Portfolio Career for Executives

Renata Bernarde
Apr 19, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Feb 27, 2024

Episode 78 - Portfolio Career: What Is It, and Is It for You? - with Jacinta Whelan

Portfolio career: What is it, and is it for you?

In 2020 at the height of job losses and pandemic lockdown, I interviewed my guest, Jacinta Whelan, for the first time. At that time, my goal was to capture her expertise in interim work to understand the potential opportunities that professionals could consider as the pandemic unfolded and we had zero to no permanent roles advertised.

None of my interviews, however, address only a point in time. I would encourage you to listen to that first episode, episode number 37. There will be a link to it in the show notes to learn about Jacinta's background and career story and hear her discuss the evolution of the gig economy, its opportunities, and challenges. I felt it would be repetitive for my long-term listeners, who may have already listened to that episode, to go through some of those points again.

In this episode, we dive into the future of work and potentially the future of your career if you choose to move towards the portfolio career style.

Jacinta Whelan is an author, thought leader, and popular speaker on the concept of Interim Executives, Portfolio Careers, and future ways of working. She leads the Melbourne office of Watermark Search International, an executive search specialist firm recruiting permanent and interim managers and board members. Jacinta has over 25 years of experience starting and leading Interim businesses in Hong Kong, New York, and Australia. She advises corporates and governments on the Executive Interim marketplace. She is regularly asked to speak to Boards and business leaders looking to understand the future of work for senior executives and adopt new ways to engage executive talent. In fact, for Jacinta, the future of work has well and truly arrived – it is the NOW of work, and it is part and parcel of building a portfolio career. In her words, "The paradigm has shifted in how we engage with work, and both individuals and companies are questioning what it means for them."

Jacinta and her colleague Caroline McAuliffe have co-authored a book, The Rise of the Interim Executive: A Guide to Navigate Your Success. This book is out this month and a must-read for professionals keen to move now or in the future towards interim work. I have five copies to give away to listeners. All you need to do is give this podcast 5 stars and write a review on iTunes or the Apple podcast app. Send me a screenshot with your postal address, and I will send you a brand new, off the print copy of the book. This is a first in best-dressed promotion, and I only have 5 copies, so please hurry - you don't want to miss out! On the episode show notes, you will find my email address, or you can DM me the photo and your address on any of my social media platforms. I'm sure you have by now found me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

About our guest, Jacinta Whelan

A partner with Watermark Executive Search, Jacinta is an author, thought leader, and popular speaker on the concept of Interim Executives, Portfolio Careers, and future ways of working. She leads the Melbourne office of Watermark and has over 25 years of experience starting and leading Interim businesses in Hong Kong, New York, and Australia.

Jacinta advises corporates and governments on the Executive Interim marketplace. She is regularly asked to speak to Boards and business leaders looking to stay abreast of how organizations are engaging executive talent. The future of work has well and truly arrived – it is the NOW of work. The paradigm has shifted in how we engage with work, and both individuals and companies are questioning what it means for them.

Jacinta has a BA Bus, is a GAICD (2008), a Harvard Business School Alumni (2018).

How to connect with Jacinta

Resources mentioned in this episode

Timestamps to guide your listening

Transcript of this episode

About the Host

Hello, I’m Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I’m also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach professionals (corporate, non-profit, and public) the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.

If you are an ambitious professional who is keen to develop a robust career plan, if you are looking to find your next job or promotion, or if you want to keep a finger on the pulse of the job market so that when you are ready, and an opportunity arises, you can hit the ground running, then this podcast is for you.

In addition to The Job Hunting Podcast, on my website, I have developed a range of courses and services for professionals in career or job transition. And, of course, I also coach private clients.