Last year, over a quarter of US employees told a Dale Carnegie Training survey that they were planning to look for a new job once the clock struck midnight on January 1st 2017; the stats aren’t all that different on this side of the Atlantic either. With the first Saturday of the year being the most popular time to find new work, starting your preparations and doing your research early is essential if you want to posit yourself head and shoulders above the competition.
This means making a start in December; if you’re already happily employed, take a break from the goodwill and festive cheer to work out what it is about your current career path that is unsatisfactory. You could even take the opportunity to discuss what is making you unhappy before your company breaks for the holidays. Whether or not that is possible, consider how you can tailor both your CV and cover letter to each job you apply for. But what careers should you be investigating for 2018?
Find a job that won’t be at risk of automation
It has been predicted that the next fifteen years will see up to half of all jobs becoming automated, a technological evolution which will obviously put many careers at risk. Consequently, as Business Insider notes, the demand for computer systems analyst positions is set to rise by 21% by 2024, as these are the failsafe careers which process the information produced by automated means.
Information systems degrees are one of the most crucial foundations to getting a role in this fast-growing sector, as both draw on technological savvy, critical thinking and problem solving. Providing advice on getting SAP jobs, specialist recruiters Eursap state that the field is already saturated and competitive. So, while it may be rewarding, the career path will require hard work. Among their top tips for success are networking, keeping up to date with developments and becoming fluent other languages. On the latter point, Mandarin Chinese has been highlighted as a particularly desirable additional language.
Find a job which gives back
With next year marking the NHS’s 70th anniversary, higher pressure on rising levels of hospital staff, and a 96% reduction in how many EU nurses are registering to work in the UK following Brexit, there has never been a more important time to get involved with the National Health Service. It’s not just the stricken NHS which is experiencing a level of demand for new staff; medical-related jobs also make up eight of the fifteen fastest growing jobs in America, according to Bloomberg.
It is also worth noting that, while nursing or doctor jobs require years of training and formal qualifications, roles such as personal trainer or medical records technician not only require less training, but are attainable for those without degree qualifications. These positions are likely to need staff on a relatively consistent basis, wherever you are, so if you’re looking to do something for the greater good in 2018, this might be the career path for you.
Find a job finding jobs
With the job market always open, even in the face of rising automation, vacancies in recruitment and human resources jobs are always going to need filling. It has been predicted in some quarters that 85% of the jobs which will exist in 2030 have yet to even be invented, so the recruiters of the future will need to need to be as forward thinking as the job-seekers they are looking to place in work.
One recent survey has also noted that 41% of employers believe that entry-level vacancies are harder to fill than any other; consequently, there will not only be a need for new talent, but the people who can get them there and support them in their new roles. The recruitment market will always be in demand, as people will always been in need of work, so exploring that sector remains a viable career path, whenever you choose to enter into it.
