Should I work for an expert network?

Working at an EN is a great opportunity! Like every professional decision, there are pros and cons. Having had the opportunity to work as a Client Service Associate at a large EN firm, I’m happy to share my perspective.

Pros: You learn a lot! Every single project is a great chance to learn about a different industry and its trends across the globe – rather by reading about the topic or by speaking with experts. Moreover, you get to develop countless transferable skills such as time management, negotiation and persuasion skills, client management and recruiting capacity (research and interview). Furthermore, you’ll have the opportunity to lead projects and also being led by your teammates, which also allows you to develop the flexibility to work under different management styles. Financially speaking you can earn some pretty decent money with bonuses once you start hitting your sales target.

Cons: Plenty of uncertainty throughout your day. Clients can change their request completely out of the blue and you throw all your research away and start over. Also, there are certain things that you cannot control when you're the middleman and you need to have the flexibility to understand that. Lastly, you’ll work under tight deadlines (ranging from 2 to 48 hours) so you need to be able to work under pressure.