Changing Careers
The expectation of an upwardly mobile, straight-line career path with increased economic rewards for hard work has clashed head on with today's realities. Twenty-five years ago, employees could begin with a company and expect to stay until retirement and the "gold watch."
Today, however, workers need to expect they will change jobs many times and may even have several major career shifts during their working lives. The latest statistics say that students graduating from high school today will change jobs 10 to 15 times over the course of their working lives and change careers as many as three or four times.
Because of this, employment histories will be different. It is likely there will be gaps in a resume's chronological time line. An employer can no longer take this as an indication that unemployment is associated with either a poor employee or lack of motivation. Changes in employment status is not something to be disguised, but something that emphasizes the growth of an individual.
Constant training, retraining, job-hopping, and even career hopping has become the norm. According to www.bls.gov, in 2005 many employers became accepting of "job hoppers" as a new breed of flexible employees. That may be one reason why one-quarter of all employees have worked at their current job for less than one year. Still, the median number of years the average American worker has been with their current employer is 3.5 years. Many companies are grappling with how to keep good people and are changing their hiring practices.
In order to be a successful job changer, you have to know what is going on in your industry and other industries. For successful career bridging, learn how to research and identify companies that are emerging as growth leaders. With this knowledge and information you will have the necessary insights to beat the competition and keep your career at its peak potential into the 21st century.
The hottest jobs, (those offering excellent pay, advancement, and security), continuing into the 21st century, are those in the areas of healthcare and high-tech service industries.
