Why Businesses Should Embrace the Wonky Career
Gary Simpson
Former #RoyalMarines #Commando, Nonverbal Communication and Behavioural Specialist across security sectors - Co-founder at SPG! ??
There are lots of jobs out there, lots.
And there are lots of companies who want to hire talented people - some good, some not so.
I have done some weird and wonderful jobs throughout the years, everything from DJ'ing to chicken catching (yes chicken catching). It's safe to say that a Wonky Career, best describes my journey, and many of your journeys too...... So why do businesses fear it?
A wonky career is both a description of a non-linear career path or an approach to work that allows for flexibility and agility in the workplace. It is the idea of not being bound to one job or profession, but instead allowing yourself to pivot from one thing to another as needed. For many people, this type of career path provides freedom and autonomy while still maintaining stability and security. Let’s take a closer look at what a wonky career entails.
What is a Wonky Career?
At its core, a wonky career involves changing jobs or switching professions in order to find something that better suits you. This could mean taking on freelance jobs, starting your own business, or simply changing careers altogether. Candidates sometimes find themselves on a completely different path to the one they wanted, and they think that moving will hold them back. But that concern ends up compounding, they fear moving to a new role or company will look bad so they stay put in a role that doesn't motivate them. This causes them to perform below expectations, increases feelings of disconnect and continues the downward cycle until they are pushed or pulled out into another role. But that shouldn't be the case in fact, the reality is this. You are able to move around within your professional life in order to find something more suited to your skillset and lifestyle preferences.
The Benefits of a Wonky Career
A wonky career offers many benefits such as increased autonomy, greater job satisfaction, higher engagement levels in the workplace, and more freedom to pursue different projects and interests. In addition, having a wonky career means that you can explore various industries and gain new skillsets without feeling obligated to stay in one job for too long. This provides an opportunity for personal growth that cannot be found elsewhere.
For business leaders?
For CEO's and CFO's especially, you shouldn't fear a wonky career. It can provide great insight into how various departments within an organization operate. This insight can then be used when making important decisions regarding a company’s future direction.
Additionally, by embracing non-linear career paths, CEOs and CFOs have able to quickly identify problematic areas while also gaining valuable experience across multiple disciplines.
?A wonky career is an increasingly popular option among those looking for greater autonomy in their professional lives while still maintaining financial stability.
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The downside - old-school thinking
As business leaders you are taught to look for continuity and consistency with candidates. Somebody who comes across your desk with a CV that doesn't conform to a traditional framework can put you off.
The main concerns are the implications that it may represent:
And listen, some of these concerns can be justified. You can be forgiven for seeing red flags if people floated from one job to another, never spending more than a couple of months at each place but in a market where talent is short and candidates motivations are ever changing it should be noted that you can put your concerns to the test rather than throwing the CV out and missing out on a potentially amazing hire.
The market has changed, candidates move around a lot more
References and a thorough interview process are your gate keeper to bad hires - so use them to iron out any concerns you may have.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a wonky career is an increasingly popular option for those seeking greater autonomy in their professional lives. Although it may require some adjustment on the part of employers who are used to traditional career paths, embracing non-linear careers can provide many benefits and open up new possibilities. However, companies should make sure to use references and thorough interview processes to ensure they don’t miss out on great talent due to any preconceived notions about ‘wonky’ candidates. With the right approach, businesses can benefit from having employees with diverse experiences that bring fresh ideas and perspectives into the workplace.
At Keystone Executive Placements we are here to help you make the right decisions, be it your next move as a candidate, or your next hire.
Speak to one of our consultants today!
Portfolio Lead - Sustainability at Drax
2 年An interesting observation Gary. Given many graduate schemes are set up to encourage 'wonkiness' at a more junior level as grads move around the business on placements, I wonder why it is that businesses are less keen to support this at a more senior level? I've been fortunate to have been given the opportunity to move around into vastly different roles earlier in my career that have helped me to develop transferrable skills that I would never have gained if I had specialised into a specific area earlier in my career. It's really important as a hiring manager to think about the skills and experiences that are really required for the role and what can then be taught on the job - potentially with the help of a senior level apprenticeship perhaps to support skills development. We've just hired an ex primary school teacher into a role in my team on this basis who is absolutely flying and has clearly brought some key transferrable skills with them!
Head of Group Operations
2 年I'm a massive Wonker to be fair, Gaz. I've learnt a great deal from all of my experiences! It gives you a chance to take the best practices and build them into the next. Sometimes you see people who have been in one place for a long time, and they forget what good looks like I know its not for everyone, but that is my experience.
KSA PR Holder / Corporate Ventures, Partnerships and Investments / Banking, Asset Management, Fintech / On-site in EU,APAC,GCC/ Certified in Agile, Change & Project Management, Product Ownership
2 年Great article and interesting ideas. I think Wonkiness (is that a word?) Is necessary but should be managed well. Being wonky within your company or industry is more than desirable and I always applaud whenever my colleagues take a chance to move horizontally to other areas of the business. I have greatly benefited from it myself, moving between trading floors, back offices, strategy units,etc. It gives you a general understanding of majority of the business and the big picture and makes you useful for many discussions. The Wonkiness might become difficult to manage while switching industries. In my past I also had experienced what the article mentions, a chance to radically pivot my career but at a cost of my pay package and level, which was not putting me in favour of this step... Which might have been an exciting move if not my potential hiring manager not appreciating my willingness to wonk. Nowadays many international banks are open for wonking and it is not unusual to see literature or chemistry majors in the offices. As long as their brain is on the right track, they can fit well in the structures and outperform. I wrote a lot... Generally, we should embrace new experiences??