How to Build a Successful Career with ‘Unique’ Job Roles

As companies and organizations grow and expand, so too does their employ, and the changes they experience often result in the creation of unique, niche job roles

While industries vary in a number of ways, one constant in all of them is change, often driven by advances in technology and/or processes, as well as a change in the needs and preferences of the market.

A common example of this was the creation of the automobile. The advent of vehicles increased the demand for quicker transport, and essentially made horse-drawn carriages outdated. Just as importantly, it led to a need for skilled drivers, the first of which had considerable careers as professionals given there had been few of them in the beginning. With technology and client needs and demands evolving even quicker these days, there are even more jobs out there that you might not seem to familiar but can prove worth trying.

While it’s true that the more familiar jobs better guarantee career and financial stability, there is a benefit to taking on roles that are less typical. For one, you can be like the aforementioned professional drivers when automobiles were new, and be among the first to offer a specific service or expertise, and essentially have the market to yourself. Another is being able to parlay your existing skills into a profession where it is not, for the moment anyway, most commonly, which again allows you to be one of the unique providers of that expertise.

Not sure how to do this? Well, the initial steps are always the hardest, and the following are three ways to get started on building a career with a ‘unique’ job.

Apply to Companies That are New or Different

There is expectedly no easier place to find an uncommon job than in companies which are also relatively new and offering a unique product or service, and as of now these are mostly in the form of start up companies. From being a Relationship Coach offering, well, relationship coaching services, to serving as a Head of Recovery for an emerging logistics company, startups are indeed the place to find roles which have not necessarily existed in the recent past.

While there may be some uncertainty in such roles given their dependence on if the product or service offered by the company successfully scales, there is also a great deal of opportunity behind these jobs. Because, as mentioned, if the company is indeed able to scale, it often means the need to expand its services and its employ, and as one of the few who has taken on unique responsibilities within, there is likely the opportunity to take on expanded roles or even supervisory or managerial positions as the business grows.

Consider Becoming an Executive Assistant

While many major businesses employ at least one Executive Assistant, not just anyone IS an Executive Assistant. To most people, an “EA” to a CEO, Vice-President, or any high-level executive is a person who sends e-mail and fixes appointments. What many don’t realize however, is that it is a role where one can learn a great deal in running or owning a business. Being an EA means being a top executive’s right hand and representative in an organization, with the privilege of being involved in many of the important processes and management meetings of the company.

Granted, while this isn’t necessarily a ‘unique’ job (yet is still not the most common), it does provide on with unique look into any business, one not available to just anyone, and can mean a shorter path to senior management positions in the best organizations. It is well documented how several current Managing Directors, Vice-Presidents, and other high-ranking executives of major companies all over the world had gotten their start working as the “eyes and ears” of company leaders, paths of which you can emulate into your own career success.

Leverage Your Professional License to an Alternate Job Role

If you happen to be duly licensed professional but aren’t too enthused with the idea of being limited into only one profession, you can look to alternative roles which are less common than the jobs your license is intended for. Examples of this include Budget Analyst, an alternative role for licensed accountants, or Clinical Reviewer, which is another job for duly licensed nurses.

While these and other jobs are not quite the primary option for licensed professionals, it does provide a unique career path which can lead to an alternatively quicker path to success. Similar to new and unique companies, these jobs have yet to become as common as their traditional counterparts, essentially making you part of a modest-sized pool of employees with a professional license that is accompanied with a unique set of skills and job experience.

Ready to find that not-so-common job that’s just right for you? Sign up at Kalibrr and be connected to thousands of employers today!

Kalibrr is a technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, the company continues to attract the best talent from all over, with over 2 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients, and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

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