In the life of an organization, change is constant. Mergers, acquisitions, new products and techniques transform organizations at an ever-increasing pace. Turnover averages about 20% a year. Every change generates opportunities, and needs. Whatever the size of the organization, it is probably safe to assume that there are unmet needs, although there may be no official job openings.
Increasingly, corporations hire professionals and others on a temporary or contract basis. Engineers have been employed on a project basis for many years. Now, everyone "temps." Massive downsizing has produced a new class of corporate itinerants: lawyers, human resource professionals, chief financial officers, and even chief operating officers. The term you use, interim executives or executive migrant workers, probably reflects your attitude about this phenomenon.
The entrepreneurial approach is based, in part, on the following apparent realities:
- There are more unmet organizational needs than jobs.
- Each unmet need represents an opportunity for employment,
- These opportunities exist in companies of all sizes.
- These opportunities exist in all economic conditions ("bad" as well as "good" times).
Ideally, you'll arrive on the scene to provide your services just in time. A need exists but an opening has not yet been created. That happens every day. Just think about your own experiences in the hiring process. I have asked hundreds of people who have hired personnel:
Q. How long did it take for a hiring decision to be made in your organization?
Here are some typical responses:
A. It could be a few months to get all the approvals, a few weeks at least. It depended on how badly we needed that person, Sometimes it took years.
Q. How would you feel if someone with very appropriate credentials called during that period and asked for a meeting,?
A. It would seem like they were reading our minds. I'm sure we would have seen him!
Q. Would that job seeker have an advantage over others who might apply?
A. Of course!
Q. Why.?
A. If he's right there as the job is being developed, he could help shape it. He becomes an insider probably has a better shot at that job than anyone else.
That was precisely what happened to Charles, an industrial engineer. A Sale to Success participant, he was making "cold" calls to potential employers, including BP America. His call to the head of the industrial engineering department came right after a staff meeting ended. A decision had just been made: They needed another industrial engineer. The timing was perfect. Because Charles was brought in as a temporary employee, normal hiring practices were dispensed with. Charles got his job. And like many "temp" positions, it lasted for many years.
Timing it right sounds like luck. Sometimes it is. More often, though, it's the result of persistence. You can create your good luck by making enough calls to hiring authorities.
People, Not Organizations, Hire
Charles's story makes another significant point. People, not organizations, hire. Charles had taken the initiative and called the decision maker. Had he gone the traditional route and contacted the human resources department, he would have been told, correctly, that there were no openings. The opening in this huge, multinational firm had closed before human resources even knew about it!
How Can You Benefit from the Entrepreneurial Approach?
The logic for the entrepreneurial approach is compelling. By thinking and functioning as though you're self-employed, you'll greatly expand your opportunities. And you'll be more relaxed. Traditional job seekers are typically anxious about their job search because so much seems to be riding on each call, each letter, each meeting.
The result! Sweaty palms!
The entrepreneurial approach is less stressful. Your eggs are not all in one full-time job basket. Each contact represents an opportunity-not the make or break for your entire future. You'll recognize at the outset that most contacts will not produce business. But if you make enough calls, you will generate business!
The entrepreneurial approach helps you to:
- Maintain control over your employment future
- Feel better about yourself (as a result)
- Feel positive because you're using your skills
- Learn new skills, expand your horizons
- Interact with others as a businessperson
- Earn some income
- Show many people what you can do
- Provide an audition for a full-time position.
- Showcase your entrepreneurial skills, confidence, and ability to take risks. These are much in demand in the corporate community.
The New Security
A full-time position with a solid company, complete with a good benefits package, is the definition of security that many of us grew up with. And that's probably what you're looking for. But as Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter observed: "If your security no longer comes from being employed, then it must come from being employable? And from being able to market yourself. When America's most paternalistic companies lay off tens of thousands of workers, it's clear that security is not something we can expect from employers.
You are your own security. It consists of your skills and your ability to market them. Being self-employed and self-insured may be more self-reliance than you really want. But since it's clearly a practical response to current realities, let's focus on the opportunities it offers and take advantage of them. Planning will help to insure that your voyage of discovery is as smooth as possible.
Employment Insurance Checklist
- Are you ready to take charge and be entrepreneurial?
- Can you function like an investigative reporter in a nonthreatening way?
- Are you asking enough people for information?
- Are you curious?
- Are you persistent?
- Are you exploring opportunities everywhere, including your area?
- Are you going to trade and professional conferences, meetings, business and industry shows?
- Are you finding needs that you can fill?
