[Podcast] How do you find work you love in confusing and changing times.

There’s a famous analogy about a frog dying a death in slowly boiling water, as it does not perceive the increases in temperature before it’s too late.

Essentially the water boils and the poor frog is fried.

According to Dr Karl this analogy might be misused by people like myself to spur people on to take action. He suggests we’re guilty of insulting the intelligence of frogs who may well be smart enough to pick that the rising temperature will kill them and make the leap before it’s too late.

I’ll stop with the bad puns now as Dr Karl has convinced me about the fiestiness of frogs.

But myth or not, the freddo factoid is a fitting analogy for how most of us approach taking action on changing jobs and in managing our careers.

We sit there in the security of a warm bath and neglect doing anything about our job satisfaction until circumstances force our hands. Those circumstances may be that our workload is unbearable, a terrible boss appears, there’s a restructure that’s not serving anyone or a job loss is on the cards.

The trouble is that this approach makes creating positive change longer and harder.

Technology, automation and rapid globalisation are the drivers behind some expert predictions that 40% of Australian jobs that exist today will have a moderate to high likelihood of disappearing in the next 10 to 15 years.

When I first read this finding my reaction was to express the alarm that this headline was designed to elicit- WE’LL ALL BE OUT OF WORK!!

But behind the headlines is a more nuanced view that different jobs will be created, and that we’re facing skill re-deployment rather than no employment.

So this really is a time where curiosity and a talent for reinvention are great skills to have when you’re looking for your next job. The only security in this employment market is being comfortable in knowing that there is insecurity, and being prepared to tackle that head on.

The good news is that there are a whole bunch of things you can do to find satisfying work or even reinvent your career.

For some wonderful strategies on how to succeed in this rapidly changing market I urge you to listen to my latest interview with Lois Keay-Smith.

Lois is a Career Counsellor and Coach and runs a Perth based business called Career Wisdom.

She has just released her book, “Make your Move, Career Dynamics For Changing Times.” This is almost an a to z guide of finding satisfying work in confronting and confusing times.

In this interview we cover a range of themes around how to find meaningful work, from:

• What you can expect from working with a career coach.
• The tools she offers to help you clear up your confusion.
• Are there really any rules around finding career satisfaction?
• Is experimenting with jobs an effective way to find work you love?
• The lovely idea of happenstance where circumstances align to help you find the work that you love.
• How to create that happenstance in your career.
• How important it is to maintain your “weak ties”, or people who know you lightly from a previous work scenario, and how these people can help you find your next job.
• Why LinkedIn is perfect for the purpose of reactivating your weak ties.
• The importance of constant effort when you are networking, and how small activities can make a big difference to your success.
• Strategies for maintaining a presence on LinkedIn.
• Networking strategies for introverts.
• Top tips for creating a level of “security” in very insecure times.
• Why it’s important to focus on moving towards something that you love, rather than moving away from something you dislike.

As you can see we had a wide ranging discussion.

So if you’re fearful you are the frog frolicking in a warming bath, click here to listen to this interview to help you find your feet.