Having a clear and well-defined skillset is sure to make your CV that much more attractive to would- be employers. That is, of course, if the position you’re applying for is exactly suited to that skillset. Unfortunately, in the real world, this isn’t always the case. What’s more, the duties imposed by a given job may evolve over time, and you might find yourself occasionally chipping in with other work in order to benefit the whole organisation.
Why Be Adaptable?
Employers, as a consequence, value adaptability. If a staff member is willing and able to pitch in wherever they can help out, then they will be useful in all manner of situations. What’s more, when you’re adaptable, you’ll get more variety in your working life, and thus you’ll ultimately end up more fulfilled.
Adaptability also means being able to embrace new challenges. This will set you apart from the rest of the field, as it’s the ability to face new challenges and successfully conquer them that distinguishes effective leaders. Given that every challenge is, almost by definition, a novel one, adaptability will be required to face each one.
So which career paths are best suited for adaptable professionals? A few stand out as worthy of investigation.
Management
The modern workplace is constantly evolving. A pandemic might mean that procedures have to be altered quickly. But even if the pace of change is slow, it takes good and courageous leadership to be able to identify the direction of travel, and to decide exactly which practices to adopt and which to dispense with.
Human Resources
In HR, you’ll need to interact with, and develop an understanding of, a huge range of different sorts of employee. You’ll need to work out what makes them all tick, and how to get the best from each of them. Moreover, you’ll need to be able to pass this information to the rest of the business. This requires that the HR professional be aware of the broader operations of the business, and of its strategy for the future. Interim HR roles can be incredibly rewarding (not to mention lucrative) for those will the necessary skills and experience. If you’re able to demonstrate your adaptability, and you’re able to hit the ground running, then a position of this nature will probably suit you nicely.
Marketing
Marketers, similarly, must work with a diverse range of clients and projects, and they’ll need to adapt their approach to a market that’s in constant flux. What might have been a fresh and original a few years ago might be stale today. Modern marketing is driven, to an unprecedented extent, by data – and thus professionals in the field today will need to be analytical as well as creative.
