The professional world looks very different today than it did a few years ago. Just like the competences that are needed within a certain job. As an employee you therefore have to evolve with the times and continue to develop yourself. Find out why here.
The rate of change is changing
In other words, the speed of change is changing. Today, everything is changing at lightning speed. We also see many evolutions in the workplace as a result of new technologies and digitization.
For example: Microsoft Teams, social media management tools and CRM tools, but also automation, artificial intelligence, and so on.
The importance of ‘reskilling’
This means that our skills have to evolve as well. We need to ‘reskill’ constantly. As many as 50% of all employees will require reskilling by 2025 (source: World Economic Forum). This fact is also something that employers should be aware of.
Employers often expect certain competencies from applicants, while these are ultimately only valuable for a limited period of time. Because before you know it, a job requires different skills and the employee has to adapt again.
Yes, there are certain basic skills that you must have for some jobs, but you can learn a lot of competencies. And what is relevant today may not be relevant anymore in 5 years. In short: whether or not to hire someone for something they can do at that specific moment is not a smart move.
As the learning capacity of employees becomes more important than the hard skills, it becomes more important to pay more attention to this.
Take control of your career: jobcrafting
As an employee, it is important to continue to focus on reskilling and thus to evolve with the times. This also applies to the content of your job. You benefit from having a learning mindset and being flexible.
Gradually you will notice that you have to fill in your job differently and tailor it to the needs of the company and your customers. We call this ‘jobcrafting’. It is therefore very important that you think about how you can continue to develop, learn and evolve yourself in order to take on new tasks and functions.
Sometimes, older employees who have been in the labor market for some time tend to adopt a passive attitude. They just keep doing what they are doing and as they are doing, stop developing themselves and run the risk of getting stuck in their job. It is better to avoid this mentality if you want to build a successful career.