{"id":152311,"date":"2020-04-09T13:45:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T12:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=152311"},"modified":"2020-04-09T13:45:14","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T12:45:14","slug":"how-navigate-squiggly-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/managing-digital-marketing\/personal-career-development\/how-navigate-squiggly-career\/","title":{"rendered":"How to navigate a ‘squiggly career’"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to navigate a 'squiggly career'<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When many of us consider the word \u2018career\u2019, we think about climbing a corporate ladder and following a predictable, linear path to promotion. This was certainly my expectation when I entered the workforce after university; the advice was to join a company as a graduate trainee and move through the ranks to a senior role.<\/p>\n

But whilst the idea of a traditional career may still be the case for some, the last ten years has transformed many people\u2019s professional working experiences and their expectations for what a career will provide. This is true across most professions, but especially true for marketing, where the rise of the internet, social media and digital channels has disrupted the traditional paradigm.<\/p>\n

Navigating the \u2018squiggly career\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In spring 2018, whilst I was in between jobs, I discovered a podcast called \u2018Squiggly Careers\u2019. Presented by Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, it covered a huge range of topics, from managing stress to building confidence. Whilst I found the content of the podcasts immensely useful, the concept of a \u2018squiggly career\u2019 itself also resonated. Although both Helen and Sarah had worked for large companies, they had also discovered that their careers had been somewhat \u2018squiggly\u2019 when compared to linear careers of the past.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Source: The Squiggly Career<\/em> by Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \n Marketing careers and skills development workbook\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

Download our Free Resource \u2013 Marketing careers and skills development workbook<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our guide shows you how to map out your personal short-term and long-term goals and become more productive in your day-to-day work.<\/p>\n

Access the Marketing careers and skills development workbook<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

Five skills to thrive in a squiggly world<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to Sarah Ellis, we're living in a world where moving frequently and fluidly between roles, industries, locations and careers is becoming the new normal. Squiggly careers can feel stressful and overwhelming, but if you know how to make the most of them, they can also be full of opportunity, freedom and purpose.<\/p>\n

More than anything, the squiggly career is a mindset. It\u2019s not about moving around and changing jobs all the time. It\u2019s about how you think about your learning, development and growth in a more malleable, dynamic way.<\/p>\n

Many people aspire to be \u2018successful\u2019 by climbing a corporate ladder, but this way of thinking isn\u2019t always helpful. For example, only 6% of workers in the UK work 9 to 5. The world of work is less traditional than it once was and we\u2019re working in very different ways. We\u2019re also living longer so many of us want<\/em> to work for longer, too, which has implications for the type of work we can do.<\/p>\n

Although the squiggly nature of work can be a good thing, it can also cause stress and anxiety in others<\/a>. So the focus of this post will look at how we can spend more time enjoying our careers by looking at five skills to thrive in an increasingly squiggly world:<\/p>\n

1. Strengths vs. weaknesses<\/strong><\/h4>\n

According to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great<\/em>, great companies focus on those few things they can be the best at. The same is true for people. Leaders who can identify their strengths and put them into practice go from being very good to being the best in their fields.<\/p>\n

The lesson here is to focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, and accept that we cannot be good at everything. Sarah provides a very helpful tip: spend 80 percent of your time optimizing your current strengths, and 20 percent working on other areas, for example skills that may be useful for the future.<\/p>\n

The key is to be able to talk about the two or three things that make you distinctive and stand out from the crowd. This is important not only for your self-confidence but for other people's confidence in you, too. For other people to match you to opportunities, you need to be aware of your strengths and let others know, too.<\/p>\n

2. Values<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Values are what motivate and drive us. If strengths are what you do, values are who you are. Values are developed at a young age and sit within our subconscious throughout our lifetimes and can act as a \u2018career compass\u2019, enabling us to identify what success really means for us and what will ultimately make us happy.<\/p>\n

Values matter in our careers and understanding them and how they connect to your work can help in three ways:<\/p>\n