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Death of the Career Path

Do you have a career path or a career portfolio? Read this article to see how to develop and manage your career as a portfolio.

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Back in the mid 1990’s as an HR Manager, I noticed that the conventional career path was a dying concept. Lifetime employment was an artifact. Lateral moves became the new way to advance your career. And downsizings were a constant threat.
The ‘security’ of a straightforward career path was gone. That left many mid-career professionals wondering what to do with their career plans.

I recently read an article at CIO.com asking “Are Career Paths the Best for Professional Advancement?” The article concluded career paths are no longer relevant. I’m not surprised. They were on their last leg years ago.

Yes, it’s true. Linear career paths are dead.

So, what has replaced the good old fashioned career path?

Career portfolios.

I recommend managing your career as a portfolio. Based on your strengths, interests, and level of risk tolerance you make career moves that appeal to you and fit your goals. You choose opportunities that stretch and expand your skills instead of focusing only on grabbing the next title on the rung. You find security in being in control of each move, rather than feeling at the mercy of your boss, your company or the economy to decide your fate.

So, how do you build a career portfolio?

You diversify. The more options you have, the less you will be dependent on the company or the economy for your security.

Know your “most profitable skills”. You recession proof your career by knowing exactly what your strongest competencies are and you strengthen them so that you’re among the best at what you do. And the more transferable you can make your skills, the better.

Stay current on the trends in the economy and your field or industry. Look ahead a few years and make sure you’re moving toward opportunities that align with the trends (instead of leaving you on the chopping block).

Let me give you an example from my own life.

In the mid 90’s I was a happily employed HR Manager at a fairly large corporation. But, the writing was on the wall that much of HR was going to be outsourced, industry wide, in the next 5 to 10 years. I noticed a great deal of focus on becoming more strategic, and on being able to support company-wide change efforts (which makes sense given all the organizational changes we’ve seen since the late 90’s). I decided it was time to diversify in order to avoid a dead end career track.

In order to diversify my career I made a few specific and planned moves.

I went back to grad school to earn my Masters Degree. I minored in Organization Development, to diversify my knowledge base beyond the scope of traditional HR functions. I also had an interest in teaching, so I took electives in adult learning. When I graduated, I took a job in Consulting where I could get experience leading organizational change and experience a variety of industries. From there, I expanded my experience base by taking on a part time college teaching position.

All of these moves were designed to expand my career portfolio so that I had options, no matter what happened. I could be an HR Manager, I could consult, I could teach. I knew traditional HR functions and I knew how to implement broad scale change. All of these moves made me unique and more valuable in the marketplace.

If you’d like to start developing your career portfolio, here are 5 questions to get you started:

What are some current and emerging trends you see in your field or industry?

If you were to make a career change in the next year, what would you most want to do?

What are the skills, experience and knowledge you would need to make that move?

What’s one or two moves you could make to expand your skills/experience over the next year?

What’s one action you will take in the next 30 days?

Have fun building up your portfolio and experimenting with new assignments, and possibilities. This can be an exciting process because you pursue things that interest you and allow you to grow. It pulls you out of the rut of worrying about what will happen and puts you in the driver’s seat so you’re ready for anything.

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5 Steps to Take Today to Get Your Dream Job Tomorrow

One of the primary goals of everyone life is to land or grab a dream job which provides them with a quality life and a successful career.

But why it is essential to have a great career with a dream job. Well, I will tell you the reasons for the same such as:

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It helps in offering you a good quality lifestyle.
It helps in inspiring you towards the other life goals.
It helps in providing financial stability to the person and many more.
Well, do you know that as per the statistics it has been found that only 40% of people in the age group of 26-30 years are well aware of their dream job? But they are not actually aware of the ways to get one. Hence, let’s start discussions about the five essential steps to take today so that you can grab your dream job tomorrow.

1. Start by Clearing Thoughts about Your Dream Job

At first before grabbing or working towards your dream job. You need to know about your dream job. The following questions are the ones which need to answer to know your dream job:

Think about the industry in which you want to grab a job.
The salary you may want to grab.
The location you prefer for the job.
The nature of the job and skills required for the same.
You need to look at the other perks and benefits too that come up in a job i.e. other than salary like employee benefits, working culture and many more.

These are the few things which can help you to clear your thoughts about the type of dream job you may wish so. Hence you need to get clear on the above things and then has to prepare yourself towards the road of getting the particular job which you dream off. For instance, if someone is interested in a sales job as his or her dream job. Then they will start preparing for the exam which needs to be clear for getting the particular sales job. One of the essential things one needs to find is the self-awareness about your own need or requirement.

2. Build a Secure Network of Professionals

Many people aren’t willing to leave their range of familiarity to try genuine endeavors networking. In any case, what they don’t understand is that meeting new people is the secret of having a meaningful connection that can get your name at the highest point of the hire list. When you got companions in high places, they can send one email or telephone call, and you’re good to go to land your dream position. Furthermore, it’s just through network administration you can in some cases skip past the application and meeting process by and large to get a position. What’s more, have you thought of influencing a network to push through LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter? Hiring specialist and managers are also on these platform for their own particular reasons. Thus you should merely start engaging with them and their substance by leaving reactions. Finally, you just improve at networking the more you do it and the more individuals you know. Apart from this, you should also use the right Job Search Apps to find your dream job.

3. Comprehend What all it Takes for a Dream Job

In case, if you need a dream job, you have to work hard for it. As it is not the case where directly apply today and get it tomorrow. You will need to realize what the activity prerequisites are and vital plans you need to get it. Separating precisely what it is you have to do will likewise diminish your sentiment of being overpowered. So you need to research what you need to have. And then make contact or talk with the individuals who are already working in the position which you want to have so that to know the criteria and situation of the same position. For instance, in the event that you want to be a teacher, at that point choose how you will get the teaching abilities.

4. Enhance Your Skills

As per this, you need to enhance your skills as per your dream job requirement so that you need to qualify for the potion. Therefore all you need to search job for the requirements and qualification required for the particular job and start enhancing your skills and qualifications in the same manner. For example: If someone wants to grab a higher management position in the reputable MNC and then he needs to have a recognized management degree from the prominent institutes such as MBA from IIMA etc. Other than this if a particular position required X years of experience than you need to work on the same accordingly so that you should qualify all the way for your dream position.

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5. Apply for the Job with Full Confidence

When you’ve done everything as yet, the main thing left to do is to unquestionably convey your identity, what all you can do for the industry or company you are applying for. All you need is to present yourself with full confidence. As if you are confident in yourself and your skills, then you will be surely able to grab your dream position in your dream company. Thus all you need to remember here is to be confident about yourself and your qualifications to get the potion.

Therefore, start preparing yourself for getting your dream job in the future with all the above-mentioned points. If you don’t have a lot of time for job searching, and you don’t want to be stuck to your laptop so you should also use some most popular jobs apps too which can make it easy to browse opportunities anytime, anywhere.

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The Importance of Data Analytics: Why Businesses Need it

In today’s data-driven world, businesses have access to a vast amount of data from various sources. Data analytics has become an essential tool for organizations looking to harness the power of data to make informed decisions. Data analytics involves the use of mathematical and statistical algorithms to analyze data and extract valuable insights. Earn a prestigious data analytics certification from esteemed program, demonstrating your competence to employers and peers. This article will discuss why data analytics is important for businesses and how it can help organizations make informed decisions.

Improved Decision Making
Businesses may use the insightful information that data analytics offers to make better decisions. By analyzing data, businesses can identify patterns, trends, and correlations that can help them understand their customers’ behavior, preferences, and needs. This information can be used to improve products and services, optimize marketing strategies, and identify new market opportunities.

For example, a company that sells health supplements can use data analytics to analyze customer data to identify which products are the most popular and which ones are not selling as well. This information can be used to adjust the company’s product line to better meet customer needs, resulting in increased sales and customer satisfaction. Explore diverse range of data analyst courses designed to cater to your learning objectives and professional goals.

Increased Efficiency
Data analytics can also help businesses increase efficiency and reduce costs. By analyzing data, businesses can identify areas where they are spending too much money or wasting resources. This information can be used to optimize operations and reduce costs, resulting in increased profitability.

For example, a manufacturing company can use data analytics to analyze its production processes and identify inefficiencies that are resulting in increased costs. By addressing these inefficiencies, the company can reduce its costs and increase profitability.

Better Customer Insights
Businesses can gain important insights into the needs, preferences, and behavior of their customers through data analytics. By analyzing data from various sources, businesses can identify patterns and trends that can help them understand their customers better. This information can be used to improve products and services, optimize marketing strategies, and enhance the overall customer experience.

For example, an e-commerce company can use data analytics to analyze customer data to identify which products are the most popular, which ones are not selling well, and which customers are most likely to make repeat purchases. This information can be used to optimize the company’s product line, marketing strategies, and customer service, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Experience a transformative journey with comprehensive data analytics training courseand unleash your analytical prowess.

Competitive Advantage
Data analytics can provide businesses with a competitive advantage by providing them with valuable insights that their competitors may not have. By analyzing data, businesses can identify market trends, customer behavior, and emerging market opportunities that can help them stay ahead of the competition.

For example, a retail company can use data analytics to analyze customer data to identify emerging market trends and customer preferences. This information can be used to adjust the company’s product line and marketing strategies to better meet customer needs, resulting in increased sales and customer loyalty. Enroll in renowned data analytics training institute and unlock your full potential in this in-demand field.

Summary
In conclusion, data analytics is a powerful tool that can help businesses make informed decisions, increase efficiency, and gain a competitive advantage. By analyzing data from various sources, businesses can identify patterns, trends, and correlations that can help them understand their customers better, optimize their operations, and identify new market opportunities. Choose the best data analytics course and acquire the skills necessary to drive data-informed decision-making. As businesses continue to rely more on data to drive their decision-making processes, data analytics will become even more critical for success.

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