The way we think about job security has changed over the last 50 years. Job security used to mean landing a job with a company that you could potentially remain with until you reached retirement. However, in today’s rapidly changing job market, those positions are quickly disappearing. So, how can we ensure job security in today’s employment landscape?
One of the best ways to stay relevant in today’s job market is by utilizing continued learning. It’s easy to think you will be able to kick back and relax after finishing a degree or completing an apprenticeship program. However, that is rarely enough to remain relevant and employable in today’s job market. With technology advancing at an exponential rate, it is imperative that employees keep abreast of the latest trends in their respective field.
While traditional classroom learning is an excellent way to stay informed, not everyone has a schedule that allows for it. One option when pursuing continued learning, without needing to make a major time or monetary investment, is the rapidly expanding e-learning content available to anyone with internet access. These courses are often affordable, user friendly, and can be completed at your own pace. Students who don’t excel without human interaction may find instructor led virtual courses more to their taste. According to the Pew Research Center, it has become increasingly clear that continued learning, regardless of the method, is a necessary component to remaining relevant in the job market today.
A person’s ability to adapt and pivot when a position, or even an entire company, changes its structure has become essential to job security in the marketplace of today. Individuals who are able to reinvent themselves when their position changes or is eliminated, stand a much better chance of remaining employable than individuals who stand by and lament the job they once had.
Losing a job is hard, but the person who is willing to get out there and learn a new trade or try a different industry is much more likely to succeed than the person that is not willing to evolve. Staying positive and regarding the change as an opportunity, instead of a defeat, will afford you an edge over the competition.
Perhaps you work at the one company in your city or state that employs workers with your skills. Maybe you work for the only factory in your small town. If either of these places closed their doors, it could be really frightening. Whatever the situation might be, it doesn’t mean you are left without options.
It is quite easy for people to forget just how big the world we live in really is. If you find you are without suitable options, don’t be afraid to think on a larger, global scale. Just because the factory in your town closed down, that doesn’t mean the factory two states over isn’t hiring, maybe with substantially more pay. If your company closes its doors, do you perhaps have a position that can be done remotely for companies in other states or countries? If you work in the building trades and are laid off due to a lack of work, you may be able to work for the U.S. government abroad, all the while getting to explore other countries. Sometimes we have to leave our comfort zone in order to find the most rewarding opportunities.
The time of the traditional, linear job path is coming to an end. However, this doesn’t mean you have to be pushed aside if your job changes. By keeping up on current trends and technology, staying flexible, and thinking about opportunities on a larger scale, you can remain relevant to the job market and retain your job security.