Are You Ready for The Future of Work?

The future of work will be more about soft skills and certain hard skills that are optional now will become a given. Computers will be able to complete most of what people currently do. So humans need to focus on learning the skills computers and software can’t do. Here is my take on employment and thriving in the new era of work.

TALENT WILL BE MORE RELEVANT THAN FILLING A POSITION

Companies will recruit talent independently of a job opening. They will build a strong candidate base and create positions based on top talent, not the other way around, like now. Positions will mostly be contract-based anyways.

ANALYTICS WILL RULE

Data Science and machine learning are growing fields that will become more likely a required skill for everyone vs. a stand-alone profession. We’ll all need to be more or less proficient in asking for the right data and analyzing and interpreting the results.

CODING SKILLS WILL BECOME MANDATORY FOR MOST

Since everyone will be using multiple software programs daily at work, you’ll most likely need to build scripts too. Knowing a few coding languages will most likely become a high school requirement like Spanish is now.

RESUMES WILL DISAPPEAR

We’ll all fill out a career profile online and all recruiters and employers will pull from it. No more printed, separate resumes. This will die out like the fax machine.

LONG LIVE VIRTUAL WORK

The office cubicle will die. Instead, you’ll be able to plug-and-play at office pods all over the world. Remote work and the gig economy are already happening but the future of work will be completely location-independent. Collaborative work tools, VOIP, encryption software, secure cloud computing tools, and online meeting tools will thrive.

EMAIL WILL DIE

With the increased sophistication of online collaboration tools and the NOW-economy, we will no longer need email. Just like snail mail, an email will become less and less frequent.

COLLEGE DEGREES WILL BECOME OPTIONAL

People will inevitably be required to be life-long learners so the entire education system will collapse and be revamped. Education will remain more important than ever but will be modulized into learning tracks in 3–12-month increments. People will have much more specialized skills.

AGILE WILL DOUBLE UP

The speed of transfer of files, information, currency, and knowledge will double or even triple. Everything is about to get even faster. Technology will see to that.

THE 9-To-5 WILL DIE

No more 2-hour meetings without action. Work will become meticulously results-oriented. Remote working combined with increased demands for efficiency and more sophisticated tools to help will result in a global work-anytime-anywhere culture.

SOFT SKILLS WILL RULE

Since computers will be doing the heavy lifting, we humans will need to be able to fill in the blanks and compensate by our humanity. Advanced communication, active listening, translating complex data into presentable data for C-suite and other stakeholders, behavioral psychology, persuasion, empathy, and troubleshooting are all skills that will become very valuable.

FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT WILL DECREASE

It’s already happening. More large companies prefer to hire contractors to avoid paying for benefits as well as to remain more flexible for market ups and downs. Workers will need to be prepared to work like this long-term, without job security nor stable health insurance.

ADAPTABILITY WILL BECOME THE NORM

The day will come where one specialty will be rare and most workers are multi-skilled. With technology constantly changing, workers will need to be ready to learn new skills and switch specialties or become proficient in multiple areas to remain competitive in the job market.

There is no need to be afraid of the future but it is important to anticipate the skills you will need to thrive in the future of work.

Krista Mollion is a seasoned Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur and the founder of The SASSY Method?, a business blueprint program for online business owners. She teaches how to build a strong brand, develop signature products, and set up robust marketing and sales systems. She is also a mom of 4 and loves the beach, podcasts, and travel.

Join my community of 14k+ growth-oriented, success-hungry people who get my monthly Newsletter.