When you look for a job, you’ll want to target organizations and companies with workplaces and cultures conducive to your lifestyle. If you’re looking for a job with some flexibility, you are in good company.
A 2011 national Harris Interactive study conducted on behalf of Mom Corps found that 42 percent of working adults were willing to give up some percent of their salary in exchange for more flexible work options.
In honor of National Telework Week, I tapped Allison O’Kelly, founder/CEO of Mom Corps, a national flexible staffing firm dedicated to connecting progressive employers with professionals seeking flexible work and Cali Williams Yost, CEO of the Flex+Strategy Group / Work+Life Fit Inc. and author of Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You for 10 tips to help you identify and land a flexible job:
1. Decide what flexibility means for you.
2. Focus on your skills. What do you offer?
3. Specialize. Identify several specialty areas in your skills and accomplishments.
4. Research organizations and learn where you’re likely to be most successful and happy. Yost suggests investigating the 2012 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work, by Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management, Working Mother’s Top Employers list and The Flex Pages. You may also want to investigate organizations dedicated to helping people find flexible work, such as Mom Corps. If you are planning to re-enter the workforce after taking time off, another resource is iRelaunch.
5. Plan ahead; be realistic. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole.
6. Know the right questions to ask – and what answers mean.
7. Be open to temporary positions.
8. Prepare to use technology. “Video will make remote work more personal.”Â
9. Prepare your workspace. What if you land the perfect flexible arrangement tomorrow? Are you ready to start work right away – from your own home office, a co-working space or another site you arrange?
10. Don’t sell yourself short. Even in this economy, it’s still possible to land flexible work opportunities. In fact, a Flexpaths – LinkedIn Virtual Think Tanks study attests that hiring managers believe flexible work arrangements are important if they want to stay competitive for top employees.
Read all the details and advice at my U.S. News & World Report piece.
photo by Pulpolux !!!