Emerging Trends in 2007 – the Corporate Wish List and the Successful Careerpreneur’s Strategy

An Article by Sharon Graham, CRS, CIS, CCS, CPRW, CEIP

Graham Management Group

As business professionals, we all need to keep vigilant and focused on our future and that of our employees, colleagues, and clients. In 2007, security, privacy, ethics, transformation, knowledge, and health will be at the top of every progressive organization’s wish list. Moreover, if we want to deliver, we must become unsurpassed careerpreneurs.

This year, Career Professionals of Canada researched a wide variety of Canadian career trends for the development of their most recent certification program, the Certified Career Strategist (CCS) ¹. What we found is that the permanent job, for the most part, is a thing of the past. Due to a shift towards contract, temporary, and part-time work, “company cocoons” do not exist for most people anymore. As a result, to succeed in the workplace, Canadians in the labour market must assume responsibility for their own careers.

What this means is that we must create our own future. To do this, we need to be entrepreneurs of sorts. Becoming a careerpreneur means:

1. Becoming an independent agent working towards our own career success.
2. Scripting our own path versus waiting for someone to write it out for us.
3. Keeping an eye out for emerging and growing opportunities.
4. Proactively taking advantage of our own career development initiatives.

Here is a deeper look at the emerging trends that are on organizations’ wish lists and should be on our radar for 2007:

Trend 1 - Security

Clearly, we have seen a great increase in global terrorism over the last few years. This movement has created deep discomfort for many of us. We recognize the need to feel safe and secure in public and in the workplace. This, of course, is a primary issue for employers. In 2007, we can anticipate growth in jobs that provide security. In fact, we already know that the government will be facilitating more openings for police officers, firefighters, aircraft inspectors, and paramedics. More companies will be hiring security guards to protect the premises. And, of course, broad roles in the areas of corporate security will become greatly valued.

Trend 2 - Privacy

With the onset of the worldwide web, we have seen an alarming increase in Internet identity theft. Protecting the privacy of company, client, and employee information has become paramount. Companies need all aspects of their businesses to be secure. Additionally, the government continues to institute legislation requiring organizations to take on a proactive role in their own privacy. This will be a powerful driver in the evolution of corporate policies, systems, and procedures related to information security and confidentiality. Stringent auditing, data recording, and accounting principles will be more important than ever. So, we can expect that, in 2007, there will be a need for more privacy specialists, audit and accounting control professionals, theft prevention experts, systems analysts, and programmers with expertise ensuring corporate privacy.

Trend 3 - Ethics

These days, there seems to be a regular onslaught of news related to organizational leaders and others who have employed unethical, immoral, and dishonest business practices. To address this, organizations are taking a resolute stand on ethics and ethical work practices. This trend will continue and grow in a big way. Employers are concerned about the honesty and ethics of the people they hire. As a result, companies are even hiring private investigators. On the job search front, candidate interviewing and testing will be more exhaustive. Recruiters will be performing more stringent background checks to uncover false information disclosed in resumes. In 2007, applicants are likely to be Googled and reference checked even before they come in for the interview.

Trend 4 - Transformation

Economic growth continues to give companies the opportunity to invest capital in mergers, acquisitions, and globalization. Corporate change has become the standard, and companies who are to succeed must now embrace continuous transformation. We see business opportunities expanding in China, India, and now, Africa. Work will continue to be off-shored and outsourced, but with this comes a need to develop strong relationships with people globally. In 2007, we will see a shift back to the phone and face-to-face dialogue as an effective means of communication during immense, ongoing change. Leaders who are able to create stability during transformation will be valued tremendously.

Trend 5 - Knowledge

As baby boomers continue to retire from the workforce, a talent drain has started to occur in the labour market. So, for employers, information and knowledge are quickly becoming most important assets of the “new economy.” As a result, organizations are starting to value experience more than ever. Companies will be more open to hiring and retaining older workers who bring years of expertise to the table. To support the need for knowledge, greater government funding for teaching and research is fuelling growth within the education sector. Additionally, cultural diversity will play a bigger role in Canada. Because of the talent drain, employers will need to hire experienced professionals. This is good news for Canadian immigrants, who will finally start to find higher-level opportunities opening up as employers embrace their knowledge, experience, languages, and global savvy.

Trend 6 - Health

On the topic of Canada’s aging population, retiring baby boomers will continue to put a huge demand on the nation's resources, especially in the area of healthcare. In 2007, the healthcare sector will continue to be strong and grow. The aging workforce will require that companies dedicate resources to health and safety. Entrepreneurs and businesses will have many opportunities to support older people by building a stronger “health infrastructure” across Canada. Businesses in the areas of elder care, home healthcare, dental care, and pharmaceutical manufacturing and sales will flourish. The need for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and therapists of all kinds will grow.

As careerpreneurs, we will find that we can leverage these six trends. By focusing our career direction in the areas of security, privacy, ethics, transformation, knowledge, and/or health, we will be virtually opening up unlimited opportunities for professional success.

Ongoing education is one way that we, careerpreneurs, can develop proficiency in one or more of these areas. By marketing our know-how, we can further position ourselves as experts in our areas of choice. Rather than sticking with the traditional resume, we can take ourselves to another level by marketing our expertise using branded, advertising documents. Also, we must learn to exploit the internet in very innovative ways by creating personal websites, interactive portfolios, and career-focused blogs for ourselves. Through this, we cannot forget that developing personal relationships are critical during these times of extensive globalization. And, most of all, we must hold our moral code of authenticity and truthfulness close to our heart and unabashedly exposed for the world to see.

As careerpreneurs, we are the “change leaders” of the world. Our expertise will be the foundation of our career and the organizations that we choose to lead. Here’s to 2007 and beyond!

1-This article was written with special thanks to Career Professionals of Canada’s Certified Career Strategist (CCS) Committee – Paul Copcutt, Angelo Di Giorgio, Theresa Dowsett, Heather Erskine, John-Paul Hatala, Bob Love, and Linda Schnabel.

Sharon Graham is principal consultant for Graham Management Group, executive director of Career Professionals of Canada, and author of Best Canadian Resumes. Graham Management Group is known for excellence and innovation in resume, interview, and career strategy. Sharon assists executives, managers, and other experienced professionals through this leading career consulting firm. You can find further information and articles directly at www.GrahamManagement.com.

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