What are squiggly careers and how did career paths become so squiggly?

Published: 25 October 2024 | by: Simon White

The term squiggly career or squiggly line career has gained traction in recent years, in part thanks to Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis’s bestselling 2022 book, “The Squiggly Career.” The phrase has gone on to become a byword for the modern career landscape that exhibits numerous twists and turns during increasingly turbulent times of uncertainty and rapid change.

Importantly, this modern approach is quickly becoming the norm — and employees are seeking employers that will support them in their diverse endeavours. This resource reviews what squiggly careers are, how they’re changing career development and what HR leaders should do about it.

So…What is a squiggly career?

To pursue a squiggly line career that interchanges between professions and industries acknowledges that the traditional career path of linear progression via an ascending career ladder of increasingly impressive job titles, has moved on. Instead, a squiggly career is a career that embraces concepts such as portfolio careers and lateral career moves, before arriving at a new age of multidirectional careers. Squiggly careers offer an unprecedented degree of freedom and empowerment for individuals, where, according to Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis, “progression goes beyond promotion and allows people to develop in different directions”.

To help bring the concept to life, consider this real-life squiggly line career example from McKinsey & Co, which provides a sense of the sort of multidimensional lifestyle exhibited by someone exhibiting all the hallmarks of a squiggly career. Note the interviewee’s curiosity, her sense of freedom and empowerment when it comes to career decisions, as well as her advanced understanding of personal values and strengths, before integrating them into actionable career decisions.

Squiggly career antecedents

As the career landscape becomes squigglier, the definition of career success has also broadened. Now, sideways moves and diverse experiences are seen as legitimate forms of success. To succeed was once to be promoted, but employees are now told that to change and adapt is to succeed. As acclaimed business writer Alvin Toffler, author of “Future Shock,” famously quipped, “The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn…”

So, why are we now looking out on to a landscape of squiggly careers when those of earlier generations did not? To answer that, start by considering that the average life of companies is shrinking. The lifespan of an S&P 500 company in the 1920s was 67 years. In 2013, the average lifespan was only 15 years , a 78% decrease in less than a century.

In contrast, according to the World Health Organization, by 2030, one in six people will be 60 years or over, but by 2050, that number is expected to double, which means that the prospect of a 60-year career is now more likely than ever before.

Given people are living longer and companies expire sooner, employers can no longer provide a career management approach that covers an entire career, and individuals will want greater variety, as their desires and interests alter. Thus, the responsibility for development — or, in the case of those working for a company with a short lifespan, the necessity to adapt and change — naturally shifts from employer to individual. In short, now that a job for life is a thing of the past, individuals need to feel empowered to develop, upskill and reskill.

Responsibility for development within a squiggly career landscape

From a talent management perspective, if careers are now squiggly and individuals must adapt and change like never before, does that release employers of any responsibility for learning and development? The Squiggly Career is certainly written for the individual, emphasises the opportunities multidirectional non-linear careers offer and proposes actionable guidance for how to forge a rewarding career. In fact, for nearly fifty years, since the concept of a protean career was introduced, we’ve been told that greater career self-direction was necessary.

Does that mean that HR professionals can sit back and relax? If you are unsure about how to answer this then consider how easy it would be for someone on a squiggly line career path to start feeling pressured by the need to continuously seek new opportunities and adapt to change. Multiply that across your workforce and what impact would that have on your organisation?

Over a long period of time this could easily lead to mass burnout and poor psychological safety given the level of anxiety present. Similarly, social isolation is a risk given the transient nature of squiggly careers, especially in a post-COVID society of hybrid working, which will impact organisational culture.

Another consequence of squiggly career development was highlighted in 2023 when Gartner predicted that a rise in employees taking non-linear career paths would lead to recruiters and human resource professionals having to expand and diversify their talent pipelines to fill more available roles that would have otherwise been taken by more junior candidates. This shows that organisations must overcome resistance to hiring candidates who may not have the usual prior experience and must be mindful of this when discussing expectations with recruiters tasked with finding appropriate applicants

Supporting an organisation filled with squiggly line careers

Therefore, for HR professionals and hiring managers, supporting employees in their squiggly career quickly becomes necessary for effective talent management as well as the overall health of the organisation. Think of it as a partnership between employer and employee, that helps minimise attrition and maximise loyalty and engagement in a squiggly career landscape. The emphasis can still be on the employee to lead their professional and personal development, but a canny employer will realise the benefits even within a future talent pool filled with squiggly careers.

Remember that the ability to innovate and change is a vital part of ensuring an organisation’s long-term survival. So, not only is a squiggly career good for individuals, but it also benefits businesses too, as it helps maximise human capital potential and reminds us that people can grow and are not just comprised of existing innate abilities.

This is why, for the individual, a squiggly career requires a strong understanding of strengths and values to act as a north star, helping guide people through a diverse landscape of career paths. Organisations must support and encourage this. Crafting engaging and motivational roles over several decades and across multiple industries demands much from a squiggly line career candidate, including use of all their transferable skills, stacks of resilience and getting comfortable with spending a material portion of their career outside of their comfort zone — all to the benefit of their employer.

However, given what we know about the future of work and the need to embrace a squiggly career, not only is this approach going to be fulfilling in the long run, but it’s also going to be essential for both individuals and organisations. That’s why businesses must adjust to the advent of squiggly line careers and support individuals within their journey, even if it means a total reinvention of hiring and succession planning strategies.