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Attracting the Not-So-Young Professional

Posted on August 30, 2009

We talk a lot about young professionals in Roanoke. For young professionals, a job is everything. It’s a stepping stone to the next career move. It’s an income to get some cash in the bank. And, it’s the place you meet peers and mentors to help you along the way. So, as much as we talk about a creative culture attracting young professionals, they won’t be coming unless there are jobs that pay well, that advance careers and provide useful connections.

But what about not-so-young professionals? In most cases, professionals who have already built a reputation in their field have more flexibility. There are more opportunities to work virtually. Let’s face it, the older you get, the more skills and connections you have. It becomes more and more possible to work from home and not be so dependent on a single job. At one point, these types of professionals were called consultants. Today, with 9.5% unemployment, there are a lot more professionals calling themselves consultants who may just be out of work.

In the last ten years, working virtually has become more and more commonplace. Technology has enabled professionals to work from home as effectively as they could from and office. For businesses that rely on professional talent, this shift creates quite an opportunity. Now, businesses can recruit talent from all over the world, avoid costly expenses like relocation, and essentially create a virtual team that fits the exact requirements of each client.

It would be interesting to aggregate the consultants in the Roanoke area and see what kind of offering it makes up. There are professionals in virtually every field who perform most of their work for companies outside of Roanoke. Most of them have retainers or contracts that account for most of their time and income. Some may maintain an office outside of their home. But all of them have chosen to stay in Roanoke for the lifestyle and do work for companies who can pay what it takes to live it.

We should ask ourselves what it takes to attract this not-so-young professional. Until the area has a higher percentage of well-paying jobs that advance careers, the young professional is going to be an illusive catch.

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• archive

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  • Attracting the Not-So-Young Professional
  • Can the Creative Class Rise in Roanoke?
  • Roanoke’s Social Graph
  • Take the interstate, while it’s being offered.
  • Share the ideas that lead to wealth.
  • The Power of Positive Certainty
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  • What defines the “Roanoke Region”?
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  • Tourism brands that attract “staycationers”
  • Roanoke County has its own Mill Mountains
  • The City of Roanoke’s Rich Heritage of Planning

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  beyond marketing takes a look at the Roanoke Valley, and Southwest Virginia, in the context of broader economic development, tourism and business issues in the hope of inspiring leaders to make decisions that are progressive and sustainable.

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