CEO Mark Fawcett invited to run ‘Kickstarting Your Career’ session at Step Up Expo 2024
Last week our CEO and Founder Mark, was invited to lead a "Kickstarting Your Career” session at the Evening Standard’s Step Up Expo. He shared some invaluable tips with the young audience to help them get ahead and supercharge their careers. Here’s a recap of Mark's key insights into the changes taking place in the job market and how young people can prepare themselves for the future.
What’s changing in the job market?
The impacts of technology on jobs and working practices are accelerating! The changes we will see over the next decade will be huge and exciting. Artificial Intelligence, nano-robotics and more are moving faster into the mainstream.
Globally we are seeing rapidly changing workforce requirements. The demand for the sorts of skills that can help tackle climate change, that can focus on solving communication problems, or tackle the challenges and opportunities of an aging population are massively in demand. Employers are looking for greater diversity in the skills, backgrounds and characters of the people they are hiring
Brands are now much more sensitive to criticism. If they gain a bad reputation for poor environmental practices, or dodgy supply chains, it can really quickly harm their sales.
There is a huge amount of job movement with younger workers happy to move on from employers they don’t like, far quicker than before. So, employers are responding with more flexibility, better work-life balance and better salary packages.
How can young people prepare for these changes?
Stay informed about technological impacts. Be knowledgeable about how technology is shaping your target job or sector. Whether you’re interested in finance, science, military, education, sport, engineering, or retail, understand the digital transformations taking place. Employers highly value young talent with digital awareness and vision.
Develop specific skills. Identify and consciously develop specific skills that are transferable for the future. Like any art, language, or sport, business skills can be honed through practice. Focus on targeted improvement, whether it’s leadership, team development, problem-solving, or creativity. Consistent effort will yield significant growth over time.
Gain experience and focus on the impact. Whether it be work experience, volunteering, National Citizen Service, joining a team, doing an online course, reading things, visiting places, meeting people. Do STUFF and SHOW THE IMPACT. Employers love that! They are looking for people who make things happen.
Become a storyteller. This is the single most undervalued, under practiced but critically important skill you can develop. Effective communication will help you stand out in any field. Practice it today:
Think of a challenge you’ve faced in the last month – can be big or small
Think about the problem it was causing
Talk about the characters who were involved
Talk about what you did to solve the problem
Then finish with the outcome – the impact on you and other people – that’s the ending
And you have a story!
As a result of all these changes we are seeing increasing competitive recruitment – with companies, and even whole sectors, fighting harder to bring the best talent to them. At We Are Futures, we help employers compete for the best, diverse future talent by driving awareness, attraction, and skills development to fill their future talent pipeline. Want to know more? Get in touch.
