Flexibility isn’t a dirty word. Okay, maybe if it’s said a certain way it can sound a little bit dirty, but not in the context of flexible work. So why is it that employers still cringe when faced with this term?
There’s so many variations out there, part-time, working from home, flexi-time and job sharing to name a few. Companies love promoting their support for flexibility, but when you dig a bit deeper there’s a lot of talking the talk, and sometimes not a whole lot of walking the walk. If we want to see more women in senior positions, then it’s time to start taking flexibility seriously.
When I say take matters into your own hands, I don’t mean wait for the perfect part-time job. Create your own opportunities. One of the best ways to do this is to create the solution for your boss, or potential employer. Job sharing seems to be one of the least utilised, yet one of the best solutions to flexible work arrangements because it’s a win-win for both employer and employee. One of the biggest barriers in the past has been finding the right person to share with. But now, with free sites such as jobsshared.com.au providing an online meeting place for job sharers it’s a whole lot easier. Of course, it can still take a while to find the perfect match, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to find someone.
The beauty of job sharing is that it takes the burden off the employer, they still have someone filling the role full time, but they can also offer much needed flexibility. It also empowers the job seeker, as they are no longer bound by searching for part-time positions, which as we all know are few and far between, and let’s be honest, pretty much non-existent if you’re looking for a senior role.
Once you’ve found someone to share a job with, you can apply for any full time role, and make your case for why job sharing will work. That way you’ve done the hard work for the employer.
Think about it like this. You’re the employer, you’ve got to find someone quickly to fill a position, diversity and flexibility are not going to be high on your list of priorities. But if a team come to you with joint resumes, and a clear plan for how they are going to share the job, and how that can work within the organisation you’ve not only given them everything they need to sell it in internally if job sharing isn’t already happening, but you’re also helping them attract a more diverse work force, and when others in that company see that, you’re also helping them retain staff. Who doesn’t want to work for a company who is helping people return to work after maternity leave?
Below are 5 tips to help you get started:
1. Start looking for your job share partner before you need to start looking for work
Finding the right person to share a job with can take time, so it’s best to start the process early. It also gives people ample time to find you too. So make sure your Jobs Shared profile gives enough of a snap shot to encourage people to want to find out more, such as years of experience, location and industry. Check the Jobs Shared website frequently as new members are signing up daily.
2. Always meet in person before becoming a team
You’re going to be sharing your job with this person so it’s important you get along, and have similar career goals. Find someone who has complementary skills rather than identical which allows you to offer a more diverse skill set to the employer. It’s important to find someone you can collaborate and disagree with.
3. Combine your CVs and write a killer cover letter
You’ll need to apply as a team, and as pedantic as this sounds, that means ensuring your CVs have identical layouts, fonts and the same flow of information. The cover letter needs to detail your joint experience, how you intend to split the role and the benefits your joint experience will bring to the employer.
4. Write your business case
What’s a business case? This is what you’ll leave behind after your interview. It should have a detailed outline of your understanding of the role and how job sharing can work, how you intend to split the job, identify where you can add value, and (if you can) offer some examples of existing successful job sharers from within the company. A lot of big companies already have people in successful job share roles.
5. Apply for full time work
The beauty of job sharing is that you don’t have to find that elusive high-level part-time position. You can apply for any full time role and present your case for job sharing outlining how it can work, and also benefit the company. So be brave, be bold, and be determined. Apply for the role you know you deserve, and tell the employer why hiring a team is just as good, if not better than hiring a full time person.