Jobs not for life

Jobs for life…no such thing, haven’t you heard? We’re in the middle of a recession. Welcome to a new year, and to the legacy of 2008 or what we now know as the deepening recession of 2009.

It’s a worrying time for us all. Many trusted household brands are going to the wall, some we’ve known all our lives; thousands of people having to face and deal with the worst insecurity.

Truth be known, there’s been no such thing as job security for some time, regardless of the current economic slow down.

We’ve already become a mercenary, more inpatient global culture. In actual fact we’re now more likely to opt for a change in career on average four times during our lives. How times have changed. Take for example my father. He started his career as an apprentice mechanic when he was 14 years old. He rose through the ranks and stayed with the same firm his entire career until he retired 60 years later. I’m sure a familiar story for many of our parents or grandparents. But then again they certainly didn’t have the options we have today. There are so many more choices, more career paths and more training packages / apprenticeships out there for all ages.

Holding down that job for all those years’ shows responsibility and stability, two traits that any employer certainly likes to see. However, in the 21st century, more choice means that lengthy service is becoming a rare thing – and subsequently employer expectations have also become more complex - there are many factors that help employers decide what it is they are looking for. It’s anticipated and totally acceptable for example, that career driven, ambitious individuals often step from one job to the next [spread over sustained periods, not weeks] in order to climb career ladders or in search of fulfillment. Indeed understanding personal drivers and motivations is now an absolute imperative when hiring and retaining staff. In other words it’s become a truly reciprocal process – and quite right too.
Like I said, things have changed

That’s all well and good if you’re actually planning a move. But it’s an unfortunate reality that there are many more of us about to confront change – without having a choice. It’s a brave, harsh world out there. That change can be and often is a very scary prospect. We don’t live in our parent’s world. We must learn to adapt with the changes that we sometimes invite upon ourselves as well as those that just happen upon us.

One of the most painful effects of change will probably be the need to cut our cloth according to our new circumstances. Financial exercises like this are often part of a transition from one place to another. It doesn’t mean that change is to be viewed as a bad thing. It’s a necessary thing, and we should always prepare for it - preparation is the key. I wouldn’t want anybody to feel that having to change is any form of failure. Change happens whether we like it or not. So with times being as they currently are, it’s just as well to factor in potential changes as necessary stepping stones on a bigger journey. That’s what more and more people are doing anyway. They don’t see their current employment as the key to their entire security. Instead they view it as an element of their overall plan. Employers know that candidates for employment are more assertive now than ever before, that they have their own aspirations and agendas and are likely to be more self serving.

Summing up, there are more of us looking for opportunities. I mentioned preparation. Well preparation and opportunities are crucially linked. Life is full of opportunities. But they don’t necessarily appear to us as nicely packaged products. In actual fact they wait for us to see them. Often the only way that we see an opportunity is by being duly prepared for the next step or two of our journey, which is why so many people now view employment as a job not for life.