Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

How to compete in the freelance economy

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If you’re looking for jobs, you are intimately familiar with the tight market, but have you thought about the reasons why there may be fewer openings in your industry? It may not be because there is less work, especially if your skills are in demand. Instead, perhaps your industry is following the growing trend of hiring freelancers and contract workers to get the work done instead of advertising for full-time help. What does the workplace of the future look like?

According to MBO Partners’ State of Independence in America report, the number of independent workers is expected to rise to 23 million by 2017. New online platforms, such as oDesk and Elance, help companies and businesses connect with individuals seeking opportunities. Savvy job seekers are building online portfolios and learning how to succeed as freelancers.

There doesn’t seem to be a question that freelancing and crowdsourcing will be key factors for anyone who wants a paycheck, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be no full-time jobs. Rob Rawson, CEO of Staff.com, an outsourcing platform that focuses on full-time work, says, “We believe future hiring trends will focus more on full-time work, with companies hiring highly skilled staff members globally. Full-time work is not about to go out of style. Managers are looking for reliable income streams and companies are interested in people they can count on, so this type of full-time work is not about to be replaced by freelancing any time soon.”

What’s the difference between crowdsourcing and freelancing? Rawson explains: “In crowdsourcing, many different people work on a task that can be broken down into multiple small components. The idea is that the wisdom of the crowd can be greater than the results you achieve from hiring one individual.”

Freelancing, on the other hand, focuses on hiring one person to handle a particular job or project.

It’s crucial for job seekers to recognize this global economy and how it factors into opportunities and how to find them.

What does the future of online work look like? Rawson believes the following are key factors for people to consider:

Increasing globalization.

Freelance work for certain types of jobs.

Full-time work is not likely to go away.

Global competition is going to be fierce for knowledge workers.

Savvy job seekers will keep an eye on how market trends affect how their jobs are being filled. Those looking for work that can easily be outsourced, or even crowd sourced, should identify ways to stand out and avoid being a commodity. Determine how to compete on factors beyond price and learn to market you and your skills as a valuable solution for target employers.

Read the whole post on U.S. News & World Report.

CareerBuilder's 2010 Jobs Forecast wrap up

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CareerBuilder released its 2010 Jobs Forecast, and Anthony Balderrama touched on the highlights in a recent CareerBuzz:

If you’re wondering where the jobs are, look to the West, where 24 percent of employers intend to add full-time workers. Employers in the Northeast anticipate the next highest amount of hiring, followed by the South and Midwest.

The industries where you can expect to see the largest hiring increases are information technology, manufacturing, financial services, professional and business services and sales.

Other notable results from the survey? Some good news for job seekers: “20% of employers plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees this year, up from 14% in 2009.” On the flip side, “9% plan to decrease headcount, down from 16% in 2009.” Most (61%) don’t anticipate hiring or firing workers.

The survey asks hiring managers and human resource professionals to comment on a variety of topics of interest to job seekers and employers. Some highlights from the survey include companies’ plans to:

  • Replace lower-performing employees. Although most employers surveyed would grade their workforces a “B” or above (85%).
  • Emphasize social media to strengthen their brand. 37% will focus more on social media and 8% plan to hire someone to do the job.
  • Rehire laid-off workers. 32% plan to bring back workers, some in the first six months of the year.
  • Continue to provide flexible work arrangements. 35% (up from 31% last year) will offer alternate schedules, telecommunting, compressed work weeks, summer hours, job sharing and/or sabbaticals.
  • Cut perks and benefits. 37% (up from 32% last year) plan to cut employee incentives. Bonuses are the biggest cut (15%), followed by medical coverage (10%), suspended 401k matching, condiments, incentive trips, academic reimbursement, vacation time and wellness benefits.

Other items from the survey:

  • Mature workers get the nod from 27% of surveyed companies who say they are open to retaining their workers who are approaching retirement. 1% say they may rehire retirees from other companies this year. 10% may offer incentives to keep workers approaching retirement age with their company. This works well for those approaching retirement age, as 37% of employers surveyed reported that they have employees requesting to stay on, up from 22% last year.
  • Freelance or contract workers will still be on the books this year for 30% of surveyed employers, up from 28% last year.
  • The environment is a greater focus for 11% of employers who plan to add “green jobs,” which is on par with last year’s figures.
  • Bilingual employees are in luck. 40% of employers plan to build a bilingual workforce, although the survey does not specify what languages are in demand.

Read highlights HERE or download the full report HERE.

No matter what your job target, you can benefit from personalized advice! Don’t forget that clear, concise, optimized job search materials AND a strong, well executed plan are key for job search success! I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by segozyme