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Tips and Answers to Your Questions
Human Resources
What to Look For When Selecting a Consultant
If you are going to hire a consultant to help with your strategic restructuring
process, here are a few points to keep in mind:
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There is no body that “certifies” the competency of management
consultants. Essentially, anyone with money to print business cards can
become a consultant. This means the onus is on the client to ascertain
the qualifications of any potential consultant you might hire.
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Always interview more than one candidate. You are looking for familiarity
with strategic restructuring processes, technical competence, and “fit.” That
is, do you think you will work well together. Your gut instinct on fit
is probably pretty sound, so don’t deny it.
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Check references. Ask candidates to give you 3-5 names of past clients
for whom they have done similar projects. Then call the clients and ask
how satisfied they were with the consultant. They best question you can
ask is, “Would you hire this person again?”
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When selecting consultants, remember they come in all sizes. Many are
solo practitioners. In this case, you will want to see if the person has
the time and skills to carry out all aspects of your project. If not, do
they have partnerships with other solo practitioners to fill in? When interviewing
a firm, ask who will actually be performing your work. Often a senior person
comes for the interview, but when the project is begun, they are nowhere
in sight and a very junior person is all you see. Be sure to ask for the
level of involvement of each person named in a project team. Ask how many
hours each will devote to the project.
- Finally, remember that a consultant is not staff member, and not a magician.
S/he will work on a schedule and in a manner that might be different from
what your staff are accustomed to. Be clear about deadlines and check-in
points, but let the consultant do his/her job. Also, a consultant can only
work with the information and time you make available, so be sure to share
everything relevant, including your own and your colleagues’ time,
with him or her.
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