"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
 
Sooner or later, those of us in transition have to ask this question of ourselves. Six weeks into my search, and a potential employer blindsided me with the question. Frankly, I was stunned, and almost knee-jerked into the typical reaction a six year old boy would have answered had his mother or father posed this quandary to him.
 
"I wanna be a cowboy when I grow up!"
 
I almost inadvertently blurted this answer out to the CEO on the other end of the line. Thank goodness my mental faculties are still somewhat sharp ( I did say SOMEWHAT, so stop laughing) and I recovered. I told him that I had been blessed with the ability to explore a number of opportunities in recent weeks, all of which would leverage my experience as a recruiter in some way. One was a business development role at a time and materials based IT consulting firm. Another was an admissions recruiter's role at a two year accredited technical institute. Yet another would be the opportunity to start up the first formalized, in-house recruiting function at a local boutique software firm. Two more opportunities were geared towards selling products or services used in recruitment or job search activities. All were different roles that would individually leverage my sales and business development skills; my ability to recommend and implement recruitment processes, procedures, best practices, and automated tools; and last but not least, my ability to identify, and recruit qualified, high caliber candidates.
 
My answer to this executive had to identify why none of these opportunities were THE opportunity I sought. And that's when I realized it. I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, and the opportunity this man had to offer represented the very essence of what it was I felt I was ready for, and what I knew would get me motivated to get up and go to work every morning. "I want my next career opportunity to leverage my sales and business development skills; my depth of knowledge of recruitment and staffing best practices; as well as my ability to identify and recruit high caliber talent, all combined into one position." is basically what I told him. Thank God that was the answer I came up with, because that's EXACTLY what his company does. The man I was speaking with owns a company that works in a project based, consultative capacity, providing businesses with the expertise in identifying the right staffing methodology, tools, processes and procedures for their client's recruitment activities. They also provide the know-how and resources to implement all of those elements of good recruitment practices in a manner consistent with each client company's unique, individual culture.
 
"Yeah, that's what I want to be when I grow up. I wanna be a staffing consultant!"
 
Think out of the box when looking at the next step in your career. All too often we rely on more traditional corporate roles to provide for our families and grow in our chosen field. This typically means that we go to work in some big building downtown, work at a job with a pre-defined description of everyday tasks, and hope that we get a juicy piece of the next project doled out by our manager. Our reward comes in the form of a pre-determined amount of money wired into our bank account on the 1st and 15th of each month, a yearly performance review, and maybe a promotion after years of toiling at our cubicle and knowing what to say and what not to say to the boss. Not a bad deal provided you can still stomach this routine after doing it for 20 years.
 
Consulting engagements can afford you the opportunity to utilize your skills in ways that corporate America typically will not allow you to use them. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule at a handful of progressive companies, but in most corporate environments, large or small, you have a certain sandbox you're allowed to play in, are expected to build your sand castle in accordance to someone else's specs, and do so without kicking too much sand in the next guy's face. As a consultant, the diversity of projects is typically the rule, and not the exception. You get to help determine the size of the sand box and are often called upon to be the architect that designs the sand castle! Each project you land is different, and unlike some projects we've seen throughout our careers, consulting assignments typically have real deliverables, with a beginning and an end. The variety of corporate environments and associated cultures you'll work in as a consultant can be a reward in and of itself. It can also be fairly lucrative, provided you're good at what you do, and can drive business with your efforts.
 
Yes, I know. You're concerned about risk. Some of you reading this are independent consultants between assignments, and that's not a good place to be. Unfortunately, that comes with the territory.  There are other options to going the independent consultant route though. For instance, by joining a well capitalized and well run consulting firm on a salaried basis, you minimize SOME of the risk, but you may give up some of the financial reward. It's a balance you need to feel comfortable with. If you think about it for a bit, the reality of consulting is that it surely isn't any riskier than working in corporate America these days, so why not give it a shot? For the truly entrepreneurial spirit (including one cut from this very bolt of cloth whose name shall remain anonymous) incorporating as an independent consultant can be the fulfillment of the dream of a lifetime. You will get the diverse pallate of projects to work on, a degree of freedom regarding work schedule and telecommuting that you probably won't be afforded elsewhere on the corporate side, and a reasonable chance at earning a decent living too! The dream could also turn out to be a nightmare. You won't know until you try it, will you? One of these days, I'd sure like to find out for myself, and maybe....just maybe..... there's no better time than now to jump into consulting with both feet.
 
Heck, if it doesn't work out, I can always fall back on my original plan and be a cowboy.