 |
|
The source of the best business, financial and legal news |
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
 | |
| |
 |
Business Informations |
|
|
|
Consulting: A Different World
I won't say I have a vast array of knowledge as a consultant...collectively I've only been doing it about 8 years. However, there are some things that I have observed that I think will be helpful to those of you who are new to the profession. We will first dispel the myths and address the realities associated with being a Consultant, then we will address the commandments of being a good and valued consultant. CONSULTING: MYTH AND REALITY Myth
Reality
Myth
Reality
Myth
Reality
Myth
Reality
Myth
Reality
Myth
Reality
THE CONSULTANT COMMANDMENTS Managerial Styles Each manager will have their own way of dealing with consultants. Here are a few traits that I have run into. Managerial Type Type: Middle of the Road/Road Kill
Best handled by...
Notes... Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for. Type: Sacrificial Lamb
Best Handled...
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend yourself with your documentation. Notes... They treat you like the lamb. You are expendable. Type: Barney
Best Handled...
Notes... Enjoy the assignment...these can be rare. GREAT EXPECTATIONS The company won't expect anything but your best effort. The client won't expect anything but your best effort. So put forth your best effort regardless of the situation. There is nothing wrong with running into snags now and then...it happens. Investigate, find a solution and move forward, you will be better for having made the effort. Call the company (if you are working through a consulting company) and see if there is another consultant they can refer you to who might have the answer. I cannot stress enough how important documentation is to our profession. Being consultants we are hired to come in and solve a problem, not create new problems. Prepare easy to understand documentation and update it when necessary. It is not only professional, but will also make your job easier as well as the job of the person coming in after you. I have worked for several clients who were lost when their employees left because they did not leave appropriate doucmentation. I once had a client who had a former employee offer to come back and write up documentation of their job for $10,000! I volunteered to do the work free of charge. I felt the former employee was totally unprofessional. This person basically wanted money to do a job they should have done in the first place. I was not only able to save the company the $10,000, I did such a good job with the documentation that the full time employee that came in after me didn't require any face-to-face training with me and complemented me on the work. That felt good. About The Author Yvette McDonald has been a consultant in various capacities since 1996. Her website, www.Lord-McDonald.com, specializes in resources for consultants and small business owners.
MORE RESOURCES:
careers employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Importance Of Your Job Search So that you can decide just how critical your job hunt is in your total life scheme, let's put a kind of frame around the importance of the effort ahead.Reflect on it. What Everybody Ought To Know About How To Change Their Career or Profession and Still Survive... Dr. Denis Waitley, trainer of leaders, including Super Bowl and Olympic athletes, Apollo astronauts, and Fortune 500 executives, is the most listened to voice on personal and career achievement and the author of the all-time best-seller, The Psychology of Winning claims that the 21st century is unlike anything we could have imaged. Change Your Career, Change Your Life Change Your Career,Change your Life!Lots of times I see and talk to people who are tired, bored and burnt out of their current jobs. I'm not sure what causes this dis- satisfaction. Career Planning for Gifted Adults "James is so restless and energetic. I wonder if he's hyperactive. What You Should Never Put on Your Resume Liars Get Caught! What NOT to Put on Your Resume"Everybody does it" as they say. Face it, the job market can be a very tough place to compete. Don't Be Too Passionate About Your Work Of course, she then offered me a six-month process, costing thousands of dollars to get me back on track. However, I must say she was ethical in her approach and suggested I get a medical check up to rule out any physical or mental-health issues. Network Now Have you ever been to a networking event that was awkward, frustrating and nothing more than a business card exchange? In his book MANHATTAN SOCIETY: The Art & Spirituality of Networking, Chris London says "Networking with integrity creates a greater willingness of all parties to be part of a human conduit to serve as energy and resource to one another. Sometimes you will give more than you receive and sometimes you will get back more than you give. How To Get A Job Fast In today's unpredictable economy, the idea of job security with any company would seem to be a thing of the past. Large company layoffs, golden handshakes, mergers, leveraged buyouts, company acquisitions and similar business moves have left people of all ages out of a job they need to live. What Students and Parents MUST Know about Student Loans A student loan helps you get through college. Then you come out into a high-paying career. Do Dream Jobs Really Exist? More than four out of ten thirtysomething professionals want to change careers, but feel trapped and don't believe that they will, a new study shows.More thirtysomethings than ever before are feeling disillusioned with their careers and openly acknowledge that they'd like to move into something more rewarding and fulfilling. What You Cant Ask a Job Candidate is as Important as What You Can Ask As a human resources professional or business owner, you face many challenges during the hiring process, from sorting through stacks of job applicant rsums to making an attractive offer to the one person you believe best matches the specifications of your open position's job description. The whole procedure is more than time-consuming; it can be stressful as well. Turning the Table: Questions for Your Interviewer (DES MOINES, Iowa - January 26, 2005) The fateful final question of all interviewers may carry more weight than you would think. Upon hearing "Now, do you have any questions," you are given a chance to show the quality of your character and interest in the company. Think Twice Before You Change Jobs You've got the itch to change jobs. This might be a good time to make the move. How to Use Flow In The Job Search What is "flow"? Flow as described by the psychology professor and educator, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of being and behavior. The behavior is one of complete absorption in a task. A Concept That Could Double Youre Income in Mystery Shopping Do you want to double, or increase significantly you're income in mystery shopping? If yes, I'll be sharing to you an age old concept. Now you might have learned this already or you may consider this common sense. 3 Resume Secrets the Pros Use You don't write a resume every day. Not even every month or year, most likely. How to Be Prepared for a Layoff If you are concerned that your company might be planning a layoff, your best course of action is to be prepared. Employees often see warning signs that their jobs may be at risk. The 10 Second Window of Opportunity, Resume Hour Glass Do you know that a hiring manager just spends 10 second with your resume before deciding to forward or junk it? Ten seconds is all you got, to impress that person to get to the next step of the hiring process - "interviews". I have seen many folks who can easily market themselves in person but they are poor at condensing them in a piece of electronic paper. Recruiting on the Web Requires Special Record Keeping for Legal Purposes by Lesli Peterson, Business Analyst, VCGwith Phil McCutchen, Marketing Manager, VCG With the age of the Internet upon us, recruiting methods have expanded dramatically. Staffing companies now regularly use the Web to locate qualified candidates for their open positions. Get That Job: Mastering Job Interviews I've heard it said?in fact, it might well have been me that said it - there are few things more excruciating in professional life than the job interview. Job interviews are awful! Throughout my career I have attended many and conducted many more, and the truth is whether you are the candidate or the interviewer, job interviews are challenging and confronting and difficult - but you can not only survive but learn to be a masterful interviewee by developing an understanding of what it is the interviewer needs to see and learning to conduct yourself with clarity and confidence.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
