You’re considering a career in HR consulting. What do you need to know?

A passion for delivering practical solutions - this is the one quality of impactful consulting. Specifically in HR consulting personalisation is important as what worked for others may not be relevant for the particular organisation or team that you are supporting. And listening to the key stakeholders, usually the employees; collaborating with them, including them in co-creating the suitable solutions is pivotal.

From my perspective , here is what you need to know to start your career as HR consultant: -academic qualification and CIPD qualification to get your HR fundamentals right -excellent communication skills for client interactions and presentations -business acumen - to understand how HR aligns with the organizational objectives -analytical skills to be able to interpret data and recommend evidence based HR strategies -interpersonal skills to build relationships and navigate organizational dynamics -be updated on latest HR trends and consider attending industry events for vital networking opportunities

I am intrigued to know your opinion - what do you think holds people back from making the move from the corporate world into independent HR consulting?

You need 4 C's if you’re considering a career in HR consulting. Confidence - By showing confidence, you exude an aura of trust and reliability. People will feel comfortable connecting with you. But how do you achieve confidence? Gain more experience. Competence - This refers to your professional certifications. Experience combined with academic/professional qualifications give you credibility. This is how you transform your words to currency. Common Sense - If you can't transform your insights into practical and actionable projects then your theories are basically "wishful thinking." Conscience - If you are unable to discern what is the difference between what is good from evil then for goodness's sake, don't even consider being in HR.

Esteja certo que será um grande desafio, que muitas vezes pensará em desistir. Tenha foco se seu objetivo é ser um profissional aut?nomo. Trabalhará muito, mas para você! Poderá ter qualidade de vida e com o tempo ter um faturamento maior que o CLT. Tenha qualifica??o adequada para oferecer um servi?o de qualidade, mantenha-se atualizado e conectado. Tenha criatividade para fazer sua divulga??o, mas as indica??es far?o diferen?a para manter seu negócio prosperando. Consultoria de RH oferece vários nichos, pesquise e analise em qual se identifica.

HR consultants encounter various challenges in their roles such as: 1. Organizational Resistance 2. Balancing Client Expectations 3. Navigating Legal and Compliance Issues 4. Managing Conflicting Priorities 5. Cultural Sensitivity 6. Data-Driven Decision-Making 7. Change Management 8. Maintaining Objectivity 9. Communication Challenges 10. Time Management And overcoming these challenges requires a combination of expertise, adaptability, and strong interpersonal skills.

Your roles & responsibilities will include: Group 1: Research, assessment, analysis, benchmarking, understanding trends. Group 2: Envisioning, strategy formation Group 3: Concept building, design Group 4: Project management, change management, risk management Group 5: Implementation, knowledge transfer, training, onboarding, roll-out

First need to check the scope and nature of work. Then understand the client's needs. Finally, your solutions that align with the client's goals and culture.

O consultor de RH precisa ter um olhar estratégico sobre o negócio, empatia para trocar e compreender as necessidades, vis?o de indicadores e forte conhecimento dos processos de RH.

The crux of excelling as a consultant lies in genuinely enhancing value through exceptional helpfulness. Without being helpful, your presence on the project loses significance. So being attentive to the client's needs, providing creative solutions and being unafraid to dive into the trenches to see projects through to completion are potent strategies for success.

HR consulting definitely gives you macro & micro view & deep understanding of multiple Businesses. It absolutely opens the vista. Challenges are definitely as well 1. Find right fit 2. Arrange evaluation 3. Closure of the position 4. Joining .....this is most challenging as candidates drop at the last moment & then you face the wrath of the Customer. 5. Still this sector is unregulated & no standard is defined specially in terms of pricing etc. 6. This is still a business of personal whims & caprices of individual CHROs & Promoters.

Beneficios: -Impactar a la organización desde afuera te provee la oportunidad de ver los "espacios ciegos" de la empresa y poder ser efectivo/a en atacarlo. -Estableces tus "rates" según tu experiencia, no lo que pueda/quiera pagar el cliente. -Tienes la flexibilidad y autonomía para escoger clientes, industrias y tipos de empresas. Retos: -Al venir desde afuera, te puede tomar un poco de tiempo el conocer a fondo las necesidades reales de la empresa. Por eso siempre recomiendo auditoría inicial como el primer servicio. -El cliente a veces no va a seguir tus recomendaciones y no va a obtener el mejor resultado. -El seguimiento a clientes se convierte en un balance importante a trabajar - no quieres ser demasiado intrusivo/a.

Vorteile: - Vielf?ltige Arbeit: Jeder Tag ist anders, da man mit verschiedenen Menschen und Unternehmen arbeitet. - Berufliche Erfüllung: Die M?glichkeit, Menschen dabei zu helfen, ihren Traumjob zu finden, kann sehr befriedigend sein. - Verdienstpotential: Erfolgreiche Personalberater:innen k?nnen ein attraktives Einkommen erzielen. Herausforderungen: - Wettbewerb: Evlt. kann es schwierig sein, sich von anderen Beratern abzuheben. - Verbindlichkeit: Die Erwartungen der Kunden und die Notwendigkeit, Kandidaten zu finden, k?nnen zu erh?htem Druck führen.

Um dos benefícios que posso listar é a liberdade de poder trabalhar online se assim desejar. Há muitos trabalhos que o consultor pode fazer à distancia e utilizar as tecnologias disponíveis para atender seu cliente. A flexibilidade de montar a própria rotina também vejo como ponto positivo e é algo importante para mim.

How to deal with different individuals effectively is something you must know before considering a career as an HR Consultant. It entails a multifaceted approach encompassing empathy, adaptability, active listening, conflict resolution, cultural competence, strategic influence, boundary management, and a commitment to continuous learning. These skills not only enhance consulting efficacy but also contribute to fostering positive relationships and driving organizational success.

Curious: Constantly looking at what makes organisations tick; being cognisant of trends and impacts that challenge today’s businesses e.g. new tech, diverse workforces, commercial clarity, inclusive and innovative cultures. Change management: to assist companies navigate through relentless developments. We must ensure that change is executed with ‘people at the heart of the process’ by working with empathy as this is a critical reputational position. Data analytics: obtaining, reviewing and using data to drive predictive trends is a game-changer as we use a strategic combination of lag and lead indicators. Learning/adapting: shaping workplaces of tomorrow so people and progress go hand in hand. It means adding strategic value.

Além disso, recomendo que avalie o “type of work”! Trabalhei por 20 anos em consultoria, vendendo e entregando projetos de Recursos Humanos. Foram anos intensos em jornada de trabalho e desafio, mas fui muito feliz. Sabia que estava fazendo o que gosto. Mas é importante avaliar se você gosta de trabalhar em projetos, sem rotina, com times e até lideres diferentes e, principalmente, orientado em atender as necessidades e expectativas do cliente.

If you are starting out your career in HR consulting as an analyst - work with a range of Associates, Senior Associates and Principals across broad based rewards, and executive remuneration as well as different industries. It gives you broader knowledge of corporates vs profits-for-purpose/not-for-profits as well as skills in a range of HR consulting experiences.

Ability to identify Business opportunities and challenges and design unique HR solutions and strategies to achieve them! Converting possibilities into on-ground achievements by staying the course and walking the path alongside the Businesses!

My top tips from 12+ years of working with HR Consultants are, 1) Specialise, don’t generalise. It’s tempting to make your offer as broad as possible in order to have a wide pool of potential clients but it will make it much more difficult to make sales. People with problems prefer to bring in specialists 2) There are lots of communities of fellow self employed HR professionals - you will benefit enormously from getting involved. They are (mostly) amazingly knowledgeable and generous and you will need that support. Striking out on your own isn’t easy

HR consulting from a clients lens: The HR consultant should: 1. Take time to understand org dynamics rather than proposing off the shelf solutions 2. Talk to teams who will be implementing your solution instead of focusing only on the decision makers. These implementers will be your influencers. 3. Orient yourself to wide range of experience… more like T specialisation 4. Give practical solutions which clients can actually implement in their environment. Don’t cut copy paste solutions from one org to another. 5. Help clients see what they haven’t anticipated. Be the trusted advisor.

Great coverage here with respect to HR skills. But as a consultant, any consultant, your primary role is to: 1. Help your client solve problems they might not know the answer to 2. Help your client see the breadth and depth of an opportunity/challenge 3. Support them through the change management 4. Build the portfolio or work and as you grow more senior, win new business for yourself or your firm Therefore, some key skills: Business development Big picture and systems thinking/discerning Commerciality; pricing proposals and negotiation/contracting Client management and networking Change management Stakeholder management Collaborative working with multiple team members across multiple projects at the same time

Over the last 24 yrs I have worked with HR teams and leaders. - Get a qualification as early as you can. Professional education is important. Something like CIPD. - Don’t expect HR to be rainbows & unicorns. You will spend as much, if not more time dealing with under performance issues, worker exits and redundancies. If you aren’t ready for the unhappy stuff, don’t do it. - HR people have to be tech savvy. Enterprise HR systems are complicated and complex. You’ll need to run reports and keep your data clean. - HR people have to be up to date with the “laws of work” so every day will be a school day! Tax laws, employment law, accountancy rules… - Remember your workers are not all perm! You’ll need to manage your contingent workforce as well.

In my perspective, anyone keen to be an HR Consultant should have deep understanding of human behaviour ( human psychology) aside sound experience in HR life cycle management. One should also have knowledge and experience in labour/ employee related laws. A solid foundation and practice in HR Management is very much required. Aside above , from the client perspective, understanding of business, communication and negotiation skills, knowledge of clients business and market is much needed. In nutshell, one should be thorough in every aspect of people management with latest trends and techniques.

Adopt a multidisciplinary approach, meaning, approach the problem/ challenge from different dimensions such as psychology, behavioural science, emotional and social intelligence, physical intelligence, and Neuroscience. This helps in three ways : 1. In a deep level of an understanding of the problem. 2. In communicating the same to the client with precision. 3. Building your solution based on 1&2.