Freelance Australia: the age of the agile employee

There’s no better indicator that times have changed in the employment sector than by taking a glance through the wanted ads of the employment pages in your local paper. The very fact that you can’t find them anymore doesn’t just herald the death of print, but the proliferation of non-traditional forms of work and tech-enabled methods of finding it. But the term “job” is defined differently by everyone; some want a job they can go to every day and guarantee a pay cheque, while others prefer projects they can hop to and from, deciding what their next goal will be, and ensuring they have something to go to that can challenge and excite. While the former is seen by many to be gainful employment, the latter is the goal of many, and for those attempting to work in a new country -- in freelance Australia -- it’s a goal that is becoming something tangible for Australian consultants and others around the world.

Employment liberation

There’s a sense of liberation that arrives with the freedom to say “yes” to some projects and “no” to others. It’s like being in charge of one’s destiny, whilst still being gainfully employed. In the traditional nine-to-five, Australian consultants and other professionals aren’t necessarily given the freedom to explore projects that might inspire and drive their passions. They are resources shuffled from project A to project B, and are a part of the process, but unable to escape it. They work through the same cycle as everyone else until they discover something new to take them away to somewhere else. The cycle continues; rinse and repeat, until resupply. Liberation from the stale employment world is achievable for the professional eager to discover something else. Almost like a new world, freelance Australia delivers the excitement that one might feel starting life in a new country, and you get to pick each new land. Each new place is a new project, and the Australian freelancer can choose their work much like they might choose a new destination: point, select, and make your trip. They are the agile employee, and the work is waiting, you just have to know where to look.

The passport to freelance in Australia

A dream to freelance in Australia isn’t the goal of everyone, but the agile employee definitely has their sights set. A world that offers their own rules, their own times, and results set by the taskmaster makes it a process that can appeal to many, though not all. The source for these jobs isn’t necessarily the same for every freelancer, but Australian consultants, contractors, freelancers, and the like, can find projects on a system developed specifically to accommodate their unusual needs. Much like a tourist in a new location, the best Australian consultants will opt to freelance because of the freedom they can achieve, not just in working hours, but in clients, as well.

Procuring the agile employee

While freelancing workers typically jump from project to project governed by their interests and opportunities afforded, employers seeking to poach and hire freelance consultants have methods available at their disposal as well. Fundamentally, it’s ideal to process whether you’re after what this special breed offers, or whether you need something with a little more permanency. A more agile employee, freelancers may work for a long time on projects or they may work for a shortened visit, but they generally come and go based on the project’s needs. Working through the project will help, as will developing a strategy to effectively employ the best asset for the project, be it a consultant, a contractor, or something else. Remember that not every business or project has set up these processes, so ensuring the groundwork is laid, will help keep consultants coming back and keep your business doing exactly what it should be doing.