How to Write a Consultant Job Description: 4 Tips

When trying to find an independent consultant for a project, it’s important to write a job description that attracts the right talent, and the way you write this description is often different than writing one for a full time employee.  A good project description will help weed out people who don’t have the skills you’re looking for and draw in best possible matches.

Follow these four tips to write a job description that helps land the independent talent you’re looking for.

1. Include Goals

When writing any job description, it’s first important to understand the audience you are trying to attract. Independent professionals are fundamentally different than employees, and getting a handle on their motivations will help you write a project description that assures independents you know where they are coming from and that you can meet their specific needs.

The top reasons cited by people for pursuing a self-employed career include: a desire to control their schedule, greater work/life flexibility, earning more money, and the ability to work on projects they like. Make sure the place you are posting your project description makes it clear that the opportunity is for a freelancer or independent contractor and contains information about what it is like to work as an independent with your company.

Remember, independent professionals are experts in their industry. That doesn’t mean you need to incorporate industry terms or jargon in a project description, but you should be able to provide goals for the project and describe any specialized skills needed.

2. Specify Required Skills

As much as you can, list project details and traits you are looking for. These details might include years of experience, the number of hours you expect this person to dedicate per week, a date range for the project, whether or not there are any travel requirements, if expenses will be reimbursed, primary responsibilities, and any required licenses or certifications. If you are seeking talent with a specific skillset or certification, be sure to list those requirements as well.

3. Include Pay Range

While you don’t need to include the project budget explicitly, be sure you know the budget you are working with before you post a job opening. Experienced independent professionals will likely have a standard bill rate they are working with and will want to discuss finances with you upfront. If you are able to do so, it can be helpful to include an hourly range of what you are able to pay.

4. Post in the Right Place

Company career pages are often not built or suitable for listing independent job opportunities.  That’s why so many enterprise managers today use an online marketplace to find independent professionals to fill project needs. Marketplaces can be a useful place to post jobs, and source and self-select independent talent. Typically, an independent will fill out a profile and then apply to or be matched with positions that fit their skill set. Independents are familiar with using marketplaces as a way to search for work, and leveraging a marketplace where you are able to clearly post available opportunities with your company can be a big help in attracting top talent.

Check out MBO’s platform to post opportunities, run a search to find talent, or let proprietary algorithms send matches directly to your inbox.