3 Steps to Build a Portable Career
2008-05-19
As Jo Parfitt - Portable Career guru - puts it so nicely together, a Portable Career is a "Portfolio of personal successes, professional achievements and life skills".
Forget about linear career paths and rather think of transferable skills and career porfolios.

Jo Parfitt suggests 3 simple steps to effectively build a portable career:

1. Look inside yourself
2. Look outside yourself
3. Make it happen

1. Look inside yourself

Discover what you want and need from a career at this stage in your life.
=> Identify your needs and values
=> Find your passions
=> Assess your skills, talents, strengths and uniqueness.

Consider hiring a coach or career consultant to join you on your journey at any or all stages of this process.

2. Look outside yourself

Adjust your career to fit your current location and the opportunities it holds.
=> Consider your location
=> Turn problems into opportunities
=> Be open to new ideas
=> Learn new skills
=> Listen to other people

3. Make it happen

=> Conduct your research
Do the research and learning you need to prepare for transition and your chosen career
=> Grow and nurture your networks
Network to meet the people you will need as they become your clients employers, role models and support team
=> Create the marketing materials you need (CV, website, cards, brochures).
=> Be flexible: will you study / seek employment / self-employment / volunteer…
=> Make it happen by setting goals, staying motivated and developing the self-belief and confidence you need.

Good luck!
And if you get stuck, consider getting hold of a copy of Jo Parfitt bestseller "A Career in Your Suitcase" - available through INSPIRED: