| 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 | |
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| | through the summer and
beyond.
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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