Career Mobility: How to Earn It and Why

It's no secret that I've enjoyed ample amounts of career mobility so far. 

Let me quickly paint the picture of my timeline for you:

Grew up in Utah and lived there for 19 years → 

Moved to France for 2 full years → 

Returned to Utah for a couple years → 

Crossed the country to live in Florida for 1 year → 

Nearly moved to Boston, MA, but ended up hopping over to Orange County, CA → 

And, in a few months, my family and I will be moving to beautiful ??Austin, TX.

Phew.

I've been blessed to live in a variety of places, and work with some amazing folks.

But this whole concept of "career mobility" is still not entirely widespread. A lot of companies believe in the old school way of hiring and retaining talent (i.e. the office is here, and you will be, too.)

More and more, I'm seeing companies come around to a more modern approach. Hiring entirely remote employees is a viable strategy. The results these employees bring to the table are comparable (or often better) than traditional workers.

How is career mobility earned?

Not every company is of the mindset of giving you trust, and taking it away as needed. Instead, they make you "earn" trust by starting at zero.

These companies are far less likely to allow for remote work because they feel the need to SEE people working. 

For businesses that are a little more open-minded about trusting their people, there are definitely still characteristics they're looking for when hiring remote workers or mobile talent.

You may fit the bill of a potential remote worker if you:

• Are results-oriented
• Enjoy the process of improving your craft
• Research your industry daily
• Are extremely productive with your time

So what's the case for career mobility?

The best part about career mobility is that employees and organizations alike become more open-minded. The more modern we all become professionally, the better the quality of the work will be.

I'm dead serious about that. 

There are certainly drawbacks, like:

• Some people WILL break the trust that the company gives them
• Moving is the worst thing on the planet, and irreparably damages your soul

If you can get past those problems, you're golden. 

All in all, companies should be striving to empower and enable their people to aim high. Whether it comes in the form of working remote, or allowing employees to transfer to other locations, mobility is a prized professional possession.

If you're a business owner, my invitation to you is simple: Trust your people and give them more chances to be mobile!

For employees, I offer this: If you feel like you want to work remotely, try discussing it with your employer. You may be surprised what businesses will do for their top people.

Let's get movin'!