Career Guide US 2019

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by Erika Osmundson, Director of Marketing & Communications
THERE IS THAT QUOTE OUT THERE
about nothing being certain but death
and taxes! Which implies that all else is
uncertain; ambiguous. In the workplace,
ambiguity runs rampant, sometimes for
good reason and others unnecessarily. As
a young professional getting comfortable
with ambiguity can be exhausting.
Many employers think today’s young
professional isn’t equipped to handle
ambiguity. Let’s challenge that!
WHAT IS AMBIGUITY?
By definition it is the quality of being
open to more than one interpretation;
inexactness. You can have ambiguity in
the spoken or written word. It can be
simple: David gave a ride to his daughter
wearing a pink shirt. Was the daughter or
David wearing the pink shirt? Or it can
be more complex: we have this challenge
and we could solve it this way or that.
The fact is that ambiguity is all around
us, so you have had the opportunity to
deal with it. You may just not have
recognized it as such.
WHY IS BEING ABLE TO HANDLE
AMBIGUITY SO IMPORTANT?
We work and live in a changing and
evolving world. Being able to adapt and
learn the ‘new’ is so important.
“The ability to be able to handle
ambiguity is an important skill,” said Steve
upping your
AMBIGUITY IQ
Bent, District Sales Lead for Corteva
Agriscience Canada. “It is crucial to
success of the individual, but also for
the workplace.”
Companies need people with the
skills to adapt with changing ways of
doing business, shared Bent. People
with the skills to navigate ambiguity
sometimes find new and more
efficient ways to operate.
“Technology has changed
the way we live and work as
well as how quickly business
strategies pivot,” said B.J. Warren,
Employer Branding Lead for
Bayer U.S. “Employees who
thrive are those that can manage
through change and that can move
projects forward, even when all the
answers are not yet clear.”
WHAT ARE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
GETTING WRONG WHEN IT COMES
TO DEALING WITH AMBIGUITY?
There are a variety of employability skills
that employers feel young professionals
lack coming into the workplace, but
ambiguity is consistently mentioned.
“You will likely not always have all the
answers, clear direction, and >>>
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