Dear SafetyXChange Members:

If you've been laid off from your job or left a job because it wasn't the right position for you, you're probably wondering what your next step should be. For many top-level executives, the next career move is into the world of consulting. But before you make that move, you need to consider if consulting will benefit your career or if it will prevent you from accepting another top position.

Experience Required

First, consulting isn't for everyone. To be a consultant, you need to have already logged many years in the corporate world and possess an equally long list of achievements. "I wouldn't recommend consulting for someone who's been in the workplace for five years," says Nancy Di Dia, who served as CEO of her own consulting firm, Di Dia Diversity Consulting Group, before returning to the corporate world this spring.

To be a successful consultant, Di Dia says you need to differentiate yourself from other consultants and it's your many years of experience that will create the differentiation. That's how consultants become consultants in the first place. Former business associates often become a consultant's first clients because they know first-hand that former executive's capabilities.

According to Di Dia, some of the capabilities needed to become a successful consultant include being:

• strategic
• a visionary
• a project manager
• a great presenter, and
• an expert in your field.

Consulting While Job Hunting

The Advantages

The benefits of entering consulting as an interim career are obvious:

1. It can keep you tapped into your industry and peers;
2. It eliminates a gap in time on your résumé; and
3. It can help sustain you financially.

Consulting also has the potential to lead you to your next job opportunity. "It's a great way to network; and sometimes it's a foot in the door," says Di Dia. "They might consider you for a long-term position." That's exactly how Di Dia recently landed at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals as director of diversity and inclusion.

The Disadvantages

While consulting may keep you busy during your job hunt and help pay the bills, keep in mind that it's not always the best solution for everyone. Consulting is not a 9-to-5 job, but instead a 24/7 commitment. It leaves you with little time for personal obligations and for conducting a proper job search.

To ensure time for job hunting, Di Dia suggests limiting the amount of consulting engagements you take on, working with a colleague who is also a consultant or even sub-contracting work. It's vital that you reserve enough time for your job search, especially if you're not planning to make consulting a full-time career.

Adding Consultant to Your Résumé

While it is obviously beneficial to avoid having lost gaps of time on your résumé, you have to ensure that recruiters and hiring managers don't automatically assume your consulting experience is a mask for unemployed status.

Don't put "freelance consultant" on your résumé, Di Dia advises. "I positioned it as CEO of my own company," she says, noting that creating a business entity helps convey that you're an entrepreneur and not a floater.

"The term 'consultant' is used way too often and is also overused," says Dave Dart, managing partner of the recruiting firm Morisey-Dart Group. "Until projects are talked about and verifications are completed, the term consultant on a résumé often screams 'unemployed.' Overstating the value proposition in this capacity seems to happen more than when one is working full-time. Don't make it more than it is."

Conclusion: When to Make Consulting a Permanent Stop

If you've spent some time job hunting and performing consulting work simultaneously, you'll eventually wonder when the time is right to abandon the job search and focus entirely on building a successful business. There is obviously no official schedule to follow. "It depends on where they are in their lives," says Di Dia, who ran her consulting business from December 2004 to May 2006.

While many CEOs are known for being risk-takers, some may not be prepared for the risks involved in becoming a consultant - since the work is typically not steady or predictable. If you don't mind the long hours and can sustain yourself financially without a steady paycheck, consulting just might be the right next step for you. And keep in mind, even if you do decide to put all your efforts into becoming a successful consultant, it doesn't have to be forever.

Wishing you career success,

Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet
www.execunet.com

THREE SECRETS

For New Consultants

By Catherine Jones

Safety professionals who decide to leave the corporate world and hang out their own shingle face several unfamiliar challenges. You might be accustomed to being the CEO, but now you're also the administrative assistant, the VP of Sales & Marketing and the accounts receivable department.

Fortunately, there is plenty of assistance out there in the way of websites and books, such as these secrets shared by consultant and author Jerry Weinberg on the Management Consulting News website:

1. Establish Trust. It is essential that you build a good relationship with your clients. At the core of this relationship is trust. Make it your policy to be honest and open with your clients, and respect all confidences. And if you don't deliver what you've promised, don't take the payment either.

2. Talk Money. Keep your fee structure simple. Take the time to discuss the fees with your client so that there are no misunderstandings later.

3. Keep the Roles Clear. Understand that it is your job to give advice and make recommendations. It is your client's job to make the decisions based on this advice and take responsibility for the actions. If part of your contract is to implement changes, be sure that your client has an active role in the decision-making process.

Source: Management Consulting News

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