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career management, consultant, outplacement, unemployment
career management, consultant, outplacement, unemployment Webster's New Definition of "Consultant": Unemployed Executive
By Don Straits , Monday, January 25, 2010 at 3:56PM
Don Straits , Monday, January 25, 2010 at 3:56PM For many years, when an executive loses a job, in order to show that they are still engaged in business, they create a consulting firm...albeit a firm of one. Nothing new here. However, over the past several months, with the recession and huge number of senior level executives in the job market, industries are overrun with consultants.
Unfortunately, the word "consultant" has almost become a pejorative. A common definition can be heard everywhere: "A consultant is someone who steals your watch and tells you what time it is."
This vast number of consultants is also having a profound impact on established consultants. While the big consulting firms are not feeling the blunt of the impact, the boutique firms are facing major challenges. The emergence of thousands of consultants who are hungry for business are driving fees downward. The new consultant will bid on a project without a full understanding of the costs. If they secure the business, they often lose money and provide services that are less then satisfactory. This impacts the reputation of all consulting firms.
This contributes to an atmosphere where consulting firms are losing their credibility.
If you are unemployed and want to show you are still engaged in business, don't use the name "consultant." You don't want to be perceived as just one of the masses and someone who just give advice.
Rather, you should create a niche for yourself where you provide a unique service that involves implementation and execution. Become highly focused and be the best there is for that service. Focus or die.
And for heaven's sake, don't name the firm after yourself and stick consultant after your name or in the title. That is old school. Create a contemporary name with an action title. The name might also serve as a good domain name.
Off the top of my head, a business name something like" "CorpAcceleration LLC" Your business will be focused on implementing....repeat IMPLEMENTING...business development strategies to drive accelerated growth. Your goal would be to land a contract to develop turnaround solutions and then direct the implementation until the company can run it themselves....or hire you permanently as their senior business development executive.
Here are some potential action titles for your new interim "make it happen" company
Potential titles: Engagement Manager, Director, Crisis Manager, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Project Manager or Director, Program Manager or Director.
Companies want to hire people who make things happen, not watch what happens. Demonstrate that you are a contemporary, take charge, make it happen kind of exective
Reader Comments (3)
I found this post really enlightening. I got a good laugh from "A consultant is someone who steals your watch and tells you what time it is." As a consultant myself, I know that consultants can take almost as much heat as lawyers (okay, maybe not!)
This is a good blog message, I will keep the post in my mind. If you can add more video and pictures can be much better. Because they help much clear understanding. :)
thanks .bvlgari glasses
It's actually easier to get a consulting or coaching gig with a company than to land a full time job.
As a marketing coach working with other coaches, I've found that most coaches still are thinking about the old-style resume and job interview, and frankly don't get many interviews. But when you start thinking about developing a series of steps into your marketing funnel, then consulting can be an easy sell. After all a company that would hire you as a consultant has far less risk to hire you for a month or two to get predetermined results than they'd have to hire you full time, and add benefits, training, etc.
If consultants would just stop trying to sell themselves as an employee with all of those risks attached, they'd find that getting a consulting contract in comparison is easy. And once you've proven yourself in month 1, then it's even easier to get either more months of contracting, or if you want, now it's easy to turn that into employment.