurs today and in the future can and will adapt from what is relevant to what will become relevant. These changes will happen in a very short time. You must always be on top of changing technologies whether they be in software, new paint formulas, advanced infection prevention protocols in hospitals, in mobile device marketing, or whatever. There is hardly an industry that is not right now undergoing advancements, conversions, transformations, or variations. Knowing how to add value to this type of innovative environment is the task of each productive worker. 

Remember, if a job can be automated or outsourced, then be very wary of it. Look for careers that either have a skill legacy that can be reinvented for a rapidly changing world or look for one that is completely novel and did not exist a few years ago. Better yet, create a career for the first time. There are lots of jobs now that did not exist ten years ago.  

Whoever said in the 1980s that they wanted to be a search engine optimization specialist when they grow up? What need is developing right now that requires creative talent? Adaptable people are more likely to find the answer than those of us who are uncomfortable with a modulating world. 

Part of the post-recession landscape is that more is being done with less. This is not just the result of technological innovations. It is because of a growing and highly effective and efficient (and possibly overworked) workforce. Tom Friedman in a recent New York Times article pointed out that all the employees of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Groupon, and Zynga could easily fit into the 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden and not fill it. Combined these companies are valued at $64 Billion. Let us look at how these guys are working if we want some role models to follow. 

Be smart, of course. That has always separated the winners from losers. But to that add, be adaptable. Complacency and inertia are out. Versatility and reliance are in. As the old nursery rhyme says, Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. 

There is a hiring crisis going on currently with workers aged 50+. They have been squeezed out of the workforce, as have many workers of all ages, but the difference with the mature worker is that they are not being allowed back in. Employees who thought that they would retire with long-held jobs or who thought the option of always being able to pick up something new have had these dreams shattered. The frustration, discouragement, and fear of entering the twilight of working years with no work is palpable. 

To many this reality came as unexpectedly as the body slam of the Great Recession with its disastrous effects. One of the most egregious consequences of the Recession has been for companies to shed themselves from older workers whenever possible. As counterintuitive as it may seem, it has become not only accepted, but encouraged to have hiring policies that eliminate workers with accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Combined with a historic work ethic characterized by loyalty to one’s employer and willingness to put in long hours and you would think the mature worker would be seen as desirable. But apparently not. 

Unfortunately, workers aged 50+ are seen as having more liabilities than assets. These allegedly include having outdated and counter-innovative ideas, a relative lack of technology skills, an unwillingness to accept the changing social culture with its increasing ubiquitous technological connectivity, a complacent work style, higher risk of health problems, and difficulty accepting the lower compensation packages of today. The challenge for the older worker is to tip this balance. In other words, to be seen as having more benefits than burdens. 

There is a branding process I recommend that involves displaying yourself as being a valuable prospect worthy of consideration by hiring managers. Begin by systematically and deliberately putting together a presentation package about yourself that highlights all your advantages, while directly confronting perceived misconceptions of your “old-fashioned” weaknesses. Once constructed, this message should be displayed on your resume and online profile. With this in hand, it is time for you to introduce yourself to those who are in positions of influence with regards to direct hiring or who have connections leading to potential hiring opportunities. 

This leads us to networking. By now most job seekers have heard that leveraging your contacts is the best way to get a job. But many older workers, despite all their years of working, feel that they have no network. Maybe your past work was somewhat isolated, or you have not been much of a people-person, or as is very common, you did not get the memo at the start of your working years that you should maintain and even cultivate connections with high-value colleagues throughout your career. 

If you feel you have no viable network, then get started identifying one. It is in your job search interests to do so. Communicate your value proposition and job search goals beginning with those closest to you and then widening out. Start with your family and close friends. From there move to LinkedIn (or even Facebook). Search for those colleagues both current and former and request connections. Having your expertise clearly displayed on your LinkedIn profile you can more easily ask your connections who they recommend you talk with. 

Be prepared to get into the zone of seeing most, if not all, social events as networking opportunities. The PTA meeting, the cocktail party, the church committee, and many others are possibilities for reinventing or starting new relationships. Share as appropriate your professional value during these situations. Expanding your circle and adding facetime with others should become an ongoing effort. 

Becoming part of the conversation gets you known. Joining in and participating in industry and interest groups discussions on LinkedIn and Twitter or within your professional associations increases your visibility. Sharing expertise heightens chances of making new and potentially valuable networking connections. 

Since the doors of employment are not being opened wide for the aged 50+ worker it becomes necessary for you to push them open. Accepting the new normal and being strategic about navigating it may make all the difference. 

Let us imagine a company that rightly focuses on the present business climate and is committed to not repeating its own past mistakes or the failings of its competition. To do so, management attempts to retain talent by placing a lot of resources into an employee appraisal system so that it can reward high performers generously. However, this appraisal system is kept largely confidential, between manager and employee only. Management does not want “morale to suffer”. The company also believes in recruiting externally only, because that is the only place to find new talent. 

Does that sound like a company prepared to succeed in the future to you? Not to me. Their attitude and policies are not progressive and do not consider the career development needs of high-potential talent. Companies must continually be looking to the future. Competitiveness will only grow and using past performance as the benchmark for meeting subsequent challenges is not enough. Among the most important conditions to be constantly anticipating is the need to attract and retain talent. Without high-level operatives meeting the demands of the marketplace all other business efforts may prove to be inadequate. 

Of course, all companies are different. But in sharing the need to obtain the best workers possible from both within and externally there are similar talent management practices, which should be evident in any forward-leaning organization. These include: 

• Having in place a talent assessment system that determines key players, high potential employees, and successors for critical positions
• High-quality training of managers enabling them to understand the career development aspirations of their direct reports
• Executive commitment to holding frequent talent review meetings designed to reinforce and improve the company’s talent management capability to locate and procure the best strength possible
• Acting on developing high potential workers for succession planning, cross-functional capability, and in-depth expertise building purposes

Constructing a talent management process that is transparent has a greater likelihood of improving morale, rather than depressing it. A culture that cuts one-off deals with its employees creates suspicion and claims of favoritism, whereas an open protocol that shows consistent application of best practice principles to all generates feelings of fairness. Giving the corporate message that individual career advancement is considered valuable augments the initiative to attract and hold a sharp workforce. 

Another useful piece to a talent management system is to separate distinguishing high performers from high potential. They are not always the same. Task analyzing critical operational functions and aligning them with specific worker traits can aid in selecting the right people for the right job. How many times have we heard stories of high functioning line workers being elevated to management positions for which they are not well suited? As counterintuitive as it may seem, there is not always a positive correlation between high achievement and high potential. Teasing out and choreographing a connection can be made, but only because of sophisticated inquiry. 

A big fear among company policy makers is that devoting resources to developing employees may be seen as a waste if the talent leaves the company. In fact, the feeling goes, too much fostering of workers’ skill and knowledge may make them more attractive to competitors. One thing that is becoming clear in today’s business climate is that if a company does not commit to developing their talent the champions will likely leave sooner for a company that does. Constructing and frequently reviewing comprehensive employee retention plans in addition to implementing individual career development plans will increase the chances that a company’s pasture will be seen as greener. 

Advanced enterprise-wide talent management is much more involved than the brief description presented here. But the need for companies big and small to structure a system that is consistent with their organizational culture and the best practices of talent engineering is necessary for them to prosper in the marketplace of the future — and with the greatest people possible.