By Sally J. Power, Ph.D.
Those who work during retirement report that working helps them feel better about themselves, stay involved and structure their time. Freelance work has many benefits. It is a way to keep current in an occupation that you once enjoyed full time, make relatively good money and have some flexibility in your job and time commitments.
There are also at least two challenges to keep in mind when you are considering this work option.
With freelance work, unlike most traditional part-time work, individuals are only hired temporarily. So, you will be seeking employment repeatedly. This provides you flexibility. Also, a work environment that changes often can be fun and exciting but it can also be unsettling for people who like stability.
Luckily, because of the increased number of people with contract employment, an infrastructure of staffing agencies has developed to facilitate the search for short-term work. This structure can provide some sense of support and stability.
Today, staffing agencies handle a wide range of workers, from interim CEOs and financial executives to nurses and other medical occupations to marketing and advertising people. They find the employment, match the need with workers and help individuals set a price for their services.
A second challenge that freelancers face is the need to refine their time management skills. This is particularly true for those who want to work part time. Freelancers report that their desire to maintain their income flow and fear of not being employed encourages them to work more while the rest of their life goals urge them to limit their hours on the job.
Knowing your financial needs and articulating principles to guide when you will work more and when less, and being able to share them with employers and staffing agencies when appropriate can help you manage this aspect of freelancing.
How to make the transition to freelancing
Before you approach a staffing agency or individual employer, you should think about three major questions:
- What skills and knowledge could you provide an enterprise on a part-time— or a short-term but full-time project? Remember to include your knowledge of various industries, sectors, or types of businesses in your description.
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What recruiting firms should you target? Google "staffing agencies" and the general term for the work you think you want to do (e.g., "nursing" or "marketing"). Review some of the agency sites and see what they say about the kinds of people they place.
Next, follow their directions for making contact with an email message outlining your skills and knowledge or talk to them personally. Staffing agencies are always on the lookout for people with the skills that they need. Contacting more than one staffing agency at a time is an acceptable practice.
- How much money can you make in a given year? Check with your financial advisors about any restrictions on how much money you can earn given your age, Social Security regulations and any special restrictions on your pension funds.
Negotiating: A new work skill for the serially employed
Many Baby Boomers have never negotiated their terms of employment before. But as the number of short-term employees has increased, negotiating wages and other working conditions has also increased. Here are some ideas for being ready to negotiate:
- Think through what you want your employment to look like, that is, what you want to negotiate for. To make sure your desires are reasonable points for negotiation and not simply a "wish list," imagine explaining why these will make your work performance more efficient and effective for the employer.
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Develop some idea of how valuable your skills and knowledge are to potential employers so you will know how likely it is for your prospective employer to meet your requests.
This is the hard information to come by, particularly when you are starting. Using staffing agencies to find work helps provide you with some beginning information because they know the market and will determine your wage.
- Become comfortable with the negotiation process. What are your options? What types of responses can you expect from the other side? A great, short overview of win-win negotiation is the book Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury. It can help you be more prepared for this aspect of the employment process in today's working world.
