In a recent blog post by CNBC , we notice that there are 3 types of employees in the US job market today. They are the thrivers, the coasters and the struggling.

The thrivers are those who are really happy with their jobs, are loyal to their employers and do not plan on quitting those jobs any time soon. The strugglers are those who aren’t happy with their jobs or are the complete opposite of the thrivers. The coasters fall somewhere in between these two. 

The major factors that determine the category an employee falls into include: the pay they receive on the job, opportunities for advancement, connection with their colleagues, the meaningfulness of the roles that they perform and how much impact they feel their roles have on the company as a whole. When an employee falls into the coaster category, burnouts are inevitable. With so much happening around the US job market right now, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you want to protect your mental health and thrive at your job.

• One of the ways to thrive in the US Job market is to embrace flexibility. With the workflow disruption that Covid-19 came with, we have seen dynamics in the way jobs operate. During the initial stage of Covid-19, a lot of people had no choice but to work remotely. Now we are beginning to see companies embrace the hybrid mode of working where staff  can work from both home and their office. We need to understand that flexibility is a must-have skill because hybrid work is here to stay and talents are everywhere in a hybrid world. In the highlighted blog post by CNBC, we see that employees who work hybridly, remotely or in the office can fall under the 3 categories of employees (Thrivers, coasters and strugglers) and that contrary to some opinion, motivation does not depend on how the employee works (hybridly, remotely or in the office).

• Another way to thrive is to be prompt enough to develop skills that are relevant to the times and that enable you to work from anywhere in the world. According to the World Economic Forum, five years from now, over one-third of skills (35%) that are considered important in today’s workforce will have changed. This is particularly true because of the speedy advancements of technology. We are beginning to see an evolution. This evolution is also being seen in the way some jobs completely disappear – especially with the scaling of AI and robotics, some jobs will grow and jobs that are not currently in existence will be in existence soon. Individuals will need to develop skill sets that are relevant to the times and keep up with the pace of job creation and evolution.

• A third way to thrive is to develop soft and hard skill sets. Soft skills are basically the  non-technical skills that enable you to interact effectively and harmoniously with others within an organisation. They can also be referred to as people skills. These skills can impact culture, mindsets, leadership, attitudes and behaviours. Soft skills like creativity, emotional intelligence, advanced communication skills, initiative taking, critical thinking, negotiation all fall into the top 10 most sought after skills in the world. These skills can be acquired over time when courses and certifications are taken in those areas.

Technical skills or hard skills are acquired differently. They are most times acquired via classroom education and job experiences and are specific to the industry where one is employed. In order to thrive in the US job market, it’s important to possess both hard and soft skills.

• Also, define what success looks like to you. There’s a saying that goes, “if you don’t know where you are going, everywhere will look like it”. In order for you not to perceive your gradual growth process as redundancy, you’ll need to define in clear terms what success looks like to you. What companies will you like to work in or for? What will you be satisfied with earning? At what age will you like to retire? What kind of work environment will you like to work in? When you are able to identify in cear terms where you want to be in the US job market and are able to spot it when it comes, you’ll not be confused and you’ll be able to give your best wherever you find yourself which can in turn earn you more growth opportunities and promotions within an organisation.