How to build a career that's fun and multifaceted

Whether you’re looking for a career change or to start your own business, building a multi-faceted career lets you play to your strengths for increased career happiness and confidence at work.

What is a fun and multi-faceted career?

A multi-faceted career means offering offer a variety of services through multiple job types, rather than the traditional single job at one company. You may be a part-time teacher and freelance tutor who also takes temporary work as an exam marker. Or you might be doing two completely different things.

In 2018, there were over 250,000 people in the UK who define their work as a multi-faceted career. The impact of Covid on the economy and the growth of homeworking will boost this number significantly.

Having fun at work isn’t something that happens to you. You need to create it through action or mindset. Fun at work begins by consciously making an effort to focus on the good rather than the bad. You craft a multi-faceted career around your interests, strengths and passions, so the fun will be easy to find.

The benefits of a multi-faceted career

For companies, people with multi-faceted careers are better at working flexibly in different environments, are likely to have a greater range of soft skills and a wider network. People with diverse careers integrate faster and on-board more efficiently into their new roles.

There are many individual benefits to having a multifaceted career, including:

· Improving work-life balance

· Developing a diverse skill set

· Career growth

· Gaining extra cash flow

· Pursuing your passions

· Building a professional network

· Pushing you outside your comfort zone

A multifaceted career is a great option if you are a person who enjoys a variety of interests. Emilie Wapnick, the founder of Puttylike.com, refers to such people as ‘multipotentialities’. She believes that ‘instead of picking one thing and denying all of our other interests, we can find ways to integrate our many passions into our lives’. And follow what excites you.

If you're looking to start your business, a multifaceted career allows you to pursue a variety of interests.

Here’s our guide to building a multifaceted career that’s fun.

1. Play to your strengths for confidence at work

It's important to find ways to play to your strengths in the work you do. The first step is to discover your strengths.

The VIA Survey of Character Strengths is a free self-assessment of your character strengths. Research shows if you have an active awareness of your character strengths you are 9x more likely to flourish. Using your strengths is a great boost for your confidence at work.

If you are an entrepreneur or looking to start your business, design 70% of your day to day tasks around your strengths. Keep 30% to improve on other skills you might not feel as confident using.

To improve these skills take the time to create a career development plan. Professional development doesn’t have to be costly or time-consuming. Entrepreneur.com suggests some great free training tools you can access for efficient and effective career development. Career coaching can help you define your goals, identify the skills you need and how to develop these for success.