What is “Career Success” in 2021?

Depending on where you are in your career, what you want, need and believe will naturally vary. With multiple generations in the workforce today, the differences in approach and perspective will inevitably create friction and conflict. 

With this observation in mind, my team launched the State of Work and Career Success Survey in 2020 to assess what people really are looking for in their careers and even what’s missing for them. Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen a shift from linear to non-linear career paths. The reality is most people don’t stay with one company, one role, or even one field anymore. Many find themselves pivoting frequently, creating what I call a career mashup. 

So with changes in what “jobs” look like, and with so many generations in the workforce with different wants and needs for their lives, my team and I wanted to know: are people really achieving what they want to achieve in their careers? If yes, what’s enabling that? If not, what’s inhibiting that? How does it vary by generations?

We found that there are commonalities among different age groups that are important to recognize, so we need to embrace that middle ground while realizing and accepting there are different ways to approach problems and solutions in a work environment. Here are some of the key data points from the survey results and what they mean. 

(You can also hear me discuss these results with the lead researcher on the project, Scott Vanderbilt, on the Strategic Momentum Podcast here). 

Defining a Career

Career definitions today aren’t uniform in nature regardless of what age group you're in. When asked in an open-ended fashion, the responses were expansive:

• Do what you love vs. do it for a paycheck

• Focus on impact vs. paying the the bill

• Earning income vs. satisfaction and achievement

• Feeling/Attitude vs. specific thing you do

• Job function/title vs. an aspiration/direction

• Your journey vs. your current state

• Work vs. work and life

Yet, when we looked across age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s), there was variability in what they felt best matched their personal definition of a career. Those in their 20’s were dominated by more foundational and primal needs (i.e. job that is satisfying, skills to perform work), likely because they are just starting out in their career in addition to other macro dynamics that have limited this generation’s ability to achieve the “dream.” For those in their 30’s, “positively contributing to my field” was a common response. They were also more inclined to identify with “Having the ability to do what I want to do.”  

Respondents in their 40’s had a particular focus on “Performing work to build skills or experience.” In this phase, it’s important to still stay relevant or do what it takes to move up which requires ongoing skill development. Finally, job satisfaction rises to the top as the primary career definition for those in their 50’s, with “The ability to do what I want to do” at the bottom. 

Career Goals

When it came to what professionals wanted or were looking for in a career, income stability and fair compensation were singled out. This wasn’t surprising in light of the uncertainty that the pandemic has brought on.

However, bringing one’s passions to the forefront were also top goals, highlighting this desire to connect with what one does day in and day out, particularly among those in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Career goals by decades naturally had some variability between them, ex. For many in their 20s, the goals identified were equally important, highlighting the lack of a singular/narrow focus they have. Career goals for those in their 40s were bringing ones’ passion to their career while also having a broad impact, developing their skills and taking control based on how they work, or building their own business. 

Career Advancement Drivers

Overall, soft skills, work mentality, culture, work style, job fulfillment, and continuous learning were the most important factors in advancing one’s career. Hard skills, work experience and formal education did not seem to carry the same weight anymore.

There are two major factors that were identified as inhibitors to one’s career across all the age groups — culture and management structure. This wasn’t surprising as many are aware of the negative dynamics that  inherently occur with workplace toxicity and lack of management clarity. Other factors that were noted to impact forward movement were a lack of mentors, limited soft skills, and no access to on-the-job training.

Work and Career Attitudes

When it came to attitudes around their career, the following attributes were commonly cited across all the age groups:

• The importance of relationships and working with others

• Contributions in the workplace - The ability to have a positive impact internally and externally (company and clients)

• Ongoing skill development to increase their value including soft skills 

• Diversity in experiences and openness to new approaches 

The priority attitudes and perspectives across the decades also aligned to their generational frame of reference. For those in their 20’s, aligning passion and purpose is something they identified with more than any other age group. Those in their 30’s (millennials) strongly believed in collaboration at all levels. For those that are mid-career (40+), they realized that network expansion is critical and felt most strongly about this as compared to other groups.

Implications

So, what does all of this mean? Here are the biggest takeaways that inform what the future of career success will be in 2021 and beyond: 

• Careers paths are not singular or sequential anymore. They now involve being able to bring your whole self to work.

• With workers having multiple career goals, particularly up-and-coming and new leaders, no one career path is going to satisfy everything they want or need.

• Younger generations are adapting extremely well to change because they've been forced to. They are figuring out what they want and need faster than the generations before them.  

• With differing goals, experiences, perceptions and attitudes with today’s broad range of workers, it’s necessary to find common ground and alignment to move forward. 

• Individuals are looking at what they want individually, not as part of a corporate entity. As a result, companies have to learn to adapt and it's not a one-size-fits-all (when it comes to helping employees advance their career).

Get a PDF of the survey results here. Learn more about career and career success in Building the Business of You or by joining the Business of You e-course.