Avoid Consultant Hiring Mistakes: Assessment, Due Diligence and Risk Mitigation

As part of that process, you also need to look closely at your practices in assessment, due diligence and risk mitigation. More on each follows here:

Assessment
At some point in the interview process, you must have a method that tests the validity of the candidate's answers. Behavioral interviews are fine, but for complex positions, employers need to consider testing and assessment tools to verify that the candidate can actually do what she/he claims.

That is particularly true in the consulting realm where work outcomes and results can be highly subjective.
Case studies are another way in which employers can test whether a candidate can perform the tasks required for a position. Many firms will ask candidates to prepare a presentation or an example of their work and these are great ways to get to the core of whether a person can do what they say that they can do.

Due Diligence
My mom always said that a healthy amount of skepticism is a good thing. Nothing is truer when it comes to answers that job candidates give to most questions. "Tell them what they want to hear" is advice job seekers hear every day. So, why are recruiters surprised that candidates don't always give us the full story?

What is the best way to conduct due diligence? Recruiters must probe below the surface to validate that candidates are what they say they are. And who they say they are. Never solely rely on the references that the candidate provides. (In fact, when was the last time a candidate intentionally gave anyone a bad reference?!) We must dig deeper and this is where the best recruiter's will use their professional network to check back door references. This form of due diligence is essential.

There are also other tools increasingly used by firms to ensure the correct level of due diligence is done, including in-depth background checks to ensure, for example, that a candidate's resume, is not overstated. Or that you aren't hiring some other firm's bad seed. But these ought to complement what the recruiter does; not be a substitute for it. Finally, a well-crafted employment application is essential along with a reminder/disclaimer telling the applicant that any material or conscious misrepresentations on the applications will be considered an act of dishonesty and grounds for dismissal.

Mitigating Risk
Let's circle back to our example of the sign-language interpreter. What if the recruiter who was assigned to fill that position didn't know or understand sign language? Would we let him/her off the hook? Absolutely not, in my opinion.

Companies need to ensure that the recruiters assigned to find candidates for a particular position are, in fact, qualified to assess the qualifications of those individuals. It is incumbent upon recruitment function leaders to make sure they have the right people in place—with the right training—to do their jobs. In the consulting world, that means your recruiters need to understand the job of a consultant, and what makes someone a successful consultant at your particular firm.

Too often, rookie recruiters tasked with sourcing senior level consultants have little idea of what the consultant's job entails. Experience really does count! I'm proud to state that my primary qualification to recruit consultants stems from working in this industry for nearly 20 years. Resumes cannot and should not be the sole validation of one's professional experience. Otherwise anyone can do it, which leads us back to the example regarding the sign-language interpreter!

Conclusion
Clients are increasingly more demanding. The days of covering up on behalf of deficient consultants on large projects are long gone. Everyone on your team needs to carry their weight and deliver on your firm's promises to the client and that is why every single hire is critical. Learn from December's recruiting nightmare: be sure that your recruiters are trained in assessment, due diligence and managing risks and avoid a catastrophic embarrassment.

J. James O'Malley, Partner, Executive Search & Workforce Planning Practice Leader at talentRISE, has been developing HR and talent acquisition solutions for global consulting firms (including Huron Consulting Group, Arthur Andersen, Deloitte and Lante) since the mid-1990s. Jim has seen firsthand why consultants are frustrated by and don't "get" recruiting. Based on his experience, he addresses the importance of recruiters being trained to assess talent, conduct due diligence and help mitigate the risk of a poor hire.