Thriving in a Turbulent World – Strategies for Professional Advancement
I want you to take your mobile phone in hand, take a selfie and look at the photo carefully. I want you to understand this:
Who is responsible for your career advancement? The answer is, you.
Whether you rise to new heights, or fail somewhere, you are the one responsible. Today, the world around us is turbulent. For the last 5 years, we had a government constituted by a majority. Now, it is a coalition. The economy is ever-changing as well — while inflation raises the costs of goods and services around us, our income stays the same. A big social change around us can be seen in terms of our decreasing attention span. Technology is another factor in our lives that has experienced exponential growth. While this may impact us positively in some ways, it also has had negative effects on some aspects of life.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has also become a big part of our lives today. ChatGPT, MS Co-Pilot, and Gemini are just a few examples of the vast array of AI applications available today. AI technology may not necessarily impact the job market negatively. For instance, bank employees at first resisted the introduction of computers, thinking that computers will put them out of jobs. Today, banks have become more accessible and reliable due to their use of computers, and having been able to expand, have created more jobs than ever. In the turbulent world today, even the legal and environmental aspects of our life are fluctuating constantly.
If we look at the employment scenario, while freshers are not able to get entry-level jobs easily, more than three quarters of all professionals are looking for a salary rise or a promotion. Even though salaries increase yearly, with rising inflation, you are only earning at-par with your expenses.
So, with all this turbulence around, how can you advance your career?
Firstly, we must learn to tell our story.
Every person is a unique story in themselves, and it is imperative that they know how to tell this story. Communication and networking are two very important things, whether you are looking for new job or a promotion. But there are a few things one must keep in mind for effective communication.
One: statistics start arguments. Avoid talking about numbers when you are talking about yourself, as it may be more effective to talk about other things.
Two: information informs, but decisions come from elsewhere. Now-a-days, we have easy access to all kinds of information. You can get details about anything you want with the click of a button. But, no matter how much information you have about something, ultimately, when it comes to making a decision, it is all up to you.
Three: our belief system drives our behavior. If you respect yourself, you will be able to respect others. If you believe that ‘time is money’, you will always be punctual. We are driven by our beliefs, our vision, and our mission.
Four: experience — your experience and mine — is what is unique. Our experiences define who we are, and should be converted into stories that define us.
Five: a story around the numbers is what makes the data relevant. If you have great achievements, great grades, great marks — they won’t matter unless you can connect them to a story.
Secondly, learn to share your skills.
If you look at the way we develop our skills over the years, we start with basic foundational development, which includes literacy and numeracy (identifying numbers, language, objects etc.). Then we start socio-emotional development which is developing emotions, relations, friendships, etc. This is followed by the higher order cognitive development stage which is analyzing information, communication, problem solving etc. Finally, we develop specialized skills, which include entrepreneurship, cognitive skills, and technical skills. Cognitive skills are driven by our perception, learning and reasoning. In general, it is not only important that you have a certain skill, it is also essential that you are able to apply it to your work in a meaningful and impactful way.
Thirdly, collaborate with your network.
The most effective way to find a job today is through traditional networking. Approximately half of the people who are successful in getting a new job do so through their networks. This is because, networking, as opposed to an internet job search, recruitment agency, or newspaper classifieds, tends to let you connect with people more directly, and allows you to tell your story more effectively. When networking, keep these three things in mind — 1) visibility, make sure you are visible to the right people, who you want to work with; 2) credibility, make sure you possess the right skills for a job that you want; 3) profitability, make sure that you profit from your interactions.
To conclude, here are five things that you should keep in mind.
1) Prayer; sometimes nothing will work, and keeping yourself motivated is essential.
2) Priorities; know what is important to you, and work towards that.
3) Peace; don’t fret over things you have no control over.
4) Positivity; the world is full of negativity — be the change.
5) Patience; nothing can happen instantly, and thus, being patient is the best gift you can give yourself!
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