JMMB Goal Getter series shares keys to thriving in changing job
THE LAST few months have seen several changes taking place in the local and global job market, as a result of the COVID19 pandemic. Locally, thousands of employees have been misplaced, online selling and delivery services have increased in popularity, and remote working has become the ‘new normal’; even as the economy reopened on June 1, with the expiration of the Governmentmandated work-from-home orders.
Individuals are left grappling with how to thrive in the current job market and beyond, as a result of the many rapid changes taking place. During a recent JMMB Goal Getter Live episode, people development experts, Lisa Soares Lewis, chief executive officer of Great People Solutions, and Diana Morgan-Burgess, president of MuchMore Development, outlined two key characteristics to staying marketable – adding value to your organisation and building your soft skills or emotional intelligence.
The experts were joined by resident moderator and chief marketing officer, JMMB Group, Kerry-Ann Stimpson, in exploring the topic,‘Staying Marketable in the Evolving Job Market’, with an online audience during a recent JMMB Group Goal Getter Live (webinar) series episode, on the company’s social media channels.
Morgan-Burgess underscored the need for a positive mindset in the wake of the pandemic, as this will enable employees to be able to see possibilities and solutions to the challenges of living and working with COVID-19. “We have to stay fluid in our thinking, we have to be thinking how we can do it better, more efficiently ... (work in a way) so that we can scale and expand it (easily). When you are constantly bringing value to the table you make yourself ‘unredundantable’,” a term coined by Morgan-Burgess. Soares Lewis added that “this is the time to get new skills and discover your passion”, especially for individuals who have been laid off or have reduced working hours.
UPSKILLING
In sharing pointers on how to make yourself “unredundantable”, Morgan-Burgess outlined, “You have to be upskilling all the time and you want to build on what you already know,” even if you already possess a wealth of experience and knowledge, so that when career advancement opportunities arise, your skills are being tapped. Additionally, she said, “grow your skills so that you can be marketable anywhere”, thereby broadening your options across borders. Various online learning opportunities for upskilling are available, some of which are free, at: Udacity, Udemy, EDX, Coursera, YouTube, LinkedIn Learning, among others.
Morgan-Burgess also reassured individuals that it was never too late to invest in themselves, or to make a shift in their career journey; citing the examples of individuals like the late Joan Duncan, who is known as a pioneer of the Jamaican money market, having started JMMB at 52 years old, and Colonel Harland Sanders, who started the KFC franchise in his 60s.
The JMMB Goal Getter Live series of webinars, held on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., via the company’s social media platforms (YouTube, Twitter and Facebook), explores a range of topical issues, especially those affecting individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, including: homeschooling, investing, wealth building, relationships, moneymaking opportunities, personal branding, and debt management.