| Do you cringe when you look at your resume through | | | | writing topics. |
| the eyes of a prospective employer, afraid the wide | | | | What does a portfolio career actually look like? It has |
| range of jobs listed will disqualify you? Or have you | | | | several parts, bound togetherby a common thread |
| put together a single-track career record but secretly | | | | (you), that’s adaptable to many different |
| long for more variety, more outlets for your varied | | | | circumstances. It canbe a combination of traditional |
| interests and abilities? | | | | employment, contract work, and self employment |
| If so, perhaps you’re the perfect candidate to | | | | (e.g. a home-based business). The format can be to |
| welcome a new identity: a portfoliocareerist. | | | | work simultaneously onvarious projects or |
| While describing her new business over lunch the other | | | | simultaneously with several clients or with single clients |
| day, Christine includedsome details of the career | | | | insuccession. Sometimes the strands of your portfolio |
| journey that brought her to it. Starting out doing | | | | even rotate seasonally: agarden design business in the |
| debtconsolidation for friends while tending her young | | | | summer, and technical writing in the winter. |
| children, she was catapulted intofull-time work in | | | | Thepossibilities are infinite, open to you to craft for |
| Human Resources following a divorce. Moving from | | | | yourself. |
| one corporate | | | | In addition to offering variety and flexibility, the portfolio |
| HR division to another, she specialized in employee | | | | career model can placevalue on those endeavors that |
| benefits and severancepackages. In recent years, tired | | | | don’t (or don’t yet) generate income - |
| of long hours and wanting more independence, shehas | | | | service or probono work, for instance, or creative |
| moved into financial planning as an affiliate of a large | | | | projects. Most importantly, the term |
| financial network. Whileshe is thriving in this new | | | | “portfoliocareer” gives legitimacy to those |
| challenge, she did admit, with a smile | | | | enterprising folks who have diverse interests |
| somewherebetween embarrassed and shy, that she | | | | andtalents and insist on expressing them, in spite of |
| had a “side business” as a personal | | | | having to buck reputations as |
| colorconsultant. “I have too many interests to | | | | “jack of all trades, master of none”. People |
| expect one job to make me happy. I’vealways | | | | have embraced the “portfolio career”label |
| had something going on the side!” | | | | with emotional relief, finding in it a term for the unifying |
| Her allusion to non-monogamy was telling, probably | | | | and meaningfulguiding force behind all their activities. |
| accounting for the moment ofslight embarrassment. | | | | So how do you go about creating a portfolio career? |
| Many of us are still laboring under the outmoded belief | | | | Here are some guidelines. |
| thatwe should make a career choice early in life and | | | | • look at your work history: What is the common |
| follow it faithfully in a more or lessstraight line. | | | | thread (or threads)connecting the work you’ve |
| In fact, there are many persuasive arguments for | | | | enjoyed most and done well at? Perhaps it’s |
| portfolio careers becoming a waveof the future. The | | | | money: making it, managing it, building healthy attitudes |
| realities of the current employment environment, | | | | about it. |
| suggest thatidentifying yourself as the CEO of your | | | | • deconstruct the work you’ve done into |
| career gives you a head start for pro-activelydesigning | | | | tasks and list all the skills involved inthose tasks. |
| it. The entrepreneurial mindset is valued among | | | | Don’t overlook the “people skills” like |
| companies looking toshift responsibility for career | | | | listening, motivating, teambuilding, etc. Think of new |
| management onto you, and prepares you to | | | | settings where those skills are of value and/or |
| makeforesighted adjustments to changes in in-house | | | | getcompensated. |
| and market conditions. | | | | • What are the hobbies or side interests that are |
| Research studies indicate there’s a high level of | | | | or could become incomegenerators? |
| satisfaction among people whovoluntarily leave | | | | • Plan a brainstorming session with a friend to |
| employment and become independent. As high as | | | | come up with a number of revenuestreams, and then |
| 65% ofexecutives surveyed in a British study are | | | | mindmap them. (For mindmapping guidance: |
| “very satisfied” with the increasedfreedom, | | | | [ |
| control and variety they’re able to create in their | | | | • What are the natural rhythms of your life that |
| composite careers. | | | | might suggest some directions? |
| Portfolio careers may be a model particularly | | | | (E.g. a client of mine got an ESL teaching certificate so |
| well-suited to women’s lives. Womenhave | | | | she could spend cold mid- |
| always been good at doing more than one thing at a | | | | Western winters in a tropical Latin climate.) |
| time. As companies’family-friendly policies are | | | | • If you’re considering multiple concurrent |
| diminishing, putting together a multi-strand career | | | | projects, make at least one of them a |
| mayprovide the needed flexibility to tend to a | | | | “nobrainer”, something easy or very |
| family’s changing needs or a spouse’s | | | | familiar. |
| jobrequirements. Designing a personal career portfolio | | | | And, like any good idea, there are some cautions. |
| gives women a way of workingthat fits our lives, | | | | Portfolio careers probably aren’tfor everyone. |
| rather than requiring our lives to adapt to our work. | | | | How do you know if it might work for you? Here are |
| An initial reaction to the idea of abandoning the search | | | | some questionsto think about. |
| for a “single strand” careerand focusing | | | | • Do I have a personality suited to a portfolio |
| instead on creating multiple strands may be to worry | | | | career (adaptable, risk tolerant, self-starting, enjoy |
| about the lack ofsecurity: no single paycheck to rely | | | | variety/complexity)? |
| on, no predictable schedule or set ofexpectations, no | | | | • Am I good at improvising when I’m not |
| one to report to for direction. The tough truth is that | | | | fully prepared? |
| this securityis becoming more and more of a myth in | | | | • How do I handle financial insecurity? |
| the contemporary workplace, as hiring isdone project | | | | • Am I willing to adjust my standard of living if |
| by project rather than for the long haul. Here are | | | | necessary? |
| several options foraddressing the issue of security: | | | | • How will I provide for health coverage and |
| *Develop a skill set that’s in demand or suited to | | | | vacations? |
| a growing industry. An examplemight be technical | | | | • How well do I structure and manage my time? |
| writing in biotech. | | | | Like the man who looks under the lamppost for his |
| *Actively nurture your network: keeping in touch with | | | | keys, rather than looking wherehe dropped them, |
| your contacts about newdevelopments in your skills or | | | | maybe the perfect job has eluded you because you |
| interests, as well as finding opportunities to be | | | | haven’t knownwhere to look. Try on the idea of |
| ofassistance to them. (Remember that being of | | | | a portfolio career and see if it frees you toconsider |
| service is very likely to activate adesire to reciprocate!) | | | | new possibilities, a new approach to creating work that |
| *Add to the numbers of people who know about you | | | | fits you and fitsyour life. |
| and your expertise bydeveloping some speaking or | | | | |