Finding Job Security with a Consultant Career

consultant careerTrick headline. The first thing to realize about your job security with your consultant career is that you have none – even if you think you do. Once you get to the point where your brain is all right with that, you can move forward without fear. Well, maybe a little bit of fear. The truth of the matter is that even good consultants are looked at as expendable by most companies. Trust that when budgets get tight and the slicing and trimming begins, you will be one of the first to go.

Years of history can come to a screeching halt in a snap decision. Don’t take it personally, no matter how sorely tempted you might be to do so. This is just business. Who are we kidding? To the consultant who just got canned by his biggest client, it’s very personal. The first thing to remember is not to say anything stupid that will preclude them ever wanting you back.

This career is ever fluid and you could be re-hired at some point in the future if you haven’t done any permanent bridge-burning. But the real secret to finding job security in a consultant career is to diversify. That means keep more than one customer in the pipeline at a time. While you may be working on a lengthy, all-consuming project, it could come to an end in the amount of time it takes the phone to ring.

Don’t be caught with nothing to fall back on. Scary, isn’t it? Those are the cards you’re dealt when you step into this line of work. Sure, the money can be nice – very nice – but put some back for a rainy day and never bet the farm on a single client.

Got it? Now go get a really good client.

The Speaking of Wealth Team

Speaking of Wealth

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