You've probably read ominous news articles about robots replacing people in terms of taking lots of future jobs. American jobs are at a high risk of automation, with food preparation, office administration and transportation jobs at the forefront of this particular issue. However, there is an upside. Plenty of those affected workers can shift into similar occupations. 

Technology has created a lot of new jobs. Titles like Application Developer and Social Media Director are some among many that didn’t exist even a decade ago. Many automation jobs within engineering and computer science are being created to oversee the process develop over time. The work landscape will continue to evolve and bring us positions in the next two decades that we can barely imagine even now.

To stay competitive, you should focus your energy on the strategic aspects of your job. Robots can do a lot, but they cannot brainstorm, motivate or inspire people. While it’s impossible to say exactly what tomorrow will hold, these eleven examples of future jobs that could exist in the future show how current trends could play out over the next couple of decades. You could end up landing one of these jobs at some point if you start working toward it today.

Chief Productivity Officer

Driving overall efficiency will be vital at individual, departmental and organizational levels. Project managers with data analytics and leadership skills will be best prepared for this transitional role. 

Excess Capacity Broker

As part of that new push for productivity, organizations may look for ways to monetize idle assets such as renting out space or machinery they own. An excess capacity broker might analyze an organization’s capabilities and identify assets that could be used. They can then find other organizations who are willing to pay for utilizing these compartmentalized tasks. For this role, you will probably need experience in logistics or supply chain management.

Drone Manager

Over the next two decades, drones will become ubiquitous. Industry experts will need to set and enforce standards for acquiring and maintaining an organization’s inhouse fleet. You will need experience as a fleet manager as soon as possible.

Private Industry Air Traffic Control

As an integral part of these drone fleets, companies will need to manage their own air traffic control systems. These may cross interstate or international boundaries so in turn, they will ultimately require negotiation and cooperation with governmental municipalities and other organizations. For this position, you will need experience as an air traffic controller, a dispatcher, or a GIS specialist.

Medical Mentor

With the current trend toward value-based care, there’s a lot of room for helpers, advocates and mentors in the healthcare space. A medical mentor is someone who may check in after appointments to ensure that patients follow-through on recommendations from doctors in regards to exercise, nutrition or medications while helping people navigate barriers that may be keeping them from success. You will probably need experience as a health coach or a patient today.

Self-Driving Car Mechanic

While self-driving cars will eliminate many jobs like those of taxi drivers and couriers, they will create a few as well. These cars won’t be self-fixing, so mechanics will still be in business. The mechanic of the future will require a combination of old-school mechanical ability plus the comfort level to work in a tech centric culture. If you want this position, you’ll probably need experience as a mechanic with a knack for software. You could also be a software developer who works on cars today.

Autonomous Transportation Specialist

If our future includes self-driving cars, drones and hoverboards, cities and towns are going to need humans to monitor all this neo-transit activity. People will need to integrate these autonomous vehicles into current systems and monitor their results. You will probably need experience as a city planner or as a traffic specialist.

Personal Medical Interpreter

With the advances that have been made in the area of genetic medicine, providers will increasingly be able to offer customized medicines and treatments to patients. Genetic counseling may evolve into genetic coaching. Providers may evolve into individualized coaches or advocates who can inform patients about individualized medical treatments. You’ll probably need experience as a genetic counselor today.

Human-Technology Integration Specialist

These individuals would teach others how to leverage and use the vast array of technologies to improve the quality of their lives. This is basically an IT specialist on steroids. This person could take a holistic approach that examines all the different work and consumer technologies a person uses and streamline devices and platforms to help people get the most out of them on a regular basis. For this position, you will probably need experience as an IT representative but you also might want to check out life coaching as well.

Wholeness Mentor

With a greater emphasis on mindfulness and timesuck as the known fact that connectivity has actually made us feel more busy overall. This person would help others develop lifelong strategies to match their personal purposes with a hobby that provides them with fulfillment of physical needs, a social network and spiritual happiness. To follow this career path, you will probably need experience as a life coach and a health coach today.

End-Of-Life Coach

With baby boomers approaching the end of their lives in the next 10 to 20 years, there’s likely to be a greater emphasis on how people want to spend their last days. An end-of-life coach can help individuals and families make better decisions on how to spend the last weeks and months of life. These coaches will help people explore their personal values and medical options so they can create the kind of end of life they want. You would likely need experience as a hospice employee or as a home health nurse.

Resume writing is not an easy thing to work on or even complete under the best of circumstances, and the process can be challenging when you're hoping to change careers or take on a job that's slightly outside of your areas of expertise. How do you properly demonstrate to employers that you’ve got what it takes to do the job even when you haven’t actually done it previously? By leveraging transferable skills, you can build an effective career change resume.

Transferable job skills are definitely worth their weight in gold. Considering that workers who lost their jobs during Covid-19 went ahead and switched industries and 4% switched their overall career path. How did all these ambitious candidates convince employers that they were capable of doing the new job? 

What Are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are currently valuable skills that we bring with us from job to job. According to some experts, we all possess these portable skills that can be broken down into three categories;

• People (communicating, teaching, coaching and supervising),
• Data (record keeping, researching, translating and compiling data),
• Things (operating computers, equipment and repairing).

If you’re seeking a career change, there’s a good chance that some of your current skills are transferable and applicable to your new career choice. The difficult part is figuring out which skills are more desirable and repackaging them on your resume in order to appeal to your target audience. Read further to find out how to do so.

Step 1: Locating Transferable Skills

The first step is all about your research. Once you know what skills employers want, you can start building your transferable skills strategy by utilizing these resources;

• Job ads: Searching for your target job online and reviewing all of the frequently requested skills in the subsequent job postings. Look for relevant experiences that are related to the skills that you developed via another career, hobby, educational pursuit or other activity.
• Industry networking: Speak with experienced workers in your target field, read trade publications, study employer marketing materials, network at industry events and connect with industry associations in order to learn which skills are in demand.

Step 2: Pinpoint Your Personal Transferable Skills

U.S. recruiters want candidates to better articulate their transferable skills on their resume. After identifying the skills that employers want, you can discover the transferable skills that you have through self-analysis and various skills-assessment tools. 

Try writing down your target job skills requirements, transferable skills and relevant accomplishments by using this chart:

Step 3: Add These Transferable Skills to Your Resume

Now you can add your transferable skills to your resume, preferably in a prominent position so that they stand out. Your professional summary section is the best place to highlight skills that are relevant to the position that you're seeking.

In order to take your resume to the next level, don't just list your skills outright. Show how you’ve used them in your resume's experience section. There are various approaches that you can take to outlining your accomplishments. Whether you rely on self-analysis or assessment tools to develop your list of accomplishments, stay focused on the employer’s needs. Incorporating relevant, transferable skills in your resume can accurately reflect skills that are developed and can easily transfer to a new career.

Nobody wants to look like a dinosaur in their industry. Staying relevant in your field isn’t an easy task. Unfortunately, a number of mid-level workers don’t bother with further professional development. Hiring managers want to see that you’re invested in your professional development, no matter what stage you’re at in your career. This shows initiative and curiosity as well as demonstrating an understanding that you can always learn new things. In order to be competitive, companies need to be at the forefront of their industry and adopt new innovations and in turn setting the standard for others to follow. By adopting a similar work ethic, you’ll be a strong candidate.

Use the following steps to commit to your professional development and stay relevant in your industry.

Focus On Your Skills Development

Keeping your skills current is crucial. In order to do that, you’ll have to take ownership of your professional development. Be proactive and don’t rely on your company to show you the way forward. To determine what skills are in demand look at job postings for positions that are above your current role. Once you’ve identified the skills that you’re looking to gain, take a targeted approach by seeking out both internal and external training opportunities. Seek out online classes to help you brush up on specific skills and you can learn at your own pace from your computer or mobile device.

Network, Network, Network!

Building relationships with your industry peers will enable you to gain a broader perspective of what is really going on in your field, while also learning new work styles and problem-solving approaches. You can start by meeting employees of different ages at your current company and then branch out to industry professionals that are outside of your employer.

Continuing to expand your professional network will also help you improve your visibility within the industry. Networking should be part of your daily tasks. Ideally, you want to focus on forming relationships with thought leaders in your field and people who have already proven their ability to stay relevant in your industry.

Build A Presence On Social Media

In today’s workplace, simply being on social media isn’t enough. To fully leverage these platforms, you have to be actively using these sites. This means taking the time to share other people’s tweets or posts, actively commenting on industry news and building your follower base. Consistency is key. Looking to establish yourself as an expert on a certain topic? Consider starting a blog on the subject and use your social media profiles to drive traffic to the site.

Improving Your Visibility Within The Industry

You don’t necessarily need an invitation to take an active role within a professional association. Try getting on the speaking docket or moderating a panel discussion at an industry conference. Anything that helps you gain exposure and establish yourself as a leader in your field. Talk to conference organizers and past speakers in order to find opportunities. If you’re not comfortable in front of a microphone, take a public speaking course through an organization like Toastmasters. In addition, asking your boss to let you take on high-profile projects can help you improve your visibility at your organization. 

Applying For Awards

Don’t be afraid to promote your career achievements thus far. No matter what job you currently have or the industry that you are in, chances are good that there is an organization that is handing out honors within your industry. To focus your efforts, consider researching what accolades your role models have received and then apply for those awards or honors. Awards aren’t just for individuals. If you are part of a team or even manage a team, then nominate yourselves for industry awards. Anything that brings positive attention to your achievements is worth seeking out.