Work, Skills & Job Trends for 2021 - Interview With Gaby Clyburn (PART II)

Petra

Hi, and welcome back to the future for campus Industry Insight on part 2. We are joined by Gabby Clyburn, who shared some interesting stats facts and figures about the future of work trends, employment trends that we can expect for 2021.

And now we're back with part two, where we talk about that how to choose what do we actually need to do in order for us to create future proof careers and make the year of our career a reality. So welcome back, Gaby.

Gaby:

Thanks for having me. lovely to be here.

Petra:

I was just reflecting on part one, and you were mentioning so many golden nuggets, in terms of how what we can expect from working from home to facing a more competitive talent pool or landscape we need to send out, we need to keep our online presence and profile active.

So the question is also now, what are some of those key thing that we need to focus on in order for us to future proof ourselves?

Gaby:

Good question.

So I think when we think about future proofing ourselves, and I think when I think about, yes, the future of work, is it's all around, I guess, your technology, but I think we mentioned it in the first episode around those soft skills.

So really understanding, you know, emotional intelligence, understanding how to work autonomously, because, again, in this new world, your manager isn't sitting there next to you when you're working from home.

So, you know, that requires actually some skills to actually, you know, how do I set my day up?

That's most productive for me and my family in my lifestyle?

And what does that look like, in a, I guess, an ideal day of productivity efficiency, but also, like progressing?

Like I think that I know that we talk a lot about having a career plan.

And again, in 2020, it was probably the year that people feel like they maybe weren't working towards a career plan or taking steps to promotions, just again, because we weren't naturally having those conversations, or those networking moments at events that we normally would.

So applying a little bit of structure to this new form of flexibility, I think is going to be really important.

And working on things like:

How do we multitask?

2020 was the year of the multitask.

And I know I mentioned earlier for me multitasking was doing my fortnightly meeting with my leader as I went for a walk.

And I think that was great for me, because I do miss the world of you know, having a client meeting in the city and walking to that meeting and walking back.

Because that's that space in the middle, that gives you some time to reflect. And in a world of working from home and zoom meetings, were often back to back to back, which I'm sure you probably are today as well.

And we're really missing that space in between.

So there's a few different strategies that you can look at.

I heard recently at a Deloitte online event, something I really liked, but they only book either 45 minutes, or 25 minute meetings.

And that's a rule they have internally.

So that there's always either five minutes or 15 minutes in between each meeting, just to give you that breathing space to get a glass of water, to go to the bathroom, or get a coffee or reflect on what went well in that meeting, or what you need to do before your next meeting.

So you're not chasing your tail.

And I think these soft skills and that emotional intelligence is going to be really important in the year to come.

And to not only progress in your career, but I guess, you know, maintain our well-being and our mental health, which has been a really another big topic of 2020.

I do think it's going to be as much as of a world of you know, technology and having those hard skills is going to be really important, the soft skills are going to be just important for us to maintain this momentum. And to have that that balance of no working from home, or not living at work as some people have been calling it.

Petra:

I really like this idea of being more structured and also more rigid, actually, with those routines, because it can be so easy to just plan everything.

And then one day feels like the next and the next and we've got nothing to look forward, we don't have those breaks, which were natural.

And it's also a productivity hack to have those proper times to switch between tasks that your brain can get ready for the next task, because otherwise you're just fumbling around searching more than you're actually producing.

So that's a really good rule with the 45 and 25 minutes because it also forces us to be more precise, more on the points. waffling less and appreciating each other's time.

Now, in terms of standing out in part one you were also talking about, one of the most important things that we need to do is to build relationships and to network, it might look a little bit different in 2021, then we used to. So what can we do to build relationships the right way?

Gaby:

Another great question.

So I think when it comes to building relationships, it doesn't have to be a bit of give and take, you know, it can't just be like Petra, I want to meet with you.

I'm watching a podcast, and I want to know, everything that you've done to launch a successful podcast, and then I walk away.

And that's the end of the conversation. I think it's nice to understand things like:

·      What can I offer to Petra?

·      Is there some information that I can have?

·      Or that I can share with her that will add value?

And again, it's a guess, like, you know, the basics of building rapport, you know, what do Petra and I have in common, that's going to build some, I guess, trust in this relationship.

Moving forward, it can be more of that, give and take, rather than I just want to take your time and take your knowledge, and that's it. So I think that's an important one.

When building relationships, it comes back to just that rapport and having a think about, maybe what you can offer that person that you're having a conversation with.

And also, I think, with networking, and again, in the world that we're living in, is stopping in and just asking the person, how are you?

Like, I know that we're here to talk about this business meeting, or this sales proposal or this product we're working on?

But how you going?

It's been a tough year, how is your weekend?

What are your family up to, knowing your family are overseas?

How are they doing?

I think, again, it goes back to these soft skills, but those moments, people will appreciate that. And, again, if it's virtual, sometimes we skip past the pleasantries.

And then, you know, we've got the other side as well, where over zoom, you know, maybe your puppy dog is at the door, trying to get in, or maybe, you know, the baby's crying.

And there is a glimpse of people’s lives that we're seeing that we wouldn't normally at work. So it's having empathy of everyone's situation.

And we're all human. And I think it's really nice to see that.

But not being overly stressed, if someone's a little bit late, because you know, their kids are at home or, you know, you're seeing that side of them.

I think that's something that we can actually really build on. And I guess, yeah, I guess it's a great way to start the relationship. So it's not just that professional, what can I take from this person?

Petra:

I love those tips, because I always forget who said that it but it was a life coach:

“Dig the well before you're thirsty”.

And you're so right, you know, everyone is happy to help. But there also needs to be give and take relationships.

And if I'm only checking in or replying to an email that I sent to 18 months ago, and then you come back, I'm so sorry, I forgot to mention or reply back to you.

But I've got this coming up, or I look for a job. So really, you just want to take advantage of me again? No, thank you.

It comes down to empathy, which actually has been shown for some of those cases in demand research, it's now one of the top three skill sets in demand for you know, post COVID, because we need to be more empathetic with what's happening with others, meeting them where they're at, because everyone going is going through the roller coaster of emotions.

And in order to be our personal best we need to feel safe; we need to feel that we are part of a community before we can actually be the best in the office.

Gaby:

It's such a good point.

Like I know that I often chat to a lot of my colleagues in Melbourne and particularly during the lockdowns, you know, us, you know, here in sunny Brisbane, we were so, so lucky to really get back to some sort of normality, pretty quickly.

And it was so easy, you know, apart from looking at the news, it was it was pretty, pretty easy to forget how hard everyone in Melbourne was really, you know, doing it and it was really tough for them.

So, again, when I was jumping on those zooms, you don't really want to be rubbing it in that you've been at the beach all weekend that you're being at this event or that event and, and taking that time to hear what's going on in that their lives.

And also, you know, what's happening with their family, like, you know, use their partner at work at the moment or is their grandparents sick or whatever it might be?

I think with so much going on, now more than ever, we just need to take a few seconds to think about you know:

·       How are you?

·       What's going on?

·       I'm here if you need me to.

And I think people really, really appreciate that, because it's so easy to just rush to what you need.

Petra

Exactly. And I think it also has levelled out the differences from roles and seniority levels and so forth, because it has literally affected and impacted everyone in one shape or another, some, obviously more than others.

But in the end, you know, nobody could ignore it. And it was definitely a wake up call for many to realize, Oh, my God, I'm actually really grateful for what I've got and where I am.

But then for others, it was also a bit of a wake up call to say, oh, life is too short, I'm in a career that makes me miserable. It's now the time to do something different. And to be honest, I think in terms of creating your own career, there's never been a better time to do it right now.

If you combine what you've done with your strengths and your interests and your personality and then connect it with what does the market needs - This is when you create those commercial opportunities in one way or another

Gaby:

Yeah, absolutely.

The data shows that during a recession, online courses and courses are increasing as people enrolling in those courses, because like you say, you know, sometimes it takes you to hit rock bottom to go, I'm actually not happy doing that. And I actually have the time now to go,

·      What do I want to do?

·      What am I passionate about?

·      What's that thing that I've always wanted to do, but I just never had the chance, because I was so busy.

So I think you're absolutely right, for a lot of people, they have the chance to really actually, you know, think about what they want to do.

And yeah, whether that be multiple things, or a couple of different things, or whether it’s not the traditional nine to five, you know, maybe it’s working at night, because that’s when you’re most creative, or working in the morning.

You can go to the gym at night or on the weekends, or whatever that means.

I think we're really learning that flexibility is different for everyone.

I hope for hiring that this is probably the one thing to remember: having a conversation with someone about flexibility.

And what they need is going to be different to each person, depending on their family and their life and who they are and how they thrive and how they how they work.

I think everyone's a little bit different. And we now have some time to take advantage of that.

Petra:

In the end, it comes down to self-awareness.

What lights me up?

Where do I get energy from what sucks energy from me because we can't rely on our leaders or hiring managers to pass our own way because they nobody knows us better than ourselves.

And it's a good way to stop a second and actually reflect on where it was. And this brings us also probably to our last question to wrap up this series.

How can we future proof our setups?

You also said before, it’s a good time to find our passion. Have you got some tips on how we do this?

Because this is an issue that so many struggled with.

Either they are not passionate about anything or I don't have a passion at all.

Gaby:

I would say try things.

I remember one of my colleagues in Perth, we actually had this conversation. It was really funny because I so I do Olympic weightlifting.

So outside of sport outside of my corporate career. That's, you know, what gives me energy and it's so much fun.

And that's my community of people.

So that's my thing.

Everyone knows I'm the girl that does Olympic weightlifting.

It's always a bit funny because people get shocked, they don't know. And then one of our other colleagues, he was known as he's like a photographer.

He's a drone photographer, and he takes these beautiful pictures. And, you know, in the afternoon, he'll be rushing out to the beach to get a sunset shot, or on the weekends, he'll be going away to these gorgeous, you know, photos, and you had this lovely Instagram page that we could all could enjoy.

And then we had this moment where our, our colleague that we worked really closely with, she was like:

Guys, I don't have a hobby, I feel left out. You're doing all these wonderful things.

What can I do here?

And it's quite funny, because, you know, for me, my hobby has led me to, you know, I coach weightlifting on a Saturday morning.

And again, it's, you know, yes, it's the multiple income streams, but it's more one, I feel like I'm really giving back to the community.

It's doing something that I'm passionate about. And it's again, you know, building that community of network of people that are slightly different to my normal network during the week.

And I know my colleague who was a photographer, he now sells his art online, which again, is you know, people wouldn't expect it. He works at seek.

He's an account manager, he's really successful, but he's got this beautiful passion.

And so we were chatting to our friend and you know, we're like, let's write a list of things that you could try. So we're jumping online, and we're googling you know, Dance and art, and all these different things, just for her to try them.

And what was quite funny as she ended up coming back in and started CrossFit, and she really loved CrossFit. And she never thought she would, she was a mom, she had a three year old, and end up finding something that, you know, naturally, she probably would never have tried.

So I think that trying different things is a really great way to start.

I think if you think about future proofing yourself, in terms of, you know, like I said, short little courses, and it might not be trying like a hobby, but it might be trying some courses to go I've had I learned a lot from that.

But it's not for me, you know, that definitely didn't give me energy was probably more stressful than not.

And then you might try another course.

And you might go wow, I'm really surprised.

That's something that I'm quite interested about.

And then probably the third thing that you can do, that's probably even easier than both of those is have some conversations with people that are in different areas that you think you might like to try.

So yeah, you know, Petra, I'd love to build a podcast, or maybe I want to get into consulting. Let's have a chat. I'd love to pick your brain like what is a day in the life of a consultant or someone that has a podcast?

Where do you spend your time?

And maybe you tell me:

‘Gaby, it's so much editing’, and I'll go oh- I don't like being on the computer for too long, because I get a sore neck that's maybe not for me.

So I think just having conversations with people and understanding what a day in the life looks like, and then taking some steps and putting together a bit of a career plan to go, Okay, well, this is what I have, these are all my transferable skills. And then these are the things that I don't yet have.

These are the skills that I want to get.

So whether that's doing some courses, or whether that's maybe working on some projects, within your current role, you know, chat to your leader about your career plan. And you know, if there are some opportunities, when you have some spare time to work with the marketing team, or work with the go to market team or the strategy team to build some of those gaps or shadow or those sorts of things.

Petra:

I love all those tools, because they're so practical. And, you know, you said before:

Just take action, because clarity doesn't just come from thinking about it, it's coming from taking action, experiencing it and having the first hand exposure to it.

Because often ideas are so romantic in our head, and then we are doing is like ‘Oh God, I have a very different idea of what is reality’, and the same with asking people what it's like, because this in the end is what pivoting is all about.

It comes from the basketball environment where you've got one foot where you are now and with the other one, you're tipping back and forth and say, I'm trying this doesn't work. Now I'm trying this.

It's better, rather than just going all in.

And this is where so many people are getting tripped over that to say, oh, but if it's not the right thing, they're too scared of taking action.

This is where they get stuck. And it just doesn't get them anywhere, and they stay where they are, and are not happy.

Again, thank you so much for incredible practical advice. This is what we love on this show.

Where can everyone find you and for you and learn from what's happening in the market what we need to do?

Gaby:

Absolutely. So you can find me on LinkedIn. So Gabrielle Clyburn.

If you want to see some weightlifting, you can follow me at giftofthegab_weightlifter on Instagram. There's a very nice mix of weightlifting photos. t which is another area that I'm very passionate about, yes, tea like tea to tea leaves.

And then some corporate lunches thrown in there as well. So you can find me there.

You can reach out to me on LinkedIn, if you want to go into any more data I do, you know, post a lot of the same data that we get. But thank you so much for having me. It's been it's been really fun chatting.

Petra:

Thank you so much. And I'm looking forward to learning more about your journey and how you built your brand because you clearly living the best practice methods on having multiple interests, feeling multiple in income streams and filling your skill sets and network. So thank you for being the role model and thank you so much for being here.

Gaby:

No worries. Thanks, Petra.

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