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Hidden perks of the recession
It’s not all doom and gloom during this recession. Many of the unemployed, and the precariously employed, are actually finding opportunities.
We spoke with Allison Hemming, top gun at The Hired Guns, a talent agency specializing in the creative class, about what she’s observed so far, and asked her for recommendations on harnessing the difficult economic environment to our benefit.
Hemming suggested living by these words: “You should never waste a good recession.”
FOR THE UNEMPLOYED
Free time means more time to work
Writers, bloggers and members of the creative class are finding a lot more time to actually hunker down. You should do the same. Freelance opportunities
Because companies have laid off many full-time employees and are slow to hire replacements, there are openings for freelance work. “There’s no doubt that the mothership is shrinking, but there are opportunities for smaller satellites orbiting the mothership,” Hemming said. “The recession is creating jobs that can be outsourced, not off-shored.” And new technologies make freelancing easier than ever. “You have this great ability to tap into organizations through technology. You can be plugged in from a remote location,” she said. “You also have tools that raise your visibility as an expert. Blogs set people up to be experts, and twitter raises visibility,” Hemming said. She pointed to one site, called Help a Reporter Out, as a valuable resource for writers. New individualism movement
People are realizing that they can no longer rely on a company, and must, instead, rely on themselves. So they’re becoming more opportunistic and proactive. “They’re taking stock of their skill bank and trying to build those skills,” she said. Careers are no longer linear
People know they will have many jobs, and work for many companies within their lifetimes. So they are more open to change and finding their voices. Communities being built
“There’s been a lot of co-working,” Hemming said. “Individuals are coming together in new and exciting ways.” She specifically mentioned Paragraph, where people get together and just write, and a company called The Hub that’s coming to the New York area soon, which is geared toward social entrepreneur. Growing careers
Hemming predicts growth in the project management sector. “People will need to maintain a larger group of workers outside the office, and there will be more of a back and forth between organization and vendors. So you’ll see more people talking about project management. We’re starting to see that growth already,” she said. FOR THE PRECARIOUSLY EMPLOYED Becoming more marketable
Having to do the work of more than one person can be a pain, but think of all the added skills you’re gaining. You’ll be much more marketable and hirable in the future, and likely leapfrog levels,” she said. Ideas are heard
It’s easier to get your ideas to the forefront when people are looking for new ways to improve processes. If you’re someone with ideas on how your organization can improve, or the company can be more successful, put it in a document and give it to your boss, Hemming said. You’ll get credit for your ideas and some might be implemented. Future raises, promotions
Talk to your boss before the recession ends. “Say ‘I’m holding down the fort, and I realize there are no raises now, but I want to talk about how we’re going to change things when we get out of the recession.’ If you don’t, sometimes people forget who’s doing the work, and hire from outside. You want to be the first in mind for a promotion when the recession is over.” Something you can ask for that’s free is job title improvement.
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