5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Consultant

There has been considerable growth in the number of consultants over the last few years. Some of the biggest growth has been in areas like energy, health care, and management consulting.

It seems like consultants have some of the most stable jobs around. One survey suggests that many of the top American clients do not intend to cut the funding for outside help.

It makes good sense to hire consultants. Although a consultant may ask for more money up front, they will still cost less than hiring a salaried employee. Plus, the expertise a consultant can offer can save the business money as a whole.

But this savings does not come simply by hiring a consultant. The move needs to be in the best interest of your business. You also need to make sure that you are getting the right person on board.

Here are five things to consider before hiring a consultant:

1. Figure Out the Details

Before you can even consider hiring someone, you need to know the details of the project you need them for. Without these details, it will be hard to make sure that you have the right consultant.

Knowing these details before you begin is also important for your company. Consultants are expensive, whether you get a freelancer or an established firm. You need to have milestones set before you hire. Otherwise you will be wasting a lot of billable hours and a lot of money.

2. Set Goals–and Hold Your Consultant Accountable

Your project needs to have goals if you are hiring an outsider to come in. These goals will be one of the ways that you measure the success of the consultant.

But depending on the job and the industry, these goals are also a way of holding a service provider accountable for the results. The consultant will work as more of an adviser, but you need to be able to hold them accountable for the success of their ideas.

If you’re not willing to hold your contractors at least partly responsible for the success of the project, you should not hire a consultant. Your business cannot afford to recklessly spend money on services that are not providing solutions. You need to be able to recognize when a consultant is and is not working before you’ve spent your entire budget.

At the end of the day, you cannot hire a consultant if you do not have the measurement tools and skills available to let them go if they fail.

3. View Their Portfolio

A consultant’s portfolio will tell you a lot of about the kind of work they are capable of. Even though the consultant will be an advisor rather than an employee, they will still need to be able to tread water when working with your team.

The portfolio is one of the best ways that a consultant can show you what kind of results they can achieve. If they’re a website consultant, look at the sites they’ve created. A portfolio will also demonstrate where they have had previous experience working on similar problems.

However, it is important to remember that some of the best clients may not be listed due to rules of engagement.

The portfolio is a valuable tool for gauging, but make sure that you follow it up with references from previous clients.

4. Assess Their Leadership Skills

A good consultant does not just produce good ideas; they sell them back to your company and convince your organization that these ideas will work for them. A consultant who meekly makes suggestions that are not taken seriously is not any help at all.

Although they won’t be officially a part of your team, their leadership skills are still important. In some cases, they will need to inspire members of your organization to perform a task or hit a goal. This is especially important if they are suggesting solutions that are outside the team’s comfort zone.

5. Check Out Their Credentials

The credentials achieved by consultants will vary. Many consultants will offer graduate degrees like an MBA. Some will also have industry certifications. These certifications are helpful because they require members to perform within a certain code of ethics.

Consultants who have these credentials demonstrate a commitment to their craft. These titles often imply that the consultant can operate to a higher standard.

However, do not write off a candidate just because they do not have an MBA, especially if they are a freelance consultant. Some consultants are in such high demand that they prioritize solving real-world problems over completing classroom assignments.

Hiring a consultant can be a great thing for your business. Their solutions can offer long-term savings that will more than pay for all those billable hours. But before you bring someone into a project, you need to make sure that you are both ready and able to get down to business.

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The post 5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Consultant appeared first on AllBusiness.com.