#Leadership : Why You Should Hire People With ‘Slash Careers’…The “Slash Career” is all Rage with Millennials, and it’s Important for Employers to Pay Attention.

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You know what I’m talking about, right? “I’m a lawyer/writer.” “I work in marketing; I’m also a professional actor.” “I’m in tech, and I have photography business on the side.”

Cross Training

In the last ten years or so, these slash careers and side gigs have been on the rise, and many motivated millennials have realized that they can, indeed, have it all: A full-time “day job” they enjoy as well as a creative endeavor that brings them additional revenue.

So why is this important for business owners, the employers of these ”day jobs?”

Many traditional employers may have a negative reaction to slash careers. They’d assume that an employee won’t be as invested in their work if they only consider it a “day job.” They’d think that someone who has passions in other areas won’t be as valuable an employee.

And they’d be wrong.

Hear me out here. I speak from experience. Over a third of my team atVanderbloemen Search Group is made up of millennials with slash careers, including fitness instructors, calligraphers, actors, and photographers. And we have even more team members whose extracurricular pursuits don’t bring them additional revenue, but they invest a huge amount of time in them outside of work. One team member runs his own podcast. Another has a well-received blog. One is a three-time ironman. One is on the board of a charity. And let me tell you, these team members are worth their weight in gold.

Simply put, employees with side jobs are invaluable …. The next time you’re interviewing a candidate with pursuits outside of work, don’t write them off. You just might be interviewing your next rock star.

Here’s why employers should hire candidates with slash careers.

1. They are motivated and take initiative.

If your candidate has a side hustle, that means they are a passionate, hard-working motivated individual. They don’t come home from work and sit on the couch watching Netflix NFLX +4.00%, they continue to pour themselves into their other job. And these character traits transfer to every job they do. Looking for a team member who takes initiative and is a self-starter? Hire someone with a slash career.

 

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2. They have a diverse skill-set.

Employees with interests outside of work are well rounded, and well rounded individuals are valuable assets to any company. They can wear many hats, have diverse skills, and are often great problem-solvers. At my company, we place a huge value on agility and solution-side living, and my well-rounded team is always able to think outside the box, pivot on a moment’s notice, and bring a variety of perspectives to the table.

3. They are creatively fulfilled.

Rather than going home from work and singing, “Well I’m sure that I could be a movie star if I could get out of this place,” employees with side careers are creatively fulfilled. They aren’t miserable at work wishing they had pursued something else. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen that happy and fulfilled employees are often the hardest workers.

Their creativity spills out into your company.

At a company where brainstorming, innovation, improvement, and problem-solving are huge priorities, creativity is absolutely vital. If someone is creative in their endeavors outside of work, you better believe they will be creative in all their work for your business as well. I have a huge amount of team members who are involved in the arts or studied them in college – be it music, theater, or visual art – and I believe the creativity represented on our team is a huge part of the success we’ve had as a company.

Simply put, employees with side jobs are invaluable.

The next time you’re interviewing a candidate with pursuits outside of work, don’t write them off. You just might be interviewing your next rock star.

 

Forbes.com | July 26, 2016 | William Vanderbloemen