NEWS

Is lifelong employment, like our parents and grandparents had, coming to an end? I, recently, read a really interesting article talking about the shift in career expectations in the current generation, titled, “Adopt a “Whole Career” Strategic Hiring Model,” by Dr. John Sullivan.  As a member of the Y generation, I felt like I could really connect with this article. My parents like many in the baby boomer generation, have been with the same company for the last 30+ years.  Growing up, I thought that I should want the same thing when I entered the job market, but I soon found out that is an unrealistic goal. I found that the best way to grow professionally is to be willing to look for an opportunity based on where I want my career path to take me and constantly evaluate what my next step to success should be.

“This new model is necessary because it fits both the changing loyalty levels and expectations of workers and the evolving way that work is done. The average tenure of the American worker at a single firm is just over four years and Americans may hold between 5 and 10 jobs throughout their career. This process of hiring, losing and bringing back employees requires a hiring model that is more flexible and sophisticated than most firms currently have.”

I also find that the “Whole Career” model that Dr. Sullivan talks about in this article, from a business perspective, makes a lot of sense.  Companies will either adapt and grow to account for this perspective, or they will continually be disappointed and ultimately fail, because fewer employees are willing to conform to the “way things used to be”.  All things must adapt to survive and thrive.  With such a dramatic shift occurring across all industries as new generations take over roles of responsibility, companies and management will be forced to account for this change if they hope to succeed and move forward.  Working 9-5, Monday through Friday for your career is a dying model.  The evolution of new career models is upon us.