Tweet

10 Winning Qualities Of Humarn Resource Consultants

Guest post by: Devang Jhaveri

Article Overview: It is important for human resource consultants to understand the responsibilities of their role, as well as the practices and parameters of the job. You may notice that each client has a different take on what the role of a consultant entails. Clarifying your client’s expectations and deliverable before hand may possibly be the single most important task one undertakes. You can find success in consulting by developing certain qualities. They make you more effective. After years of consulting experience, I have distilled these qualities into a top ten list.

10 Winning Qualities Of Humarn Resource Consultants

It is important for human resource consultants to understand the responsibilities of their role, as well as the practices and parameters of the job. You may notice that each client has a different take on what the role of a consultant entails. Clarifying your client's expectations and deliverables beforehand may possibly be the single most important task one undertakes. You can find success in consulting by developing certain qualities. They make you more effective. After years of consulting experience, I have distilled these qualities into a top ten list.



1. Professionalism

Consultants should always keep in mind that client relationship should remain at a professional level. It is sometimes easy for consultants to take on an employee attitude, which in many environments can backfire on the consultant and actually create a negative situation for the project.

2. Good Communication Skills

The consultant should have excellent oral and written communication skills. Since we are often viewed as the subject matter expert (SME), we should be able to communicate our opinions effectively. In addition to English, it is beneficial to know the language widely used by the employees of the company. In some countries, the documentation may be in a local language. Ideally, the consultant can easily read this language without employing any translators.

3. Expert Knowledge

Clients typically approach an external consultant for two reasons: 1) the client expects the consultant to have more expertise than the organization's internal resources or 2) because clients do not have sufficient time to solve their own problems or implement their own projects. As consultants, our level of knowledge should be broad enough to know when to ask questions and/or where to research to find solutions. At all times, the consultant should remain current by reading journals, magazines, informative websites and through networking with fellow consultants. We should know how to apply theory into practice and also be skillful in using appropriate tools (software, professional journals, etc.) to function efficiently in the job.

4. Good Listening Skills

During the consulting process, consultants will meet different people with unique characteristics. Some will be verbose, others reticent. Having excellent listening skills will encourage all to talk freely. This leads to more information sharing which, in the end, can make the consulting process more streamlined.

5. Time Management

Consultants should look for ways to adjust their work style to accommodate the schedule, budget and overall requirements of the project. This is particularly true when faced with pressure to maintain high quality within finite time and budget constraints.

6. Judgment

Consultants are required to have good judgment when confronted with a problem. We should not jump to conclusions. Consultants should take time to consider the facts and to get feedback from their peers and management before reaching a decision.

7.Team Player

Consultants must demonstrate that they are team players and are willing to learn from team members, genuinely valuing the input and expertise of others. It is important to establish a collaborative relationship with peers.

8. Roles and Responsibilities

It is important for consultants to understand the responsibilities of their role, as well as the practices and parameters of the job. You may notice that each client has a different take on what the role of a consultant entails. Clarifying your client's expectations and deliverable before hand may possibly be the single most important task one undertakes. Remember that in a consulting role the client also has duties and responsibilities: they are bringing you in to recommend what they should implement. If they fail to implement within the agreed terms then you can't help them further and it's time to walk away.

Remember that each client has his or her own preconceived view of the consultant's abilities and capabilities views that will almost certainly differ from reality by varying degrees. Some clients expect the consultant to be a god and recommend solutions that will fix everything that is wrong with their organization; others expect one to be nothing much more than a glorified mechanic called in to fix the photocopiers. Clarifying what you can and cannot do, and what you are willing to do, are paramount concerns before commencing work.

9. Involve Other Consultants

Saying "I don't know" is often a very good answer to a question. An even better answer is "I don't know", but I know people who do know. Consultants do not know everything, and shoud not be expected to know everything. Saying, "I do not know" will not damage your prestige. As an example, if your client has a problem related to legal issues, try to consult with a legal consultant to help your client find a solution to the problem.

10. Reputation

Protect your public reputation above everything else you will not get an easy chance to repair it if it is damaged. If necessary, walk away from situations or contracts that could potentially damage your reputation. Consulting is not simply contracting by another name; it involves duties of care and levels of accountability, responsibility and integrity that may well be greater than those of the client. If that proves to be the case and you find a client's operations and methods are not ethical, then it is time to walk away. Be selective about the clients for whom you work.

Related Articles
  Why Use a Franchise Consultant?
  Why an Outstanding Resume is Not Enough to Get an Interview: Reason 6
  Observations: think prior to your interview or CV submission.
  Correctly Written Tenders Are The Key to Building Your Business
  Talking To Yourself
  Consultancy firms in need of Resource Scheduling Solution
  WHAT IS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
  Five Tips for Selecting an HR Consultant
  Every Journey Begins with a Single Step
  WHAT MAKES A MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT GREAT? Part II of III
  Critical Qualities To Achieve Credibility, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Two Important Qualities
  Eight Essential Qualities of Passionate, Powerful and Proven Leaders, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Why Use a Change Management Consultant?
  Small Business Owners - What Should You Look For In An Offer Made By Business Consultants?
  Two Sentences that Make or Break Your Article Marketing Success: How to Write a Resource Box that Attracts Ideal Clients
  Leadership Qualities
  3 Best Ways To Hire An SEO Consultant
  You Can Be An O.S.C.A.R Winner!
  How to Become a Great Client

Article Tags: communication problemhuman resource consultants, deliverable, human resource consultant, human resource management, job, parameters, time management



Related Forum Posts
Why pay a Consultant? - Consultants can bring you into contact with a Funding Source but how do you tell whether a consultant will be successful beforehand? Professional Consultants ALWAYS ask for some kind of retainer so that they can feel they're not being used by a 'chancer'. However, when raising funding, a real consultant will offer to REFUND THAT RETAINER out of the % BROKERAGE he charges, payable once he finds your Funding Source, and payable from initial disbursements. Retainers only cover part of the costs that a consultant has to pay while working on behalf of the Client. Their real wages come from the agreed upon Brokerage, received when they are successful on the Client's behalf.
Corporate Resource Speakers in Australia - Where can we find one of the best Corporate Resource Speakers in Australia?
Elevator Pitch in 10 Words - "Winning Business Design For Aspiring Entrepreneurs Based On Their Idea"
Napoleon on Project Management - Why do I include this in a list of books aimed at female entrepreneurs? Well...in the expectation that there are as many female history buffs as male ones, and in the belief that anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating, while those interested in project management will learn a thing or two. I think this was the first "gimmick" book - an author using a historical figure (usually a male, military figure, it must be admitted) to talk about modern day business management. I refuse to read any of the kind that advocates - even obliquely - the techniques of the Sopranos or the Mossad - but these military ones are pretty fun. Anyway: Only in the understanding of history, Napoleon might say, do we gain an understanding of strategy in the present. In the same spirit, Napoleon on Project Management offers the recipe for successfully managing your commitments using the strategies, tactics and priorities that propelled Napoleon himself to victory. [The book doesn't gloss over how Napolean eventually fell in defeat, of course, and there's lessons to be learned there as well. TOC Foreword by Douglas James Allan (Napoleanic Society of America) 1. The Rise to Power -The Skills to Succeed -A Compelling Vision -Diplomacy and Networking -Lessons from the Great Campaigns 2. Napoleon's 6 Winning Principles -Introduction -Exactitude -Speed -Flexibility -Simplicity -Character -Moral Force 3. The Downfall -What Went Wrong -Lessons from the Russian Invasion and Waterloo -The Four Critical Warning Signs -Napoleon's Legacy
Re: Franchising Brokers vs Franchising Consultants - To correct some mis-information. Not using a broker/consultant will not save you any money. The FTC is quite explicit about that. The franchise fee is the same whether you use a broker, or if you go directly to the franchisor. Unlike the "MLS", each broker does have a limited number of franchises they represent, however, the more established brokers have created relationships with many more franchises then the portfolios of there counter parts. Some of the companies mentioned above are limited only to the franchises they have available to them. Consultants, like myself, have relationship with over 300 different franchises falling within the top 500. Some of my "high profile" counterparts represent maybe 125 franchises. Most brokers won't help or assist with the negotiation of the sales agreement, not wanting to offend the franchisor. And many do not have a clue as to what items are negotiable, and which items are not. Brokering is more then just matching up a person with a franchise or business, it is assisting the client through the whole process. Even though we are paid by the franchisor (by mandate), our first responsibility is to the client. Case in point, I just received a client that was working with one of the major "broker mills" that was mentioned in one of the above threads. They were almost sold a franchise, the day before the signing the franchise filed bankruptcy. I had stopped doing business with this franchise a year ago, and had an idea of the financial difficulty of this franchise (easily obtained). Why would a broker recommend a franchise that was near bankruptcy (and known in the industry)?...to close a deal, not to service his client. Shame on that broker, and that is what is giving brokers a bad reputation. Who the broker works for is not nearly as important as what service the broker/consultant can provide. Will he assist you in helping you reach an informed decision, based upon your skill sets? After that decision has been made will he assist you in completing the transaction to the greatest benefit to you? Buying a franchise is not a guarantee to success, but buying the wrong franchise is a guarantee of failure. And like many mortgage brokers, car salesmen, and others, they may never see or hear from you again, so why would they care? The decision to choose the right broker/consultant is almost as important as choosing the right franchise. They go hand and hand. Over 85% of my clients end up buying a franchise they had not thought of, they come in with a mindset. When the facts are laid out, the figures are gone over, the item 19 is explained, and options are given to them, that is when they can make an informed decision. You can't rely on websites that promote specific franchises, or rely only on what the franchisor tells you. That is the value of a quality franchise/consultant, to give you pertinent background information along with helping you "get the best deal".


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Do You Pretend To Listen To People?

Unspoken Yet Important Rules for Book Proposals

3 Competencies of Leadership

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.