CareerCon2019: The Employees of the Future are Self-Employed

The ‘gig economy’ is here to stay, and having a mindset that you are a company will help make it easier to be ready for working in the future

The conveniences brought about by the internet and the related advancements in communication and technology, and the inconveniences brought about by traffic and the increasing costs of fuel and even operational maintenance, has led to an increased acceptance in remote and freelance work.

According to Shahab Shabibi, “By 2055, 60% of the jobs will be ‘on-demand.’ Many of us will be here for it, so we need to be prepared.” Speaking at the first ever CareerCon held by FutureProof and Kalibrr last July at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, the Co-Founder and CEO of Machine Ventures elaborated how self-employment, and taking on a company mindset, is a career move that will considerably beneficial in the long term.

One job may not be enough

Although unemployment rates in the Philippines are among its lowest in recent years, it does not always mean substantial employment for everyone. Given today’s rising cost of living, one full-time job is not enough for many employees, particularly those who’ve had to settle on roles that don’t make the best use of their experience and expertise. According to Shabibi:

“Unemployed is now underemployed. The former may be at its lowest, but the latter is now a real problem. Thankfully, there is a gig economy to sort of fall-back on, where many can supplement their income with other jobs.”

Treat yourself like a company

With that said, Shabibi suggests professionals begin taking on a company mindset, where they themselves are a business, and learning new skills by way of training online and enrolling in certification programs allows them to have more to offer to their clients.

“When you have the mindset that you are a company, preparing for the future and gaining the skills you need becomes easier. Remember, you must upskill yourself. It’s great if your company does it for you, but they’ll only mostly train you for what they need.”

By going beyond what employees learn from their full-time employer indeed opens up more opportunities on the freelance front, where your other skills may not be needed by your current company, but is needed enough by others that they are more than willing to compensate you for it.

Learn as you go

As just mentioned, working a sole company presents you minimal opportunities to learn more skills, but by being self-employed in the gig economy, you are essentially learning as you go.

Apart from upskilling on your own as a way to improve your business, you are also learning how to run it on a day by day basis. This constant learning, Shabibi says, is what will help you prepare for other jobs in the future.

“Education is now a lifelong process, because the job economy is constantly changing, and we don’t know what roles we can have in the future.”

He adds that to make it easier, and better guarantee your place as an employee of the future, is to look towards the things you most care about.

“Pick a problem you are passionate about solving, and make your career about doing that. Doing this makes it easy to keep a direction, even amidst change.”

Need help finding that dream job? Sign up at Kalibrr and be connected to thousands of employers!

Kalibrr is a technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, the company continues to attract the best talent from all over, with over 2.3 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

For application help and additional professional advice, follow Kalibrr on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.