5 Signs You Hired the Wrong Freelance Consultant
Hiring the right freelance management consultant can be a tricky business.
It will often take time to find a consultant who has all the skills and attributes you need. Once theyâre onboard, thereâs no guarantee that youâve got the right person. There will be times when you get it wrong. Itâs important to recognize when this happens so you can take appropriate action.
Here are five key warning signs to watch out for as you start working with new consultants.
Disorganized Freelance Consultant
When you hire a freelance management consultant, a lack of organization is the last thing you need from them.
The good news is that itâs easy to spot a sloppy freelance consultant early when you know what to look for.
They will arrive late at meetings, claim to rely on their brains over more formal project management. They will not bother taking any notes in meetings, and need constant reminders of things youâd expect them to remember.
Keep your eyes open for consultants who are consistently stressed, annoyed, or overwhelmed. This can be a clear sign that they are not well suited to work on your project. There may be things you can do to help them perform, but you can't help unless you engage in honest conversations and raise your concerns.
Sloppy Communication
Does your freelance management consultant speak to you in direct and plain language. Or do they blind you with jargon and buzzwords in an effort to deflect and impress?
Using an independent consultant with clear communication skills is the key. Especially when they have been hired to help guide you as your business sails in unfamiliar waters. Businesses pay consultants to advise and clarify. Clear communication skills are vital for freelance management consultants as a large part of their role is to inform and influence senior stakeholders. Those who will operate across different levels of abstraction from the project.
Businesses pay independent consultants for their specialized skills and advice. A consultant with good communication skills and a solid grasp of their specialty should be comfortable in identifying solutions. They should back up their recommendations with solid reasons.
Receiving emails full of spelling errors and typos is a warning sign that you've hired the wrong freelance management consultant. Sloppy deliverables are embarrassing and can take up too much of your time to fix the mess.
When communication isnât clear, you will quickly find yourself in too many meetings with the consultant. Meetings will be held about past meetings and about whom to invite to the next meetings in preparation for the new task force meeting. This slows everybody down and causes frustration. A freelance management consultant who demands your attention with excessive levels of contact can completely drain you. Constantly looking for clarification and approval is a sign that they have not listened properly and kept track of what has already been agreed upon. It can also be a sign that the consultant is not confident in making decisions about what they do.
Lack of Expertise in Freelance Consultant
How can you tell if your consultant lacks the expertise?
The truth is, some freelance management consultants are better at selling themselves than delivering the work they promise to do. One of the key warning signs that you can pick up very early into a project is how much interest they show in learning about your business. If a consultant arrives with a firm idea of what theyâre going to do at the start, it suggests that they do not have the flexibility to adapt and tailor their work fit with your business.
Failing to ask the right questions at the start of a project suggests that the consultant has arrived with fixed ideas. This may be fine in some situations. But, even if a consultant has a very focused specialty and has been hired for a clearly defined reason, asking questions early to understand the details will show that they care about what they do and how they can tailor their work to fit with your business.
Gaps in expertise may become clear as the consultant starts to work with the broader team. This is expected, weâre all human. But when the skill gaps are significant and are in their core area of expertise alarm bells should start ringing. Listen to your team if they raise concerns and step away from consultants if they turn out to have only superficial expertise in what you need them to do.
If possible, make sure you read testimonials and get the details of the consultant's previous work. Donât be afraid to step away from a freelance management consultant if you and your team start getting doubts about their ability.
How Much? When?
Keep a close eye on how much you are paying.
On the one hand, low prices can be very tempting as it will save you money in the short term compared to more expensive options. Low prices can also be terrifying and suggest that the consultant doesnât know what theyâre doing and are desperate to take any work that comes their way.
Once you get started with a freelance management consultant, keep a close eye on shifting project timeframes. While an element of flexibility is absolutely needed as projects get going, costs can quickly get out of control if projects are not managed well.
Review the timings of the payments that you agree to make to independent consultants. Looking for a large chunk of money before final delivery is a warning that the consultant doesnât have confidence in their ability to give you what you want.
Not a good fit
An element of friction can be expected when bringing in external expertise, especially when they work with different stakeholders. However, this should not boil over into personal clashes, resentment, or cause damage to the morale of your team.
There may be cases when a consultant isnât compatible with the culture of your business. For example, they may be overly defensive when given feedback or too direct in the feedback they give to other people.
