Episode 122
Key Career Themes for 2026
In this week's episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, I am looking into my crystal ball and identifying the key career themes for 2026. In this episode, we talk about:
- The integration of artificial intelligence into our professional lives will be crucial as we move forward, enabling us to enhance our productivity while retaining our unique human qualities that AI cannot replicate.
- Career resilience is no longer optional; we must adapt to rapid changes in the job market and develop versatile skills that enhance our employability across various sectors and industries.
- The traditional career ladder is becoming obsolete, and it is imperative that we begin to view our careers as portfolios filled with diverse experiences that showcase our adaptability and problem-solving capabilities.
- Establishing a strong personal brand is essential in today's competitive job market, as it not only highlights our skills but also ensures we are recognised for our contributions and expertise within our professional networks.
- The importance of maintaining personal well-being cannot be overstated, as we navigate a fast-paced work environment; setting boundaries and prioritising self-care will help prevent burnout and promote sustainable career growth.
I also share how you can get involved and help shape the future of The Career Confidence Podcast when it returns in 2026.
NB: I'm taking a break from releasing new episodes but there are over 120 episodes for you to explore!!!
About Nicola Semple
I help people build their career confidence and achieve their career goals.
You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolasemple.com/chat
You can get my free guide "Back Yourself: Your 7 Step Plan to Build Confidence and Achieve Your Career Goals": https://nicolasemple.com/backyourself
You can buy my book The Career Confidence Toolkit: Take Control of Your Career and Fulfil Your Potential: https://nicolasemple.com/book
Connect with me on Linked In to carry on the conversation: https://linkedin.com/in/iamnicolasemple
A new episode of The Career Confidence Podcast is released every second Friday. Hit the subscribe button and you will be the first to know when a new episode goes live.
Transcript
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Speaker A:Hello and welcome to the Career Confidence Podcast where we share inspiring stories, practical strategies, hints and tips so that you build your career with confidence.
Speaker A:And in this ever changing world.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Nicholas Semple, a career and confidence coach and author of the Career Confidence Toolkit.
Speaker A: o continue to be important in: Speaker A:And also be sure to stay tuned for the end of the episode because I'm going to be sharing a little bit about the future of the Career Confidence Podcast and also how you can help and get involved.
Speaker A: So, looking ahead to: Speaker A:Because at the moment it feels like every element of work is undergoing some kind of transformation.
Speaker A:Maybe you're feeling it within your organization.
Speaker A:You're being expected to continue to deliver consistent results and at the same time you are being expected to adapt to change.
Speaker A:Maybe that's technology change, maybe it's process change, and it's all happening at lightning speed.
Speaker A:Then you're expected to be developing your own capabilities and at the same time you've to manage and upskill your team.
Speaker A:And we're living in this world of constant cost cutting.
Speaker A:You're having to prove your value, you're having to prove your worth.
Speaker A:It's a lot, and depending on your perspective, it's either super exhausting or it's super exciting.
Speaker A:Over the past couple of months, I've started to talk to clients about how they can prepare themselves to take advantages of the opportunities that are emerging from this constant state of change.
Speaker A: o take into your planning for: Speaker A:The first of those themes is AI.
Speaker A:Now, you would need to be living under a rock to not be aware of the impact that AI is having on pretty much every corner of the working environment and also in our lives more generally.
Speaker A:What I'm hearing a lot from a career perspective is there's a lot of fear around AI.
Speaker A:People are worried that it's going to be the reason that they lose their job.
Speaker A:It's finally happened.
Speaker A:We're all going to be replaced by robots without a shadow of a doubt.
Speaker A:The way a lot of repetitive and analytical work is conducted is definitely going to change.
Speaker A:But this also presents us With a massive opportunity because we're going to have to master how to use AI.
Speaker A:But the key differentiator and the thing that AI will never ever be able to replace is the fact that we are human.
Speaker A:By all means, we should be leveraging AI for the research, for the coding, for the project management, for content creation, for analyzing data.
Speaker A:That's where AI can add real, genuine value.
Speaker A:But the trick is going to be knowing when not to solely rely on AI.
Speaker A:It's going to be your judgment, your ability to identify nuances and work with those nuances.
Speaker A:That's where you'll be able to add huge value.
Speaker A:Rather than just using AI and trusting, it's giving you the output that you need.
Speaker A:It will be your ability to critically analyze and, and make sound judgments.
Speaker A:That is going to be the differentiator.
Speaker A:When I first joined the corporate world, there was a phrase that was used a lot and that was soft skills.
Speaker A:And that's become quite an old fashioned term now.
Speaker A:But it's these soft skills, the skills that let us interact with other people effectively.
Speaker A:That's what's going to set us apart.
Speaker A:In the world of AI.
Speaker A:We'Ve talked for years about people needing to have emotional intelligence, but it's now not a nice to have.
Speaker A:It is crucial both for an organization's success, but also for your career success.
Speaker A:We need people who can deal with and work with people effectively.
Speaker A:People who can motivate a team when they're going through a hard time, people who can resolve conflict when other people aren't getting on, People who can build trust and get stakeholders on board, or people who can even recognize that one of their team members is having a hard time and they need some support.
Speaker A:AI can transform the technical work, but it cannot do that.
Speaker A:It cannot replace human capabilities when it comes to dealing with other people.
Speaker A: So as we move into: Speaker A:We need to use it to take away the time consuming and those repetitive tasks.
Speaker A:But in doing that, we can conserve and reserve our human energy for the things that only we can do.
Speaker A:The relationship building, the strategic thinking, the engaging with others.
Speaker A:It's going to be super important to keep in mind all that we bring, all the value we bring as human beings.
Speaker A:The next theme is around building what I call career resilience.
Speaker A:So there's an old saying, the only certainty is change, or it's something along those lines.
Speaker A:And the pace and speed of change is only going to get faster and faster.
Speaker A:I'm sure you've seen it yourself.
Speaker A:You might just have navigated your way through one organizational restructure and then you're told that there's another one coming down the track in about six months time and it feels like there are constant leadership changes.
Speaker A:Or maybe it is that your organization is expanding rapidly.
Speaker A:Maybe you're acquiring smaller organisations that need to be integrated.
Speaker A:And it's all happening against this backdrop of economic uncertainty.
Speaker A:Again, it's a lot.
Speaker A:What I hear lots of people saying is things like it's fine, once such and such happens, I'll catch my breath and we'll get back to normal.
Speaker A:I hate to break it to you, but there is no normal anymore.
Speaker A:We need to learn to adapt to these rapidly changing situations and move on.
Speaker A:And with this rapid change, it means that job security isn't a given anymore.
Speaker A:Or at least security within your specific role within an organization.
Speaker A:So when I'm talking to clients about career development.
Speaker A:Really encouraging them to think more widely about how they develop their skill set.
Speaker A:If you are a marketing professional, you shouldn't just be looking to deepen your marketing skills or a finance professional deepening their finance skills.
Speaker A:I'm always encouraging people to think about how they can make themselves more versatile.
Speaker A:What are the skills that can complement the skills they've already got that they could add to their portfolio that will make them even more valuable in their current role, but it would also increase their ability to make a move should they need to.
Speaker A:What is going to make them more attractive?
Speaker A:Should they need to transition to a new role in their current organization or even look for something elsewhere?
Speaker A:The third theme is about being open minded to different forms of career progression.
Speaker A:It's been clear for quite some time now that the traditional career ladder doesn't exist.
Speaker A:People don't join an organisation with the expectation of staying there and progressing through the ranks for their entire career.
Speaker A:And personally, I think that's a really good thing because it makes for a much more interesting career.
Speaker A:So whether you want to think of it as a squiggly career or a portfolio career, we now all have the opportunity to curate lots of different experiences that demonstrate that we can deliver value in a variety of contexts.
Speaker A: And as we move into: Speaker A:It's time to stop defining yourself by your job title or your employer.
Speaker A:Start thinking about the problems that you solve and the value that you create.
Speaker A:What are the projects you work on?
Speaker A:What are the outcomes you deliver?
Speaker A:How can you develop a breadth of expertise and experience that's going to make you more attractive to future employers.
Speaker A:So that when opportunities arise, rather than asking yourself, is this a promotion?
Speaker A:Am I going to get paid more in this role?
Speaker A:You can start to think more holistically and think about, well, what will I learn?
Speaker A:Who will I have the opportunity to work with?
Speaker A:What will this role allow me to do afterwards?
Speaker A:If you can shift your mindset, it's going to open up possibilities that perhaps a more traditional approach to career development wouldn't allow you to access.
Speaker A:And this leads me very neatly to my fourth theme, which is about developing your career brand.
Speaker A:And again, this is not a new concept.
Speaker A:I have been banging on about this for years, but it's going to become even more important in this time of rapid change, in this time of even more uncertainty and less linear career progression.
Speaker A:Because I hate to break it to you, the harsh reality is that the people who get access to the interesting career opportunities aren't necessarily the people who are the most skilled.
Speaker A:They're the ones who are skilled and also known for their skills.
Speaker A:I say this repeatedly.
Speaker A:It is not enough to do good work.
Speaker A:You've got to do the good work and tell other people you are doing that good work.
Speaker A:You need to think about how to tell the story of your career.
Speaker A:What's the common thread that connects your various roles and projects?
Speaker A:What makes you valuable?
Speaker A:How do you share your knowledge and insights and genuinely help people?
Speaker A:How can you demonstrate that you are keeping on top of what's going on in your industry?
Speaker A:What's going on in your area of professional expertise?
Speaker A:You'll also need to think about who you want to share your personal brand with.
Speaker A:How are you going to build and develop your network so that you've got a group of people who can support you with your future career development?
Speaker A:And also, and maybe actually maybe this is more important, who can you support to help them develop their career?
Speaker A: The final theme for: Speaker A:We're operating in this fast paced environment.
Speaker A:There's constant change, constant uncertainty.
Speaker A:Unless you find a way to manage your energy and work in a sustainable way, you are going to run the risk of burning out.
Speaker A:It is more important than ever to set boundaries, manage your energy, look after yourself both physically and mentally so that you can show up and be the best you can be at work.
Speaker A:It's also important to model those behaviors so that those around them know what good practice looks like and also realize it.
Speaker A:It's okay for them to look after themselves too.
Speaker A:Your career is a marathon and not a sprint.
Speaker A:If you sacrifice your personal relationships, your mental health, your physical health, and you're doing all that for some short term career gains, you're going to find those gains unsustainable.
Speaker A:The key is building a career you can maintain, and that allows you to achieve what you want from other aspects of your life as well.
Speaker A:So I don't think you can look at any of these themes in isolation.
Speaker A: cess is going to look like in: Speaker A:We need to learn to use AI while staying human.
Speaker A:We need to accept that change will be constant and build a contingency plan for our careers.
Speaker A:We need to get noticed for what we do, and we also need to take care of ourselves.
Speaker A:These five things together will help you succeed in your career going forward.
Speaker A:And the people who do it well won't just wait to see what happens.
Speaker A:They'll take action.
Speaker A:They'll turn problems into opportunities.
Speaker A:And that's exactly what I want you to do as well.
Speaker A: career strategy in place for: Speaker A:Now.
Speaker A:I did say at the start that I'd be sharing an update on the future direction of the Career Confidence podcast.
Speaker A:Over the last three years, I have released over 120 episodes of the podcast and I always want to make sure that I'm sharing valuable content that's going to truly help you navigate your career.
Speaker A:As you can imagine, prepping, recording and producing a podcast episode every couple of weeks is a huge amount of work.
Speaker A: So as we move into: Speaker A:And this is where I would love your input.
Speaker A:If there are particular topics you'd like me to cover off, then let me know if there's a particular format that you've seen on other podcasts that you think would be quite useful in a career context.
Speaker A:Again, let me know.
Speaker A:I've toyed with the idea of creating episodes that focus on a particular career dilemma, a bit like an agony amp page where listeners can send in the challenges they're grappling with and I share my thoughts and advice.
Speaker A:At the moment, it is all up for grabs.
Speaker A:So if you have thoughts about any content that you would value, please drop me an email nicolaikolasimple.com Then when the podcast returns, I will know it's giving you exactly the support you're looking for.
Speaker A:In the meantime, There are over 120 episodes for you to listen to.
Speaker A:You can access them all on your podcast app of choice.
Speaker A:And remember, you can buy my book the Career Confidence Toolkit on Amazon, where it's available in paperback, Kindle and Audible formats.
Speaker A:And if you'd like to keep in contact, be sure to download my free guide Back Yourself, your seven step plan to build confidence and achieve your career goals.
Speaker A:And you can do that by going to Nicholas semple.combackyourself as well as getting instant access to the guide.
Speaker A:I'll send you my fortnightly newsletter with Career Confidence hints and tips.
Speaker A: all the very best wishes for: Speaker A:Thank you so much for listening and and I'll talk to you again when the podcast returns later in the new year.
Speaker A:Bye for now.
