More professionals are exploring contract work than ever before – but making the leap can feel daunting. If you’re considering a new opportunity and weighing how it fits into your lifestyle, goals, and values, consulting (also known as contracting) might be worth a closer look.
This guide breaks down the key differences between employment types, answers the most common questions we hear, and offers insight into what it’s really like to work as a consultant through a staffing agency like Celarity.
Definitions: What’s the Difference?
Freelancer
Self-employed, typically juggling multiple clients. They manage their own business, contracts, taxes, and schedules.
Consultant / Contractor
Temporary hire working on a specific project or filling a short-to mid-term gap. Can be independent or employed by a staffing firm (like Celarity).
Fractional Hire
Part-time contributor – usually senior-level – brought in for strategic support (like a Fractional CMO or HRBP).
Full-Time Hire
Permanent employee with benefits, long-term growth plans, and deeper integration into company culture.
What It Means to Be a Consultant Through Celarity
When you’re placed on a contract through Celarity, you’re employed by us – but embedded in a client’s team. Here’s what that means:
- You’re paid hourly for the hours you work
- You get benefits like health insurance, 401k, and PTO
- We handle onboarding, payroll, time tracking, and client billing
- You’ll have a recruiter and support team guiding your experience
- You’ll be treated as a valued team member by the client
Common Questions About Consulting
Is consulting work stable?
Yes – many Celarity consultants are on long-term contracts and extend or move into new roles with our help.
Will I still get benefits?
If you’re placed through Celarity, yes! We provide our consultants PTO, health, dental, vision, and 401K with a company match. Not every firm offers benefits, so it’s an important question to ask.
Will I feel like part of the client’s team?
Yes – you’ll likely attend meetings, collaborate on projects, and have direct impact, even if you’re not on the company’s payroll.
What if I want a full-time job later?
Many of our consultants convert to full-time; others choose to continue consulting for the flexibility and variety.
Do I have to handle my own taxes?
No – Celarity handles payroll and tax withholding, just like a traditional employer.
Is this different from freelancing?
Yes – freelancers are fully self-employed. Celarity consultants are W-2 employees with support, structure, and stability.
Do I get to choose my hours or schedule?
It depends on the client, but many roles offer flexibility, especially in remote or hybrid environments.
What types of roles are available?
We place consultants in marketing, digital, creative, HR, operations, and finance – from entry-level to senior leadership.
What Makes Consulting Work Well? Insights From Our Community
Relationships
Relationships matter. If you’re full-time or consulting in a role, you want to feel valued by peers and leadership. Consultants want to be a part of the team and have a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging includes; participating in meetings, voicing ideas, and fostering direct relationships with colleagues.
But, there is a second and equally meaningful relationship for consultant team members – rapport with the recruiter and staffing agency that you work on behalf of. Because, as a consultant team member, you often technically work as an employee of the staffing agency. To feel connected, you need to feel comfortable going to the staffing agency with questions, concerns, or support in your consultant role.
An essential thing for consultant team members is to feel your team and staffing agency work together to help them achieve their career goals.
Stability
Stability is often the #1 reason people provide for not wanting to work in a consultative capacity. But it does not need to be. Consultant team members want to ensure stability in their work and income. Recruiters can help create stability by fulfilling consultant requirements, renewing client contracts before deadlines, or lining up new employee opportunities before a contract expires. It’s important for you to feel like you have a strong relationship with your recruiter so you can feel confident approaching them with your needs; from things that need to be addressed in your current role to options for ‘what’s next’ in your career to other options when a contract comes to an end.
Transparency
Transparency is part of a bigger picture: trust in the organization to act with integrity and congruence on behalf of its employees, including consultant employees. As a consultant team member, you want your staffing agency and the client to consider your professional interests, and you want to know and understand what is going on behind the scenes regarding contract renewals, timelines, and feedback on your work performance. Essentially, “non-traditional” team members want access to the same information that “traditional” team members glean from their direct relationship with their leader and the company they work for.
Communication
It can be tricky to strike the appropriate communication balance between your staffing agency and the company you work within. Communication styles and desired cadences vary greatly based on several factors, including personalities. However, feedback from consultant team members overwhelmingly indicates a desire for more personalized communications compared to automated check-ins or templated phone calls.
As a consultant team member, you may appreciate your recruiter’s semi-annual and annual calls directly. These conversations may allow you to discuss new opportunities, potential raises, feedback on your work assignment, and time to continue building your connection with your recruiter.
Benefits
Benefits may be one reason you think consultant work might not be right for you. Not all staffing agencies offer benefits to their consultant team members, which can sometimes be a turn-off. If you’re like many other people in the workforce, you have become accustomed to benefits packages that include healthcare, dental, and 401k, along with some paid time off.
Some staffing agencies provide benefit packages, and some even provide a portion of traditional PTO. As a consultant team member, you might want to weigh how much it means to you to have more flexibility vs. the amount of PTO allotted by a staffing agency.
Learning & Development
If you have a continuous improvement mindset, it might be difficult to give up the opportunity to have career development or paid learning opportunities in a consulting role. We all know that training and certifications can open the door to new career paths, and there are several ways for individuals to fulfill their learning and development needs. Some staffing agencies provide team member training, and some do not. Other options include local organizations and the new LinkedIn learning tools.
Ready to Explore Consulting?
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Consulting might offer the flexibility, variety, and opportunity you’ve been looking for. If you’re ready to learn more, Celarity is here to help you navigate the possibilities – and build a career that fits your life.
