Career Management in the 21st Century

Planning Effectively to Stay on Top at Work

Aug 26, 2009 Pervin Shaikh

It is easy to get despondent during the challenging economic times, but a proactive approach to managing a career can prove to be very beneficial.

It can be challenging at the best of times to keep on top of career management, but many people may well be feeling challenged during these turbulent economic times. Some may have had clear career paths prior to the global recession, but with the sharp decline in the global economy, that same career path may no longer be looking attainable right now.

Career management is no longer the sole responsibility of employers; in fact it makes more commercial sense from both the employer and employee to see a career as a “business partnership” fulfilling both employer and employee goals whilst both are working together. Upon termination of the partnership, the full responsibility goes back to the individual to seek another working partner/employer to continue onto the next phase of the career development.

It is also needless to say that the career of the 21st century places greater emphasis on the individual to take greater control and responsibility as well as accountability for his/her career and career expectations. This is due to the changing nature of work, changes in technological and social innovations as well as globalisation. The old adage “job for life” is no longer a familiar scene in the 21st century work landscape.

However, like with many things in life, careers are fluid and dynamic and will change in accordance to an individual’s circumstances. Additionally, a career requires regular reviews and updates to ensure any plans and goals are in line with an individual’s personal or professional development.

Greater Empowerment

The present challenging and turbulent times have served as a greater reminder to many millions across the globe that even the most robust plan can be disrupted. However, the key here is to maintain perspective, and to think of alternative strategies to get back on track if “derailment” has occurred. Many people will have found career management to be the least of their worries during these challenging times because of other pressing issues.

However, individuals who are proactive when it comes to managing their careers will be the ones to benefit the most as they progress in their careers now and especially when the upturn happens. Leaving career management to chance or to other people means that the individual runs the risk of being left out or taking a peripheral position during any decision making processes.

Career Audit

It is very easy to get distracted when there is still so much happening on the international stage, but just taking a little bit of time out to conduct a career audit can make a huge difference. Now is a good time as any, to conduct a career audit to find out whether personal and professional values are aligned with career goals and aspirations.

Such an audit can be likened to conducting a SWOT analysis (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), which enables an individual to assess what is working and what is not working. The threat part in the SWOT is something which many people tend to focus on too much at present especially in the workplace.

For example, there maybe some rumour going around about restructuring and redundancies or the individual has been passed over for promotion. Such factors can play a detrimental role in career decision making, especially if the individual is already experiencing some anxiety or frustration in the workplace.

However, a positive feature in carrying out a regular SWOT is the opportunity section. This is the section which enables the individual to proactively think of opportunities which are available or potentially may be available to the individual. It is far more productive to focus on what can be done as opposed to consistently micro analysing the “should, could and would” of career management.

Below are some questions which may also serve well during a career audit analysis:

  • What is currently working in the career?
  • What is currently not working in the career?
  • What are the obstacles (if any) preventing career progression?
  • What impact are these obstacles having on career progression?
  • What needs to happen in order to remove or reduce the impact the obstacles identified above, are having on career management?
  • Who else can help to plan an effective career management strategy?

Career audits as part of an overall career management plan, need not be a cumbersome exercise. Instead an individual can instill a sense enthusiasm and motivation in the process by taking greater control of his/her career management. Leaving career management to others will not yield better results and instead, the individual may be left feeling frustrated because s/he has not managed to convey his/her real professional ambitions and goals.

The 21st century career management process requires a concerted effort from an individual perspective because of the continuously changing nature of the workplace and careers. Business models are now changing more frequently than ever and employees also need to make the adjustments in their professional lives. Taking greater accountability will no doubt lead to greater career empowerment.

Readers may also be interested in reading appreciating career values in uncertain times and achieving optimum results by using a career coach and reaching a career crossroad.

References

Fifty Lessons (Author). Managing Your Career. MA: Harvard Business School Press, September 2007

Hopson, Barrie & Scally, Mike. Build Your Own Rainbow: A Workbook for Career and Life Management. UK: Management Books 2000 Ltd., Jan 2009.

The copyright of the article Career Management in the 21st Century in Career Advice is owned by Pervin Shaikh. Permission to republish Career Management in the 21st Century in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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