Monthly Archives: August 2015

How To Turn An Hourly Gig Into a Full Time Job

Posted: August 14, 2015 at 11:30 am

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We’ve all heard the media chatter about the “new freelance economy” in the United States. It sounds, empowering right? We’re all working for ourselves – how freeing! Except it’s not that simple or straightforward. While there are some people who love the freedom and flexibility of freelance employment, it can also be enormously stressful and difficult to turn a profit. Many of these freelancers are actually part-time employees who would vastly prefer to have a full-time job with a stable salary and health benefits. If this sounds like you, we understand your stress and frustration. However, you can make the leap from an hourly gig to a full-time position.

Be selective. If you have a choice (and we don’t always have choice), pick a temporary gig in the field you’d like to work in. And don’t set the bar too low! There’s no point in toiling at a job that has no relation to your desired career path, or existing skill set. For example, you should avoid taking an administrative job in accounting if you were a marketing executive in your former life. Try to hold out for a job at an ad agency or marketing firm that’s in line with your experience.

Treat the job like an interview. Show up everyday with your game face on. I recently hired a part time employee who is incredibly thoughtful about her work and the impact on our organization. She is bright, articulate, relentlessly detail oriented and truly takes the time to make sure that she’s delivering exactly what we need. As soon as I’m in a position to hire a full-time employee, she’s absolutely the first person getting an offer. In my mind, there’s no reason to interview candidates when the perfect employee is sitting quite literally under my nose.

Show that you’re part of the team. It’s easy with a temporary gig to find yourself on the sidelines with other employees. Most people won’t bother reaching out to somebody who’s going to be gone in months, weeks or days. While that’s a difficult barrier to overcome, you must do your best to establish a rapport and relationship with your coworkers. Ask them out to lunch, or bring them a cup of coffee. Create opportunities for socialization and collaboration. Team chemistry is a funny thing! All companies have brought in employees that look good on paper, but are a bad cultural fit. If an employer sees you getting on exceptionally well with their existing team, that is certainly going to weigh heavily in your favor if a full time position opens up.

Let your employer know you want the opportunity for full-time work. If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Employers aren’t mind readers, and not all temp workers are looking for full time jobs. Ask them if there is an opportunity for the role to transition to full time, and let them know you’d like to be considered. Otherwise, you may find yourself watching a pool of candidates traipse in to interview for the job YOU want.

4 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Switching Careers

Posted: August 7, 2015 at 12:38 am

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When you’re unhappy at work, it can be exciting to daydream about new career directions. However, you have to ask yourself some serious questions. For example, being an occupational therapist might look like a fantastic job. Maybe it is…but do you know what the required credentials are? Do you need to go back to school? Do you know how much will it cost? Regardless of the career path you’re considering, here are some of the questions you should ask yourself before making such an enormous decision.

  1. What don’t you like about your current career? If you’re unhappy at work, it’s important to pinpoint the reasons WHY. That’s simply because you might have the right career, but your working environment is lousy. People are frequently unhappy at work because they dislike their co-workers and managers. Before walking away from years of work, consider that the simplest solution might be working elsewhere.
  2. What would you rather be doing? It’s simply unwise to quit a job on a whim with only a vague notion of where you’d rather work for a living. If you can’t answer this question, then continue to do a little soul searching before making the leap.
  3. Have you researched your new career path? Obviously, you know how to use Google to drum up information on almost any endeavor. However, we strongly recommend that you make the extra effort to speak with professionals who currently have a career in your newly chosen field. These conversations will help you discern whether your expectations line up with reality. For example, a successful real estate agent might make pulling in a six or seven figure salary look easy. However, you may not be aware that they spent a decade brokering small sales and rentals before they reached their current position. Are you ready to put in that kind of work?
  4. Do you have an exit strategy? A few years ago, a video of a woman quitting her job to Kanye West’s Gone went viral. It was amazing, but a dramatic exit is a great way to burn bridges – and it is definitely not an exit plan. Assuming you worked hard at your old job, those contacts will likely prove invaluable as you embark on your new career path. All of your current co-workers probably know somebody who knows somebody who can help you. So be decent about it. Explain why you’re leaving. Don’t leave your employer in the lurch, and generally conduct yourself in a professional manner. When it’s time to walk, you get to do so with a clean conscience and your references intact.

The reality is that changing jobs always carries some degree of risk. If you’ve done your homework though, then hatch your plan and go for it. Good luck!