The quality of a consultant affects a project’s success to a great degree.
Unlike recruiting an employee, the screening process for a consultant is short.
How can you make it efficient? Here are a few tips for the INTERVIEWER:
1. Approach an interview session with the right mind set. With objectivity and a well defined agenda.
2. How proficient is the candidate with the skills required? Itemize/list the core skill requirements and have the candidates rate themselves. The candidate may have read a blog to "know" the technology. Or he may have worked on it for four years to "really" know the technology.
3. "We do not have the technical knowledge to interview (the very reason we are bringing in a consultant)".
Seek implementation partner's help. Implementation partners often have consultants that fit the skill requirement. But may not be available for the project on a full time basis. But, have them help interview the candidates. Same goes for writing the job requirement as well. Get it validated by an expert in the field.
4. "How do you identify a proxy on a telephonic interview". Have a skype session. That way you know who you are dealing with.
5. Resume is misleading in many cases. The resume may be detailed and even well formatted. But does is all apply to the candidate? Select specific items in the resume and have the candidate elaborate on it. Candidate uses "We" a lot in an interview call, often a give away that candidate did not have a big role implementing it. Rather he relied on team members. Ask for what "you" implemented.
These are just some of the hurdles very typical of ERP consulting. Of course, there is a lot more to interviewing and finding the right candidate.
Thoughts?
