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The Sunroom Is Her Office
Administrative Consultant Finds Peace and a Paycheck
by Alyson Preston
Name: Kimberly Jensky
Title: Administrative Consultant
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Years as an Independent Contractor: Two years, working part-time
Monster.com: What kind of independent contractor are you?
Kimberly Jensky: I call myself an administrative consultant because I focus on things that are in-house and that are needed to keep a business running smoothly. I do editing, writing and proofreading. I set up and manage databases. I wanted to encompass lots of things with the title administrative consultant.
Before I started contracting, I spent several years working for a lot of small offices; and when you work in a small office, you have to wear a lot of hats. I'm channeling lots of that practical knowledge. There are lots of businesses out there that can't hire a full-time staff person to do administrative work. So I will do anything that's required to streamline administrative tasks.
Mc: What do you like about your work?
KJ: I like working with start-up businesses. That's part of the fun for me. I want to go in and help set up. I worked for start-ups for five years before I had kids and I liked that. I like working with someone who is trying to get their business going. I know they can't afford a full-time person, and I know they can benefit from my help. They have no idea where to start.
Mc: What job did you get through Monster Talent Market?
KJ: The client I got from Monster is a one-person office. He runs a consulting business for human resource and training consultants, and he wanted a database of candidates. I built the database with all the candidate information. He wanted something that he could use to suck information from his Web site. But he couldn't hire a full-time staff person to do it. I manage his whole database, keep it active and updated. I use Microsoft Access.
Mc: How did the Talent Market experience rate against other ways you have used to find work? What are those other ways?
KJ: A lot of it is by word of mouth. I put my profile on the Talent Market just to test it.
I think that I could be more aggressive and find more work, but I just haven’t gotten to that point where I really want to. I'm afraid of marketing myself and having too much to do. I don't want to work 20 hours a week, every week. I really want to spend time working on my writing, and I take classes, too. So I haven't had much time to do more work.
Mc: What pushed you to go out on your own? How did the transition work?
KJ: I have two kids, ages 2 1/2 and 1, and I started after I had my first. Right after I had my son, I left my full-time job and knew in my heart I wasn't going back. I really wanted to stay at home, and taking the maternity leave was a test to see how much money we could live on, to see if we could live on my husband's salary. We found out that we could live on his salary, but that it was nice to have an extra cushion.
And at that point I found that I wasn't bored, but I started to feel like I wanted to keep up in the business world and stay fresh and leave my options open. At the time, my dad was on the board of a company and got me some work. And another client I got at that point is someone my mom had worked for.
Mc: Does your working background help you as a contractor?
KJ: I was in marketing communications before I left to have my son. I set up Web sites and did marketing materials. Our office just had a few people in it, and even though I had one job title, I ended up doing everything that could be done. I did a lot of writing, too. It all gave me a good professional backing so that I could market my skills.
Mc: What have the benefits been for you of working for yourself at home?
KJ: Money-wise, I couldn’t go out and get a part-time job and get anywhere near the same hourly rate I get now. I like being able to work on my own time. I tell all my clients up front that I have two kids and am usually with them all day. I tell clients that they are more than welcome to call me, but to expect that I will have kids around. So their expectations aren't that they will be able to get me any time. By being honest and straightforward about that, it works out well.
Mc: How do you manage your work schedule? Do you have a regular babysitter?
KJ: I do it both ways. I have a sitter I use, so if I have a project that I can't do in my spare time, I have sitter come. I do it per project. In general, I can usually do work when my husband comes home.
I probably put in 10 hours a week on average. Some weeks I might have no work, some weeks I might have 30 hours. A project I just took is a training manual that I will edit and proofread, and do some word processing work on, which will take me more time, so I'll have to get a sitter.
Mc: What's your home office like?
KJ: You're going to laugh, but my desk and computer are set up in our sunroom, which doubles as a playroom. I did that so that if it ever comes to the point where I have to work when the kids are awake, I can do that.
Mc: Do you have any advice for anyone who is thinking about going out on his or her own?
KJ: I think it's important to be straightforward about your working situation, and how you work. The client that I got on Monster asked me, "Do you know how to do these things in Access?" I said, "No, but I think I can figure it out, and if I can't, I'll tell you." I think he appreciated that.
Also, I think you have to be willing to act on contacts. You have to call these people and follow up on stuff, and then people will see that you are serious.
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