Archive for March, 2020

I refer to myself as a consultant, and think of it as an umbrella term for many types of independent work. I also don’t want to pigeon-hole myself into one type of arrangement because one of my favorite things about my career is the ability to work in many types of roles.

Some of those roles have been:

• An interim leader managing one line of a business while the employee was out on maternity leave.
• Project-based consulting, when I led a product or initiative through its launch, or developed a strategic plan for the full-time team to execute.
• Staff augmentation, when I performed many of the same responsibilities that a full-time employee would do for a team.
• Freelance writing and editing on a per-piece basis.

There are other terms as well, including fractional leaders and gig workers, that are sometimes used specifically, and other times are generalized to mean “independent”.

GigX is a company that provides a directory of independent workers to help organizations match with people who have the skills and experience they need. One of their members interviewed GigX’s Fractional Chief Business Development Officer about the nature of independent work. It’s a great look at this field: https://www.gigx.com/blog/insights-on-going-independent

Whether you’re an independent worker or are considering this type of work, or are hiring independent workers, I wish you success and satisfaction.