By Richard Longstreet
Just as senior management consultants might pitch to a client, consultancies have to pitch to candidates. What do consultants want? How can you align your consultancy to this?
When attracting candidates, consultancies need to persuade them that they will not just be another asset to send out to clients, but will be happy, growing and stimulated during their time there. How?
The projects that you show on your website should be exciting. What is exciting will vary from consultant to consultant, but you want to bring in consultants who will enjoy the work that you do. Speak to your consultants and find out what excites them, and bring this out in your case studies (which are looked at by both consultants and clients).
Consultants go into consulting with the promise of strong progression and growth opportunities. How are you selling this? If people in your company have been promoted quickly, shout about it. Demonstrate that your consultants have a bespoke learning and development plan, and that they will be able to focus on work that they find most interesting as they grow.
On top of project work and development, consultants want to enjoy working for your business. Show that you have an inclusive, collaborative company culture where everyone (at all grades) can work with autonomy and can get support from anyone in their team, not just their direct report. Travel requirements are often seen as a necessary evil in consulting, so ensure that they are reasonable. If a consultant is working on a project that requires extensive travel, allow them to work from home whenever possible and make sure that their next project is closer to home.
Fundamentally, the companies that best engage with their consultants are those that reinvent the employer-employee relationship. Consultants at all levels should be shown that they are not just a resource, but that they are valued and that their employer is willing to make concessions to promote their wellbeing.
Marketing is of course a major factor in talent acquisition, but holistic change is needed to attract the best talent. Consultancies need to walk the talk, and a snazzy website will not hide bad Glassdoor reviews.
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Tarka Talent are a recruitment agency focusing on the Strategy, Transformation, and Change Management space.
We work across permanent and contract roles, using the latest recruitment technology and our unrivalled knowledge of the industry to identify and approach the best candidates in the market.
To find out more, visit tarkatalent.co.uk
