Many of the clients for whom I design executive resumes also have questions about the job search portion of their transition. They want information on strategies depending on their particular situation. Some clients have been affected by a reorganization or acquisition, have taken a package, and are in between executive positions. The upside is that there is lots of time to focus on what they want next! The other part involves deciding if they want or need to create some form of additional income stream to supplement them and their families during their career transition.
I was just reading this article on part-time jobs that pay really well. What I especially love about this article is the fluidity of the opportunities and the instant income they can bring in! Although a couple of these positions (dog walking) wouldn’t appeal to the C-level executive, the bigger picture is how easy it is to turn a hobby or enjoyable activity that aligns with an executive’s natural capabilities into a verifiable stream of income. For the CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CTO, CISO and CIO Executive, it also has added benefits:
- Retaining that feeling of leadership and control (so critical in an executive job search)
- The benefit of choosing one’s own hours
- The amount of effort that goes into the part time role
Some of my clients have found their bridge activities so enjoyable, they made them permanent on either a part-time or full-time basis.
Here are some additional suggestions:
For Entrepreneurs
Did you know that 6-figure incomes can be made by offering local services, giving you part-time income without a lot of stress? Consider a coffee kiosk by a busy office building or even services for cleaning up dog poop in peoples’ yards. When you are done laughing, consider that others have already proven this is an easy, fast and profitable business to start! I have even heard of people making a lot of money stenciling glow-in-the-dark addresses on curbs so that in an emergency, first responders can easily find your house within your neighborhood.
There are tons of successful online businesses now. Coaching, website development, SEO – and yes, resume writing too – are just a few examples of the hundreds of online businesses that technology makes it possible to offer the world now. There are many good business coaches to get you started doing this. My personal favorite is Ali Brown. You can run these ventures part-time or full-time.
Many of my clients take part-time gigs in management consulting. The ones who are most successful really define their niche so it is crystal clear what problem they solve. For example, they don’t just focus on team building, they focus on teambuilding for technology companies whose sales teams focus on conceptual selling and channel partnerships. This also makes it much easier to market their expertise, since their target market is so well defined.
The Take-Away
There are a wide variety of businesses you can start on your own – both online and offline – and you have many choices, from your own back yard to around the world. If you find yourself pressed for inspiration or ideas, check out this article on Daily Finance: 15 Obstacles Keeping You From Starting Your Own Business.
You can find additional stories of inspiration and ideas here:
