Master Career Counselor

Carla Hunter, President of Career Span, Inc. is a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association and a Certified Career Coach by the National Board for Certified Counselors. She is an expert in writing resumes, effective job search strategies and interviewing success. Most recently, with over 20 years of navigating the complexity of today's world of work, she published "Finding Your Place in the World of Work", a career interest inventory (2014) and CareerView, an iPad app. As a private practice career counselor and a workforce development consultant, this blog is Carla's trove of ideas, trends, forecasts, and career tips for finding meaningful work.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Are you ready to be redefined by job title loss?

The American work world is in a frenzied and ferocious state of redefinement. Yes, in just a few years, we could all have work, but not necessarily "jobs". In the future, what will fill the need of employers is the professional who considers their identity in three facets:
1. contracted work
2. short term relationships of synergy
3. stepping into roles in a seamless fashion.

1. Contracted work- This new model will mean that most American workers will be contracted on a job basis only. This may mean doing the work, meeting the goal and getting paid for it. Yet, it is a limited and on call basis only. Call it career freelancer. This person is adaptable to fast paced environments that outpace the dinosaur bureacracies it leaves in its wake. The Pro--- FLEXIBILITY. You can work from home in your pajamas and take a break whenever you want. It is about the end result (product) not the time spent (clocking in). The Con---can be risky for the faint-hearted. Not knowing where your next project will come or when, can be stressful. Is it worth it?
2. Short term relationships of synergy- The new American worker will need to know how to cultivate quick relationships and adapt to a myraid of personalities and demands. You might be working on three projects at a time with three different "bosses"...it can get a little crazy. But is it worth it?
3. Stepping into roles in a seamless fashion.

Creating garments without seams is incredibly difficult but worth the work. What a spectacular display of craftsmanship. Similarly, working as a free agent or careerlancer requires a professional who adapts, flexes assertiveness and initiates projects from the ground up. It means a blur of time spent working. This may mean working at midnight but at least in your pajamas. You may be a project leader and take a break to tuck your kids into bed or let the dogs out every 2 hours. Is it worth it?

You bet. In my next post, I will tell you how I did it.

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