The short answer is NO and here's why:

First, congratulations! if you've started the conversation with one or several people about job sharing, you are well on your way to a rewarding job share!

Second, share the lessons from Module 1 with your partner candidate(s) to help them validate job sharing for themselves. (Note: it's OK to share Module 1 ONLY in the case of vetting your partner as it is specifically for your ultimate goal to job share).

Third, even if you have one or several partners in mind, don't skip any part of Module 3. It will help you find your awesome job share partner (your Top IPC) and several vetted backups easily, should you need another partner at a future date. TRUST THE PROCESS. 

As tempting as it may be, putting in the work in Module 3 will do be integral to your job share's success, now and down the line, in these ways:

• Confirm whether the partner candidate(s) you instinctively chose prior to JSA are likely to be the best fit for job sharing and you, or not. 
• Uncover the skills needed most in a partner to enable your team to produces bragworthy results! 
• Broaden your search and help you see how many Ideal Partner Candidates are in your network so that you can narrow those most suited to job sharing with you wisely. 
• Understand the exact conversations you need to have and how to use your senses and Emotional Intelligence to guide you before going into partnership
• Assess each Ideal Partner Candidate with clarity to select your top 3-5 choices in order. This will ensure that you can continue job sharing, be integral to your partner’s selection and hire (a must!), and won’t be coerced back into full-time work.

As natural as it may feel to look for a partner with concrete hard skills needed in the job you want to share, make sure to keep an open mind for Ideal Partner Candidates who might have an unconventional resume but have the soft skills to fill in your gaps that matter in the position.

Remember, hard skills can be taught, soft skills are more inherent to who we are, though they can be developed and improved. 

Another key thing to keep in mind: The U.S. is estimated to lose nearly half of our current jobs to automation and A.I. The good news is, the most desired jobs in the future of work will require collaboration, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and teamwork—the very skills job sharers thrive in.

Our suggestion is to put a high value on soft skills in your IPCs, especially if you are able to professionally develop them on-the-job for hard skills gaps.

We highly recommend going through the entire 10 Step Vetting Process to Find Your Top 3-5 IPCs, whether you have a few partner candidates in mind or not a one. 

Make sure to print and use the framework we've created for you to break it down easily as you make your way through the step-by-step guide. 

We know this work takes time, but it's well worth it. It's why we've given you 2 weeks to complete the work with an implementation week. If you are on Track 1: The Job Share Jumpstart track and you pencil in real time to do this work, it's doable to find your partner by the end of Module 3 so you may move on to implementing your job share together. If you are on Track 2, 3. or 4 and taking a bit more time, that is A-OK. This extra week will give you time to start the process! 

We completely get it — asking friends for help when life can feel more overwhelming during the pandemic might seem like a much bigger favor.

However, a silver lining to our collective experience means we are paying more attention to the little things: connection, friends we value, and helping one another when and where we can. Your friends may have been too busy to slow down even a little pre-pandemic running from kid event to kid event, rushing to and from work, time-stressed with long commutes, and travel for work. In this way, they have more time and take more delight in helping a friend in need.

We created a 10-step process in Lesson 2 to make asking your friends NBT (no big thang!). The key is to know your friends and make the favor an easy "yes" for them. 

If they're nearby and in your pod, maybe they'd die to grab a quick coffee so you can share what you want to do and how they can help. Just as helpful, text them to ask if they have a few minutes to chat about something that you'd like to ask them (if they are Zoom'd out — who would have guessed this would be a thing?!). Either way works.

The important thing is to meet them where they are and make it simple.

Networking is harder now. No doubt. But necessity is the mother of invention, and people have gotten very creative during the pandemic. 

Generally, people are also valuing authenticity more in this moment and forgiving if you've got a toddler running through the background of your work event even. Dare we say, they might even find in endearing?

The point is, it is easier to BE your authentic self in some ways now, bridging the awkward feelings networking can often bring. In addition, people organizing industry or shared interest events have gotten really good at it, mastering the breakout room. 

Use JSA's 7 Steps to Make Networking Fun in Lesson 2. On the upside, your commute is very short ;) and you can fit in more networking events now more conveniently even! GO FOR IT!

Our recommendation is NOT to skip a few important steps:

• Blocking off time and doing your research on LinkedIn into the background of connections you know IRL (in real life) and your online social media contacts. 
• Enlisting your friends to help you find your IPCs. These are perhaps the most valuable new connections you can make with the person who may be your future job share partner!
• Putting yourself out there to network, even in a global pandemic. You've got this!

Not to worry, we've got your back! 

With fewer in-person opportunities to enthusiastically share with friends that you want to job share and put it "out there," you've got to get more creative in the spaces people are — That's right,  online. People are online now more than ever. Big time. 

In Lesson 2 of JSA, we will show you how to do this step-by-step in multiple ways without outing yourself at work (if that is a concern). We 100% get it. If you're worried your boss will be open to a formalized flexible work practice, much less job sharing or if you're on the hunt for a new job at a new company, you'll want to keep it on the DL.

Utilize our strategies for getting the word out socially (on Facebook and LinkedIn) free from fear of retribution or presenting the business case for your job share when you're ready. We encourage you to put it out there! When you send your intentions into the universe, they become real. There's magic in that! ✨

While we don't want you to rule anyone out, new networking connections to friends-of-friends to your acquaintances and friends, the connections that will be easiest to discuss the necessary conversations before going into partnership (AKA your Job Share Javas), will be those you have some familiarity with. 

However, do not let that derail you from finding the perfect job share partner who might be a complete stranger but has the complementary skillset you need and who you feel chemistry with from the start, for the right compatibility.

Remember, throw the net out wide then narrow to ultimately find your awesome job share partner...and a few backups (just in case....). 

You are right! You only need 3-5 IPCs (Ideal Partner Candidates) but, if you've done all of the work and not skipped a single step in Lesson 2, you likely have even more than 5 possible candidates. 

Having up to 7 Ideal Partner Candidates and putting them in order of who you'd like to contact first to last (use your gut!), will ensure that at least 3-5 will be interested and excited to meet (virtually or in-person, safely) to dive deeper into the idea of job sharing together!

It's your safety net. Better to have more candidates when making your selection. Go get 'em tiger! 

The 4 C's: Chemistry, compatibility, communication, and capabilities are all important (there's a reason we named them to make them easy to remember!), but if we had to order them, they would be:

1. Chemistry 
2. Compatibility
3. Communication
4. Capabilities 

Matched capabilities are ideal, but remember, there are many successful job share teams who filled in (a not too great) gap with additional off-the-job training and on-the-job professional development too. Alternatively, one appealing job share arrangement for employers is cross-generational job sharing for succession planning! What better way to let a valuable talent who'd like to work fewer hours before retirement, train their replacement even? 

 "Necessity is the mother of invention, it is true, but its father is creativity, and knowledge is the midwife."

-- Jonathan Schattke, scientist

Great question. 

The last thing you need during your Job Share Javas is to feel overwhelmed (a state of mind we are completely in control of). Instead, our goal is to give you the tools to navigate your conversation to dive deeper into whether you and your Top 3-5 Ideal Partner Candidates feel a real connection and ensure you cover topics that will matter greatly to your job share's success and on-ramping it smoothly from Day One. 

The five observations are important, but instead of memorizing and trying to remember them in the moment, just make sure to read through them the day of your meeting beforehand and keep them in mind while meeting with your IPCs. 

Then, when you have some space to gather your thoughts after your Job Share Javas, take a few moments to write down your observations. Afterall, there's a lot of adrenaline happening when you're getting to know someone and talking about something as exciting as sharing your profession together!

These will come in handy when making your selections! You'll rock this!

It’s time to get down to Job Share Java: The Get-Real Must-Have Discussions before deciding to go into partnership. Job sharing is like a business partnership. You share money, successes and losses, and your families both depend on its success. 

That sounds scary, but it’s actually awesome. And very soon you’ll experience the freedom and happiness your job share will bring you first-hand. 

In this lesson, you’ll learn what to laser-focus in on and discuss when meeting your IPCs in person.

Do not overlook any area that gives you pause. Some people will want to skip past topics that feel hard to bring up, especially if you’re meeting for the first time. Make sure to cover every topic. 

While looking for a job share partner with a committed, positive attitude is key, remember to pay attention to chemistry, compatibility, how you communicate and whether you share similar capabilities, values, work philosophy, work ethic, and career ambitions.

A Minimum Time Commitment is an up-front agreement to job share for a minimum amount of time. A Minimum Time Notice adhered to by both job share partners is essential to reducing a negative impact for the remaining partner’s career during a partner transition.

It takes time to find a job share partner! Luckily, you will be a JSA grad who has vetted 3-5 Ideal Partner Candidates for several IPCs to choose from, should your job share partner leave for any reason. 

The right amount of time is personal to your industry, position, and you and your partner's personal situation. Decide what the minimum amount of time you and your partner should commit to job sharing together to ensure an early departure would NOT adversely impact the remaining partner's career or income significantly.

This can vary by situation. Some people job share temporarily with a specific start and end date in mind (for example, the first-year their child is born or during a spouse's illness). But for most people, they will want to make sure they 

In Melissa's case, she and her partners ultimately decided upon two years. Any less and the remaining partner was likely to see a direct negative impact to their career and pocketbook.

A Minimum Notice Commitment is an agreed-upon amount of time by both job share partners to tell one another before a partner intends to leave a job share. A Minimum Notice Commitment’s time frame is a personal choice, made jointly taking into account industry, pipeline and other variables pertinent to your field and lives.

Note: This is not the same as your two-week notice at work. In fact, it will likely be much longer than the notice you give your employer.

The short answer: It varies and depends on several factors. Our advice is not to underestimate how long it may take to find another suitable partner while also not making your notice commitment so long that your partner checks out and is no longer incentivized to do the amount of work job sharing requires. 

Truly, what you want to consider is how hard it will be to find a talented replacement partner for the position you will share. In Melissa's case, she and her partners decided on 2 months — enough time to give the remaining partner time to source a partner or even, make a career transition, if needed. 

We understand that some discussions in your Job Share Javas, particularly the possible deal-breakers may feel awkward, especially if you are meeting your IPC for the first time or don't know each other well. Totally understandable.

We would not put you through anything that causes you discomfort if we didn't feel it was super important. Make sure to do the work and think through what your deal breakers would be. Then, when you meet and cover this topic. Move through that feeling of discomfort and approach it as a necessary topic you've been advised to cover. 

Melissa's golden rule before going into partnership is: If there are issues that could cause a married couple to divorce, it's too much to overcome for a new job share.

Entering a job share despite these circumstances, will put an undue strain on the partnership and will unfairly negatively impact the other job share partner and all stakeholders.

The only way you can know if there's a situation like this before going into partnership is to get-real and talk about it, even if you barely know one another. 

Remember, sometimes you cannot predict financial instability as in the Great Recession or health situations that arise.

But making a commitment to being vulnerable and sharing when tough personal situations arise before you agree to go into partnership, will allow you to face and get through unforeseen obstacles.  

And there are deal-breakers that may be within one partner's comfort zone. For instance, working with a partner who has a chronic health issue who'd like job share to find professional fulfillment while taking care of their well-being. We've even heard of someone job sharing temporarily to help a colleague with a terminal illness. It is personal and therefore, something you need to put some thought into beforehand.

This is totally up to you. Use your best judgment. Think through what will work for you and the people you are meeting to discuss the idea of job sharing with.

If you find it helpful to print the IPC checklist as a guide and bring it, do it! It could be of help to you and your IPCs.

Tip: Copy/paste and print your checklist without all 5 IPCs on it. The last thing you want is to make the person you're meeting with feel they are competing in order to job share with you.