The consultancy checklist: 6 things to know before you enter the game
Consultancy can be one of the most exciting jobs in the world – you get to meet lots of people, you can explore new businesses and companies all the time and you can deploy your expertise to help out organizations that expect just that from you (why else would they have contracted you?). However, being a good consultant is not easy and the learning curve can be steep.
1. Know yourself.
In a business world where “know your customer” is the first commandment of any organization that wants to be more successful, knowing yourself first is often forgotten. But how can you properly empathize with a customer if you don’t know yourself – your talents, quirks, limits and ambitions? If you know where the edge of your horizon is, you also know where your opportunities lie to grow and learn.
2. Know the desired outcome.
If you head into a job with no idea of what your customer needs, failure is likely to ensue. Sometimes the target is a moving target, or the need turns out to be something very different from what is initially stated (e.g. a stated, much-needed CRM overhaul can actually be part of a power play between several fractions within the business).
3. Learn as much as you can.
Perhaps learning your way around an exotic homebrew IT back-end feels like a waste of time at first, but it could very well help you the next time you encounter a similar system, or may cause you to appreciate how other system architects think. Nothing that you learn is ever truly a waste.
4. Diligence and reliability are golden.
Diligence is not the same as perfectionism, but learning how good is a little more than good enough. Similarly, reliability doesn’t mean blind obedience, but delivering on what you promise and making promises that are realistic.
5. Communicate clearly, openly and respectfully.
No communication is almost as bad as bad communication. Especially in IT circles, people have often been taught to think in terms of “just the facts, ma’am” and might come across as unintendedly blunt. The reverse may also happen – realizing that communication is important, a consultant flies of into insincere hyperbole.
6. Consider all the facets.
If the customer’s challenge was easy and straight-forward, they would not have hired a consultant to help them out. In a sense, this is a corollary to the third rule: seeing a particular challenge from as much angles as possible (technical, HR, upper management, old company veterans, new hires, etc.) helps you not only understand the issues at hand but will enable you to formulate a more comprehensive solution that will be more likely to please the customer.
Do you think consultancy could be your thing? Have you ever considered you could combine your interests and/or job experience in the job of a lifetime? Why not check out our company – Oxygen is a small but growing consulting outfit that bridges the gap between the rapid pace of business and technology innovation and the world of insurance. Our site lists the job openings we currently have on offer, and if you think we could be a match for you, we’d be very happy to talk!