5 mistakes businesses make when hiring a Consultant or Program Manager

  
 (c) 2017 H.G. Weissenberger Jr, PMP
This article may be re-distributed freely with proper credit)  

 

In most major cities, there are companies big and small, as well as government entities, that operate the same way in their hiring practice … carelessly.  This article examines five of the top mistakes that hiring managers commonly make when they try to hire, and expect to get, top program managers and business improvement consultants. The language format of this article is directed specifically to the hiring manager.

1) Not understanding what you need
As a hiring manager, you need help. But what kind? Most hiring managers will send an email to a Human Resources (HR) or recruiting representative, or fill out a corporate HR form, to create a requisition for a new position. That requisition usually contains short descriptions of the work (at a high level), some basic requirements, and some “nice to haves.” 

More often than not, these are written in management vernacular and are not well detailed in what the candidate will actually be doing if hired. That is usually the result of a hiring manager who hasn’t done their homework. They describe what their program lacks, not what skill set is needed to fill the gap or the tasking expectations of the position.

Take time and learn what the person that you are hiring should know. Don’t assume that a holding a PMP certificate or Six Sigma Blackbelt (for example) means the candidate will have the knowledge, experience, tact, and savvy to drive the details and relationships of your complex projects.

2) Letting HR write the job description
The HR staff is there to assist you, the hiring manager, locate, interview, and on-board staff. They do not pretend to know the work packages of everyone in the company. Don’t assume that they know your work. Get together with your HR rep. Discuss what you do, why you need help, and what you expect your new employee (or contractor) to be doing. Help them to find the right candidates without relying on resume readers. Those readers rarely grab the best candidates, but your HR rep may not know any better if you are not taking the time to work with them. Look at some resumes yourself. Make some calls yourself. Remember, you are hiring a people person. You need to talk to them before spending your time interviewing them.

3) Not understanding the value of the certificate or education you are asking for in the job posting
It seems that every posting for a Project Manager, Program Manager, or Consultant in the last five years has had a PMP and or Six Sigma requirement in the requirements section or the “desired” section. Okay, I understand that this helps you find candidates that are supposed to know how to run a project effectively, but do YOU know what you can expect from a candidate with that certification? Do YOU know what goes into earning that certification?

Keep in mind that certifications are the result of packaged training and standardized testing. They are certifying that the certificate holder is able to apply what they have learned. But what have they learned? The mechanics of the job? Probably. The certificate doesn’t give you a clue as to the candidate’s level of tact, manner of speaking, communication skills, political savvy, or their ability to think innovatively and remove project roadblocks and constraints. It doesn’t measure their aggressiveness or skills. Don’t rely on a certification. Use it only as an indicator of the candidate’s commitment to job excellence.

Also, keep in mind that, like many other programs, the PMP was originally designed for software development, which is a rigid discipline; it was later adapted to all project management domains. Business domains in particular are less rigid, need a greater level of flexibility, and require a far greater level of interpersonal skills that are not part of the PMP curriculum.

Similarly, make sure your education requirements can be replaced with experience. Many college graduates got their first job in a field other than that in which they majored, only to find a career path in their new industry. Not all great project managers went to college. Some gained real-world experience and had the instincts for greatness in the field. 

All educational principles apply across industries, it just requires new training to get the best output. For example, when I was hiring for Internet product project managers, I looked at tech-savvy English majors. Why? Because I knew that language majors are detail oriented and are more likely to be able to express thoughts and describe products in a clear and concise manner.

4) Not knowing what additional requirements are needed as a result of relying on asking for a certificate 
I have made this fairly clear by now, but if you are going to ask for a certification, know and include the additional qualifications desired that are not covered by the certificate training/testing. These include, among others, knowledge, experience, tact, savvy, communication skills, and ability to think innovatively. Try to give a real-world example to guide how they respond in their resume or cover letter. This is also a good way to spot if their communications are tailored to your needs or simply re-branded generic fare.

5) Removing the human factor from the application process for a human interaction position
I cannot emphasize this enough. If you are hiring a Consultant or Program Manager, these are people positions. The correct candidate must be able to effectively communicate, interact, advise, consult, console, and guide customers, stakeholders, executives, and staff. This cannot be assessed by a resume reader or online HR software. 

Get involved. Look at resumes before HR tries their best to second-guess which ones you would eliminate. Go on Monster, LinkedIn, etc. and look for people looking for jobs by using your own parameters. Don’t circumvent HR, but don’t be afraid to bring them a candidate and say, “what about this person?” Find a way to communicate with potential candidates and give them a short introduction call before offering to interview anyone. You will most likely be able to qualify or disqualify several candidates by their communication style. Lastly, be available for questions;  This is part of your job and you should have budgeted proper time resources for it.