The Squiggly Career: Ditch the Ladder, Embrace Opportunity and Carve Your Own Path Through the Squiggly World of Work

The Squiggly Career: Ditch the Ladder, Embrace Opportunity and Carve Your Own Path Through the Squiggly World of Work

  • Downloads:4849
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-11-08 06:54:06
  • Update Date:2025-09-07
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Helen Tupper
  • ISBN:0241385849
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Want to build a meaningful career that you love?

Careers are changing; they are no longer linear and there's no such thing as a 'job for life'。 Squiggly careers, where people jump constantly between roles, industries and locations, are becoming the new normal。

Squiggly careers are filled with opportunity and excitement, but they can also be ambiguous and overwhelming if we don't know how to make the most of them。

In The Squiggly Career, personal development experts Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis reveal 5 skills you need to master and teach you how to:

· Identify your Values
· Play to your Super Strengths
· Address your Confidence gremlins
· Design your support solar systems (Networks)
· Explore your Future Possibilities

Packed with insights about the changing-face of work, exercises to aid your growth, and tips and inspiration from highly successful people, this book will help you be happier, and ultimately more successful in your career。

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Reviews

Sarah

A very inspiring book which has many good and practical advices。 Absolutely recommend!

Sean Flatley

Get this book if you are either unhappy in your career or feel stuck。 I highly recommend it as well to have a journal with some coloured pens to make and do the assessments at the end each of the chapters。 It has done wonders for my brain and got me thinking more about myself and what more I can achieved both in work and at home。 Best wishes Sean 🙏💪👏☘🌈

Jennifer

I learned of Helen & Sarah through a virtual book club conversation at PMXPO 2022。 Their energy and perspectives really resonated with me & I bough this book straight away。 It didn’t disappoint。 The content & exercises are great and I can see how so many could benefit from reading and working through it。

PY92

A book that will remain on my “must keep” for future reading shelf - a great book for personal reflection

A O

I didn't realise it would be an activity book but that was actually very helpful。 It is advertised as being useful throughout your career and while that is true, it will definitely be more helpful at the beginning or if you are going through a career move。 I was recommended it by Amazon and bought it because the title stood out to me, I feel very atypical and I think "squiggly" sums my life up well。 Got some other resource recommendations from it so I curse it for that (if only you knew how long I didn't realise it would be an activity book but that was actually very helpful。 It is advertised as being useful throughout your career and while that is true, it will definitely be more helpful at the beginning or if you are going through a career move。 I was recommended it by Amazon and bought it because the title stood out to me, I feel very atypical and I think "squiggly" sums my life up well。 Got some other resource recommendations from it so I curse it for that (if only you knew how long my TBR is already) but it's the sign of a well researched book so I can't be too mad 。。。more

Charlie Rogers

Very basic advice。 So much potential to give actionable insight into building a portfolio career of diversified income streams and interests。 Instead, this book regurgitates common advice, lists obvious steps on building skills and sticks to the idea that our squiggly careers will be 1 job at a time, rather than (the much more likely) many jobs / clients at once。

Emily Burfoot

I didn’t find anything in this book to be super original - but the workbook aspect was helpful & I heard one of the authors speak and enjoyed her presentation。 I think I might enjoy their podcast more。

Daniel Banasiak

Great book about the alternative paths of a career with a lot of exercises to do。

Abbie

I thought this was great! Really practical and thought provoking, definitely gave me some ideas。 Would recommend。

Cody Harrison

Has good thoughts/tips

Diana Passy

"It's a clichéd frase, but in a squiggly career it is much more important than ever to enjoy the journey rather than focus on the destination, as it is so hard to predict now what the destination is, and indeed if there even is such a thing as a destination。"(TED Talk das autoras, pra quem quiser conhecer o conceito de squiggly career: https://www。youtube。com/watch?v=jH_fZ。。。) "It's a clichéd frase, but in a squiggly career it is much more important than ever to enjoy the journey rather than focus on the destination, as it is so hard to predict now what the destination is, and indeed if there even is such a thing as a destination。"(TED Talk das autoras, pra quem quiser conhecer o conceito de squiggly career: https://www。youtube。com/watch?v=jH_fZ。。。) 。。。more

Brown Lennox

Didn't quite catch up to my expectations, but it's worth the read。 Didn't quite catch up to my expectations, but it's worth the read。 。。。more

Kathy

Highly recommend。 Great advice and approach to your career。

Chloe

A really valuable and thought-provoking career guide。 Though I've technically finished reading the book, I know I'll be returning to a lot of the passages and exercises over time。 There were some instances of corporate cliches in the book, but the majority of the content and exercises are genuinely helpful and not fluffy。 There was clearly a lot of thought put into them。 A really valuable and thought-provoking career guide。 Though I've technically finished reading the book, I know I'll be returning to a lot of the passages and exercises over time。 There were some instances of corporate cliches in the book, but the majority of the content and exercises are genuinely helpful and not fluffy。 There was clearly a lot of thought put into them。 。。。more

Sarah

Engaging and actionable, with plenty of exercises。 Workers are no longer expected to scale a "career ladder"—many of us today have a "squiggly career"。Capping at 4 stars because none of the content felt super new—I felt major echoes of "Designing Your Life" and other career/leadership learnings, and the 100 tips at the end felt fragmented to me。However, I found this a worthwhile compilation and would recommend to anyone reflecting on their work life, career journey, personal brand, etc。 Engaging and actionable, with plenty of exercises。 Workers are no longer expected to scale a "career ladder"—many of us today have a "squiggly career"。Capping at 4 stars because none of the content felt super new—I felt major echoes of "Designing Your Life" and other career/leadership learnings, and the 100 tips at the end felt fragmented to me。However, I found this a worthwhile compilation and would recommend to anyone reflecting on their work life, career journey, personal brand, etc。 。。。more

Connor Graham

Initially, I didn't really like this book。 I thought that it didn't really offer anything new that I had not already learned, as I have read quite a few of the books that the authors referred too。 However, I'm glad that I persevered, as the further on I read I started to encounter some pretty useful advice。I'm currently studying at university and I am at a point where I'm trying to decide what I want to do for at least the next couple of years。 I've wondered aimlessly trying to apply to a variet Initially, I didn't really like this book。 I thought that it didn't really offer anything new that I had not already learned, as I have read quite a few of the books that the authors referred too。 However, I'm glad that I persevered, as the further on I read I started to encounter some pretty useful advice。I'm currently studying at university and I am at a point where I'm trying to decide what I want to do for at least the next couple of years。 I've wondered aimlessly trying to apply to a variety of different graduate programs in areas which have high 'perceived-worth', but after a few months I found that I didn't really have any interest their industry。 This book prompted me to think more about the type of things I enjoy doing and to stop worrying about how much I would earn and focus on choosing something that would give me that sense of fulfilment, that so many long for or sacrifice。 As a result, I've shifted focus to different areas and have committed to learn more about what I enjoy now, and I'm basing my next set of applications around this。Furthermore, the sections on networking and developing your person brand were also very insightful, along with the areas on developing a passion project。 Very useful, very relevant to the types of questions I am asking myself currently。 In addition, the collection of quotes at the end was surprisingly encouraging and very wholesome。To summarise, I would strongly recommend this book for people trying to work out the next step in their career, whether you're just starting or making a career pivot, this book has a lot of useful tips and exercises that you can try to help you see a clearer path through all the uncertainty。 Four stars, very good。 。。。more

Lucy Karen

So helpful and really changed my perspective on how I would assess my skills and experience as a professional。 Definitely one to come back to and refer to in the future!

Archit

Book recommendations - Adam Grant, Professor at Wharton University and author of Give and Take, Originals and Option B, Emma Gannon, author of The Multi-Hyphen Method and host of the Ctrl Alt Delete podcast, and Carolyn McCall DBE, the CEO of ITV。 The Joy of Work, Bruce Daisley。 How to Find Fulfilling Work, the philosopher Roman Krznaric。 The 100-Year Life by Lynda gratton。 The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor。 Do/Fly: Find Your Way。 Make a Living。 Be Your Best Self by Gavin Strange。 Forget a Book recommendations - Adam Grant, Professor at Wharton University and author of Give and Take, Originals and Option B, Emma Gannon, author of The Multi-Hyphen Method and host of the Ctrl Alt Delete podcast, and Carolyn McCall DBE, the CEO of ITV。 The Joy of Work, Bruce Daisley。 How to Find Fulfilling Work, the philosopher Roman Krznaric。 The 100-Year Life by Lynda gratton。 The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor。 Do/Fly: Find Your Way。 Make a Living。 Be Your Best Self by Gavin Strange。 Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career by Sylvia Ann Hewlett。 Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life by Arianna Huffington。 The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha。 The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence and Persuasion through the Art of Storytelling by Annette Simmons。Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? What It Takes to be an Authentic Leader by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones。Podcast: Squiggly Careers 。 WEBSITE – AMAZINGIF。COMVideo - Tina Roth Eisenberg, ‘Don’t Complain, Create’ (Vimeo)。 Larry smith – why you will fail to have a great career。 ‘How to Build Your Personal Brand in 2019’ by Lavendaire (YouTube)。 Follow HBR on instagram•tThere’s a gap between the promise of work today – a shiny world full of opportunity, creativity and freedom – and the reality of many people’s careers。 You need to develop the following skillsotSuper Strengths: the things you are great atotValues: what makes you ‘you’。 Identifying what motivates and drives youotConfidence: belief in yourself。 We all have ‘confidence gremlins’, the things that hold us back at work。otNetworks: people helping people。 It is important to build relationshipsotFuture Possibilities: exploring options。 Career plans are a thing of the past; your focus should be on identifying future possibilities and taking action to explore them in the present。•tthe career ladder was gone and in its place was the squiggly career。•tWHO WE WORK WITH? WE ARE WORKING WITH FIVE GENERATIONS:otPeople aged 75+ - traditionalistsot55-74 – baby boomersot44-54 - Gen Xot25-43 – Gen YotLess than 25 – gen zotSatya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, believes that everyone, including himself, should focus on being a ‘learn-it-all’ rather than a ‘know-it-all’。•tSTRENGHTS = NATURAL TALENTS + EXPERIENCE。 Four steps to discover:otFIRST BURSTS: list down 20 things you are good at and 3 weakness。 Convert the weakness into strength。 Eg。 If weakness is Presenting > opposite = good listener。 Lack of analytical thinking <> telling storiesotNATURAL TALENTS- ask a friend, family member “what 3 words would you use to describe me”。 Eg, determined, disciplined, curious, competitive, calm, focused, independent, creativeotLEARNT STRENGTHS: how to discover this?tInclude all your jobstBe specific- eg。 Expertise in particular softwaretIs this strength a WHAT or a HOW? You might have a project management qualification or expertise in a particular technique such as managing Agile projects (these are whats), and also be good at organization and bringing together diverse teams (these are hows)。 Keep asking yourself why you are good at a particular what or how, and this will help you come up with a longer list。 For example: Why are you good at project management? Answer: Stakeholder management, budget management, spot opportunities and risks, dependency planning。 Suddenly you have gone from one strength to five。totDISCOVER YOUR SUPER STRENGTHS – factors influencing superstrengths – Success, Frequency, Openness, and Happiness•tVALUES: Values are the unique attitudes and beliefs that motivate and drive us。 They are what make you ‘you’, so it might help to think of them as being a bit like your career DNA。 They are a fundamental part of who you are, as they reflect what matters to you most。otCareer destinations have disappeared。 Your values are a continual career compass to guide your decisions and actions。otFive steps for understanding your values – REFLECTING, SPOTTING, SCANNING, PRIORITIZING, DEFININGotREFLECTING - To start drawing your own career chart, think about your very first job。 What were you doing and how did it make you feel? Mark where your feelings were on the scale in your own chart。 Write down the different emotions you were feeling in this role and what triggered them。 For example, perhaps you were happy because you were in a team with lots of energy and ideas and you had a manager who gave you lots of autonomy。 Or perhaps you felt frustrated because you didn’t feel that the work you were doing was meaningful, or the pace was too slow。 Now, keep tracking each step of your career up to where you are right now。 Think about the different moves, changes and moments that stand out for you。 Each time you hit a career high or a career low, take a moment to capture those feelings and insights about what was going on。 You’ll end up with a line charting your emotions and lots of descriptions, which we can use to look for clues about your values。otSPOTTING – 1。 The people you work with? 2。 The work that you do? 3。 The organizations you work for? 4。 The environment you work in?otSCANNING – scan the words in the list and see the words that stand out。 Eg。 Excellence, focus, excitement etc。otPRIORITIZING - Review everything you have written down and select the ten “VALUE” words that feel most important to you right now。•tCONFIDENCE - Confidence is having belief in yourself。 It’s the ability to recognize your successes, trust in your abilities and be resilient enough to bounce back from bumps in the road。 Think of someone whom you would describe as confident; what other words would you use to paint a picture of that person’s characteristics? Words such as brave, resilient, authentic, inspiring and calm often spring to mind。 While words like arrogant, egocentric and manipulative may also be on the list (and we’ll come back to this shortly), most people consider confidence to be a positive attribute•tBuild your confidence in 3 ways – Develop resilience, take action, and belief in oneselfotDevelop resilience- as jobs are disappearing due to technology and restructuring, it’s more vital to talk about how to bounce back from challengesotTake action – making difficult decisisions like changing role/ professionotInspire belief – develop skills to feel confident internally and then project it externally to peopleotDiscover your gremlins-tWhat are you most afraid at worktWhat do you not do at work, but wish you didtI’m not___________enough to be successful at worktWhat negative thoughts do you have about yourself at worktAsk WHY at least 3 times。 Eg。 If you have a fear of presenting, ask “WHY do you fear presenting”, WHY do you worry you will forget what you plan to say, WHY do you feel that people will think you’re not good at your jobotREFLECTING – success at home and work last month, record 1 success every day •tNETWORKING- write 3 actions which you want people to say about you。 Eg。 I want people to say that – 1。 I can present an event at work, 2。 I write a “top tips” article 3。 I could offer to share what I’ve done in our team with othersotThe 3 D;s of networking – DISCERNING (finding a mentor), DELIBERATE (share ideas, time, knowledge or a combination of the 3), DIVERSE (ensure your network has people who have different expertise and experience so that they can generate fresh perspectives and ideas。 Don’t constrict it to a certain industry or profession or age)otAssessing your networkotBuilding your networkotCreating career karmaotUnderstanding your network role•tBuild 2 types of mentors – “meaningful mentors (long-term)” & “of the moment” (Short-term)•tSponsor- some1 who advocates for you - eg。 Boss•tHow to respond/ follow up with a person who does not reply: I really enjoyed your recent article on flexible working, especially the point on focusing on the ‘how’ rather than the ‘why’。 I got in touch a couple of weeks ago as I would be really interested to chat to you more about how I could implement flexible working in my organization。 If you don’t have time right now, no problem, and if there is anyone else you could recommend I speak to that would be great。•tWhy do future possibilities matter in a squiggly careerotTaking ownership – you cannot rely on your manager/ company to provide a clear career path for youotDiscover opportunity - Exploring future possibilities allows us to get curious about different roles and organizations。 A career that might have seemed linear and limited can be opened up when you think about all the different places your strengths could create impacotFinding a good fit - Career change in any direction inevitably comes with some risk。 Whether it’s a horizontal internal move or a pivot into a new industry, digging deeper into whether the opportunity is a good fit for your strengths, values or career must-haves will make it more likely to be a successful transition。otPOSSIBILITIES – tYOUR OBVIOUS POSSIBILITY – whatever you intuitively feel is the next step in your careertYOUR AMBITIOUS POSSIBILITY - tYOUR DREAM POSSIBILITY – if you had no constraints, what work would you be doingtYOUR PIVOT POSSIBILITY – focus on finding roles where you could apply your existing skills and strengths in a new way•tQuestion prompts:otStrengthstSelf-reflection question: How will the career possibility you are exploring give you the opportunity to use your strengths regularly and in particular your super strengths?tQuestion to ask: What are the skills and behaviours that are most valuable and useful in this role?otValuesttSelf-reflection question: How will this career possibility mean you can be yourself at work and live your values?tQuestion to ask: Some of the things that are important to me about what/where/who I work with are 。 How well do you think these things fit with working in this industry or company?otConfidencetSelf-reflection question: How will this possibility build your confidence?tQuestion to ask: What are some of the challenges of the job that require the most resilience from you and the team?otNetworkstSelf-reflection question: How will this possibility mean you can use your network ‘gives’ and get access to your network ‘gains’。tQuestion to ask: Are there any gaps in knowledge or skills that you’re trying to fill at the moment?otFuture possibilitytSelf-reflection question: How will this possibility lead to other interesting career possibilities for you to explore?tQuestion to ask: How can you see this team evolving in the future?•tCreate a manifesto/ vision boardot1。 It clearly communicates what is important to you: your beliefs, opinions, motives and intentions。ot2。 It is a source of inspiration and focus throughout your career。ot3。 It uses positive language that inspires action。•tFUTUREPROOFING YOUR SKILLSotDeveloping the core skills of strengths, values, confidence, networks and future possibilities will transform your ability to take ownership of your own career development。 These skills will provide you with a strong foundation of self-reflection and action to build on throughout the rest of your career。 Over the past few years we have spotted three ‘up and coming’ skills that we think are going to become more important at work, and these are: curiosity, feedback and grit。•tFEW WAYS TO BUILD CURIOSITYotTake the free assessment tool by Harvard Business Review “What’s your Curiosity Profile”otSubscribe to Stack (a magazine subscription service that sends you a different magazine each month)otOne “random” person rule – meet a random person each month•tFEEDBACK – how to deliver feedback- 3RsotRelevantotReal timeotRegularlyot‘What went well & even better if’ otSituation, Result, Impact (SRI) •tGrit •tSHOULD I START A SIDE PROJECT?otPassion side projectotIdea-testing side projectotProblem solving side projectotResources – podcast episode 31 。。。more

Ewelina

Kto nigdy nie myślał o zmianie pracy, niech podniesie rękę w górę。 A ponieważ życie jest takie jak obecna ścieżka zawodowa - poplątane, warto wiedzieć, co zrobić, by być zadowolonym ze swojej kariery。 Helen Tupper i Sarah Ellis napisały poradnik, w którym dzielą się radami oraz obserwacjami i wynikami licznych warsztatów。 Publikacja prezentuje 5 kluczowych umiejętności, które mają największe znaczenie przy planowaniu kariery。 Odnalezienie i praca nad superatutami, określenie wartości, praca nad Kto nigdy nie myślał o zmianie pracy, niech podniesie rękę w górę。 A ponieważ życie jest takie jak obecna ścieżka zawodowa - poplątane, warto wiedzieć, co zrobić, by być zadowolonym ze swojej kariery。 Helen Tupper i Sarah Ellis napisały poradnik, w którym dzielą się radami oraz obserwacjami i wynikami licznych warsztatów。 Publikacja prezentuje 5 kluczowych umiejętności, które mają największe znaczenie przy planowaniu kariery。 Odnalezienie i praca nad superatutami, określenie wartości, praca nad pewnością siebie, budowanie sieci kontaktów oraz otwartość na nowe możliwości - oto, co liczy się najbardziej。 Dodatkowo autorki dzielą się radami 100 osób, które odniosły sukces。 Wszystkie treści zostały wyjaśnione klarownie i wyczerpująco。 Na stronach znajdziecie dużo ćwiczeń, wyróżnienia najważniejszych myśli, krótkie podsumowania rozdziałów i przykłady z życia wzięte。 "Praca marzeń" to dobrze napisana książka, do której trzeba wracać, by na nowo odkrywać siebie poprzez zaproponowane ćwiczenia。 Pełna wersja recenzji: https://spacerwsrodslow。blogspot。com/。。。 。。。more

Lily

I was expecting more about squigglyness

Raka Adrianto

A perfect, subtle companion for those who wish to jump ships! On another note, the premises of multi/ lateral careers are ubiquitous, up to a point that it will be a norm: Both Helen and Sarah did a pretty good job in explaining without lecturing。

Wendy

It's a lot of open doors and personal stories, which may be great if you are looking for a starting point in your career journey。 But for me it felt a little too easy, too ratrace and too focussed on the perfect world。 It's a lot of open doors and personal stories, which may be great if you are looking for a starting point in your career journey。 But for me it felt a little too easy, too ratrace and too focussed on the perfect world。 。。。more

elisabook

2。5 - A lot of activities about recognising your strengths/values/confidence issues, less strong on content。 Quite short and the last chapters were just lists of quotes。 Quite corporate-focussed。

James

Maybe this book would be useful for someone, but it kind of just made me want to self-yeet。

Alison English

This book has really helped me to focus on what is important for me。 I found the exercises in it incredibly helpful and can see that I will be going back to reassess my answers at intervals over the years。

Clare Russell

I love the squiggly career podcast and was excited to read this。 There is some good advice - central is that you don’t have to follow other people’s paths or what has been set out for you。 I liked the (basic but right) advice about finding your strengths and values and seeking opportunities from this。 But compared to books like the Confidence Code or Lean In, it felt fairly light。 More a workbook/journal than a good read

Rachel H

Some interesting ideas here but I felt that many of them would have worked better in a live session or course (like the authors run and refer to frequently) rather than in book form。 Despite this being about a "squiggly career" the book still seems aimed at career paths that are quite conventional for nowadays。 Also, while identifying your super strengths and values is obviously a good idea, without examples to draw upon in interviews, I'm uncertain how this helps you to get a job。 Some interesting ideas here but I felt that many of them would have worked better in a live session or course (like the authors run and refer to frequently) rather than in book form。 Despite this being about a "squiggly career" the book still seems aimed at career paths that are quite conventional for nowadays。 Also, while identifying your super strengths and values is obviously a good idea, without examples to draw upon in interviews, I'm uncertain how this helps you to get a job。 。。。more

Siddhartha Jain

Outstanding read for everyone。 This is not a book but an entire workshop wherein Sarah/Helen make one do the exercises, while giving supporting reads / examples etc。 One of the best reads I have had till now。 The ideas are lucid and make one think / reflect and create specific action plans。 Highly recommend。

Haider Shakiry

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 It reads like a long list of general and vague to-do's and 'activities' - similar to What Color is my Parachute - for people at the start of their professional or management careers, specially those already employed in corporations。 All the 'activities' entail asking your colleagues, managers, friends, family members and professional networks questions about your character, personality, value to them etc。 (unfairly assuming that you have plenty of those!) thus contradicting this book's deceptive It reads like a long list of general and vague to-do's and 'activities' - similar to What Color is my Parachute - for people at the start of their professional or management careers, specially those already employed in corporations。 All the 'activities' entail asking your colleagues, managers, friends, family members and professional networks questions about your character, personality, value to them etc。 (unfairly assuming that you have plenty of those!) thus contradicting this book's deceptive appeal to people with 'squiggly careers' which I took as not in full time employment and working in the gig economy i。e。 contractors on short to medium term projects, where they have to apply whatever 'strengths' required to provide the services they've been contracted to do in order to get paid and do not have the luxury of only accepting work that aligns with their values。 Therefore most of the advice in this book is irrelevant and unsuitable for people in mid or at the end of their careers who find themselves squeezed out by the structural changes in the labor market and shrinking demand for their skills and qualifications。 In fairness the authors introduce themselves at the beginning of the book as alumni of top UK and US Business Management universities who have gone on to find jobs in major corporations and so built a strong network。 For all the other people 'freelancing' I recommend reading the relatively pithy HBR article "The 4 things You Need to Thrive in the Gif Economy" which helped me to relieve some of my frustration after reading this book by these two privileged authors。 。。。more

Katie B

Every one needs to read this book! No matter what stage of your career you are in, this book will motivate and inspire you to finding the best job for you。 Not only does this interactive book grasp every aspect of your working life but also helps you to identify what sort of person you are。 Especially helpful if you are unsure what job you want to do。I will 100% be re-reading this book again and again。