Pitching for flexible work

Pitching yourself for flexible work arrangements  

It took a phone call from a colleague to make me realise some possibilities in this space…

I was about 6 hours from catching a plane to Queensland for a family holiday. Those of you with children will know the military operation that is travelling with children: portacot, nappies times 50 in the suitcase and carry on, wipes, wipes, wipes, spare outfits, sleeping cloths, swimming clothes and clothes clothes. Sunscreen, nappy rash cream, baby toothpaste and toothbrushes. Pureed food, breast milk, formula, rusks, a blanket for the plane, pram, car seats….

Anyway. This friend of mine had seen a GM job advertised and she thought we should apply for it. I always thought that you got tapped on the shoulder for these types of roles and was not losing any sleep waiting on the tap. She thought we should apply. I didn’t really think about it at first. I simply wanted to get back to packing so I said, I’ve got nothing to lose but no time to think this through. How about you write a letter and send my cv. We’ll see what happens….

I went on holidays and forgot about it.

When I got back, I discovered that I had secured an interview. It was time to start thinking and preparing my convincing career business case.

All great partnerships come when you are greater than the sum of your parts. So I worked on a pitch that described that. For the price of one general manager, Rio Tinto was going to get:

• Over 40 years experience
• 2 MBA’s
• Degrees in economics and mining engineering

Experience in operations, studies, finance and approvals


Your experiences and opportunities will be different but my recommendations on writing your own career business case would go like this:


Be open with your strengths and interests. No one does a job well that bores them.

1. Don’t be afraid of a non-conforming bid. It may be just what your business needs.
2. Build your network and gather ideas from others to find out what has worked for them.
3. Be sure to put a win-win case together. The best outcomes for you and your organisation will be the ones that you are both happy with.

Good luck!