How to navigate the pros and cons of development consulting life

The idea of a consulting career in global development appeals to many professionals, presenting enticing pathways at different junctures of their careers. The adaptable nature of consultancy assignments can help workers take more control of their careers — creating a work-life balance that carves out space for additional learning endeavors and personal passions, and opening up more space for managing familial commitments. But this is only possible if you know how to manage your commitments and other common challenges that consultants face, from maintaining a steady stream of income to knowing how to navigate different organizational cultures and recruitment processes. Having to “look for consulting [work] continuously” can bring with it a “lack of stability when you think of your own financial situation and your own revenue and your own bills that you have to pay. There's not that stability you would have if you were in a traditional 9-to-5 [job],” said Nicole Hosein, a veteran development consultant currently with UN Women, during the final event of our three-part Globaldev Consulting Skills series focused on how to cultivate a successful and happy consulting career. The event also featured advice from Caroline Korda Poole, an expert development career coach and founder of Centered Career. Here are a few key insights that our experts offered about the obstacles consultants often face. Setting boundaries “Boundaries are a challenge with any relationship with any employer, sometimes, but with consulting, the boundaries [are] around the contract,” said Korda Poole. Key things to establish clarity on include specific details of all deliverables and time frames, knowing which clients you will be responsible for, and the number of hours you will put in each week. “Some organizations are sort of notorious for trying to push boundaries. They'll give you a 30-hour contract and expect a hundred hours of work, that sort of thing,” she said. It’s also important to account for time that you’ll need for networking and marketing relationship building, which will help you determine how much time you will actually be delivering on services, Korda Poole added. Staying connected with colleagues The isolation of remote work is something many workers experienced during COVID-19 lockdown periods, but remote consultants have to navigate this on an ongoing basis. “I've been a remote consultant now for four years and I have never met anyone in the office that I work for, which is quite sad given how long I've been with them,” Hosein said. She has navigated this by setting up occasional video meetings that are not work-related. “I try to have an hour meeting to see how everybody's doing [and] check up on people. Some people had babies. Some people got married, so, you know, try to stay connected that way as virtually as you can,” she said. Building your reputation and network Korda Poole spoke of the importance of networking as a consultant, “to make sure that people know I'm good at the work I do, so I get put on projects.” The simplest way to build your reputation as someone who is a reliable consultant is to consistently deliver on the project you work on. “Underpromise and overdeliver, if necessary, [just] make sure that you're on time with what you said you will be, and that the product is really good, and that reputation is gonna carry you forward, no matter which kind of salary or consulting revenue flow you have,” Korda Poole said.