Jobs may become obsolete but talent never does...

First of all, I want to commend you for recognizing the problem. Frankly, very few people do. They just blithely assume that as long as they are valued at work and get along with their boss, they will always have a job. Their feeling is, “Why make a change when all is okay?”

So you’ve already taken the most important step: you recognize that your job could become obsolete and you are dealing with the problem now and not waiting until it may be too late.

So now that you’ve overcome the most important hurdle, here’s what I advise you do next:

1. Identify your top three skills that could be updated and improved for a future job.
You have skills that you are using today that can be leveraged for future work. Focus on continued training and education to enhance them.

2. Keep your current skills up-to-date.
Make sure you aren’t letting technology and advancements in your field, pass you buy. Stay on top of the latest trends and identify the key skills that you need to learn or improve to make you competitive in the job market.

3. Network, network, network.
Remember, it’s not who you know, but who knows you. Make sure you are networking with people inside and outside your field so you can leverage their knowledge, contacts and possible job opportunities.

4. Attend industry associations.
Become a regular at associations, conferences and workshops so you can find out what others are doing to keep their skills on the cutting edge. Make sure to ask others what kind of transitioning fields can you pursue? What are the transferable skills that are most marketable for jobs in the future?

5. Do your homework.
There are countless articles in trade journals and on the internet about future job trends. Conduct research to determine where the “hot jobs” will be and the skills required for them.

6. Become an expert in something that is NEEDED in the future.
If you are an expert, it will be wanted by an employer. So, look at where you can become an expert and make sure to be the best at it.

If you are a manager of someone whose position is becoming obsolete, it’s important for you to discuss with them the points above so you are encouraging them to be proactive and have the courage to create opportunities. Also, you can help make introductions to people and companies that could benefit from their current skills. Lastly, as a manager help them see there is hope and opportunities available to them. They need the support from you and will be encouraged by any help you can provide.

And, finally, remind them that jobs may become obsolete, but talent never does.