Struggling to Find the Right Job? Then Why Not Take on Three or Four Instead?
PrintSo-called portfolio careers, a term first mooted by management writer Charles Handy in the nineties, involve doing two or more different jobs for different employers. It is something the recession has forced upon many people -- unable to find a suitable job, they are taking on two or more part-time roles.
However, it is also a career choice by those wanting a more flexible or rewarding career, who may spend part of the week earning a living and the remainder following a passion.
Now a new handbook called And What Do You Do? has been published for those wanting to find out more about how this alternative way of working could work for them.
It is written by two portfolio workers, one of whom, Katie Ledger, is a communications consultant, conference host and producer, presentation and media coach, author, blogger, presenter, mother and wife.
Ledger starts the book, co-authored by Barrie Hopson, with a quote from writer Penelope Trunk, who says: "A portfolio career is not thesame thing as holding down three bad jobs and wishing you could figure out what to do with yourself. Rather, it is a scheme you pursue purposefully and positively, as a way to achieve financial or personal goals or a mixture of both."
Ledger says to make a portfolio career work, it has to be a careerchoice.
"It is a way to maximise my skills and talents," she says. "Rather than finding a job to suit you, with a portfolio career you design your own job. I think of myself as a small business, as a brand.
"I have never felt more secure in what I am doing. There is no limit on what you can earn -- you just work harder.
"Or you can say, 'I will just work for a few people and have a better quality of life'. It is a career built around you -- and as such you decide what goes into that portfolio and on what terms and at what times.
"Part of the reason I wrote the book is that I took redundancy from ITN and didn't know what I wanted to do," she adds. "I knew I enjoyed elements of broadcasting and communication, and having two young children, that I did not want to go back to work in the same way. Portfolio careers are that other way.
"The world of work is changing fast and although this may not be the right way for everybody, for many people it is a legitimate work style that works. You can play to your strengths and do the things that you enjoy. You may do two or three different things -- they could be related or they may not be. For example, we interviewed an events organiser who was also a Pilates instructor.
"Whether you do eight jobs or two, it is about creating a full-time role from different part-time roles."
Many of the new home businesses are spare-time start-ups, with a third of people running a home business in their free time. These part-time entrepreneurs -- working five to nine as well as nine to five--are running portfolio careers.
In addition, the number of people in part-time jobs has risen by almost 50 per cent since 1992.
"The advantage is that every day is not the same," adds Ledger. "For some people that may sound horrendous, for other people it is a godsend. And it can work for all ages, from those who are trying to decide what career to have, to those starting families and, at the older end, those who want to -- or have to -- keep working into their sixties.
"Those wanting a link with their past can sell their services backto their previous company. Or they may want to try and do something different."
However, she stresses that this may not be a career choice for everyone, particularly those used to the corporate life where "everything is done for you".
The book includes a useful questionnaire -- an abridged version ofwhich is printed here -- to test whether this may be the right choice for you. Those who cannot cope with the uncertainty, which Charles Handy described as "cash-flow lives, not salary lives", may find a portfolio career less appealing.
Once the reader has decided it is for them, there are nine further steps to follow, including "Can I afford a portfolio career?".
This chapter describes ways to afford the move, including getting someone to pay you while you develop it; working part-time to pay the mortgage, and saving up first or using redundancy money.
IS IT FOR YOU?
I am an excellent time manager I'm not afraid to take risks I manage stress well I enjoy change I like being my own boss People would describe me as assertive I'm good at multi-tasking Financial security is less important than doing fulfilling work I'm self-directed I believe that what happens to me is largely up to me If you strongly agreewith most of these statements, you should be a natural for a portfolio career.