From Energise - The Talent Liberation Company

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Variety is the spice of life

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Introduction

I have been running my own business Energise for over 24 years and have always enjoyed variety.

In 2011, I was lucky to read the book ‘The Shift’ by Lynda Gratton, a Professor at London Business School about changing work trends and what the world of work would be like in 2020.

I am so glad that I did, because having implemented its recommendations myself, I am now in a good position to help people at this challenging time in the world, with Covid-19 having accelerated a decade of change into 1 year.

What is a portfolio career?

A portfolio career is work/a career made up of multiple components, for example freelance work, a contract, a part time job, non-executive directorships, trustee and volunteering, rather than just having 1 job or running 1 business.

As a metaphor, a portfolio career is like choosing Dim Sum or Tapas in a restaurant, a variety of different dishes, rather than just one single main dish, giving you a variety of flavours and textures and a moreish combination.

Why are portfolio careers growing?

Portfolio careers have been growing for a while, because of 2 growing segments:

· The ‘want a portfolio career’ market – pre-retirees wanting a gentle ‘slope’ rather than a steep ‘cliff’ to retirement, and millennials (young workers) who have different career aspirations to previous generations.

· The ‘need a portfolio career’ market – this has grown massively because of the impact of Covid-19 on both the employed and self-employed sectors; shrinking markets, forced career change, reduced consultancy projects with greater competition, more people becoming self-employed, and a raised ‘bar’ of the standard required to secure a job or project.

How do portfolio careers vary?

Portfolio careers have been around for centuries – think holiday destinations with seasonal tourism, who need a different way of earning a living for the rest of the year.

Portfolio careers vary a lot, and they also change a lot!

They can be segmented into:

· Similar e.g. associate work with different companies

· Contrasting e.g. leadership coach and historical author

· Synergistic e.g. bee-keeper and dentist

A portfolio career isn’t the right career choice for everyone, so thinking it through carefully is essential. Working with an experienced career coach, specialising in portfolio careers can be invaluable.

A portfolio career is like a kaleidoscope.

You can adjust it and create new work patterns that suit you, as your needs change, and market trends shift.

Everyone is unique and so is each portfolio career!

What are the benefits of a portfolio career?

Benefits include:

· Variety

· More fulfilment and flexibility

· Constant learning

· Increased career agility

· Enhanced career resilience

· A future-proof career

· Reducing your career risk

What are the drawbacks of a portfolio career?

Drawbacks include:

· Constant change

· Less certainty and security than a traditional career

· Need to focus on trends and take stock regularly

· Must embrace marketing and networking

· Need to be super-organised

A portfolio career is like having a ‘safety net’.

Is it really a good idea to put all your career ‘eggs in one basket’ in an uncertain world?

What next?

To receive a free Energise report: ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’ including a free 15-question suitability questionnaire and/or to arrange your free 20-minute no-obligation meeting to explore whether a portfolio career is right for you, get in touch with Rachel Brushfield using this link: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/

Recommended reading

Lynda Gratton ‘The Shift’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shift-Future-Work-Already-Here/dp/0007525850

Andrew J Scott + Lynda Gratton ‘The 100 year life’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Year-Life-Living-working-longevity/dp/1472930150

Andrew J Scott and Lynda Gratton ‘The new long life’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Long-Life-Framework-Flourishing/dp/1526615169/r

More about Energise

View Rachel Brushfield’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/energiseliberateyourtalent/

Rachel Brushfield’s portfolio career

Inspiring Portfolio Careers https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/

EnergiseLegal https://www.energiselegal.com/

Energise LLClub – Inspiring Portfolio Careers for Women Lawyers. https://www.llclub.org/

PWHub – Inspiring Professional Women – a network for senior employed women, all sectors, with quarterly CPD style events. Rachel is a co-founder. https://www.pwhub.org.uk/

This blog was originally a guest blog for Oxfordshire Business Community Network: https://oxfordbusinesscommunitynetwork.co.uk/blogposts/variety-is-the-spice-of-life/

Ready to be put ‘out to grass’? Or not! Part 2 of 2.

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This is a 2-part blog by Peter Wilford about supporting Finance Directors (FDs) to consider about whether to retire or not, and how a portfolio career can be a good career choice for the pre retirement life stag.

This is part 2.

The rest of this blog is in Peter’s own words.

Read part 1

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/ready-to-be-put-out-to-grass-or-not-part-1-of-2/

How we help our clients

Success comes from a number of factors.

We help our clients to develop a Plan ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ for their job search and marketing activity.

Each plan is carefully crafted and the priorities assessed. 

This gives the Financial Director (FD) confidence that he / she is not putting all their career ‘eggs in one basket’. This is especially important for the uncertain times in which we live.

We coach them at every stage and act as a sounding board to keep them on track.

Career plan ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’

Typically, career Plan ‘A’ might involve securing 2-3 pieces of paid consultancy work – often with an SME and where they were not likely to be seen as a threat to the incumbent CEO or Financial Director, but are able to add significant bottom line value. 

Career Plan ‘B‘ might be to focus on obtaining some interim work, particularly if they have already worked in a sector where interims are required and / or in a Senior Finance project role.

Career Plan ‘C’ might be to set up their own business and to create a web site and look at building a portfolio career to include typically:

  • non-executive director (NED) work
  • mentoring of younger finance professionals
  • voluntary work
  • paid consultancy projects.  

Also perhaps:

  • supporting a friend in their local area with their own business, to broaden their experience, leading to new future opportunities.

Age bias towards employing 50somethings

Securing a full-time role as a finance director (FD) in a large organisation in your 50’s is both difficult and extremely time consuming, unless you have a strong business network and very well-established head-hunter contacts.

Opportunities for an FD to get work more easily lie in the Small Medium Enterprise (SME) sector.

Finding your niche and how we help

One FD client, whose experience was both corporate and SME based, identified that his niche market was medical devices companies.

We worked together to write 2-3 compelling direct approach letters and he drew up a list of 50 SME organisations within an agreed geographical area.  

The letter was strong.

His value add proposition was convincing.

We coached him to be thoroughly interview prepared.

The result was a series of interviews with the MD / CEO of medical device companies.  

Proactively helping our clients

We are proactive in our approach, providing a bespoke service, unlike the large career management companies/outplacement organisations which can be ‘sausage machine’ in nature, and relying primarily on on-line career portals and a standardized approach. One size does not fit all.

Ways in which we help our clients

We go the extra mile at Energise for our clients. Ways in which we support them include:

  • Introducing them to relevant contacts in our own networks
  • Encouraging them to adopt a proactive approach to marketing, often in new areas and outside their comfort zone
  • Getting them to think ‘outside of the box’, for example to approach their Professional Institute e.g. ICAEW for possible mentoring
  • Encouraging them to attend industry conferences to broaden/widen their network
  • Sharpening up their technical skills
  • Pointing them to non executive director (NED) membership organisations.
  • Invited them to our local Institute of Director (IoD) group
  • Introducing them to local employers
  • Helping them build up their lists of head-hunters and to learn how to manage these conversations to the best effect

The result

All our clients have now been either placed or are enjoying a new phase of their working life.

Some have been introduced to our Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) contacts for fresh support with financial planning. 

Several have kept in touch.

Our clients have told us that they would not have known what to do without our help, coaching, senior experience and reassurance.

More

‘The 100-year life’ by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J Scott: http://www.100yearlife.com/

‘The new long life’ by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J Scott: https://thenewlonglife.com/

‘Future skills for a life-long competitive advantage part 1’ for the award-winning Future of Work Hub: https://www.futureofworkhub.info/comment/2019/3/22/future-skills-for-a-life-long-competitive-advantage-part-1

‘Future skills for a life-long competitive advantage part 2’ for the award-winning Future of Work Hub: https://www.futureofworkhub.info/comment/2019/6/26/future-skills-for-a-life-long-competitive-advantage-part-2

A portfolio career is like a kaleidoscope

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A portfolio career is like a kaleidoscope.

Because it is made up of different components, e.g. freelance projects, a part time job, a contract, a non-executive director post, and volunteering, you can adjust it when you want to and create new patterns which inspire you.

You can learn new skills, knowledge and create new experiences.

This has a cumulative benefit over time giving you more options and possibilities in future.

You can create different patterns.

What would you like to see for your career?

More

Check out our inspiration page: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/inspiration/

Contact us to arrange your free 20 minute consultation: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/

22 tips to create your successful portfolio career

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Creating a successful portfolio career takes thought, reflection, self-awareness and planning.

Here are 22 tips:

  1. Be clear about your career horizon/vision
  2. Learn from those who have one
  3. Get an experienced career coach or mentor
  4. Research market needs
  5. Have self-awareness about your motivations, values, needs, wants and financial security thresholds
  6. Make time to think, plan and reflect
  7. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to the wrong thing
  8. Invest in your skills and knowledge
  9. Make time to market yourself
  10. Define your personal brand
  11. Keep an eye on changing trends
  12. Build a high quality and diverse network
  13. Know what makes you unique
  14. Create and maintain a financial ‘cushion’
  15. Stay ahead of your competitors
  16. Avoid losing time e.g. politicking and gossiping
  17. Have a good support system
  18. Use technology to be expedient
  19. Be open to unexpected and unplanned opportunities
  20. Don’t be afraid to pivot/change your focus
  21. Have a compelling verbal business card
  22. Create case study examples of flagship cases and projects

What tips would you add?

More

Check out our Inspiration page for useful articles and reports: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/inspiration/

Our blogs share insights and tips on various topics and clients examples: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/blog/

PS Our web site has a search box to save you time and find what you are looking for. (top left under the e mail address on all web pages)

Why choose us? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/talent-liberation/

Who are our clients? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/clients/

What is a portfolio career? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Who is a portfolio career for? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Why choose a portfolio career? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/why-portfolio-career/

When is it time for a portfolio career? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/when/

Client testimonials https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/

Ready to be ‘put out to grass’? Or not! Part 1 of 2.

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This is a 2-part blog by Peter Wilford about supporting Finance Directors to consider about retiring or not. This is part 1.

The rest of this blog is in Peter’s own words.

Context of this blog

I have worked with a number of Finance Directors, FCA qualified, mostly in their 50’s, who had left their last company, either through redundancy or via a mutual settlement agreement. 

They had been provided with a set number of hours and sessions of dedicated outplacement support, the term for ‘career coaching’ provided by organisations making staff redundant and through a benevolent fund, and I was their chosen career coach.

Initial issues and challenges

In every single case, my clients said that they had no wish to retire from work yet.

Many said that they could retire if they chose with their strong pension portfolios and other investments.

They were all uncertain about their options next after having had long and successful commercial careers.

Exiting corporate life is a major career crossroads.  Working with an experienced career coach is invaluable at this crucial decision point. Especially an experienced one, who has worked with many senior executives.

Lack of awareness of transferable skills.

In almost every case, they had no clear appreciation of:

  • their transferable skills
  • how the job market worked
  • where their options lay within finance
  • and outside finance.

Of course, they hadn’t needed to!

This can be a very daunting experience for people who have always worked in one profession.

You can only know what you know!

They had been siloed and sheltered working in the corporate world for many years and were now thrust into the open, in effect a boat without a captain to steer it, with no route planned and no rudder.

This can create a crisis of confidence and be stressful – venturing into the unknown!

Career options

Becoming a non-executive director (NED) is a common option considered at this point.

Also doing some voluntary or charity work and enjoying a slower pace of life and improved work life balance. A portfolio career can provide a gentle ‘slope’ to retirement, rather than a sudden ‘cliff’ stopping a long working life abruptly, just because they had reached a certain age.

Almost without exception, they all wanted to move on from working with large organisations and away from the ‘corporate treadmill’.

Lack of awareness about their brand and marketability

Few had any real appreciation of their USP (unique selling proposition) i.e. what made them unique in the market place.

Even fewer had clarity about a target organisation that they would like to work with, and how to go about marketing how they could help, or what services they could offer of value.

A common view, perhaps because they had been in the structure of corporate life,

Some had a degree of arrogance mixed with naivety that they would ‘get something soon’. This is not a criticism, just a consequence of having been ‘cushioned’ in corporate life.

Lead time to create a new role

I had to point out to them, that most people will take 18 months on average, to secure their first non-executive director (NED) role.

Also, that if they wanted to do interim/contract work, the key issue in the mind of the interim recruiter would be “has he or she done interim work before?” and that in reality those who had would be on top of the pile of shortlisted candidates.

In the current Covid-19 market in 2021, recruitment lead times are longer, with companies risk-averse about increasing fixed costs. They also have a large pool of high quality candidates from which to choose from.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are a pre-requisite for success and are becoming more important with the advent of Artificial Intelligence and automation, predicted to increase massively in the next 5 years.

Many Financial Directors (FDs) and senior Finance professionals are brilliant at numeracy and numbers.

Words and people are, understandably, not their best strength.

Also, whilst they bring commerciality, few are competent at marketing themselves. They have never had to.

Like lawyers, FDs, are qualified and trained to do a specific job, from their early career, and in the past this has not included pitching. 

One or two of my clients have been the exception to this norm and they have invariably secured commercial work more easily, possessing this experience, securing both full and part time roles.

Compelling CV and achievements

Some FD’s had some semblance of a CV, few have though about and been able to articulate strong and compelling achievements.

I had not expected them to know about a Skills CV and where and why they should have it in their ‘marketing tool kit’. All of them quickly saw its benefit, especially when approaching the unadvertised job market.

The beginning of the career coaching journey

Because of the above factors, the starting point of career coaching therefore, is ‘starting from scratch’ and having a conversation about their career and what they had accomplished. 

Pitching themselves

Many FD’s were not used to or skilled at pitching, and many were poor at networking or rusty at it.

This was because they had not needed to do it in their corporate careers, or because they just didn’t have the natural personality and / or the skills to identify and grow their network.

We had to work together on this as we did on giving them a proactive LinkedIn profile.

Part 2 of this 2 part blog ‘Ready to be ‘put out to grass’? Or not! Part 1 of 2.’

More

‘The 100 year life’ by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J Scott: http://www.100yearlife.com/

‘The new long life’ by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J Scott: https://thenewlonglife.com/

Peter Wilford’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwilford/

Client testimonials: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/

Why choose us? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/talent-liberation/

Blog – How does career coaching work? https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/how-does-career-coaching-work/

How to improve your self-esteem in 2021– 12 powerful tips – Part 2 of 2

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This is a 2-part blog by Peter Wilford. This is Part 2.

Read Part 1. https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/how-to-improve-your-self-esteem-in-2021-12-powerful-tips-part-1-of-2/

TIP 5.

Do the right thing.

When you do what you “deep down” believe is the right thing to do, then you will start to raise and strengthen your level of self-esteem.

It might just be a small thing like getting up from the sofa and going to the gym. It could also be to become more understanding instead of judgmental in a situation. It might also be to stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on the opportunities and be appreciative for what you actually have in life.  Take some time to think about what the “right thing” is for you.

TIP 6.

Replace the perfectionism.

Few thought habits can be so destructive in our daily life as “perfectionism”.

It can paralyse you from taking action because you become so afraid of not living up to some required standard. As a result you procrastinate and you do not get the results you want. This will invariably make your self-esteem fall.

TIP 7.

Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way.

If you go outside your comfort zone, and if you try to accomplish something that is truly meaningful then you may often stumble and fall along the way.

That is OK and quite normal. It is just what people who did something that truly mattered have done throughout all the ages. Even if we don’t always hear about it as much as we hear about their successes.

TIP 8.

Be kinder to other people.

When you show kindness to others you start to treat and think of yourself in a kinder way as well. And the way you treat other people is how they will tend to treat you in the long term.

Start to focus on being kind more often in your daily life.

TIP 9.

Try something new.

When you try something new, when you challenge yourself either in a small or large way and go outside your comfort zone, then your opinion of yourself will start to go up.

You may not have done something you planned to do in a spectacular or significant way, but you at least tried instead of sitting on your hands and doing nothing. That is something to start to appreciate about yourself and you will find that it can help you come alive as you get out of a rut.

Go outside your comfort zone regularly. Don’t expect anything quickly, just tell yourself that you will try something out for the first time.

TIP 10.

Stop falling into the comparison trap.

When you compare your life, yourself and what you have in relation to other people’s lives and what they have, then you are on the way to having a destructive habit on your hands.

Because you can never win.

There is always someone who has more or is better than you at something in the world. There are always people ahead of you.

So replace that habit with something better.

TIP 11.

Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people).

Even if you focus on being kinder towards other people (and yourself) and on replacing a ‘perfectionism’ habit, it will be hard to keep your self-esteem level up if the most important influences in your life drag it down on a daily or weekly basis.

So make changes where you can. Choose to spend less time with people who are nervous perfectionists, unkind or unsupportive of your dreams or goals. And spend more time with positive, uplifting people who have more human and kinder standards and ways of thinking about things.

TIP 12.

Remember the reasons you have behind raising your self-esteem levels.

What is a simple way in which you can stay consistent when you are doing something or working towards a goal? As mentioned above stop and reflect so that you can remember the most important reasons why you are doing it.

Remind yourself of these reasons regularly and this will help you stay motivated to work on your self-esteem and to make it an essential priority every day. Doing this simple thing and keeping these powerful reasons in mind has done wonders for some of our clients. I hope it can do the same for you.

 If you would like more information on this, please contact us: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/

How to improve your self-esteem in 2021 – 12 powerful tips – Part 1 of 2

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This is a 2-part blog by Peter Wilford. This is Part 1.

As we start a new year, I have reflected on some of the clients we have worked with recently who have low self-esteem which has, typically, come from any one of the following reasons:

  • Recent job loss
  • Redundancy and the way it was managed by the organisation
  • Lack of progress and slow results when looking for a new job
  • Low confidence and self-belief due to a disability, an ongoing mental illness or a specific personal situation (a client who suffers from ADHD)
  • Feeling of low self-worth

This has clearly impacted on their career as well as their personal life.

Having a high opinion about yourself, who you are and what you do and, basically, a love for yourself is often one of the things that people miss or have too little of in today’s society.

TIP 1. 

Start to say “stop” to your ‘inner critic’.

A good starting point to help increase your self-esteem is to learn how to handle and to replace the voice of your own ‘inner critic’.  We all have an inner critic.  How well are you managing yours?

It does two things. It can spur you on to get things done or to achieve things more and to gain acceptance from the main people who are in your life. But at the same time it can drag your self-esteem down. What would you prefer to use it for?

TIP 2.

Put into action healthier motivation habits.

To make your inner critic less useful, that ‘internal voice’ weaker, and at the same time motivate yourself to take action and with it raise your self-esteem, it certainly helps to have and regularly use healthy motivation habits.  Start to think about what motivation habit will work for you and introduce it into your life and daily routine.

TIP 3.

Take a 2 minute self-appreciation break.

This is a very simple and easy to gain habit.  If you spend just two minutes working on it every day for a month you will find that it can make a real difference. Take a deep breath, slow down and ask yourself this question: what are 3 things I like and most appreciate and value about myself?

TIP 4.

Write down the 3 things that you like and can most appreciate about yourself.

Do this again in the evening. Combining the two of them can be really powerful to help you gain two self-esteem boosts every day.

Contact us for your free 20 minute consultation to explore how we can help you: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/

Why I love being a career coach Part 2 – Peter Wilford

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This is a 2 part blog by Peter Wilford. This is part 2.

Read part 1: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/why-i-love-being-a-career-coach-part-1-peter-wilford/

Giving people focus.

As a Career Coach we need to be flexible in our style and approach to each client and their specific and unique requirements. Clients also need to know where they are going and how to get there. I am naturally structured and like to give clients a focus so that they know that they are following a clear path and can see and track their progress along the way.

This does not work for everyone of course and nor should it. When I get feedback that “you gave me a real focus to everything we did which was hugely beneficial” I know that I have delivered. I enjoy working to agreed deadlines and keeping people on song!

Positive Testimonials.

We all like getting feedback from people we work with.  I have had many fantastic testimonials over the years from happy clients and this has been great. Many of them have kept in touch with me and I with them long after they have finished a programme.

Some have been with me for over 10 years and they have referred other people to me.  I am always very driven and professional with my clients and don’t expect feedback without fully deserving it but it is still good to hear that my work has helped them in some way.  

Getting results.

This is always motivational. For many clients a good result is not purely getting a new job. It can be to recover from a bad redundancy experience, discover new skills and undertake further training, fulfil a life-long dream to set up a business, get feedback from a successful presentation or land an interim assignment.

I especially enjoy when the outcome is different from our initial assessment and the client has surprised themselves and proved themselves completely wrong by moving into an area of work that they had never imagined in their wildest dreams would be where they would end up.

Read why I love career coaching by Rachel Brushfield: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/why-i-love-career-coaching-rachel-brushfield/

Why I love being a career coach Part 1 – Peter Wilford

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This is a 2 part blog by Peter Wilford. This is part 1.

Understanding people and what makes them tick.
I love meeting people for the first time and getting to know their unique story. I enjoy finding out what makes them tick and why they do the work that they have chosen to do. I like having these conversations outside work, at dinner parties, over a coffee or when meeting someone new.

My innate personality and interests underpin this. I have become very self-aware from doing many psychometric assessments during my HR and Training career and that has made me even more fascinated by other people and inquisitive about them. As well as this I have always had a genuine interest in others and I like to feel that I can quickly put people at ease with my warmth and openness – also with my humour!

The fact that I can do this professionally is a fantastic bonus and that is why when I first became a career coach at age 42, I realised that I was doing something that I really enjoy.

Making a difference.
There is no doubt that I have helped to change people’s lives, both directly and indirectly, through the work that I do and that this is very rewarding and a driver for me. It can be in many ways. It may be by helping them to secure a new position against the odds, encouraging them to go it alone and set up a new business or just to give them a focus and new sense of self-worth when their confidence and self-esteem has been at a low point.

I have seen visible changes in people for example when they see what they have really achieved at work captured effectively in their CV, learnt some fresh insights into their personality which make them realise what is unique about them and why then can change direction in their careers or just by helping them nail a job interview and convert it into an offer. I enjoy every new success and this has spurred me on to the next challenge.

Variety.
No two clients are the same and no two days are identical. I enjoy that. At any one point I can be working with 15 or more clients from across the whole of life and society. I used to have a saying that my clients varied from “Bankers to Ballerinas, Lawyers to Florists” and that is true.

Recently, I have been working with a CEO of a Mid-sized Pharma company, a recruitment consultant who wants to move into Risk Management, a fresh graduate who is rudderless, A change management consultant in Financial Services, a Criminal Lawyer who is developing a portfolio career, a Senior Payments executive, an Insurance Underwriter who is the other side of the world, a publishing specialist who is looking to work freelance, a Chief of Staff in the Retail sector, and a virtual PA. As well as this I have 10-15 outplacement clients all moving on from recent or pending redundancy.

I have learned to switch quickly from client to client during the day and provide a seamless level of support to each one. All of this is motivational and enjoyable. I also do some other work as well as Career Coaching and that gives me fresh focus when I return to my real passion.

Read Why I love career coaching by Rachel Brushfield: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/why-i-love-career-coaching-rachel-brushfield/

7 tips for healthy career capital in 2021

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What are your career capital goals for 2021?

Building career capital

Career capital is the combined value of competencies, knowledge and individual personality attributes and other career assets that you have to produce economic value.

Your career assets combined = your career capital; the sum total of your time, talent and potential. You need to consider career capital in terms of its present and future value when thinking about your long-term career prospects. If the internet is an ocean full of ‘fish’ i.e. opportunities, you need the right bait to catch the fish you want. Career capital helps you to do this. What ‘fish’ do you want to catch e.g. a future employer or amazing clients? What is the best bait to catch the fish you want to catch?

Why is career capital important?

In future, in less than 5 years, employers will have reduced permanent headcount and resource up on an as needed basis with individuals and employers rated transparently on-line.

Are you ready for the new world of work? Do you have clear differentiation from your competitors and are you visible on-line?

Career assets

Your career capital is made up of multi-faceted career assets which accrue over time. Career assets include; accolades, academic achievements, endorsements, published works, talent, networks, events, charitable activities, career credibility etc. Here are some examples of each career asset category.

Accolades

  • Patents
  • Awards
  • League table rankings e.g. Chambers
  • Who’s who listing 

Academic 

  • Higher qualifications e.g. MBA, PHD, MSc/MA
  • Links with academia or prestigious universities e.g. guest lecturer 

Endorsements

  • Client testimonials
  • Accreditations
  • Employer references
  • Peer testimonials/endorsements

Published works

  • Articles
  • Chapters
  • Books
  • White papers
  • Videos
  • Podcasts

Talent

  • Multiple mastery areas
  • In-demand skills e.g. creativity, big data management 
  • Languages
  • Good emotional intelligence e.g. empathy 

Networks

  • Professional association involvement
  • Membership of elite clubs
  • Size & diversity of network
  • Quality of network e.g. senior decision makers, high net worths

Events

  • Hosting an event 
  • Speaking at an event 
  • Conference speaking
  • Conference chairing

Charitable

  • Pro bono
  • Trustee post 

Career credibility 

  • Prestige/trophy employers & clients e.g. FTSE 100
  • Senior leadership positions e.g. C-Suite

Miscellaneous

  • Personal brand

What would you add? How would you rate your career capital?

  1. Create a career strategy and ensure your career capital is aligned with it
  1. Define your ‘fish’ – i.e. target employers or clients
  2. Audit your career capital quarterly and define career asset S.M.A.R.T. goals
  3. Ensure you have insights about what is important to and valued by your target audience e.g. who are their heroes/heroines?
  4. Measure stats for your career capital so you can monitor progress
  5. Monitor your reputation – set up Google alerts & track your name/brand on Twitter
  6. Use/monitor LinkedIn stats to evaluate the quality and profile of your network

Get in touch for a no-obligation meeting to discuss your needs: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/