Tania Lennon is co-author of Future-Ready Talent: Building a Talent Pipeline for Sustained Business Success with Ric Roi, published by Kogan Page, priced £32.99
Building a career in technology today requires a high degree of flexibility.
Not that long ago, the hot skill in town was the ability to code. Then AI took over code writing and prompt engineering became the sought-after capability. In 2026, over 40% of all code is estimated to be AI-generated and vibe coding has become the norm. As a result, technology experts have been pushed up the value chain into agentic engineering, working with autonomous AI workflows while humans provide the architectural thinking and verification.
This shift follows the same pattern as most careers today. AI has taken over the execution, while humans address the more complex and challenging elements of the work, such as defining the question and approach. In addition, the technical skills needed for success are changing rapidly, with the World Economic Forum suggesting an average 39% shift in capability requirements in the next five years.
These rapid shifts and push into more complex capability requirements can be bewildering – and the pace of change is likely to increase. How do you build a career that lasts in this context?
To survive the job apocalypse requires cultivating the talent markers for future readiness. These support people to build their capacity to thrive in a dynamic and AI-accelerated world. The future ready talent markers are amplified through core activities for career building recommended by specialists in the career space.
Looking to the future
The first talent marker is about scanning the horizon. Those who sustain career success constantly monitor the environment using multiple sources of information. This enables them to discern emerging trends, to extract vital insights and to identify new capabilities that are likely to be important. In terms of career management, they maintain an optimistic view of their career trajectory and see themselves as the architect of their own success.
Shaping the direction
The ability to synthesise information to develop and consider different strategies, then to challenge your own thinking, is a hallmark of future readiness. This provides the foundation for cognitive agility, which supports ongoing adaptation in a dynamic environment. For career process, this shows up as an ability to reimagine and reinvent yourself, exploring alternative pathways and experimenting with different professional identities. It also drives an orientation towards continual learning and development, with a focus on acquiring new skills and new perspectives.
Taking action
When it comes to translating career plans into action, those who succeed are distinguished by their discipline and persistence. They hold themselves accountable for their own career success and set small, achievable goals that provide the footholds to enable them to make significant leaps.
As a talent marker, what differentiates successful careers is also their capacity to adapt their behaviour in order to engage and influence others. They demonstrate strong self-management, suppressing unhelpful behaviours and injecting their approach with enthusiasm and positivity – even when they don’t feel it. They use heightened interpersonal insight to tune into the needs and concerns of others, then choose their behaviour based on what the situation requires, rather than their own preferences.
Stepping forward
Once the direction is defined and the stakeholders aligned, there is still the moment when a bold leap of faith is required. Those who succeed over the long-term bring self-belief; they trust their ability to address challenges and obstacles and don’t bow to pressure. To drive innovation and stay aligned with ongoing change, they are prepared to be a first mover, working ahead of colleagues and competitors rather than taking a ‘wait and see’ approach.
Building career adaptability
These characteristics are key differentiators for people who can sustain success in a dynamic environment. They support a process of continuous adaptation, enabling individuals to identify emerging trends and needs, explore new ideas and approaches, build strong connections and momentum to things forward and have the courage to take bold steps forward.
Surviving the job apocalypse means cultivating these characteristics while adopting actions to build a resilient career. According to career expert Dr. Ioana Parry, these are captured in the four steps from Mark Savickas, author of Career Counseling. First, Concern is taking a positive and optimistic view of your future career. Second is Control, taking personal responsibility for moving towards your goals. Third, Curiosity is about not being limited by your past and being open to exploring new career pathways and opportunities. Finally, it is about Confidence, strengthening your belief that you can overcome obstacles, pivot with change and take action in uncertainty.
“There is clear evidence that enhancing these attributes and behaviours support individuals to build a resilient career, “says Dr. Parry. Those who are high in these characteristics tend to be able to ride the wave of change more effectively. When they encounter challenges in their career, they move forward more quickly to take advantage of new opportunities.”
Fortunately, these characteristics can be developed. “The starting point is to understand your current strengths in these areas and where there are opportunities for development.”
To gain insight into your current levels of career adaptability, you can take Dr. Parry’s Career Elevator diagnostic for free to receive a personalised report and priority suggestions for action. You can find the diagnostic at https://bit.ly/TxTechWomen.
