Future Proofing your Career

Digitalisation and globalisation are, without a doubt, changing the way we work and live. To such an extent in fact that robots and artificial intelligence no longer belong to the realm of sci-fi sensationalism, but reality. According to the 2015 Australia’s Future Workforce report released by CEDA, there is a high probability that more than 5 million jobs in Australia will be automated by 2030. We take a look at recent trends and offer strategies for future proofing your career.

A shift in career trajectories – linear to portfolio careers

The career norm of the twentieth century was to work in the same industry or even the same company for the whole of your career. Nowadays, portfolio careers are common. In fact, the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) estimates that young people today could potentially work in 17 different jobs over 5 careers in their lifetime. As Sarah Moran, Chief Executive of Girl Geek Academy put it in a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, ‘you get a job or you make a job, and it's totally OK to bounce in between.’

So how do I future-proof my career?

The key to securing a place in the future workforce lies in developing transferrable skills that are in your particular job cluster. And the good news is that research by the FYA suggests that on average, when someone trains or works in one job, they acquire skills for 13 other jobs. The most transferrable skills more often than not relate to soft skills or enterprising skills such as written and oral communication skills, team work skills, problem solving and digital literacy. In an analysis of 4.2 million job ads between 2012 and 2015, the FYA found that the skills that saw the biggest increases in demand were: 

• Digital literacy – up 212%
• Critical thinking – up 158%
• Creativity – up 65%
• Presentation skills – up 23%

In an oversaturated job market where university qualifications are often considered a baseline measure, it’s important to stand out. To give yourself the best possible chance of success, start working on these skills now so you can add them to your CV and demonstrate them to employers.

And how do I do this?

In addition to what you learn at university and on the job, you can develop skills by:

• Volunteering – this is a fantastic way to develop soft skills such as your interpersonal skills and team work skills.
• Networking to increase ‘your surface area of luck’ – seek out events, clubs and online communities that are in line with your passions and interests to help you ‘find your tribe.’ You’ll likely meet a diverse range of people with different skillsets who you can learn from and collaborate with.
• Finding a mentor – mentors can be excellent allies who can help you develop your skills and also potentially introduce you to others in their own network. In addition to reaching out to those you know or connections made on LinkedIn, the Trinity Careers and Alumni team can put you in touch with alumni working in industries that you’re interested in. Feel free to contact us at: careers@trinity.unimelb.edu.au
• Studying short courses online – t