Where are you on the talent spectrum?

A very interesting article about how recruiters seek talent crossed my desk this week. Specifically, it’s focused on how the best recruiters are able to get top candidates to come work for their companies. As part of the article, there’s a graphic featuring something called, “The Global Talent Pool,” which outlines the spectrum of talent as evaluated by recruiters. This spectrum, while designed to help recruiters understand who is available to them, also gives professionals a look at how they’re perceived by recruiters.

I invite you to take a look and ask yourself, “Where do I fall on this spectrum?”Especially, if you are interested in finding a new job. Why? Where you land on this scale could not only impact the ease in which you will find a job, but might also affect the quality of the job opportunities available to you. Here’s why…

Perception is Reality (And, Other ‘New Rules’ You’ll Face)

There are a few ‘new rules’ today when it comes to job search and career development. If you want to survive and thrive (a/k/a stay employable and have plenty of lucrative job options), here are some things to consider:

• Recruiters hear what they see. The expectation of personal branding requires us all to have career tools (resumes, social media profiles, etc.), to help recruiters wrap their heads around who we are as a professional. The problem is, they also encourage recruiters to make assumptions about our candidacy without meeting us first. The Global Talent Spectrum above is an example of it. Which leads to…

• Hiring is discrimination. While there are laws against blatant discrimination, the fact remains the act of choosing one person for the job over another is the definition of discrimination. Being overqualified, your personality traits, your length of time unemployed, etc., are all examples of things that can be used against candidates in the hiring process. [For more examples, here are 8 ways job seekers are shut out of the hiring process.]

• Brand or BE Branded. If you don’t choose to brand yourself as an up-to-date expert in your field, you could likely lose out to someone who has. Not having a personal brand can be misinterpreted as either A) not being tech savvy, B) having nothing unique or valuable for skills, or C) having something to hide. Not branding is still branding, it just sends the wrong message.

• Every job is temporary. Studies show as much as half our workforce could be independent contractors by 2020. Looking for work is a required skill set if you want to stay employed. You’ll do it frequently.

• You’re not an employee, you’re a business-of-one. As more professionals become permanent freelancers, they’ll need to switch their approach to finding work. Being a business-of-one means thinking like a service provider. You must now do more than meet an employer’s expectations. You must also exceed them and anticipate new needs, or be at risk of being replaced.

• The best talent works “with” employers, not “for” them. The most in-demand talent views themselves as a partner with the employer. They negotiate and agree on the work to be done – as equals. More importantly, they both have mutual respect and address concerns as they arise. It’s a stronger relationship because no particular side dominates. It takes a lot of confidence and ability to be accountable. You have to be ready to walk away if/when the employer is no longer a good partner. And, you need to be sure you can find a new, better employer to partner with as well.

• When you love your job, you become ‘hot’ talent to other employers. Satisfied professionals are usually doing their best work. That means, they’re engaged. Numerous studies show an engaged worker is a highly productive worker. It’s no surprise every employer wants the most productive workers. That’s why they go after the passive candidates who are happy working at other companies – they are considered hot talent.

I’m sure we can all add to this list (readers, feel free to post any ‘new rules’ you think I missed in the comments below). The fact is, if you care about the health of your career (and you should), you need to take a much closer look at where you are and what you can do to move yourself up the Global Talent Spectrum.

Why?

Employers aren’t going to do it for you. Even with the growing talent shortage, if you aren’t personally investing in building your skills and abilities with respect to developing your professional worth, you’re putting yourself at risk of being in the wrong place on the spectrum.

And, if that isn’t enough motivation, consider this…

Only One Person In The World Cares About Your Career Satisfaction

The only person who really cares whether you are feeling happy in your career is (drum roll)…you. Yes, you may have people in your life that rely on your career, but they’ll never care as much as you do about whether you feel satisfied and successful.

That’s the real reason you should analyze where you fall on the Global Talent Spectrum – the higher you go, the more satisfied you’ll likely be with your career.

With that in mind, consider this:

What have you done in the last year to embrace the ‘new rules’ so you can leverage them to your professional benefit?

Like it or not, the new economy is requiring us all to constantly embrace and adapt to change. Tenure and seniority no longer matter. Relevance and subject-matter expertise do. Technology has disrupted how we market ourselves to employers, and how they market themselves to us. If you aren’t investing time into understanding the current ’employment ecosystem’ and how it functions, you may be putting yourself at risk of becoming obsolete.

What do you think?

This article is published in collaboration with LinkedIn. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

To keep up with the Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Author: J.T. O’Donnell is a Professional Trainer and Coach.

Image: Unemployed Belgian Mohamed Sammar (R) answers questions during a simulated job interview, which is recorded to help him get feedback afterwards in Brussels July 2, 2013. REUTERS.