Should you take every job? It’s a question that most new consultants are faced with at some point in their consulting career.
Determining whether you should take every job is not an easy task, especially when you’re new and you’d like to beef up your portfolio–and your bank account. But, trust me, you should not take every job that comes your way.
As a consultant, you’re a specialist. You could specialize in almost any niche: environmental consulting, grant writing or pre-natal fitness. Indeed, your specialization is the key to being viewed as an expert in your industry. If you take every job that comes your way, you’ll be undermining your reputation as an expert.
So when you’re wondering whether you should take every job, the answer is generally no. Consider whether the project will increase your expertise and take you into the direction you want to go. If not, don’t take the job. In addition, if you get a bad feeling about your client and the project, trust your instinct. Clients that seem demanding or unreasonable from the get go generally are.
Instead of making some quick cash on a project that’s not suited to you, use that time to build your expert status and promote yourself to your target clients in your niche. If you’re finding that you need the extra work because of your finances, consider increasing your rates instead. Don’t take every job that lands at your feet. Remember, you’re a specialist!
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