Consultant vs Employee

You are a fountain of knowledge, a veritable confidant, a valued sounding board…

And you have the opportunity to deliver a game-changing project in record time, with few or no barriers.

Sounds like a dream job and in many respects, it is.

But great as consulting is, it does have its downsides and we shouldn’t be blind to them.

You’re often on your own, taking care of everything from the mundane administrative aspects through to looking after your superannuation contributions and coming to terms with the reality that there’s no such thing as paid leave.

You go away and set work aside, you stop earning; it’s as simple as that.

There’s also the small matter regarding what you do between consulting assignments and there’s only so much gardening one can do!!

The market is also awash with consulting firms of all persuasions, so you need to find your niche and consistently deliver quality work that adds real value, enhances your reputation and has the referrals flooding in.

Then there’s the ‘feast or famine’ scenario where you’re either pottering around the garden and pruning the rose bushes AGAIN or, to use an Australian colloquialism, busy as a centipede on a hotplate.

My solution here is to always have three ‘active’ clients which, while easier said than done, does provide you with a safety net – the roses will be eternally grateful, I assure you – when things are slow.

And, of course, if perception is reality, the consultant’s LinkedIn profile can look a little bare.

Take mine as an example. There’s a solid block of 15 years as an employee in the same organisation, followed by a few other sizeable chunks and then a string of six-month gigs that might well send out messages that infer something is wrong.

I am guilty as charged at being that judgemental person when interviewing for positions for clients, so I understand the nervousness.

As I said, a reputation for delivery that creates value for the client is our strongest antidote to these perceptions.

However, when all is said and done, I remain a happy consultant. Yes, my long-term tenure as an employee had its moments but nothing comes close to the wave of satisfaction when a week’s consulting project ends up being a six-month consultancy as nothing speaks louder to the value placed in you as a consultant.

So, to all companies with a vacancy to be filled, try before you buy is a safe and reliable option to trial skillset fit. Mould a position to fit business need and then recruit, confident in the knowledge you know exactly what you want. Whilst consultants shouldn’t replace employees, credible consultants are the perfect solution to bridge the gap.

By Claire Parkinson – Director, Opportunity Knocks Pty Ltd