6 Reasons to Hire Adjunct Professors for Gig Economy Jobs

Even before “The Great Resignation,” the nature of work and employment was evolving.  Private sector businesses, nonprofits, and public sector organizations shifted from conventional employment and began hiring freelancers.  Skilled freelance talent helps these organizations unlock potential by solving complex problems, getting more work done, and completing projects faster.  Increasingly, freelance professors, adjunct entrepreneurs, and pracademics are considered secret weapons catapulting organizations through the stratosphere.  

There are many reasons organizations reevaluate traditional job functions and turn toward part-time or adjunct professors rather than hiring full-time staff.  Corporate executives, small business owners, and managers recognize their organizations no longer need a nine-to-five workforce to be successful – and a geographic pool of available, skilled, vetted academic practitioners are ready to serve.  Adjunct professors remain the highest qualified professionals when considering their academic research capability, case study knowledge, field of study background, industry familiarity, and practitioner experience – the perfect blend of ingredients for an organization’s strategic needs. 

Why Organizations Hire an Adjunct Professor:  

Hiring an adjunct professor rather than a full-time employee will produce various benefits for an organization.  Because most adjuncts teach part-time, they can work outside of academia on hourly, short-term, and long-term projects.  Hence, adjunct professors are free agents working and succeeding in the gig economy.

1) Access to the Expert

Adjunct professors offer executives, business owners, and nonprofit leaders expertise.  Every organization requires specific research, strategic planning, writing skills, product validation, marketing support, general consulting, and coaching.  Many adjuncts log years of teaching in their field of study while practicing in their industry equivalent.  The more pracademic experience, the more value they bring to a project, task, or strategy session – and the organization reaps benefits without devoting internal resources or adding payroll headcount.

2) High-quality work

Adjunct professors produce and deliver first-rate work due to their pracademic experience.  Before stepping into the classroom, colleges and universities took the first step by vetting an adjunct’s field of study knowledge, research, and teaching ability.  Since over 70% of adjuncts are entrepreneurs and small business owners, you’ll have an opportunity to evaluate their work portfolio, check out customer reviews, and conduct interviews to ensure the right fit.  Like other mainstream entrepreneurs in the gig economy, an adjunct freelancer builds their reputation, expands their portfolio, and increases their chance of future work and referrals through top-notch work.

3) Quicker Deliverables

In addition to offering excellent work, adjunct professors can often provide faster deliverables than full-time employees – with more accuracy.  Most full-time employees are tasked with numerous projects – simultaneously- a common situation slowing down projects, causing delays, and impacting the bottom line.  In contrast, freelance adjuncts generally focus on a single project and work within shorter timeframes, focusing on the details, increasing efficiency, and faster job completion.

4) Local or Global Adjunct Talent Pool

Organizations can now access a global talent pool of freelance adjuncts from colleges and universities worldwide, allowing people to find specific talent, qualifications, specializations, experiences, and required skills without settling for the best available “post and pray” full-time candidate.

5) Better Diversity

Adjunct freelancers will expand the diversity of your organization.  Diversity helps increase ideation and perspectives that often lead to better solutions.  Adjuncts from different geographic areas, colleges, educational backgrounds, and work experiences can significantly increase the stream of thoughtful and thought-provoking viewpoints.

 6) An Academic Perspectives

Adjunct freelancers can bring a fresh, educated perspective to a project.  Adjuncts may offer a unique idea grounded in academic knowledge, backed by research, that can significantly benefit a project, strategy, product development, or marketing plan.  

Organizations often turn to part-time or adjunct professors to provide a variety of services or solve common challenges:

  • Market Research
  • Strategic Planning
  • Business Writing & Editing
  • Product Research & Development
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Industry Consulting
  • Keynote Speaking
  • Business Development
  • Expert Witness
  • Organizational Change
  • Facilitation
  • Executive Coaching

Where do executives, small business owners, and managers find adjunct professors?

It’s easy to find an adjunct freelancer at InsideScholar, soon-to-be the world’s largest marketplace of adjunct professors available for freelance, part-time, and full-time opportunities.  Organizations can post a project and search InsideScholar’s unique pool of professor profiles containing academic backgrounds, specializations, teaching history, and real-world experiences.  InsideScholar’s platform makes searching, finding, and hiring the perfect professor simple and easy.  If you are ready to hire an adjunct professor to support your organization, sign up at InsideScholar – today.