Consultant

Ultimately, some things just require outside counsel. You can’t smell your own breath, for instance. You can’t honestly judge how your rear looks in a pair of jeans. And when it comes to business, you can’t objectively assess your own problems and solutions.

No matter what, a good friend will answer honestly when you ask, “Do these make me look fat?” And when you’re asking about business practices instead of pants, that person is a Consultant.

When you’re a Consultant, you don’t know everything about everything, but you definitely know a lot about something. And that makes you an expert. Because you’ve spent years practicing your profession — Consultants can “consult” on anything from sales to finance, management to marketing, communications to technology — you’ve earned a reputation for excellence in your field, which will help you get work assisting businesses with making their most important big decisions.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve spent your life doing, because you’ve learned a lot about it in the process. When you’re a Consultant, you’re paid to let people pick your brain. They want to know what you know, and it’s your job to teach it to them. To do so, you might give a presentation, deliver skills-based training, serve as temporary or supplemental staff, diagnose and solve problems, design and implement structural change, or simply offer counsel and advice.

Whatever your duties, you offer cost-effective labor, learning and leadership. And, of course, honest opinions about your clients’ jeans (metaphorically speaking, of course).