Career Future-Proofing

Don’t just cope with job uncertainty, respond proactively to it to stay in कंट्रोल
Even as corporate India rolls on, the flip side to an economy aligning itself to the world economy is also baring its teeth. M&A is the order of the day, followed by sweeping restructuring and downsizing. Rationalisation of jobs is a fact of life now. If you are in middle management and above, uncertainty about your own job is here to stay.
It is NOT good enough to learn to cope with uncertainty. You need to proactively respond to it and future-proof your career so that you stay in control.
Lifetime employment in the same company is passe. The new rule is ‘lifetime employability’. This is about constantly upgrading your skills, building specialisation and, yet, being broad-based (we will address this contradiction later), developing a network of well-wishers and supporters (both inside and outside the company), and being visible to the extent you can. This will ensure that no matter what the tremors in the company and industry are, you are insulated and employable. Treat yourself as a ‘product’ and build brand value around it.
The first building block of future-proofing is specialisation. Build a track record of success in a specific sub-function in the early years. Build and nurture a reputation as an expert. It could be in audit, on the shop floor or in recruitment. This will be your primary skill and stand you in good stead within your company, elsewhere, or as a stand-alone consultant. Once you garner this expertise, broaden your skill set. If you are a recruitment specialist, expand your skill base by toting up experience in industrial relations or employee development. If the demand for recruitment specialists falls, you will have sub-areas within your own function to fall back on. This way, you will become a specific domain expert and also build a larger repertoire of functional skills.
Focus next on expertise that can be ported from one function to another, like leadership skills, managing and mentoring large teams, Six Sigma, M&A, start-up and scaling up. This suite of broad-based skills can be easily applied to any function that you could venture into.
Branch out to other functions only after you have built a track record in your own function. After 10-12 years, if the possibilities of professional growth seem dim, extend your reach into related functions. If you are in manufacturing, sourcing or design could be the next stop. The function independent skills help you settle down well till you pick up nuts and bolts of the new role.
When a job or project is done well, let the world outside your immediate team know about it subtly. If you are making a presentation, make sure that the invite list goes beyond your immediate functional team. Getting more people to know that you deliver consistently enhances your brand value and insurance. In good times, you have more people rooting for your movement upwards and when the chips are down, you have that extra support to see that the axe does not fall on your neck in the first round. The days of doing a good job and leaving the rest in the hands of boss (or God Almighty) are long over.
Build visibility outside your company. Every function has functional bodies of like-minded professionals. Participate actively in these forums. It helps you stay abreast of the latest developments and network within your fraternity. These forums are happy hunting grounds for talent (both to hunt and be hunted). More job openings get discussed here than in any search consultant’s office.
Corporate turbulence is going to be a way of life, which, in turn, will impact careers. The loser blames it on karma and destiny. The smarter and more pragmatic response is to be prepared for it and come on top of it no matter how choppy the waves are.; The author is a strategic HR consultant, an executive coach and co-founder of Track3 HR Solutions.