How do you position yourself to maximise your chances of career success in 2020? What kind of brand associations do you want to conjure up when employers and managers think about you? How would you like to design your career path to ensure your work is both meaningful and well paid in the future?
Let me give you a 2020 vision of what the future of work will demand of you and your talents, so that you can shape a personal brand and accompanying skills that optimally positions you. If you're an abstract, creative, or strategic thinker, you'll love the news I have for you.
At least metaphorically. Because three Ts shape the future of personal brands.
Ensure that if you're studying you do double degrees, or if you're working take some time to complement your academic/practical skills. Combine seemingly unrelated fields like music/medicine, or fine arts/business because much greater demand is being placed by employers on emerging talent to be able to think holistically about the world. Combining different disciplines of thought will give you multiple perspectives to draw on and will boost your brand.
Look at the two axes of the T. The vertical line signifies depth, authority, and credibility in a particular field of expertise. The horizontal line represents thinking breadth, social skills, emotional intelligence, and knowing a little bit about everything. Being a versatilist trumps being a specialist today and for the foreseeable future. Make sure you become a well-marketed thought leader on the vertical axis (by blogging great ideas for example), while also taking every opportunity to learn a new language, doing emotional intelligence training, and honing your presentation skills.
We are entering a reputation economy. Soon, your digital reputation (Linkedin recommendations, eBay ratings, Blog reviews) will become as important as a credit history check. This means that you will need to actively build trust and great reputation across the main social and digital platforms and take every opportunity to ask for endorsements and positive reviews. Google yourself today and see whether you think you are transparent and in control of your brand in the top 10 search results. If not, set up a Tumblr blog or sell some stuff on eBay and make sure you treat digital strangers exceptionally well.
Start your development journey today.
* this article, featured in Madison Magazine's career section, is a modification of one of futurist Anders Sorman-Nilsson's keynote speeches from the University of Sydney's careers forum in 2012.
Check out the Madison Magazine article below.
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