Help your Clients to Become CareerPreneurs
By Sharon Graham.
The world is constantly evolving and, to survive and thrive, your clients need to become CareerPreneurs.
“We are living in a time of change. Many of our clients are faced with the daunting task of navigating their way through the many challenges and opportunities found in the new world of work. Because of shifting market trends and worker values, the Career Strategist will play a pivotal role in helping clients take on a more “careerpreneurial” attitude.”
Angelo Di Giorgio, CPC Member
Career Professionals of Canada’s Certified Career Strategist Study Manual
To succeed in today’s labour market, clients need to shift their attitude toward the workplace. The whole concept of ‘jobs’ is getting replaced by the concept of ‘work’. For most Canadians, there may not be a “guaranteed for life” job; however, there will always be an opportunity to build a career.
Help your client to change their approach to career development, career transition, and career management. Rather than focusing on working “for” someone, they should consider that they are working “for” themselves. By taking the perspective of being a small business of one (ie. Me Inc.) they can becoming more engaged in their own career and create a more meaningful future.
Here is what you need to do to help your clients become CareerPreneurs:
- Empower them to become an independent agent. They should define who they are completely independently of their job title, organization, or other people’s beliefs and opinions.
- Help them to understand why creating and scripting their own career path is much more effective than waiting for someone to write it out for them.
- Give them an understanding and access to Labour Market Information (LMI) so that they can become proactive and continuously keep an eye out for emerging and growing opportunities.
Help your clients to become more successful by embracing these CareerPreneurial competencies:
- Flexible – they are versatile, mobile, fast, and fluid
- Innovative – they are unconventional thinkers, with no preconceived concepts
- Productive – they are vigilant, passionate, and engaged
- Opportunistic – they are always on the lookout for windows of opportunity
- Well-informed – they know their own strengths and their working environment
Introspection is a good first step. It might be useful for your clients to ask themselves:
- What can I do for an employer?
- Where can I add value?
- What are my unique gifts and talents?
According to The Canadian Career Strategist, Career Professionals of Canada’s Certified Career Strategist (CCS) eGuide, “To be a successful Career Strategist, and to engage your clients as careerpreneurs, you need to understand the external economic and social landscape; educating yourself about the new work and career realities and knowing what you need to do to ensure your clients’ continued marketability.
Thank you for reading my blog! Please email me if you spot any errors in this post.