Sometimes breaking away from the way things have always been done provides new opportunities and benefit people’s lives says technical manager Rob Bruce from Team Jobs in Poole.
Many people tended to be loyal to the industries they have served for years. This has been because an industry has been reliable and provides a sense of comfort and familiarity. Then Covid threw everything up in the air and disrupted many people’s lives.
You could say that a job for life is a thing of the past, for people of all ages. Today it is more about lifelong learning and skills that you have developed that can serve multiple industries.
Rob, sees two sides of the coin when it comes to remaining within the industries people have served balanced with the flexibility to broaden your skills. Rob says, “There are people who have been in a specific job for many years. With numerous candidates the team and I work with, this has been their life and provided stability. As an example, John Cobb, was a man who enjoyed a well-paid job as a foreman with a steel manufacturer for 29 years and one day lost his job, the team helped him find his next role.” You can read more about this story here about John.
“For other people, they look at the scope of skills they have developed as an opportunity to widen their horizons and fit within different industries. I understand that employers want people with A, B, or C related skillsets and can be quite specific with the type of person they want. Other employers champion transferable skills and if a person has A and B now, they can have C, D, E, and F in the future. A teachable fit has a role to play.”
The pandemic has heightened the validity of the work-life balance and also encouraged the way that people look at work and being open to new suggestions. Jaime Rana, senior consultant says, “For the companies we have supported with delivery teams, many people come with an interesting story. A candidate who was a pilot is now a delivery driver. What the pandemic has provided many people is a way to step back and look at their lives. Whilst there is the pressure of paying the mortgage, for people it isn’t necessarily the money, but what they need to earn to live a happy life and be there for their families.”
According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in six of us will experience a mental health problem in a given week. Balancing what you want out of life and the skillsets you can deliver to the right company and sector can mean a positive future, no matter the detours that we all face.