Job Interview Questions When Hiring Consultants - Research Paper Example

? Questions used to Hire Consultants of Questions Used to Hire Consultants In organizational psychology, it is important to note that one will have times when a consultant will be requested to do a particular job. The consultant can be from within the organization, or they can be hired from outside the organization. In each situation, those hiring the consultant must find equitable ways to ask questions so that they make sure they receive the best fit for any job (Ginsburg, 1983). Generally, employees constitute the manpower of a company, and it does not matter if they are producing goods or services. The selection of the right worker and satisfying their needs and trying to improve their skills is essential to the company. Human resources is in charge of the recruitment process, and their job is to satisfy the need for manpower, while undertaking the duties of education and evaluation. In order to do this, human resource departments perform many different tests for selection, promotion, and evaluation (Bangerter, Roulin, and Konig ,2012). Bangerter, Roulin, and Konig (2012) also show that there are ways that humans signal the type of employee they will be in a position. They also provide honest or dishonest answers to questions. According to Walsh (2012) there are many ways that employers narrow down the search for good candidates. Some of these tests are good, while others may fail to provide an employer with the information needed to secure a good fit for a position. Walsh (2012) provides an understanding that personality tests are very important in looking for the right employee. Ajila and Okafor (2012) state that personality tests are used to test how an employee’s behavior might be when they start a job. The authors also point out that cognitive ability tests, mechanical ability tests, motor and sensibility tests and job skills and knowledge tests are also a very important part of the hiring process. These types of test tell an employer the likelihood of how they would present themselves in a specific employment opportunity. Ginsburg (1983) states that the organization should be cognizant of the needs of their organization and how hiring a consultant will help. The challenge to this is that many of the ways that are generally used to hire consultants is to ask many questions of the individual. Although this is important to do, the use of a more objective test is often needed to provide the information needed. Ginsburg (1983) states that an organization must look at the prospectus of the consultant or the consulting firm, and provide information to the consultant about their specific needs and their timelines. This type of information allows that consultant to do a better job. Personality testing seems important to this process because the personality of the consultant should match the organization in some way so that they fit better into the corporate culture (Day, 2011). Employers often ask questions about how to hire consultants because many are unsure of what they should do, or how they should approach finding consultants. Jackson (2010) states that there should be a series of questions that employers should ask in order to understand whether they are collecting the information they need to make a choice. As an example, Jackson (2010) suggests that the organization must ask a series of questions that begin with the amount of work that the firm has done within the industry of the firm. Jackson (2010) also states that the employer must realize that they are hiring a team instead of a “firm” because the team must work with the people within the employer’s organization. Also, when talking to the firm, the employer must find out how many people will be from junior or senior management; these people should be analyzed through the knowledge from the employer’s network. These questions are important to make sure that the consultant and the employer’s organization understand what is at stake in their partnership (Jackson, 2010). Regular updates about the process and the work that is being done by the firm is a crucial step in the consultant process. The consultant must have a way of communicating with the employer organization, and it also provides an understanding of how the project is going. If there are problems within the start-up, middle, or end of the project, the employer will be alerted through the brief updates from the consultant (Jackson, 2010). The final note in this particular hiring process, is to make sure that the consultant will provide a thorough debrief of the work that was done and that a transfer of knowledge from the project has been done so that the employer organization can move forward (Jackson, 2010). Another issue for employers when hiring a consultant, is an understanding of what they need. A consultant is not someone that can be tested in the way that employees are tested, because they are hired for a short time and then they leave. A consultant signs a contract with an employer, usually through a bidding process, and the employer must decide which consultant will be the best one for their project (Schwartz, 2012). When identifying a consultant, small businesses can also be helped in several areas. As an example, a business that needs someone to help them develop their organization through its inception, an organizational development consultant may be key in understanding their needs. If a business wants to grow their marketing or strategy for entering specific markets, he or she may need to find a different type of consultant (Schwartz, 2012). Consultants are hired for many different reasons and they play a variety of roles (Zabel and Kaufman, 1995). Often, a consultant is hired not to do something that the organization can do, but to do something that the organization either does not have time to do or cannot do on their own. The importance of asking the right questions at the right time provide an understanding for the organization as to whether the consultant has the right information to help them. As an example, consultants are always about change. Change is different things to different people, and often, change is not always expected in the way that an organization understands it. An organization must understand that asking the questions necessary for their project will require them to be open to change (Zabel and Kaufman, 1995). Smith (2009) adds to this discussion by stating that hiring someone to help an organization means that the organization must understand the purpose for hiring a consultant. The organization must be able to convey their needs to the consultant and realize that although the perception may be that a consultant is expensive, a consultant can be a valuable asset. Usually, a consultant is hired so that performance in some area will improve. In order to do this, the organization must be at a place where they can embrace change (Smith, 2009). Today, most organizations must understand the specific nuances involved with hiring a consultant. McLaughlin (2008) suggests that a blog can be helpful in some situations. In hiring a consultant, looking at their blog (if they have one) may help organizations develop questions that they can use when talking to the consultant. Also, from the blog, the organization may be able to see whether the consultant is the best one for the job. Mullen (2009) suggests that when looking for a consultant, the organization must understand that they should match the consultant with the type of firm they own. As an example, if the organization needs to hire managers, they should find a consultant that understands what managers do, and how the manager would fit into the organization. Patton (2009) states that there are five factors that an individual must think about before they hire a consultant. They must begin by defining the exact problem they need to address. Questions like, “What do you need to address?” “What do you need to accomplish?”, or “What needs improvement?” are important questions to ask before a consultant is hired. Without the answers to these questions, the organization can be out of synch with what they need and hire the wrong consultant. Another factor to consider is whether hiring a consultant is the best way to handle the job or to resolve the problem. This question is important because consultants can be costly to the organization’s budget and making sure the fit is correct will provide less scrutiny for the individual (Patton, 2009). Another factor that is important is an understanding of the skills, knowledge, and experience that are needed to do the job. Just as the employer would look for these factors in hiring an employee, they should look for the same factors when hiring a consultant (Patton, 2009). The organization should also create a timeline for the project rather than relying on the consultant to create a timeline. This allows the organization to have a better fit for the job. The organization must also create a job description that is accurate so that the organization and the consultant will understand the duties that are expected. Prior to writing the job description, employees inside the department that will do the project must be consulted to see how the consultant will fit into the rest of the team. The expectations from this team are important so that everyone is at the same place when the project begins (Patton, 2009). The final phase of actions that Patton (2009) describes stems from the interview team. This interview team should be comprised of people within the organization that will interact with the consultant on all levels. When the organization takes this step, they receive more buy-in from the department when working on the project. From this point, the committee should write down specific questions to ask candidates and interview several consultants, just as they would for a job interview. Interviewing more than one person will allow different perspectives, and the organization can then understand more accurately whether the consultant will be the right choice for the project. These questions must be taken seriously so that the organization can position themselves to gain the most from the experience. de Stricker (2010) states that the consultant must be able to research anything that the organization does not understand, and present the information in a way that the organization can understand. Although this seems obvious, many organizations do not think about this ahead of time. The organization must understand the value that a consultant can bring to the organization, but they must also guide the process. The consultant brings peace of mind to the organization, when they are well qualified to do the job (de Stricker, 2010). Bearwald (2011) suggests that asking questions of consultants have another side to consider. The consultant is also going to act as a mentor in some ways and provide an understanding to individual staff about what they need to do in the project. Also, organizations should understand that they are working on growth with a consultant and not mastery of something. As an example, an organization may hire a consultant to work with upper level management when they first enter an organization. They will expect the upper level manager to become more accustomed to their job, but managing will be an ongoing after the consultant leaves. Bearwald (2011) also cautions organizations that they should understand that there are a variety of questions that will need to be asked as the consultant continues to work. Henderson (2010) provides information on the opposite side when he states that consultants must also ask questions when they approach an organization so they can understand the project better, and they can arrive at better conclusions about what to do. Some of the questions from the consultant’s point of view may be to ask how the situation will change once the consultant is hired and their recommendations are put into place. The consultant should also ask the organization what they already know, and what they need to know, in order to understand the process better. The consultant will then know the difference between what the organization knows, and what they need to know (Henderson, 2010). Canato and Giangreco (2011) studied the literature on management consulting and found that there are many different roles that consultants play that are important to the success of an organization. The authors found that the organization must make sure that the consultant they are working with has a competitive edge in the market they are working within, and that they understand how to help the organization and that the consultant has experience, and understanding of the problems that the organization faces. As stated previously, the questions that are asked in the preliminary interview with the consultant are very important because these questions provide the organization with the understanding of who to hire. The other side of the questioning is to gain an understanding of what the answers to questions mean to the organization. Scroggins, Thomas, and Morris (2008) provide an understanding of how psychological tests are used in selecting personnel for an organization, and the challenges that these tests can present. As an example, different groups answer questions differently. Some of these differences are cultural or the definition of ethics. When hiring a consultant, the answers to psychological test questions may be different for each consultant. Generally, the organization will want to hire the consultant who is as close to their own ethics while taking into consideration diversity issues. However, when mental and cognitive tests have been used for testing employees, they have met with controversy because of the way that different people answer questions. In hiring a consultant, if cognitive and mental tests are used, the organization must be sure that they look at potential candidates through more than one test or system (Scroggins, et al., 2008). Another type of testing that is used in hiring employees, is drug testing and background checks. Zeidner (2010) states that about 54 million employees are tested prior to hiring for specific jobs, especially those that are in sensitive areas. Both federal and state laws will state that employers have the right to have employees submit to drug tests prior to hire and sometimes afterwards. However, having a consultant submit to a drug test may be difficult because they are not technically an employee. Barnes and Scott (2012) state that were some employers hire outside consultants, some employers use internal consultants to do specific jobs. Internal consultants are different because they have an investment in the organization. The internal consultant relies on influencing key stakeholders and upper management in specific areas. They may or may not have expertise in the area. Conclusion Hiring a consultant can be a complex process, because there are many questions that must be answered. Where employers are able to assess potential employees in different ways, through using personality tests, skill assessment tests, and psychological testing, these types of assessments are generally not used in hiring consultants. Instead, the testing involves a variety of questions that are asked in the beginning of the process. Also, there are specific requirements for carrying out the project and for feedback at the end. The organization must be cognizant of what they specifically need and be able to communicate these needs to the consultant. Although employers can determine how they assess their employees, they do not have a specific way to assess consultants other than asking these questions. 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