“I’ve always done a lot of things at once,” said an enthusiastic Hawkins from her home in New York. “I’m very multi-faceted and it’s imperative I feed each part of myself so I feel my full self.” Working for Microsoft, she said, is “a combination of financial bootstrapping and building skills to take to another space and learn from other people” — and is flexible and supportive of her burgeoning startup.

The move toward a portfolio career — which can encompass multiple streams of income or a mix of freelancing and part-time employment — has been a popular trend for several years. However, the pandemic is set to accelerate interest in this career path due to increasingly fragile incomes and a renewed interest in diversifying and broadening skillsets. The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development even predicted that 50% of professionals will be in a portfolio career by 2030.

“Historically, people followed a single vocation and put dreams aside,” said Sophie Smallwood, co-CEO and co-founder of Roleshare, a site that matches people with shared job roles. “People now are expected to live longer, work longer, and as such, there is a need to keep learning and do meaningful work. Dabbling in different vocations at the same time is a way to transition from one career to another. Having a career portfolio allows people to discover what they love to do at a point in life where they need to earn a living and have responsibilities.”

Polly Howden also wears multiple hats. She works as head of partner product at the retail marketplace, called Not on the High Street, for three days a week, and as chief product officer at start-up company Roleshare the remainder of the week.

In her roles, Howden said she is seeking financial stability, personal development and satisfying her interests.

“Working at a start-up means getting very comfortable switching between strategy-level thinking and detail, for example, managing the priorities of an engineering team,” Howden said.

Holding down two roles means she’s constantly learning, building a strong network and is never bored. “This normally happens in a linear way, but this learning is accelerated with multiple jobs in parallel,” she added.

Smallwood believes employers need to get on board with staff having a portfolio career. If companies want to keep and attract the best and most loyal talent they have to accommodate the need for flexibility, she added.

Ben Legg, CEO, and co-founder of The Portfolio Collective, a platform for those seeking a portfolio career, noted that more people are juggling different roles as a result of Covid-19.

Since lockdown began the number of new companies formed in the U.K. and U.S. was up 40% …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron