I recall a trainer telling me that most people spend more time researching and planning their vacations than they do thinking about their careers.  In this month's column, I want to help your planning process by sharing seven of the most important trends that career experts believe are shaping the world of work today.  Whether you are seeking to start your own business, land a job with a multi-national corporation or you are just not sure about what your next step should be, these trends will be useful for you to understand and explore.    

First, it comes as no surprise that job experts feel that workplace change is occurring at lightning speed.  They believe that this is due to four drivers of transformation:  the changing demographics of our population, technological advances, the availability of information and Wall Street's on-going pressure for profitable performance by public companies.  So, what are the current realities shaping our work life?  Here are the key ones:

• The average individual today changes jobs every 4 years.  No longer is there job security within any one company as many employers are continually compelled to take the hard steps necessary to maximize profits in a market that includes global competitors.  This impacts how employees have come to view their employers and what they are seeking from them. 

Recommendation:  Job security comes from you keeping your skills and knowledge base current, by developing a track record of good performance, and by preparing for your own future.

• The workplace is most eager to hire people who approach their work like they are owners, not just the hired help.  Employers value people who are forward thinking and can bring ideas to the table that can improve existing practices and procedures, large or small.  These people are able to both generate and embrace change.  Work on becoming pro-active, flexible, adaptable and a change maker. 

Recommendation:  When job hunting today, be sure to emphasize these skills where possible.

• Working outside a traditional office setting as a "virtual" employee is a trend that will continue to grow for many expense saving reasons. 

Recommendation:  For those of you interested in securing such a role, employers are seeking people who possess well-developed written and verbal communication skills, are skilled with the computer technologies that connect the worker to the employer, possess a demonstrated work ethic, are self sufficient and accountable for results, and can respond to issues when they arise.      

• To survive in the workplace of today and tomorrow, you must embrace technology and become conversant in its tools.  This is especially important for older workers seeking to remain in the workforce.   You must stay computer literate to be effective.  You also should embrace (or at least understand) the personal technology that society is using daily such as the blackberry or iPhone devices, instant messaging, digital and video imaging and online networking.  Business America is using these too.

Recommendation:  Continually improve your computer skills and develop an online presence via your own website and/or through the major social networking sites like LinkedIn.  There are many ways to get help with this, including using a skilled Virtual Assistant if necessary.

• Competition for skilled talent will increase.  This is due to the aging and retirement of Baby Boomers.  Such folks have been retiring at a rate of one every 8 seconds in recent years and the generations coming along are no where near as large in number. 

Recommendation:  Note that employers are working hard via social networking tools online to connect early and stay in touch with people who either are developing the skills they will need or who possess them now.  Learn to continually nurture these connections whether you are job hunting or not.  

• With the aging of our population, 7 out of 10 jobs will have some connection to healthcare, from nursing to medical device sales. 

Recommendation:  Can you position yourself to take advantage of this growing need in our society?

• Many people will make money via an internet based business versus accepting a 40 hour per week job.   Internet marketing has truly changed the whole start-up equation. 

Recommendation:  Learning how to effectively market via this medium is the key, and there are now teachers out there to help.  One great advantage in this space is that you can test out the viability of a business idea quickly and at little cost.  The money needed for such a start up can be quite low in comparison to traditional enterprises.

By Paul Kilman

Paul has more than 20 years experience providing attorney search and outplacement services to clients in the US as well as in select markets in Canada, Asia and South America.

Paul takes very seriously the impact his work has on the lives of individuals and the success of organizations. He constantly strives to update his skills and combine the technical sophistication found at the largest consulting firms with the personal attention only a boutique firm can provide. You can expect honest talk, balanced assessments, and a clear and objective understanding of the searches Paul performs and the people he represents. Bringing the right people together for each opportunity is what Paul continually strives to do best.

Paul is also happy to reach beyond his immediate client base to share his advanced job changing knowledge with all people in the profession. His website offers extensive information to both employers and attorneys about the job hunting and hiring process including white papers, free proprietary mailing list articles, blog insights and an ebook written to help improve any job search. Paul has also recently addressed the CT Bar Association membership regarding how to mount a sophisticated job campaign in a down market.

Kilman offers a new Career Portal at www.kilmancareerportal.com where you can explore the resources now available to you.

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