A flexible job role is an attractive option for any worker but it’s particularly important for women. The majority of flexible work requests are made by female employees, whilst the part-time workforce is made up predominantly by women.
Traditionally, this need for flexibility has limited career choices. As many women were forced to choose between a full-time career or a flexible job role, they were unable to pursue their professional objectives. However, the modern working environment is changing, and women are reaping the benefits.
With a new emphasis on freedom and flexibility, women are making career choices based on the amount of autonomy they’ll have. As a result, consultancy is becoming one of the most popular career options for female members of the workforce.
If you’re looking for flexible hours, a healthy work/life balance and a rewarding career, take a look at these three types of consultancy roles that could deliver exactly what you’re looking for:
Legal Consultant
Working as a solicitor, legal executive or paralegal no longer means unsociable hours, high pressure and minimal free time. In fact, any type of legal professional can choose to develop their career in a way that suits them.
New organisations, such as passionforlaw.com, are creating flexible working environments for legal consultants. With all the benefits of working in a traditional law firm, consultant solicitors are supported by a team of admin assistants, secretaries and paralegals. In addition to this, legal consultants can choose to work from an office base or to work from home, or a mixture of both.
With an emphasis on flexibility and excellence, legal professionals no longer have to struggle to balance their commitments. Instead, they can have a rewarding, challenging and flexible career in the legal profession.
Marketing Consultant
All types of businesses require marketing and advertising services, so consultants in this industry can typically take on a full-time workload if they choose to. Although offline marketing is still widely used, the increasing emphasis on digital marketing means consultants can conduct the vast majority of their work remotely. Indeed, many marketing consultants work solely on a remote basis.
As the digital landscape is continually evolving, marketing consultants can look forward to a rich and varied career. Whilst there aren’t any specific continuing professional development requirements, the most effective consultants will enjoy learning new skills to reflect the changing online marketing opportunities.
As a marketing consultant, you’ll be able to choose whether you want to offer your services across a variety of sectors or whether you want to specialise in a particular industry. Similarly, if you may choose to provide a wide range of marketing services to your clients or to specialise in one particular area, such as content marketing or SEO. With endless possibilities, a career as a marketing consultant can provide unlimited flexibility and freedom.
Business Consultant
Traditionally, business consultants conducted much of their work at their clients’ sites. Whilst today’s consultants can still opt to work in this way, there is more scope to work remotely too. Furthermore, the flexibility associated with working as a consultant means you can manage your own workload and choose which hours you want to work.
If you feel visiting a client’s premises is an important element of the role, for example, you may choose to work for just three weeks a month, as opposed to four. Alternatively, you may want to work for three days per week or to undertake compressed hours.
Today’s economy is relatively volatile, which means business consultants are in high demand. As companies look for ways to streamline their processes, minimise their costs and increase their profits, business consultants are regularly required to offer strategic advice.
As a result, developing a career as a business consultant can offer you attractive rewards, a full client list and a flexible working pattern.
Finding flexibility in your career
Although the need for flexibility is more recognised in the workplace, the vast majority of roles still do not provide as much freedom as you might like. Instead of trying to excel within these tight constraints, why not choose a career and a working style which complements your life?
When you make flexibility a key element of your career, you can benefit in both the short and long-term. As well as offering you a more enjoyable working life, a flexible role as a consultant allows you to focus on areas you enjoy and gives you the freedom to choose the challenging and rewarding projects you want to take on.