Building Your Career Outside of 9-5

By: Chuck Abramo

That title made you laugh, didn’t it?!

“Who works 9-5?”

“Psshhhh!  I wish I got out at 5!”

“What’s an 8 hour day?”

Set those comments to the side and take the notion of “9-5” as your regular work day.  Most people perceive their day job as the way they can get ahead in their career. While this may be true for some, maybe even most, incorporating developmental practices outside of your “9-5” can be extremely beneficial to your career.  

Building your career outside of your day job has many benefits; some direct and some more indirect:

• Earn extra income
• Network
• Experience challenges that you may not be exposed to in your company
• Diversify your skills
• Give back to your community

But where to start?  That’s what used to get me tripped up too (and honestly, still does at times).  It can be such a daunting task and that is why I have put together this list.

Because for my ISTJ brain- lists make everything better.

1. Education- Whether you’re going for a formal degree or taking a class at the community college, continuing your education can keep your brain active in different ways, give you the opportunity to meet new people, and let you learn from academics.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be in your area of specialty. If you’re in H.R., you could take a finance, business, or I.T. class to help you connect to the business; anything that can act as a continuation of learning.
2. Volunteer in the Area of Your Specialty-  When most people hear the word “volunteer,” they automatically think of soup kitchens, homeless shelters, or walking dogs who are up for adoption.  While all of those acts are admirable and may be something one does in their spare time, volunteering can far surpass that. Do you know how many not-for-profit organizations are out there who could use someone with a specialty?  These not-for-profits may not have the funds to have an in-house graphic designer, HR consultant, or supply chain expert. Offering up your services in your area of expertise could strengthen your network, help the community, give back, and help you experience challenges outside of what your organization can give you.
3. Mentor/Mentee-  A mentor-mentee relationship can be the make-or-break factor for some people’s careers.  Personally, I have received some of the most valuable advice from former mentors that have helped shape my career.  What I love about having mentees is not only giving back and paying-it-forward but having a mentee strengthens your skills of analyzing problems and situations from afar and having to provide advice; a skill that proves itself valuable in any role.  Beyond what it does for you, giving back could be the single most important thing one does with their career.
4. Read- In 2005, Will Smith gave a speech about the keys to life.  Smith deemed the keys to life as 1. Running and 2. Reading. As for running- if something scary is chasing you- run!  That’s all the advice I can give you in that department. Reading, however- that’s a different story. There are countless- yes! countless- individuals out there in your field.  People who have dedicated their years to a profession and have written about it. There are professionals who have been in your profession much longer than you have and have written about it.  Take those experiences and learn from them. Don’t let that knowledge go untapped. And the best part- most of it is free; Harvard Business Review, Forbes, academics, scholar.google.com, journals, etc.  You can find free content in any one of those avenues. Now add articles and blogs to the list and you have more content and information than you could ever digest in ten lifetimes. Don’t let it go to waste.
5. Write-  Dear readers, This is where we are about to get honest….so buckle up.  I don’t LOVE writing. Some people have a routine around it or it’s where they go to clear their head.  I wish I could say that was me. I wish I couldn’t get through the day without sitting down to write but guess what- I can!  And most days I do. Knowing that I don’t LOVE it (I like it- if we were in a Facebook relationship, it would definitely be “it’s complicated”; every once in awhile we come back to one another but we certainly see other people in the meantime), sometimes I wonder why I do it.  I do it to get ideas on paper, push myself outside my comfort zone, and to challenge myself. Others may find different benefits from it and that’s great. That’s what it’s for. Even if you write and don’t show anyone. A couple years ago I started a blog on HR + Leadership. I did about 5-10 entries (I honestly can’t remember how many) but guess what?  I never gave the URL to anyone…. No one has ever seen it and I’m not sure that anyone ever will.
6. Join a Professional Chapter- For HR practitioners, this is most likely a SHRM chapter but I’m certain there is the equivalent for other careers as well.  There are a wide variety of benefits from doing this but the most important being networking, education, and hearing what is going on with peers from other industries.  It’s an easy way to stay connected in your region and, at times, connect to national chapters.
7. Network-  This goes in tandem with #6.  Networking has the ability to open up new doors for you, your development, and your career.  While working in our own organizations, we can tend to be somewhat siloed in how we see the world of our profession.  Our way can be perceived by colleagues as “best-in-class” which may not be true. Networking has a ton of benefits but the one that stands out to me is  that it puts a mirror in front of you to see what you and your company are doing well and what you’re doing not-so-well.
8. Certifications- In the spirit of continuing education, certifications are another way to display to the outside world your credibility in any given area or specialty.  Some positions require certifications for certain levels but beyond that, the content which is gained through the process of earning said certification can help build your knowledge base.  Not to mention, it’s a great, tangible goal to set for yourself. SHRM-SCP, SPHR, and GPHR are some examples of certifications in the H.R. world.
9. Teach- Teaching can come in many different fashions.  Obviously, the collegiate level is where most people’s heads go when they think of teaching.  Pending your field and your educational background, you could teach at a university, community college, a certification, guest lecture, or teach certain subjects to corporate groups if your skills and credentials are there.  Teaching on the side is an excellent way to stay up to speed in the academic world and theory while continuing in the field and getting hands on experience.
10. Speak- Yes, speaking is a good place to start to having a career but beyond that, speaking to a group of people can be another way to grow your skills to further your career.  We’ve all been to them: conferences or lectures with a line up of individuals speaking on different topics. Not only does it take a strong presentation skill set to pull one of those off, but it takes deep knowledge of a certain topic, a story to tell, and the mental fortitude to accomplish it.  Doing all of those things successfully is a huge accomplishment; one that is noticed by the audience, the people who put on the conference, and everyone involved. You may start out at smaller venues doing these for free but some individuals have built careers out of speaking engagements.
11. Start a Blog-  This also falls into the “Write” category but if you enjoy writing enough and have enough of a passion on a particular topic, a blog may be a great way to capture thoughts, have followers, and possibly- make some dough.  It could be a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly blog. It always surprises me how much success and compensation people find when starting blogs just for the fun of it.
12. Join a Board of Directors- For most people, being on a board most likely starts out at the not-for-profit level.  This is a great way to see how a board operates, what a board does, etc. Obviously the stakes get much higher for those on a board of a for-profit company.  Being on a board (whether profit or not-for-profit) is a great way to see how an operation runs from a bird’s eye view. Like blogging or speaking engagements, being on a board can prove to be very lucrative if you reach that level of your career.  Out of all the career tactics listed here, being on a board may be the hardest to accomplish with the fewest possible opportunities out there. Regardless, being part of an opportunity like this taps into skills and stakes most people don’t have to be exposed to in their “9-5” role.
13. Get Certified for a Specialty-  In the HR World this could mean being certified in MBTI or becoming a certified coach.  Both of these examples are a great way to get exposure to other organizations, business practices, colleagues, etc.  Not to mention the credentials look great on a resume. Potential hiring managers love bringing individuals onto their team with an eclectic skill-set.
14. Consult-  If done right, consulting may be the most lucrative option on this list.  In my experience, I have seen professionals consult for a variety of reasons: make extra money, dive into a new industry initiative, work on a short or long term project for a company, gain new experiences, or just to keep themselves relevant in their industry.  When making the decision to consult, make note that it can be difficult to get it off the ground. Don’t get discouraged- stick with it! Like anything in life, anything worth having takes time.
15. Have a Hobby-  One of the biggest pieces of career advice I give is to “have balance.”  I am a firm believer in the fact that people need to have balance between their personal life and their professional life.  That sounds awfully hard to do when I just listed 14 things that you can do after your “9-5” job but it’s so important that we strive for that balance.  It creates people who are happier and have a more realistic, personal view of the world. Whether that hobby is model trains, theater, or a sport- do it!  Have the balance that you deserve. Make time for things that bring you happiness and you we will be a stronger contributor at work- I’m sure of it!

This list is obviously not an all inclusive list.  I can’t imagine an individual could accomplish all of these and still be a functioning human being (if you’re out there- message me- we NEED to talk!).  If you are looking to build your career, consider some of these avenues to help you immerse yourself in your field.

You may pick one or two where you have a natural strength- that’s great!  Maybe you add on afterwards, maybe you don’t. The message is that there is a whole world outside of your day job that you can use to build your career.