| Hiring update – how bad is it out there? |
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Remember that the
services of consultants
are among the easiest
things for big
corporates to slash when
they first take on a
siege mentality.
Consulting and the
house-building and
automotive sectors are
always the first to be
hit when a downturn
strikes.
Conversely, though,
consulting services are
then seen as critical
once corporate entities
perceive that the major
shocks have all been
felt and businesses need
to be navigated through
the new economic
conditions. Businesses
then need to change,
they need to acquire or
divest, they need to be
streamlined – all of
which stimulates the
need to bring in teams
of consultants. So while
consulting is hit
earliest in a downturn,
it also typically
bounces back soonest
when signs of
stabilisation are being
seen in the wider
economy.
Having spent the last
months speaking with as
many clients and | |
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| | consulting contacts as
possible, it’s
increasingly apparent to
me that a corner has now
been turned on the
hiring front. Targeted
and specific recruitment
campaigns are now
getting underway or
being planned. We’ve
been seeing this at
Top-Consultant – and the
legions of recruitment
consultants we work with
are also seeing the same
trend.
I’m certainly not
talking about an
imminent return to
across-the-board hiring
at consulting firms,
with all practice areas
wanting to attract more
talent through the
doors. But what I am
talking about is an
unwinding of the hiring
paralysis: an increasing
willingness for practice
leaders to sign off on
key hiring campaigns and
for the start dates of
new hires to be set in
stone rather than being
consistently pushed
back. There is also an
easing of fears that
further major
redundancies will be
needed, combined with
improving visibility of
the project wins likely
to sustain the
businesses through the
summer and beyond.
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I’ve heard this from
partners starting to
feel more comfortable
with the visibility they
have over the work
that’s coming into the
business; I’ve heard
this from HR directors
being given the green
light to rekindle
recruitment activities;
and I’ve heard this from
the recruitment
businesses that deliver
on these hiring needs.
For those thinking of
a seeking out a new job
in consulting, what I’m
essentially saying is
that the worst should
now be behind us – and
as we enter the second
half of the year a
little more vitality can
be expected in the
consulting recruitment
market.
Related link:
Tony Restell will be
leading a candidate
workshop addressing
every aspect of securing
a new consulting role in
these difficult market
conditions. See:
Revitalising Your
Consulting Career ---
Securing a Career Move
in Consulting in
2009. | |
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