Your 10-step guide to hiring a consultant for your business

Solving complex business operational issues and improving processes may seem impossible, but you can overcome this challenge by hiring the right consultant or consulting firm for your organization.

You may be asking, “How can I hire a consultant for my company?”

Hiring consultants doesn’t need to be challenging. You can use pre-employment tests like a Problem Solving test and Market Analysis test to assess their expertise.

However, you’ll need to complete a few vital steps to find the right applicant. Read our article for the 10 steps to follow when hiring a consultant for your business.

3 advantages of hiring a consultant for your company

Hiring a consultant will benefit your organization in three ways: They have knowledge of the outside market, enhance your company’s operations, and save time.

1. They have knowledge of the outside market

A skilled consultant can provide your team with vast knowledge of the market and your competitors. Understanding your competitors and the techniques they use to reach their audience can help you outperform them. 

For example, your consultant may be aware of the particular channels of communication your competitors use to reach their customers. With this knowledge, you can work on a strategy to reach potential customers via these communication methods and perform better than your competitors.

2. They enhance your organization’s operations

Your next consultant will review your business goals and consider which approaches to take to improve your organization’s operations. They will use the review process as an opportunity to create and implement plans and strategies to make positive changes within your company.

An independent and objective consultant can make changes in your company without being influenced by bias. They will disregard the emotional dynamics between employees when they work with your business.

3. They help your business save time

Managers must wear many hats and often lack time to make plans for developing efficient strategies to overcome internal challenges. On the other hand, a consultant dedicates their time exclusively to planning, assessing different options, and conducting research. 

They can focus all of their time on researching, presenting their findings, and implementing changes, giving your organization’s managers more time to concentrate on other duties.

The key reason you should hire a consultant

Suppose your current employees lack the expertise to complete projects or develop the right strategy to handle complex challenges. In that case, it makes sense to search for a consultant who can help your business grow.

The 10 steps to follow when hiring a consultant for your company

If you’ve decided that hiring a consultant is the right move for your organization, follow these 10 steps to find the right consultant for your team.

1. Determine what your organization needs from a consultant

First of all, what is the scope of the work your business requires from a consultant? Since consultants and consulting firms aim to gain the highest possible earnings from each project, you must be clear on the specific support your company requires.

Consider which particular projects you need help with before commencing the hiring process. You can then define the responsibilities your next hire will need to take on.

2. Inform your current employees that you’re hiring a consultant

Your next consultant will work closely with your employees. So make sure you inform them that you’re hiring a consultant and brief them on the projects your new consultant will work on.

3. Write a business consultant job description 

If you’re hiring an independent consultant, you should write a consultant job description and post it on an appropriate job board.

When writing your job description, you must include the consultant role’s objectives, the responsibilities your new consultant will take on, the experience, skills, and qualifications you expect from applicants, and information about your organization.

Hiring an innovation consultant? Read our guide on writing innovation consultant job descriptions before you start your recruitment process!

4. Screen your business consultant applicants with a skills assessment

Using skills assessments is an easy way to assess multiple skills required by consultants. You can build an assessment that includes multiple skills tests, such as the Google Slides test and the Leadership & People Management test. This will help you comprehensively evaluate your candidates’ abilities when hiring consultants.

You can also assess soft skills with skills tests like our Communication test and Time Management test. Check out TestGorilla’s test library to see all the tests we have available.

5. Examine your applicants’ portfolios

Review your candidates’ portfolios to see projects they have worked on for other companies. This is a great way to determine whether your applicants’ experience matches your company’s projects.

It’s especially important to look at candidates’ portfolios if you need to learn about which industries they have worked in, the impact they have had on other companies, or their collaboration style.

6. Invite your top business consultant applicants to an interview

After assessing your applicants’ abilities, invite the most promising consultant candidates to an interview. Ask them a mixture of situational, behavioral, and experience-related consultant interview questions.

For instance, if you want to understand how an applicant manages projects, ask a situational question such as “When working on multiple projects, which method would you use to keep track of their progress?”

7. Complete a reference check

Make sure you ask your consultant candidate for references and verify each reference. Ask the references whether they considered using a different consultant from another firm to get a candid and accurate review of your consultant’s skills.

8. Set a budget and schedule an estimate with your new consultant’s support

Setting a budget and scheduling an estimate requires you to share many details with your new hire, which may include confidential information. Your new consultant will use this information to provide you with an estimate.

In this step, you should discuss methods for structuring your project. Take this opportunity to discuss potential ways to complete the project at a lower rate.

9. Establish your project expectations and requirements from your new hire

You’re now ready to establish your project expectations and requirements. Ensure you give your new consultant the deadline by which you expect them to deliver the project, and confirm the total budget you’ll offer.

10. Set up scheduled meetings to monitor the project’s progress

Hiring a consultant is just the beginning. You now need to set up meetings to monitor the project’s progress. Ask for an explanation from your new hire if they don’t meet a milestone.

How to hire a consulting firm with ease

When hiring a consulting firm, consider the following aspects of the firm to make it easier to decide if it is the right match for your company:

• The consulting firm’s success record – ask which clients the firm has worked with, and find out if they have helped companies complete projects successfully

• The firm’s experience and expertise – consider which industries the firm has worked in and whether it can add value to your business

• The cost – determine whether the rate matches the services your consulting firm offers, but avoid selecting the cheapest option just to save money (which may lead to longer project completion times)

Hire a consultant to begin effortlessly developing your organization

A consultant will make a significant difference to your company’s success. Whether you hire an independent consultant or a consulting firm, remember to consider their success record and experience.

And don’t forget to evaluate their skills with skills tests which you can use to review their presentation knowledge.

Get started with TestGorilla, and hire a consultant to develop your business and achieve your targets and goals.