STRIKES and inflation have made summer feel like the 1970s but to get ahead in work, look forwards not backwards.
Experts estimate up to 15million jobs could be taken over by AI and automation by the 2030s, with roles for cashiers and store workers among those most at risk.
So which jobs could futureproof your career?
Jimmy McLoughlin from Jobsofthefuture.co shares his top picks.
1. COMMUNITY MANAGERS: Brands are turning to their customers and their own workforce to be ambassadors for their products. A community manager helps to build a team of advocates for a company. It is a great job for those who consider themselves a “people person”.
2. FACILITATORS: Born from the hybrid and working from home culture, facilitators host internal workshops with remote and in-office workers, so firms can maximise the impact of ideas from all staff.
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3. UI/UX DESIGNER: With so many companies selling online, a user interface or user experience designer is the equivalent of a shop layout designer, making websites easy to navigate.
4. CONTENT CREATOR: Being an influencer isn’t just about posing on Instagram. Creative types can find work as digital marketers, creating viral ideas that attract customers on TikTok and LinkedIn to new and emerging platforms.
5. LEARNING DESIGNER: Modern firms have to upskill staff to remain competitive. Learning designers are “corporate teachers” who help workers to retrain as the jobs market changes.
6. AUDIO AND VIDEO EDITORS: Podcasts and videos are booming but professional products are more complex to make. A good editor can be self-taught on a programme like Audacity.
7. DATA CRUNCHING: Looking at the numbers allows firms to calculate demand for products. You can earn £40k but you’ll need good maths results.
8. SOFTWARE ENGINEER: These people ensure that websites work and can keep up with the changing nature of what companies and customers are doing.
A DOZEN top employers, including BT and NatWest, have announced that they will recognise Google career certificates for those seeking hi-tech roles.
The online training is available in five fields – data analytics, digital marketing, IT support, project management and user experience design – and are the equivalent of level 4 qualifications. Trainees study flexibly online, typically for three to six months.
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said: “Businesses are crying out for people with high-quality tech and digital skills.
“Google certificates are a brilliant way for more people to gain the skills to secure great jobs.”
Find out more by visiting bit.ly/3QLOA1d
FED up with the old-fashioned interview process which can take months? Then get yourself hired in minutes with Pixel Interview.
The new service allows recruiters to ask four to six questions.
Candidates then record answers via video in the platform to create an instant interview, along with uploading their CV.
Platform founder Arthur Bialowas explains: “The service slashes the time recruiters need to spend sifting through CVs and calling candidates to interview.
“Being able to jump straight into a pre-recorded visual interview gives hiring managers a far stronger sense of who is right for the role than reading through a conventional application form.”
You can find out more about it at pixelinterview.com/free-trial.
THE BODY SHOP is “open hiring”. If you are authorised for UK work, can lift 11kg and work eight-hour shifts, apply at careers.thebodyshop.com.
STAYING relevant means boosting your soft skills – the things computers cannot do.
Bernard Marr, author of Future Skills: The 20 Skills And Competencies Everyone Needs To Succeed In A Digital World, tells you how to stay ahead.
1. THINK CRITICALLY: In this era of fake news and information overload, it is one of the most vital soft skills. Analyse situations based on evidence rather than opinions and you’ll make better decisions.
2. UNDERSTAND OTHERS: Empathy, the ability to see someone else’s perspective, is a key component of emotional intelligence. Such a person is aware their feelings influence their behaviour and impact those around them and can manage those emotions.
3. WORK ON COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK: As teams evolve to include hybrid workers, fully remote workers, contractors and employees from within the business who “float” between projects and teams, we will need collaborative skills.
4. EMBRACE CHANGE: In the future, we’ll have to contend with new technologies, rising automation, a rapidly evolving pace of work and business disruption. Adaptability – the ability to adjust to new conditions – is key to this. Adaptable people are open-minded, curious, willing to change and learn new things and focus on opportunities.
5. IMPROVE DIGITAL LITERACY: This covers the digital skills needed to learn, work and navigate everyday life, from using devices and apps with confidence to staying safe online.
SHEPPER.COM, a side-hustle app, is paying users to test websites and carry out mystery shopping.
