Slashers, Portfolios, and You
A couple of weeks ago I read a post by the excellent Indian HR blogger, Gautam Ghosh titled: “Slasher Careers.” Here’s an excerpt.
“I am talking of this phrase which is coming into vogue because lots of people, specially freelancers are carrying on multiple careers as ‘HR Manager/Photographer.’ The slasher in ’slasher careers’ refers to the ‘/’ symbol between the two careers. And it’s a progression of the portfolio careers that Charles Handy has spoken about.”
I remembered Marci Alboher’s book from a 2007, titled One Person, Multiple Careers. T’was Marci who put the slash in the career lexicon. She defined “slashes” as “people who pursue multiple careers or vocations simultaneously.”
This sounded all very romantic and new until I talked to a young woman who had just lost her job. She wanted some help sorting out what she might choose to do next. Here’s a little background.
She’d been fired from a law firm that was downsizing. She was working there as a paralegal, even though she had passed the bar exam in California and practiced law there for a while. She went to paralegal when she discovered that she simply didn’t like being an attorney.
She’s also done some other things. She’s got facilities management and HR experience folded into her life. So is she a “slasher?” Not if she’s smart.
She’s not interested in stringing several part-time jobs together, so she’ll vote “no” on “slasher.” But she does have a work portfolio, like Charles Handy described in his book, The Age of Unreason.
Handy defines a “portfolio” as a collection of different items with a theme to it. The theme changes, depending on what you choose to mix and emphasize.
Artists and writers have known about this for years. A young artist client of mine has created several different kinds of artwork. But when she’s soliciting more work, she puts together a portfolio based on who she will be presenting to and what they want.
That’s what my attorney/paralegal/facilities manager/HR person friend has to do. And it’s what you have to do.
If you’re looking for a job or a freelance assignment, you have to put together a portfolio that appeals to the person hiring or screening. That may mean different portfolios for different situations.
That’s how life is lived these days. You have one life where all the pieces come together. And you put together various portfolios that share carefully-chosen pieces that will catch the attention of people who can hire you.
