<p>Careers were always linear, with every worker climbing the corporate ladder, rising from an individual contributor to a manager and then further upwards. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>This structure is now getting outdated.</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Modern careers are spread in all directions and not just vertically. </li><li>There can be horizontal growth, personal growth aligned with company requirements and a shift towards <em>learning </em>on the job, upgrading one’s skill sets.</li></ul>

Career Evolution

<p><strong>Who you know has always been more important than what you know.</strong></p><ul><li>When most of the workforce went remote, the advantage of being close to a senior person who can help in one’s career growth evaporated.</li><li>Now, employers need to keep employees engaged and show that they are invested in their welfare.</li><li>This will create equal growth opportunities for introverts, WFH employees and those out in the field.</li></ul>

Supporting Modern Career Development: 
Level The Playing Field

<ul><li>Employee training and development had been neglected earlier, but teaching the workforce new skills are the biggest drivers of employee engagement and happiness.</li><li>Most CEOs claim training as a big business challenge due to the costs involved and no immediate, tangible results to show.</li><li>They must realize that career progression is not a straight line, but a<strong> multi-directional path happening across various mediums.</strong></li><li>Employees need <strong>democratizing and dynamic growth opportunities based on their passion and interests.</strong></li></ul>

Supporting Modern Career Development: 
Learning And Development

<h2>CEO and cofounder of Gloat Ben Reuveni says careers are no longer ladders—they are lattices of vertical and horizontal opportunities, shaped by personal and professional aspirations, in addition to company needs.
</h2><figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 40em)"><img width="705" height="396" alt="Careers are no longer ladders to climb. Here’s how to develop professionally instead" srcset="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_562, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/08/p-1-careers-are-no-longer-ladders-to-climb-heres-how-to-develop-professionally-instead.jpg 562w, https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_937, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/08/p-1-careers-are-no-longer-ladders-to-climb-heres-how-to-develop-professionally-instead.jpg 937w, https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_1153, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90668481/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/08/p-1-careers-are-no-longer-ladders-to-climb-heres-how-to-develop-professionally-instead.jpg 1153w"></picture></figure><div class="caption">[Source image: utthana Gaetgeaw/iStock]
</div><div dir="ltr"><cite dir="ltr">By Ben Reuveni </cite><span dir="ltr">5 minute Read</span></div><p>When I joined the workforce, careers were linear. Employees were expected to climb the “career ladder,” starting as an entry-level assistant, and working their way up to individual contributor, then to manager, etc., checking off an established set of skills and accomplishments along the way.</p><div>advertisement</div><p>Today, that structure has changed. A sales representative might become your best marketer, a marketer can become an HR leader, and HR leaders can find their passion on the customer success team. I’ve seen this firsthand through Gloat’s talent marketplace platform, through the conversations I’ve had with global business leaders, and through my own experience, moving from a role as a solutions architect at IBM to founding my own company.</p><p dir="ltr">Modern careers are no longer ladders—they are lattices of vertical and horizontal opportunities, shaped by personal and professional aspirations, in addition to company needs. The pandemic only accelerated this trend, igniting our workforce to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/1-in-4-workers-is-considering-quitting-their-job-after-the-pandemic.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/1-in-4-workers-is-considering-quitting-their-job-after-the-pandemic.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1629816312697000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGcTqm266CiVyyv89eHL3KGz4IK5g" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">consider new paths</a>&nbsp;and take on new skills.</p><p dir="ltr">Employee growth is ultimately the biggest driver of organizational growth and innovation, and the cost is higher than ever for companies that neglect the growth of their internal talent:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/labor-shortage-workers-quitting-quit-job-pandemic-covid-survey-monster-2021-7" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.businessinsider.com/labor-shortage-workers-quitting-quit-job-pandemic-covid-survey-monster-2021-7&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1629816312697000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHgWu19KGVD_xy658ZeUBti6-s19g" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">95% of employees</a>&nbsp;are currently considering quitting their jobs, and a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gloat.com/why-we-work/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.gloat.com/why-we-work/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1629816312697000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHnRR0Tm8xA7cacXQiAoeeQpcs6cg" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">survey</a>&nbsp;we conducted at Gloat earlier this year found that the number one reason employees move on is a lack of growth opportunities. One-third (34%) of employees said their company wasn’t utilizing their full potential, and LinkedIn found that employees are nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/state-of-the-manager-report" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/state-of-the-manager-report&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1629816312697000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHjcH71oQXrRiTGuABel2UcXSoeSw" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">3X more engaged</a>&nbsp;when they see opportunities to learn on the job.</p><div>advertisement</div><p>So how can businesses avoid getting left behind by their best talent, and support modern career development? Here’s what we’ve learned through our work at Gloat and our partnerships with some of the world’s most progressive companies and HR leaders, who are writing the playbook for the future of work.</p><h2><strong>Level the (hybrid) playing field</strong></h2><p dir="ltr">For many years, career mobility has often been more about&nbsp;<em dir="ltr">who&nbsp;</em>you know than what you know. Corporations have operated within established, hierarchical structures that encourage silos, and as a result, growth and opportunities often come only to those who are selected for them by someone higher up the chain.</p><p>COVID-19, and the global pivot to a more distributed workforce, has only increased the chances that an organization might miss out on developing key talent simply because of where they sit and who they interact with on a daily basis. Jean Pelletier, VP of digital talent transformation at Schneider Electric, has seen this firsthand. And it’s why she chose to invest in new technologies and processes that give all employees visibility into emerging opportunities within the company, and the agency to pursue them. “If you’re more introverted, or you’re a field sales manager who is constantly out in the market, how you connect with growth opportunities may be different than how people walking around in the office hub access those same opportunities,” she acknowledged. “Technology can help level the playing field and give equal access to all.”</p><div>advertisement</div><p>The dangers of sticking with an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach? You might just lose your best people without even realizing their full potential. “If you have an employee sitting at a small satellite office, far from your primary headquarters, and they aren’t seeing opportunities for growth, they might just leave,” Pelletier said. “But that person might just be your company’s best cybersecurity expert. The most important need for businesses today is: Keep your employees engaged, no matter where they are. It’s incredibly competitive, and you really need to pony up and demonstrate that you’re invested in them.”</p>

CEO and cofounder of Gloat Ben Reuveni says careers are no longer ladders—they are lattices of vertical and horizontal opportunities, shaped by personal and professional aspirations, in addition to company needs.


career

Career

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

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Leadership & Management

CEO and cofounder of Gloat Ben Reuveni says careers are no longer ladders—they are lattices of vertical and horizontal opportunities, shaped by personal and professional aspirations, in addition to company needs.

<p>When I joined the workforce, careers were linear. Employees were expected to climb the “career ladder,” starting as an entry-level assistant, and working their way up to individual contributor, then to manager, etc., checking off an established set of skills and accomplishments along the way. </p>

<p>Today, that structure has changed. A sales representative might become your best marketer, a marketer can become an HR leader, and HR leaders can find their passion on the customer success team. I’ve seen this firsthand through Gloat’s talent marketplace platform, through the conversations I’ve had with global business leaders, and through my own experience, moving from a role as a solutions architect at IBM to founding my own company. </p>

<p>Modern careers are no longer ladders—they are lattices of vertical and horizontal opportunities, shaped by personal and professional aspirations, in addition to company needs. The pandemic only accelerated this trend, igniting our workforce to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/1-in-4-workers-is-considering-quitting-their-job-after-the-pandemic.html">consider new paths </a> and take on new skills. </p>

<p>Employee growth is ultimately the biggest driver of organizational growth and innovation, and the cost is higher than ever for companies that neglect the growth of their internal talent: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/labor-shortage-workers-quitting-quit-job-pandemic-covid-survey-monster-2021-7">95% of employees </a> are currently considering quitting their jobs, and a <a href="https://www.gloat.com/why-we-work/">survey </a> we conducted at Gloat earlier this year found that the number one reason employees move on is a lack of growth opportunities. One-third (34%) of employees said their company wasn’t utilizing their full potential, and LinkedIn found that employees are nearly <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/state-of-the-manager-report">3X more engaged </a> when they see opportunities to learn on the job. </p>

<p>So how can businesses avoid getting left behind by their best talent, and support modern career development? Here’s what we’ve learned through our work at Gloat and our partnerships with some of the world’s most progressive companies and HR leaders, who are writing the playbook for the future of work. </p>

<p>For many years, career mobility has often been more about <em>who  </em>you know than what you know. Corporations have operated within established, hierarchical structures that encourage silos, and as a result, growth and opportunities often come only to those who are selected for them by someone higher up the chain. </p>

<p>COVID-19, and the global pivot to a more distributed workforce, has only increased the chances that an organization might miss out on developing key talent simply because of where they sit and who they interact with on a daily basis. Jean Pelletier, VP of digital talent transformation at Schneider Electric, has seen this firsthand. And it’s why she chose to invest in new technologies and processes that give all employees visibility into emerging opportunities within the company, and the agency to pursue them. “If you’re more introverted, or you’re a field sales manager who is constantly out in the market, how you connect with growth opportunities may be different than how people walking around in the office hub access those same opportunities,” she acknowledged. “Technology can help level the playing field and give equal access to all.” </p>

<p>The dangers of sticking with an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach? You might just lose your best people without even realizing their full potential. “If you have an employee sitting at a small satellite office, far from your primary headquarters, and they aren’t seeing opportunities for growth, they might just leave,” Pelletier said. “But that person might just be your company’s best cybersecurity expert. The most important need for businesses today is: Keep your employees engaged, no matter where they are. It’s incredibly competitive, and you really need to pony up and demonstrate that you’re invested in them.” </p>

Careers are no longer ladders to climb. Here’s how to develop professionally instead

Career Evolution

Supporting Modern Career Development: Level The Playing Field

Supporting Modern Career Development: Learning And Development

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