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#BestofFSCBlog :Got Kids? Important Skills to Develop for Success in 2020 & Beyond. Must Read!

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For workers across all sectors, the ground is shifting quickly. The way that people used to build lasting careers, often through becoming “deep domain experts,” is no longer enough to guarantee a future. New technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are supplanting many traditional roles and changing many others. As the McKinsey Global Institute puts it,

“All workers will need to adapt as machines take over routine and some physical tasks.”

This doesn’t have to be bad news. In fact, the changes underway can bring new, exciting opportunities for everyone who’s ready and willing to grow and develop new skills. 

Through my work at Filtered, a company that takes a technological and human approach to recommending learning opportunities, I’ve come to see which skills are indispensable — and most likely to empower you to succeed in the decade ahead.

Understanding ‘power skills’

For years, workers have been hearing that data science and other related skills are in extremely high demand. (“You probably should have majored in computer science,” Quartz once said in a headline.) 

That demand remains. Organizations need technological know-how to stay on top of new trends and to try to fend off against disruption. But these are no longer the skills companies need most.

The most important skills today are those that are usually called “soft” skills. Now, some call them “power” skills or “behavioral” skills.

These skills include collaboration, communication, creative thinking, work ethic, teamwork, networking, decision making, positivity, time management, motivation, versatility, problem-solving, critical thinking, and conflict resolution.

“Executives’ views regarding the priority of critical skills have taken a turn from digital and technical to behavioral,” IBM’s Institute for Business Value reported recently in a survey of thousands of executives. The top four skills that executives deem most critical for today’s workforce are: agility; time management; teamwork and effective communication.

How to Identify and Develop Soft Skills

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Why these needs will last 

Change is happening at an unprecedented pace, as technological progress (including digital transformation) and global political unrest make for a highly unpredictable world. Smart businesses recognize that it’s very difficult to know how they’ll have to pivot in the future. Change really is the only constant.

At a time like this, what organizations need most are individuals and teams that can adapt and grow, helping the business to survive and even thrive. This is why developing a “growth mindset,” an ability to act mindfully, and a high level of resilience have become much more pragmatic and important than ever. All these power skills can, in fact, be learned and improved. 

In-demand technical skills

Of course, traditional skills, sometimes called “core skills,” will also continue to give you a leg up over competitors as you work to build a career, so it’s important not to neglect them. The IBM survey found that the most critical are “analytics skills and business acumen,” followed by “technical core capabilities for STEM” and “basic computer and software/application skills.” That last category includes Excel, which I advise everyone to become proficient at.

Interestingly, foreign language proficiency is in IBM’s top 10 as well. Even with technologies like Google Translate helping people have conversations across different languages, the ability to effortlessly communicate with people around the world and understand nuances and turns of phrase can go a long way in helping build relationships — which remain the purview of humanity, not machines.

Impressive Skills to Include on Your Resume

How to learn

The world is filled with learning resources, from articles to TED Talks, podcasts, infographics, well-chosen Twitter accounts and, of course, books. Fortunately, many companies are investing heavily in making resources available for their employees. Just as importantly, some businesses are carving out time in workers’ schedules to allow them to develop new skills.

Still, for workers this process can seem overwhelming. With a world of resources available, where do you begin? 

Some top employers are taking new steps to help with this. Understanding the need to offer long-term career paths, they’re starting to focus their learning resources specifically on the kinds of skills they need. They’re aligning their self-directed learning cultures with changes underway inside the business. They’re saying to employees: here are the skills we expect we’ll continue to need in the years ahead. And here are some tools to help you learn them. It’s as though, rather than being dropped into a field of learning and told to walk in any direction, employees are given a digital map with GPS and multiple destinations available.

I recommend that workers actively take advantage of these opportunities. And when you interview with new companies, ask them about their skill needs and learning resources. The more you show an interest in developing the skills needed for the future, the more desirable a candidate you become — and any company will be lucky to have you.

Author: Marc Zao-Sanders is co-founder and CEO of Filtered, which helps individuals and companies learn to become more productive. 

 

GlassDoor.com | January 6, 2020

#CareerAdvice : #FutureTrends – 5 Personality Traits That Will Help You Compete In A Changing Economy. Best Two(2) Min Read!

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As a job candidate, you might be checking all the boxes when it comes to the right skills, job experience and day-to-day work, but as it turns out, your personality also plays into your career success. In fact, studies suggest that unique personality traits are directly related to job performance.

“The world of work is changing rapidly. Globalization, automation, the gig economy, among other factors are all contributing not only to the skills required for success but to the personality types that will prosper,” says Ron Mitchell, founder and CEO of Virgil Careers, a talent development and recruiting platform that helps job seekers land and succeed in their dream roles. As a career expert, Ron has helped thousands of students and professional secure jobs, transition careers and advance.

“While we find all types of personalities in the workplace today, there are certain personality traits that position you better (or worse) for advancement in the future world of work,” continues Ron. But which personality traits will help you thrive? Here are just some of the personality traits that are prone for success within the current workplace:

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Adventurousness

Willingness to travel, live abroad and meet people from different backgrounds are all assets in a global economy. Adventurous candidates are more likely to take risks in their careers, choosing less stable but more innovative companies that can really foster their growth. They might also be more willing to develop new skills, enabling them to work cross-functionally.

Assertiveness

Assertive personalities will be successful due to their willingness to pursue innovative solutions. They are more likely to launch initiatives within their companies because of their ability to convince (with stats and information) to support their ideas.

Creativity

Creative personalities will remain competitive and thrive in a global economy. Such employees are more likely to keep pace with ever-changing demands within the workplace and tackle new challenges that they can solve creatively.

Perceptiveness

Perceptive employees will be able to make sense of observations and new information, and apply them to finding solutions. They will also more easily adapt to foreign environments and effectively engage with people from different backgrounds.

Industriousness

Industrious personalities will be the most determined in pursuing access to new information, networks of people and learning opportunities. These employees will continue to enrich themselves professionally, but also contribute to their company’s growth.

Author: Shelcy V. Joseph

I am what you could call a multipotentialite—someone with different passions and interests. I dabble in different things, but at the core of everything I do is creative …

Forbes.com | July 29, 2019

#CareerAdvice : What You Need to Know About the Future of the #Job Search . A #MustRead for All!

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Searching for a new job and finding the right person for a role is undeniably a task within itself for job seekers and talent acquisition professionals alike.

From writing a compelling resume to nailing an interview and tracking candidates to securing an offer, there’s quite a deal of heavy lifting involved for all parties.

Even more, the advent of new technologies continues to redefine the job search landscape and talent industry. Every day, the ecosystem gradually evolves as candidate and employer demands continue to shift.

The future of the job search is still on the horizon, but a few things are for sure. People can expect trends like artificial intelligence, online personas and mobile applications to continue to transform our world.

AI: Enabling Productivity & Improving Recruiting Relationships

It would be amiss to not acknowledge the emergence of artificial intelligence in the hiring and job search space. Automation is already making waves today with chatbots, screenings, applicant tracking systems and intelligent interviews.

As employers continue to use machine learning to refine their recruitment process to find the perfect candidate, job seekers will have to rise to the challenge of adapting to emerging technologies. Candidates will have to become more comfortable with interacting with machines, from writing bot-friendly resumesto speaking to them throughout the hiring process.

While technology will enable efficiency within the hiring process by freeing up the time to complete mundane tasks, candidates and recruiters can also await more opportunities for face time and meaningful relationships.

“AI will never replace human recruiters in our industry, but it will enable recruiters to spend more ‘human’ time with candidates,” said Denis Edwards, Kforce Chief Information Officer.

Popular Companies Using AI to Interview & Hire You

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Candidates Are Treating the Job Search Like an Online Shopping Experience

Now more than ever, job seekers are treating the job search like a shopping experience, using an average of 16 to 18 sources when looking for a job. They’re doing their due diligence to make informed decisions with prospective employers. Even more so, candidates are increasingly becoming aware of an employer’s brand and reputation.

The job search of the future will continue to see this trend, with job hunters seeking out more content to learn about companies and their open positions. Peer review sites like Glassdoor and social media platforms will be used to gather an insider’s perspective within a company and how employees perceive an organization.

“Companies with a competitive advantage are sharing compelling content (not just posting jobs) that adds value — including why working at their organization is different than working at similar companies, which helps guide a candidate’s decision to apply or accept an offer,” said Allison Kruse, Kforce Director of Content & Social Media.

Online brand awareness and management will be critical for employers and recruiters who wish to attract active and passive candidates. For any organization looking to attract talent, the job seeker’s trust will be the ultimate goal.

On a similar note, branding and online reputation will be equally as important for candidates searching for a job.

Online Professional Branding Will Be King

Gone are the days of requested references validating your professionalism and skill sets being enough for prospective employers. We now live in a digital world where a job seeker’s online presence is just as important as the coveted resume.

There’s a growing desire among employers to experience candidates in 3D — on paper, in person and online. They’re Googling your name and will be for the foreseeable future. Candidates who want to land a job in the future will have to create the digital footprint employers want to see.

Job seekers should optimize their professional brand by showcasing commitment to their work, highlighting professional achievements, curating industry content and more.

“Your professional brand plays a pivotal role in your career. Regardless of if you are currently looking for a new job or not, it is important to strategically design and actively manage your digital persona,” Kruse said.

“Future Proof Jobs” & the Return of Job Security

In recent years, millennials entered the workforce and demanded job flexibility, career paths and stewardship. Currently entering the market is Gen Z — individuals born during the mid-‘90s to the early millennia. This generation now desires job stability in contrast to millennial job hopping.

Emerging workers will likely seek roles that are practical, staple and in high demand across various industries like health care, technology and finance. In turn, employers should prepare to offer training and development opportunities to foster career growth to attract future job seekers.

In fact, 7 out of 10 people say that training and development opportunities influence their decision to stay with a company.

“Managers must ensure that there is an investment strategy aligned to training and development priorities. This can come through resources such as enhanced learning management and enablement tools, data analytics, surveys and more,” said Ashley Ehlinger, Kforce Director of Training and Development.

9 Companies That Offer Incredible Professional Development Programs

The Only Apply Is Mobile Apply

With the onset of the digital age, mobile devices continue to rise in popularity. The trend has created a new phenomenon that’s only expected to grow — applying to jobs on the go.

Nearly 79 percent of millennials use their phones to apply to jobs, with Gen Xers trailing behind at 73 percent and Baby Boomers at 57.2 percent.

Mobile apply jobs allow job seekers to save time by conveniently and quickly applying to jobs within minutes on their highly-accessible smartphones. Free mobile apps like Dropbox and Google Drive are excellent choices for candidates to store their resume to apply on the go easily. Downloading job apps and creating profiles also assists candidates in making the job application process as easy as one click.

Ultimately, the convenience of mobile platforms should encourage employers, recruiters and candidates to think mobile-first and consider how they can use mobile platforms to improve efficiencies in the application and hiring process.

In the future to come, job seekers and hiring professionals can anticipate technology to continue to revolutionize the job hunt and improve productivity. From chatbots to online branding and more, it’ll be up to professionals to take advantage of emerging tools to continue to grow throughout the employment journey and stay ahead of the competition.

 

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Your #Career :The #FutureOfWork – How to Prepare your Kids for Jobs that Don’t Exist Yet…. #ArtificialIntelligence will Rule the Jobs of the #Future , so Learning How to Work with It Will be Key. But the Skills Needed Might Not be What you Expect.

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With total robot domination seemingly impending, preparing the next generation for the future of work can feel like a lost cause. But fear not, the future may be brighter than expected.

“There’s three job opportunities coming in the future,” says Avi Goldfarb, coauthor of Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence. He divides them up into people who build artificial intelligence, people who tell the machines what to do and determine what to do with their output, and, finally, celebrities. This last category comprises actors, sports players, artists, writers, and other such luminaries surrounding the entertainment industry.

A 2017 report from Gartner concludes that artificial intelligence will create more jobs than it kills. In particular, the report singles out healthcare and education as areas ripe for growth. But the handling of artificial intelligence is where Goldfarb thinks an overwhelming number of those new jobs will be created.

“We’re moving toward more equality of opportunity,” says Goldfarb, noting the steady increase in overall access to technological tools. “But that doesn’t mean equality of outcomes.”

He thinks even human-centric positions in nursing and education will require a proficient understanding of artificially intelligent tools as the technology becomes a more routine facet of those jobs. For example, to assist with home healthcare for elderly populations, little robots have emerged to help patients remember to take their medications or go for a walk. These bots are still nascent, but it’s not hard to imagine a world in which nurses have to understand how to help patients set reminders or even be able to communicate with these devices remotely as a way of checking in on a patient as part of their jobs.

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“The most valuable combinations of skills are going to be people who both have good training in computer science, who know how the machines work, but also understand the needs of society and the organization, and so have an understanding of humanities and social sciences,” he says. “That combination, already in the market, is where the biggest opportunities are.”

Related: Welcome to the first day of work for the class of 2025

HUMANITIES

So how does one prepare to lead these artificially intelligent machines into the new world? Oddly enough, a liberal arts education might be the best antidote to automation, says Goldfarb. While he believes that most people will need a basic understanding of computer science, he thinks that studying art, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, and neuroscience could be key to preparing for the future. These studies will help young people to have a broad range of knowledge that they can use to put artificial intelligence to its best use.

Experts who study the future of work agree that our ability to make sense of the world is our biggest asset in the wake of automation. While artificial intelligence is good at narrow, repetitive tasks, humans are good at coming up with creative solutions. Anything you can do to get your child thinking creatively will no doubt help prepare her for joining the working world.

DON’T SPECIALIZE

In addition to embracing the humanities, Amir Orad, CEO of business analytics software Sisense, says that children should be multidisciplined. “Our tradition of schooling from the Industrial Age makes you really, really good at one thing,” he says. “I think that’s very dangerous for the next generation.”

Parents should encourage kids to be good at more than one thing as a way of being flexible, he says. By choosing interdisciplinary courses of study, kids will not only develop a variety of skills, they’ll also be knowledgable about more than one subject area, giving them some adaptability as jobs change. Another way to think about it? Try out a lot of different stuff. Having a variety of experience will prove valuable in the future, he says.

Related: These are the 5 “super skills” you need for jobs of the future

STAY TECH SAVVY

One more piece of advice from both Goldfarb and Orad is to expect the unexpected. “Fifty years ago, the idea that people would be social media marketers wasn’t imaginable,” says Goldfarb. Artificial intelligence and automation will change the jobs landscape in ways that can’t be anticipated. Kids should be engaged with both culture and the latest technology, he says. Whether that means engaging on a new social media app or learning how to edit video for fun, kids should be allowed to play intuitively with technology.

Because of how cheap technology has gotten, Goldfarb says, this means that more people have more access to the kinds of technology and tools that will prepare them for the future. However, that doesn’t mean that all kids will be on equal footing in this technologically advanced future. There are still pockets of the U.S. without quality internet. The Federal Communications Commission reports that 24 million people don’t have high-speed internet. Meanwhile, roughly 11% of Americans don’t have broadband at all, according to PEW.

“We’re moving toward more equality of opportunity,” says Goldfarb, noting the steady increase in overall access to technological tools. “But that doesn’t mean equality of outcomes.”

 

FastCompany.com | June 27, 2018 | BY RUTH READER 3 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : Digital Transformation- In A World Where Data Rules, All Companies Are Tech Companies…Whether You Are on Board or Not, the Data Revolution has Made #TechCompanies out of All of Us. 

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We are sitting smack dab in the middle of the data revolution. Every single company regardless of size or industry has the ability to collect data—on supplies, on inventory and of course, on consumers, just to name a few. And it’s no secret that data can aide in decision making and increase the productivity of our business operations. Whether you are on board or not, the data revolution has made tech companies out of all of us. 

In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by Tech Pro Research, almost all of the respondents said their company collected data to glean business insights. The difference between them? Every company used a different piece of technology to get to those insights. Let’s take a look at how data revolution has helped companies change.

Collection, Storage and Analysis? Technology Can Help

Thanks to the incubator that is the tech world, we have nearly unlimited options when it comes to tech products for our businesses. We aren’t simply sending emails or pushing out surveys anymore. Instead, we are watching open rates of those emails and measuring response rates of those surveys. 

How are companies around the world making the switch from simply doing to analyzing? They are using technologyto collect, store and analyze for them AND in a world where data security and privacy are becoming increasingly critical they are actively investing in making sure they use the data appropriately and invest in technology and partnerships to protect the data they collect. 

Collect

Remember when we used to take down critical information on pen and paper? We have come such a long way. Sensors are everywhere and are collecting critical information for us. Someone doesn’t have to stand in the warehouse and count the boxes or the number of products. The sensors are doing the work.   

Businesses are also using RFID sensors in key fobs, wristbands and more to gather information about consumers as well as products. Sensors placed within each product in a warehouse can be tracked and monitored. Or, perhaps a retailer would like to know how much milk is flying off the shelf. RFID sensors are perfect for gathering physical data such as this. 

IoT sensors using machine learning capabilities are changing the way businesses make changes to their products, marketing strategy and UX. For example, a sensor within a warehouse can tell whether the temperature is right for the product. If it isn’t, it will change it and notify the correct party. Your local grocery store can all but guarantee that the produce that was shipped from a warehouse three states over was always kept at the right temperature thanks to sensors. That’s pretty cool if you ask me. 

Store

For data storage, the cloud is still the king. Businesses are able to increase or decrease their storage capacity depending on the data they are collecting. The cloud does not take up on-premise space and it is cost-effective and scalable. I’m sure I don’t need to go on and on about the benefits of the cloud because like most businesses you probably have data stored on four to five clouds.

Other businesses are taking advantage of Data as a Service or DaaS companies that store the data and then make it available for businesses. DaaS benefits include the ability to move data from one platform to another, the lack of repetitive and multiple versions of data, outsourcing of the presentation aspect of data storage, easy collaboration and accessibility from any location and any device. 

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Analysis 

The most critical part of using data isn’t the collection or the storage. Data would not be useful without the analysis. Companies are beginning to invest in technology such as deep machine learning and artificial intelligence to help them get the most out of their data. AI allows businesses to analyze natural language, data relevancy, relationships and anomalies within data sets. A person doesn’t need to sift through the data to find patterns, a computer can do it for you. 

Businesses are starting their analysis by using data preprocessing tools to rid their data of repetition and create a data set that is consistent in format. The data is cleansed, which makes it easier to read and understand. Businesses are also using knowledge discovery tools to mine big data that is stored on multiple sources. 

But my favorite part of the data revolution would be predictive analytics. Companies now have a crystal ball, basically, to help them make decisions in the future based on past data. I’ve told the story before about the Harley Davidson dealership that increased their leads by nearly 3000 percent in just three months.  

Haven’t Joined the Revolution Yet? Here’s Why You Should

While many enterprise companies are well on their way in their data strategies, some businesses, such as small and medium-sized businesses, the data revolution is only a thought. However, to be competitive, SMBs and other businesses must join the revolution as soon as possible. Business who use data to target their core audience will come out on top. How do we make it happen? 

  • Choose the right data to track. This may look different for all businesses. For SMBs, choose the right data with careful thought. You will want to place what attention you have on the most critical data. 
  • Collect clean and useful data. Now, businesses must collect clean and useful data from the data they have decided to track. As stated earlier, there are tools such as preprocessing tools and AI that can help. 
  • Integrate that data from all sources. Tools such as DaaS and the cloud can help SMBs and other businesses integrate their data into one source. 
  • Automate the analytics process. It’s impossible to effectively analyze all data sources together without some form of automation. New technology such as AI can help. 
  • Put the data to work. It takes time and work to gather the critical data about your customers. However, it must be done to stay competitive and improve their experience. AI tools, collection tools such as RFID sensors and more make it easier to put this data to work without breaking the entire budget. 
  • Manage and Protect. Perhaps nothing is more important than how you treat your customer data. Understanding your responsibility for protecting your customer data and using it appropriately based on the customers preferences. The recent implementation of GDPR rules in Europe has forced companies to consider their data use, but regardless of these rules, companies should be considerate to their customer data and be sure to secure it using the latest technology and/or by working with partner companies that truly understand cyber security.

For all businesses, it’s time to embrace the data revolution and begin to collect, store and analyze. Despite the challenges, businesses of all sizes will benefit from the treasure trove to be found within their data strategy. 

Daniel Newman is CEO of Broadsuite Media Group, principal analyst at Futurum and author of Futureproof.

Your #Career : 5 Common Career Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Future…Sometimes it’s Believing what Others say About You, and Sometimes it Believing the Story you Tell Yourself.

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If you’re not as far along as you’d like to be in your career, you’re not alone. Eighty-five percent of Americans hate their jobs, according to Gallup. A lot of people blame their boss, and perhaps he or she is partially responsible. But the problem might be staring at you in the mirror. Many of us are making mistakes that hold us back, says Skip Prichard, author of The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets for Creating a Successful Future.

“I’ve always wondered why some people succeed and some fail,” says Prichard, who has been CEO of several companies, most recently OCLC, a global nonprofit computer library service and research organization. “Some of the biggest regrets are not being more true to yourself.”

After studying leadership psychology and interviewing more than 1,000 people for his blog, Prichard found that the difference between success and failure is avoiding common pitfalls. Here are five that might be holding you back.

MISTAKE #1: WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE’S DREAM

Maybe you studied engineering on the advice of your parents, or got into marketing because your boss thought you’d be good at it even though you were more interested in finance. “You had a dream but you killed it,” says Prichard. “When you go through with someone else’s dream, you won’t have the same amount of drive or energy to move forward in your career.”

Feeling drained is a signal from your subconscious that what you’re doing is not right for you. “When you are doing your passion, you feel energized every day,” he says. “You might also be doing the right thing in the wrong environment. Perhaps the organization or leadership style isn’t for you. Know yourself, and take the risk to go follow your dream career or company.”

 

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MISTAKE #2: ALLOWING SOMEONE ELSE TO DEFINE YOUR VALUE

It costs about 11 cents to make a nickel, but we all accept that it’s worth just five because we labeled it a nickel, says Prichard. “How often do you let someone else define your value with statements like ‘You’re not good at sports.’ Or ‘Who do you think you are?’” he asks.

Successful people do not accept labels that are falsely put on them. “Be confident, master your strengths, and do not be defined by what others say about you,” says Prichard. “Why would you let someone else define your value?”

MISTAKE #3: ACCEPTING EXCUSES

This is a big one because it touches everything we do, says Prichard. “It’s about personal accountability,” he says. “When someone has a lot of excuses, they may be compelling, but not many people care. We’re all busy.”

In the corporate world, leaders take ownership. “They say, this is my fault, I tried something and it didn’t work, but I’m going to make it right,” says Prichard. “They don’t run; they take personal accountability. They don’t pretend nobody noticed, and say, ‘It’s not my fault; the product was the problem.’ People who make and accept excuses are not likely to get promoted.”

MISTAKE #4: BEING AROUND THE WRONG PEOPLE

You will be the same person in five years except for the books you read and the people you meet, motivational speaker Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said. Who you surround yourself with are the voices you put in your head, says Prichard.

“What are you feeding your mind?” he asks. “People can’t ignore this one; you will become the people you hang around with. Where are they taking you?”

Pay attention to your colleagues. Are they working to improve themselves? Or are they blaming others around them? “Select your friends as deliberately as you select your wardrobe,” says Prichard.

MISTAKE #5: STAYING IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE

All growth happens at the boundaries of your comfort zone, says Prichard. For example, at the gym, the last few reps are uncomfortable, but that’s when you reach new levels.

“Prime time is in the evening,” he says. “Are you on the sofa eating chips and watching TV instead of using your prime time to change your future?”

When you learn a new skill, the first time can be nerve-racking. “Success is about consistently doing uncomfortable things,” says Prichard. “If you let your comfort zone fence you in, you’ll miss it. Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. You’ll increase your comfort zone and become more valuable so you have better earning potential.”

Successful people realize there’s not a fixed and limited amount of anything. “Success is an unlimited resource available to all of us,” says Prichard. “When you see someone else doing well, go from jealously to curiosity. You can duplicate it and succeed in a different way.”

 

FastCompany.com | March 12, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : 6 Very Clear Signs That Your Job Is Due To Be Automated…And what about you? Are you Sufficiently Aware of the Signs that you Should? To Help you Get the Head Start you May Need, here are the Signs that it’s Time to Fly the Nest.

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 In H. G. Wells’s classic The War of the Worlds, the narrator pauses a moment to rue the fact that he didn’t react sooner to the arrival of an “intelligence greater than man’s”—in his case, Martians landing on earth. Comparing himself to a comfortable dodo in its nest, he imagined those ill-fated birds also dithering as hungry sailors invaded their island: “We will peck them to death tomorrow, my dear.”

And what about you? As intelligent technologies take over more and more of the decision-making territory once occupied by humans, are you taking any action? Are you sufficiently aware of the signs that you should? To help you get the head start you may need, here are the signs that it’s time to fly the nest. All of them are evidence that a knowledge worker’s job is on the path to automation.

1. IT INVOLVES LITTLE PHYSICAL CONTACT OR MANIPULATION OF THINGS

If you don’t have to touch your work or see your customer face-to-face in order to perform your job, there’s less reason not to automate it. If you deal primarily in documents (as real estate and many other types of attorneys do, for example) or images (like radiologists), systems can digest that content and determine its meaning. If your job requires you to wrestle with something physical in unpredictable ways, it’s not going away very soon. An anesthesiologist friend, for example, says he often has to move patients around a lot to clear airways, so he doubts robots will put him out of work.

 

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2. IT INVOLVES ANSWERING DATA-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS

We already know that analytics and algorithms are better at creating insights from data than most humans. They have already replaced some insurance policy underwriters and financial planners. They’ll probably replace more, since this human/machine performance gap will only increase.

For example, a company called Kensho Technologies has created an intelligent software system called Warren, which can already answer questions like, “What happens to the share prices of energy companies when oil trades above $100 a barrel and political unrest has recently occurred in the Middle East?” The company stated that by the end of 2014, its software would be able to answer 100 million different distinct financial questions involving complex data.

3. IT INVOLVES QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

One might think that quantitative analysts would be immune from job loss in the “Age of Analytics,” but there are technologies that place their jobs at risk, too. Many quantitative analysts’ jobs will be replaced—or at the least heavily augmented—by machine-learning systems. Machine learning is probably best used to augment human analysts and improve their productivity in analysis and model development.

But in some settings, such as online advertising, it’s virtually impossible not to employ machine-learning approaches to generate models at the necessary pace. The number of models needed to target a particular consumer and a particular advertising opportunity easily ranges into the thousands per week, and the likelihood of a successful conversion (say, the customer buying the advertised product within a week) is about one in a thousand at best—meaning it’s not worth human attention. Models generated through machine learning are the only possibility in this industry and a growing number of other ones.

Of course, it takes an expert quantitative analyst to design the machine-learning approach, but one such analyst can ultimately generate millions of models over time. If you’re a quantitative analyst who understands machine learning, you may well keep your job. If you don’t understand it, you’ll probably be replaced by it.

4. CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE IS CRITICAL TO YOUR ROLE

Computers are unfailingly consistent; that’s why they already determine who gets credit in financial services, for example. Where consistency matters in other job domains—insurance claims adjusting, financial stress testing, perhaps even judging crimes and issuing punishments—computers will increasingly take on the task. In insurance claims, for example, “auto-adjudication” can automatically evaluate and approve up to 75% of claims. Human claims adjusters are left to approve only the most challenging ones.

5. IT INVOLVES THE CREATION OF DATA-BASED NARRATIVES

Jobs involving the narrative description of data and analysis were once the province of humans, but automated systems are already beginning to take them over. In journalism, companies like Automated Insights and Narrative Science are already creating data-intensive content. Sports and financial reporting are already at some risk, although the automation of these domains is on the margins thus far—high school and fantasy sports, and earnings reports for small companies.

Other companies, like AnalytixInsight, create investment analysis narratives on more than 40,000 public companies with its CapitalCube service. The job at risk in this case is that of investment analyst. Wealth management in financial services, which already relies on computer systems in many cases to determine the ideal portfolio for a particular type of investor, is also at risk. Wealth managers and brokers today often take automated recommendations and translate them into narratives for their customers. As customers grow more sophisticated and computer-literate, the translation function will be less necessary.

6. THERE ARE WELL-DEFINED RULES FOR PERFORMING THE WOR

The easiest domains to automate have always been those with clear, consistent rules. Now rule-based systems can handle increasingly complex problems. If we were training for a career in financial auditing, for example, we’d be concerned. There are already some systems that automate key aspects of auditing. In tax preparation—a job that is entirely based on following complex rules—much of the work has already been taken over by systems like TurboTax and TaxCut for consumers and small businesses, and Lacerte, ProSystem, and UltraTax for corporate returns.

Think of these as the attributes of “dodo jobs”—those that are sitting there just waiting to be gobbled up by technology. It may be that we’ll be left with fewer of them and not none; the most experienced knowledge workers in careers affected by these technologies may keep their jobs, while no new positions open up for entry-level workers. But for your own well-being, or your children’s or grandchildren’s, we’d advise you to run from them while you can.

This article is excerpted from Only Humans Need Apply: Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines by Thomas H. Davenport and Julia Kirby, published by Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. It is reprinted with permission.

THOMAS H. DAVENPORT AND JULIA KIRBY 08.11.16 5:00 AM
FastCompany.com

Your #Career : The Future Of Jobs- 5 Options Everyone Must Consider…There’s a Robotic Apocalypse Coming – Everyone Seems quite Certain about This. The Real & Present Danger Appears to Be about Jobs.

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“The replacement of full-time jobs has happened very slowly, in most cases,” he tells me. “For example – before the invention of the ATM, there were around half a million bank tellers in the US. Today, we have about half a million bank tellers.

Free- Thinking Plasma Ball

There’s a Robotic Apocalypse coming – everyone seems quite certain about this. I’m not talking about a Matrix or Terminator scenario where the human race is enslaved by AI, although some very smart people are concerned that this could happen. The real and present danger appears to be about jobs.

At first it seemed that it was mainly manual jobs which were under threat, when production lines workers were expected to be replaced wholesale with robots and machines. But in recent years huge advances in fields such as machine learning and automation have made it apparent that white collar and professional workers are equally under threat.

 

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So how should someone go about ensuring their own career prospects are not exterminated by this incoming robot army? Well, two people whose opinions I respect very much have a few suggestions. Tom Davenport and Julia Kirby’s ‘Only Humans Need Apply – Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines’ outlines a survival strategy based on aligning one’s skills within the new workforce paradigms that big data, artificial intelligence(AI) and smart machines are likely to create.

The book suggests five strategies – stepping up, stepping aside, stepping in, stepping narrowly, and stepping forward. These, suggest Davenport and Kirby, are the different ways a candidate can ensure they remain competitive against AI and smart machines in the job market.

“These are the five key roles or classes of roles that people can play, with regards to smart machines,” Davenport tells me, “and two of them – stepping aside and stepping narrowly – don’t even really involve working that closely with smart machines.”

Stepping Aside is fairly self-explanatory – it simply means leaving the machines to do what they do best, and picking a career requiring mainly skills such as creativity or empathy.

Stepping Narrowly involves developing a speciality, in a field where there is little demand or no business case for implementing automation (a local tour guide, or a wine expert specializing in a particular region, being possibilities here).

Stepping Up means taking oversight of and responsibility for the work carried out by computers and AI – essentially becoming their boss, and considering the big picture strategy of implementing technology across an organization.

Stepping In means to become involved with the work being carried out by machines, to fine-tune and provide human oversight in areas where it is still needed. Real world examples here could be an accountant trained to spot errors caused by an automated system, or an ad buyer who can spot when a brand could be damaged by a particular placement, for reasons a robot might not comprehend.

Lastly, Stepping Forward is to work on developing the next generation of robotic and AI-driven technology. Robots can solve problems for us, but we still need to tell them what problems need solving. It still takes a human to understand that automation will be of benefit to a particular area of business, and a human to put together a strategy for automating that section.

Davenport is happy to admit that he and his co-author’s take on the robopocalypse is, if not more optimistic, then slightly less pessimistic, than many fellow commentators.

“The replacement of full-time jobs has happened very slowly, in most cases,” he tells me. “For example – before the invention of the ATM, there were around half a million bank tellers in the US. Today, we have about half a million bank tellers.

“So people are pretty good about finding other things to do when key tasks like dispensing cash and so on get taken over by machines. So my argument is that there will be some job losses but they will be marginal rather than dramatic, and the people who are good at working with machines will probably do fairly well at least for a while.”

And this ability to work in partnership with emerging smart technology is absolutely key to the book’s message. The robots may not be here to take your job and leave you destitute, but you’d better be sure you take notice of them.

Co-author, senior editor at Harvard University Press Julia Kirby, tells me “We’re largely looking at this from the standpoint of the worker as we feel that they should be preparing for a changed workplace.

“They are going to have all of these machines working side by side with them, and it isn’t necessarily going to be done for them … we’re saying, look, you need to make some decisions and take some action at an individual level, rather than just leaving it to your employer or, God forbid, society, to sort all this out.”

Ultimately the book’s message is a hopeful one. By pursuing augmentation over automation, industry will free up human power to do what we are best at – innovate and create – while leaving robots and smart machines to crunch numbers and keep everything ticking along behind the scenes.

Kirby also envisages something of a “two tier” system of services emerging, where a low end, mundane level of service will be provided by computers, with human endeavor reserved for higher profile assignments. An example would be media coverage of a tennis tournament, where the early rounds would be covered by an automatic report generating system, with a human journalist assigned to covering the finals and semi finals.

It is a refreshing take on the much discussed topic of what the long term social consequences of widespread integration of AI and automation into our workplace will be. Most importantly, it is highly refreshing to see someone tackling the issue through the medium of a practical guide, rather than simple doom-mongering. Yes, some people will find themselves unemployed in the near future because their employers will work out it is cheaper and more effective to use a smart machine than to pay their salary, pension and healthcare. If you want to minimize the risk of being one of them, it could be a good idea to take a look at the book.

Bernard Marr is a best-selling author & keynote speaker. His new book: ‘Big Data in Practice: How 45 Successful Companies Used Big Data Analytics to Deliver Extraordinary Results‘

 

Forbes.com | June 9, 2016 | Bernard Marr