The year, 2016 brought in a whole new world of possibilities and business opportunities. If someone were to highlight careers that are likely to prosper, I'd like to say that the year shall reward individual initiatives, storytellers and design engineers.
It seems that the rise of the individual as an employment brand and the growth of modular work is inevitable. The individual will have a direct and mutual relationship with organisations as the traditional employer-employee relationship weans away.
The economy of individuals is led by the individual brand - the enterprise and the entrepreneur. Individual talent can be found in freelancers, content creators, artists, taxi drivers, home bakers, etc. The unique value adds that this clan brings to the table is tough to acquire but easy to be associate with it. In fact, it also has the potential to change the current of tide, add value and contribute to the country's GDP.
Here are some new age career options that one can look forward in 2016:
The storyteller career: In the new scheme of things, the individual storyteller, content strategist, and the connector of dots will reserve a special place for themselves. At times when content is king and storytelling is a dying (but an irreplaceable) art form, employers will constantly be on the lookout for those who can catch the pulse of the audience, get them hooked onto the marketing message and strike an emotional chord with them. Their communication skills will be perceived as "game changers" and will rise in prominence.
Design engineer career: The year 2016 will also promise a delightful career for a design engineer. A professional who can redesign, reimagine, re-chart, recalibrate and collaborate will be in high demand. This unique skill set will help organisations work on revolutionary products of tomorrow and will give them that professional edge over their contemporaries.
Individual strengths: In short, 2016 will be all about playing on individual strengths of building on what motivates an individual and what he/she is passionate about. Those who have the courage to push boundaries and follow their passion will outshine those who follow the herd and do what's always expected of them.
The workplace will see the growing relevance of diverse stakeholders. To navigate between their diverse perspectives, a company needs to work on the principle of "inclusion". In fact, an organisation should see the stakeholders' participation as a blessing - diverse perspectives, their valuable insights on the market, understanding of customer needs and other inputs can be enriching and refreshing. This diversity will also lead to a stronger, more open as well as accepting the organisational culture, in turn contributing to inclusive growth.
Automation and technology career: Automation and technology are two sectors that will continue to thrive way into 2016. This will render many process-based jobs especially in sectors like banking, IT and customer care, redundant.
To summarise, the year will merit creativity and individual talent as the focus shifts from having a job to having a career. So, a candidate should carefully assess his/her aspirations and choose to join an organisation after a thorough understanding of the company's goals and how they align with his/her own dreams.
For the year of individuals, passion, talent - let's take charge!