3 big challenges to imagining the future of work

3 big challenges to imagining the future of work3 big challenges to imagining the future of workBack when I was in my 20s and about to step into the real world, there was no discussion about working remotely, or wanting to be mentored.Im 41 years old now, but back in the90s, there was a completely different set of expectations about work. You got smacked around. You paid your dues. You worked hard and didnt expect your employer to give you life advice or guidance as to how you could climb the ladder faster. Thats what college was for- at least, thats what employers expected it to be.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreBut todays workplace looks nothing like it did twenty or thirty years ago.In some ways, the changes are obviousworking remotely, for example, being the product of todays new digital landscape.In 2017, The New York Times reportedthat 43 percent of employed Americans spe nd at least some time working remotely. Then,in 2018, CNBC reportedthat 70% of people globally work remotely at least once per week. Thats a lot of people not showing up to an office (which, ten years ago, was a non-negotiable requirement).But working remotely, for example, is just the tip of the iceberg.The truth is, some of the biggest workplace shifts have much more to do with education and communication.We now live in a world thats determined by signals.Where you went to school. Who youre connected to on LinkedIn. How many followers you have on Instagram. All of behauptung things communicate, at a glance (and at scale), who someone is and where they fit into the hierarchy in society.Sometimes, we forget things didnt use to be this way. Back in the old days, resumes couldnt be crawled at scale using LinkedIn data and its ilk, and it was mucksmuschenstill possible for you to randomly connect with someone on a train- or interview with a company simply because they didnt know any be tter.But thats not how the working world operates anymore. Contrast that to today and, Over 80 percent of employers and 90 percent of recruiters review social media profiles sometimes or all the time for insight on candidates, according to a recruitment study byThe Martec Group.Yet, with all these new digital tools at our disposal, 63% of recruiters report an inability to find qualified candidates as their primary challenge.The reason is that the future of work is going to be dependent upon more than some simple qualification parameters.With the rise of automation, weve now created a workforce built upon keywords.When a recruiter is looking for a candidate, theyre plugging a few parameters into a technology tool or platform (college, degree, years of experience, previous title, etc.). Theyre looking for the tool to tell them who they should be looking for, which inherently rules out any and all spontaneity. It fundamentally removes the option for a candidate that may not have any of those relevant keywords in their background, but culturally might be the perfect fit for your organization. Thats the world we live in today- and even though weve removed a lot of areas with friction with these digital tools, the entire process of discovering meaningful connections is still largely broken.These are the problems I find myself thinking through with my team atOlmo, as we imagine what a world ofmeaningfulconnections looks like in the digital age.Here are the 3 big challenges we feel must be overcome in order to reimagine the future of work1. Success begets success, which means someone who is just starting out struggles to get ahead.The rich get richer is a cliche because, well, its true.In modern day society, previous success has a disproportionate impact on future success, meaning that if you have proven yourself once its even easier to earn a second at bat (and so on, and so forth). For anyone whohasntyet experienced some level of success, this is a huge hurdle to ov ercome.There are usually two big hurdles that keep people from being able to level up professionally.The first is getting your foot in the door in the first place. Young people often struggle to get the jobs they truly want because fruchtwein companies dont want to inherit the risk of training someone new. Instead, they require 2+ years of experience, even for most entry-level positions. But how is a recent college graduate or someone who just finished a Masters program supposed to have two years of experience?The second is, most people experience traction in their careers before they even know whether theyre doing something they enjoy in the first place. They graduate. They take a job. They get a promotion or two. And then by the time they realize how the game works, theyre too far gone. They would need to start completely over if they wanted to do something different, and the risks that come with that cause most people to accept their path in life and continue forward.So, how do y ou solve both of these issues?Networking.Many of the most valuable skills in life and in geschftlicher umgang are soft skills communication, relationship management, leadership, etc. Which means, if the system is not currently designed to help people maneuver and take control of their careers, then the only other way to advance and overcome some of these hurdles is to make meaningful connections with people with influence. We already know networking is the reason some people get terrific jobs right out of college and others dont. Were already aware of the power behind the cliche business phrase, Its all about who you know.This is problem number one were thinking about as we designOlmo.2. Companies are becoming more and more focused on short-term hires, which means employees need to be focused on acquiring transferable skills.Todays job market is sending a very clear message to todays younger generationsThe roles people are hiring for today, wont be the roles theyre hiring for tomorr ow.In 2016,Pew Research Center published a fascinating reporton the state of American jobs. And while its full of incredibly impactful takeaways, one of the most obvious is our workforces desire to continue their own personal growth. According to the report, More than half (54%) of adults in the labor force say it will be essential for them to get training and develop new skills throughout their work life in order to keep up with changes in the workplace. Thats a significant amount of people who are aware that what theyve been hired to dotodaymight not be all that necessary in the future.On top of that, 35% of workers, including about 27% of adults with at least a bachelors degree, say they dont have the education and training they need to get ahead at work. 45% of employed adults say they got extra training to improve their job skills in the past 12 months.So, what does this data tell us?A recentWall Street Journal article put it eloquently Instead of teaching new skills to their c urrent workers, employers often choose the disruption and high costs of layoffs or buyouts. Which means, regardless of whether youre an entry-level employee, a middle manager looking to make a career change, or a seasoned VP trying to become a leading executive, its not going to be the company that gives you the skills required to move up the ladder. Its going to be you- and in your own time.All of this to say, as more and more companies look to automate tasks, and shortcut internal training, its going to be the human social skills that become the real business advantages. Skills like being able to seek out and learn from someone who already possesses the skill youre looking to acquire. Being able to display value through a meaningful conversation. Being able to pick up on subtle social cues, and understand peoples pain points without needing them to be pointed out in the first place.As the future of work solidifies itself as digital, its going to be the fundamental human skills tha t remain most relevant.3. In the increasingly distracted and isolated digital age, people who understand how to form meaningful connections will have the advantage.Consuming social media is far from social activity.The truth is, many people consume social media by themselves. They feel as though theyre logged in to a big party when in reality, theyre sitting on the couch at home by themselves. Its a deceiving experience and one that creates the illusion that were meeting people and connecting with (or following) each other.But talk to anyone who has built an incredibly powerful network, and chances are, they see social media as white noise.Because the most meaningful connections in life come through genuine conversation. They happen over dinner, or a night out trading stories. They happen through an introduction from a close friend or a close co-worker. They are nurtured over time, and they usually turn into some sort of friendship, and in the end, thats why theyre so valuable. Both parties have invested time and energy into building it.As the world continues in this direction of social media, its going to be the closed or vetted social networks that add the most value to peoples lives (which is actually the core reason why were launchingOlmoas an invite-only platform). But more than that, its going to be the individuals who invest in bringing these online connections, offline, that possess the greatest professional advantage.People want to help people they know and have formed some sort of bond with. Plain and simple.This article first appeared on Minutes Magazine.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people