The “Gig for Now”
I am currently reading through yet another brilliant book by Tom Peters called Talent. Tom has a real “knack for the now” and is able take the mountain of data and information that bombards us each day and uses it to draw unique and fascinating conclusions.
He puts the case that we are all freelancers now, and if we are not we need to get used to the idea because that is where work is going. For many of us, for me at least, this is actually the way I have been living my life for the past fifteen years or so.
Obviously, the days of the “job for life” no longer exist and to be frank they never really did throughout my working life. (I think they did for my father’s generation, although Australians tend to move around a bit anyway)
This means that your career is spent working for short stints in companies, looking for the roles and projects that best suit where you are in your career, and using this to improve your brand as a valuable resource.
Having worked in 27 different countries, I can honestly say that this phenomenon has been influencing my career for at least the last 15 years. Instead of working in a job for ten years and waiting to be noticed, I have always worked on projects for (maybe) a couple of years, then moved onto the next position.
This works for everybody…
Consultancies are generally project oriented companies, and when a large project finishes, and they haven’t done their homework in building the pipeline, they get left with a lot of expensive overheads with nowhere to put them to earn consistent high yield fees.
This gets uncomfortable because as a consultant you realize that you are either earning or costing money, nothing in between. Therefore, if you are not out there generating revenue, it is only a matter of time before the ax comes down and somebody has to go.
For the consultant, they get to move on to the next notch in their CV, either with the current employer or with a different one. (Building the brand)
Are you freelance equipped?
Therefore, if you have accepted the tide of inevitability, and are taking the “Gig for Now” attitude to your career (Whether within the same or different companies) then here are a few tips that I have used throughout my career:
1. Continually update your value offerings – Your CV is the statement of who you are, professionally, and the value you are able to add. Make sure it adequately reflects your current situation, wisdom and aspirations.
Your value statement is not just a file you carry around with you on your PC. Keep you LinkedIn profile up to date. (What a great tool!) That way any prospective employer can see your experience, your recommendations, your abilities and other relevant information.
2. Grow your network in breadth and depth – Keep meeting people in your own industry, as well as others in related industries. Again, I like LinkedIn for this, but networking is not only an online phenomenon. Keep expanding the boundaries of people you can contact, and spend time maintaining the network. Send the occasional email, keep in touch, and send opportunities through when they come up etc.
3. Continually update your capabilities – Learning is a life choice. You can take the challenge and continue to learn new things and new ways of doing things, or you can sit in your comfort zone and watch the job market leave you behind. It is your choice.
4. Add Impressive Stripes to your Value Statement - Go out of your way to get what Tom calls WOW items onto your CV. Publish a book, take a high level project role overseas, self-publish a book, get papers published in print or online media, publish a training course, and so on... the list is endless and I have no idea what could be on yours... but you probably do.
5. Keep in touch - Aside from the valued and nourished network, you also need to keep your eye out for opportunities. Watch the job boards, read the business news, subscribe to blogs that talk about your area of expertise - or about the area that you would like to work in.
But not for the reasons that you think. Applying for jobs is necessary sometimes, and there are a lot of skills that one needs to be able to do it well. But the main reason is to see the flow of work and opportunities.
If the job boards are loaded with strategy consultants in one particular area, then ask what is driving that. Who is (are) the client(s) why are they so interested right now? How can you intervene somehow and offer services that are needed for higher yield rates than employment offers?
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