Exchange at eye level
The concept of self-entrepreneur dates back to the turn of the millennium, when many professionals in the technology sector worked for start-ups. Some participated financially and thus saw themselves as entrepreneurs in their own right. The term has become somewhat out of fashion since then. That’s a pity, because it is a useful way of thinking. The current labour market situation for specialists is comparable to the period mentioned above. There is still competition among companies for rare qualification profiles (war for talents). Job seekers can choose from a variety of career paths. Therefore, I recommend them to consider themselves as self-entrepreneurs, as they are confronted with similar strategic issues as companies. I therefore use the image of a joint venture when negotiating an employment. Both sides decide on the advantages of a cooperation for a certain goal. This turns the job interview into a B2B exchange at eye level.
Self-entrepreneur on the job market
Those who see themselves as self-entrepreneur can learn a lot from companies. Just like a supplier on the product market, specialists and managers consider which services they want to offer on the labour market. Furthermore, they have to differentiate themselves from the competition through unique selling points. In order to remain successful in the market in the long term, a development strategy is necessary. It is important to assess how demand on the market is developing. This enables the people to align its own offering to this demand through professional and personal training (talent development). Through lifelong learning they maintain their employability. Self-entrepreneurs also proceed differently when applying for jobs. They see themselves less as job seekers and more as business cases. This strategy, however, requires an examination of one’s own personality in a personal and professional assessment. And finally, this attitude will also affect self-marketing (personal branding).