How to Achieve Career Mobility

What is career mobility? Career mobility also known as job mobility is the ability to move into positions, roles, or careers that offer better opportunities and compensation.

It isn’t limited to moving up the career ladder—it can also mean embracing new roles or shifting careers altogether.

Why is career mobility important?

Career mobility is important as the labour market can be highly volatile. Employment trends are constantly changing, for example, with a dramatic drop-in employment rate in recent years due to public health restrictions. Besides, as the number of people employed rises, economic factors like the current inflation require individuals to be adaptable in their careers.

To do this, you must learn to achieve career mobility. Here are some steps that you can take to do this and take control of your career development.

How Do You Create a Career Mobility?

1. Expand your network

Expanding your network is crucial to accessing opportunities that may not be readily available to everyone. As many as 70% of jobs are not advertised and are filled by word of mouth or recommendations.

One of the best ways to tap into those opportunities is through effective networking when you’re job hunting. Networking has become one of the number one ways we not only find jobs, but also build relationships.

The thought of forming connections for the sole purpose of finding better career experiences can be daunting, but in truth, you network every day.

You can begin networking by tapping into your existing connections. This can be your close friends, acquaintances, current and former colleagues, or even your professors. Be genuine and communicate with a clear goal in mind.

Ask for advice and insights to make them feel trusted and valued. Be sure to offer help where you can since networking is a give-and-take.

You can also develop new relationships by attending virtual events, using alumni networks, or volunteering. This brings you closer to like-minded people you can help or be helped by. Networking is an important part of any job search, so make the most of it.

2. Update your resume

Making your resume accessible online can help lead the right people in your direction. You should also keep it updated so that when the opportunity arises, you can hand in your application immediately.

One of the best ways you can do this is by leveraging your LinkedIn profile, which can help you build your personal brand, make connections, and find business and career opportunities. Update your profile by shouting about your achievements, which the site can automatically share with your contacts if you allow it.

Finally, make sure you are easy to find. Keep your profile public, your contact details up-to-date, and your profile link personalised via the edit function.

3. Develop your soft skills

What is meant by soft skills? Soft skills also called people or transferable skills, are non-technical character traits or interpersonal skills that define how you work and how well you work with other people.

They include time management, teamwork, communication skills, leadership capabilities, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Soft skills can be transferred to all types of jobs and professions. For example, an accountant and teacher can both have great time management and communication skills, yet how those skills are utilised in their roles can be quite different. However, these skills can be transferred to any occupations.

The demand for soft skills has caused significant growth in the global soft skills training market size, which reached USD 23.64 billion in 2021 and is projected to be worth USD 47.16 billion by 2027.

Increasingly more employers are looking for employees who can pursue holistic development and are dedicated to achieving their goals faster.

How to improve soft skills

You can develop your soft skills by pursuing opportunities where you can exercise them. Taking on more responsibility such as a leadership role can help in holistic development, as you need to be able to communicate, manage tasks, and facilitate conflicts when they arise.

You can also ask for feedback from both your team and your superiors.

Lastly, try to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself by working on soft skills that you feel need more improvement.

Developing your soft skills is vital to our careers, but it can be hard to find the time when you are already so busy applying and refining the skills you rely upon every day. Remember, if you are too busy to learn something new to help build your career, you’re telling yourself that you’ll never grow, and you risk getting left behind.

4. Continuously learn

Soft skills must be complemented by your hard skills. What are the hard skills? Hard skills are the technical expertise you need to do your job. You can acquire hard skills through education and experience and are industry-specific.

With the digital age constantly changing industries, you must continually update your skills to meet these changing demands.

How can I develop hard skills?

Thankfully, the internet provides many opportunities to do this. You can acquire certifications or take online courses that improve your skills and pad your resume.

You can also keep up with industry trends, attend conferences and workshops, and tap into your network to get insights about the latest trends. In doing so, you can equip yourself with skills that let you take on opportunities both within and outside your company.

Career mobility is a must in a constantly changing world. Although cultivating mobility can take years, knowing how to start now puts you ahead of the curve.