Lockdown has somehow become our new normal, and freedom to go where we choose has become a distant memory. As Millions of us adjust to new ways of managing our lives, one thing is for sure, Coronavirus will have a lasting impact for years to come.
I live in the UK and I am hearing of huge layoffs in both the UK and the United States as companies are having to downsize and restructure their workforce. Weekly, I've received a numerous calls from friends and associates worried about what the future holds. I listen, offer constructive advice and encourage them to think outside the box in ways they may never have before.
There is no career for life anymore! Gone are the days when you stayed in a job for 10 years plus, or even retired from the job you started in! According to a 2019 Bureau of Labour Statistics of baby boomers, the average number of jobs in a lifetime is 12!
Nowadays its about having multiple streams of income, so that if one area ‘dries-up’ you have other things to fall back on.
The Squiggly Career
I recently delved into a really interested book called the Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis. It’s a guide to creating your own working life where they suggest that you ditch the career ladder, discover opportunities and design your own own career.
In order to achieve this they say you need to develop a set of five career skills which are:
1. Super strengths – The things you are great at!
2. Values – what makes you ‘you’
3. Confidence – belief in yourself and your abilities.
4. Networks – Build relationships that work for you.
5. Future Opportunities – exploring options and future possibilities.
Developing these core skills are increasing important in this enormous time of change, and there are definitely ways that you can achieve this during lockdown.
We are all relying on technology more than ever to inform us, educate us and connect us to others.
5 Strength finding tests and questionnaires you can do today
HIGH5 is a free strengths test that helps you to discover the areas where you are naturally good. https://high5test.com/
The Richard Step Strengths and Weaknesses Aptitude Test (RSWAT) is a tool to help you get a better look at who you really are and how much you could grow. https://richardstep.com/richardstep-strengths-weaknesses-aptitude-test/
This is more a personality quiz based on Jung and the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory. You’ll get a general description of yourself. https://www.41q.com/
Find your strengths with this assessment based on psychologist Martin Seligman's pioneering research in positive psychology. https://www.truity.com/test/personal-strengths-inventory
Take this simple character test in 15 minutes or less and reveal your greatest strengths. https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register
More discussion, listen to Sister Love Untethered podcast episode 25 'Opportunity in Lockdown' episode 25.
Written by Colleen Morgan
