A dual-career family doesn't always have dual jobs. Many of the spouses and partners of Cornell employees work as freelancers, independent contractors or consultants. So the university's Dual Career Program in the Office of Human Resources, with support from the Office of the Provost, has created the Independent Consultants Network (ICON) to help connect consultants and employers.

Like the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, a regional job-listing service also spearheaded by the Dual Career Program, ICON is not just for Cornellians but for the entire community. It is open to anyone in and near Ithaca and provides local companies with the convenience of local expertise. ICON's slogan is "The right fit, the right skills, right here!"

"In most cases, the services that the ICON members can provide will be less expensive and more responsive than alternative resources outside of this area," said John Neuman, president and CEO of 1492 Consulting Group and a member of ICON's steering committee.

ICON was launched about two years ago but has recently updated its Web site http://www.ICONconnect.org to offer new services. The site allows members to list their expertise and businesses to list their needs. Companies needing a consultant can search by categories of expertise, market sectors or keywords. About 80 people or small consulting groups are currently listed.

There is no way of knowing how many employers are finding what they need, since employers contact consultants directly, says Betsy Hillman, dual-career consultant in the Office of Human Resources. She does say the results can be surprising, as when Sue Gillis, director of adult education for Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES, posted a request for a person to teach statistical process control and filled the position in less than three weeks.

The site also offers tips for businesses on how to hire and use consultants. It reminds employers that there is world-class talent right here in Ithaca, and that businesses that use ICON will save on travel and phone costs and support the local economy.

Although the Web site and organization receive funding from Cornell, the organization is not formally part of the university and is run mostly by volunteers. Likewise, Hillman points out, "Cornell does not vet the listings or recommend the consultants. This is just a clearinghouse."

ICON also offers an e-mail discussion group and monthly educational and networking meetings for its members. Recent meeting topics included "Practical Tips for Working With the Media," "Customer-Effective Web Sites" and "Branding -- Why Is It Important?" Upcoming in May will be a working session on "Things I Learned the Hard Way."

Sue Cosley, who offers career counseling and other human resource services, said she joined ICON mostly for the community, noting that it was much like a group she belonged to in Minneapolis before moving to Ithaca about seven months ago. "Having ICON provided me with an immediate sense of continuity when everything else around me was changing," she said. Since her husband is a visiting professor at Cornell, she thought it unlikely that she could find a good short-term job, so she elected to be in business for herself.

One by-product of the meetings, Hillman reports, is that consultants occasionally team up, combining different skills to meet an employer's needs.

Eventually, Hillman says, ICON may evolve into a dues-paying organization, run by the members rather than run by Cornell for the members. "We have to make ICON useful enough to be worth paying dues for," she says.