As a new small business owner, you may not have in-house HR. In our previous posts, we have covered what an HR consultant does and why, how, and when to hire one. Let’s delve into HOW you should hire one as soon as possible.
This blog will discuss HOW to hire an HR consultant, with a complete list of interview questions and things to look for.
What makes a good HR consultant?
Excellent communication skills are essential for an HR Consultant. The ability to communicate, understand, empathize, and problem-solve with individuals from all levels in the company is imperative. People assessment skills are highly desired for this role.
What are the five roles of HR?
Human Resources manages five primary duties:
- talent management,
- compensation and employee benefits,
- training and development,
- compliance,
- and workplace safety.
An HR department can help provide organizational structure and the ability to meet business needs by effectively managing the employee lifecycle.
Verify their HR service delivery model
HR service delivery is a term that explains how an organization’s human resources department offers services to and interacts with employees. Traditionally, human resources service delivery was as simple as an open door policy where employees could stop in, ask questions and pick up needed paperwork.
While that’s still in effect, trends are moving toward a fiercely proactive model, which includes strategy, purposeful implementation, increased capabilities, flawless and streamlined processes, a vision of the big picture, and using business partners when appropriate (Mercer, 2022).
Questions to ask your prospective HR consultant
- How long have you done HR consulting work?
- What kind of experience do you have?
- How much of your experience has been in (the state your business is in)?
- How much of your experience has been in a management-level position?
- How do you keep up-to-date with changing HR laws?
- How do you investigate and handle legal complaints, like sexual harassment or workplace discrimination?
- How are our communications protected to remain confidential?
- What HR tasks can you help me with?
- What services do you not provide? Do you have referrals for those services?
- Do you work onsite or remotely?
- What do I need to provide for you?
- What are your rates and payment options?
- What happens if I disagree with your advice?
- How often can I contact you to ask questions?
- How quickly do you respond to questions?
- How do you prefer to communicate with clients? (
Other considerations when hiring a HR consultant
- The duties of an HR consultant.
- Experience matters.
- Find out details of their previous projects.
- Focus on their area of expertise.
- Assess how connected they are with the latest updates.
- Set expectations to gauge their level of commitment.
Remember that this role is vital to your business, as your people ARE your business. Be sure to understand their roles and responsibilities, what skills make them good at what they do, their service delivery model, and other considerations like their level of expertise and ability to keep current. Communication and commitment are also hugely important.
Companies such as Startup Tandem offer outsourced HR solutions for startups and small businesses in various industries all over the country. Learn more about Startup Tandem and the Tandem Culture and give them a call for a free quote on services.
References
Emerzian Shankar Legal Inc. (2022, February 16). What questions should I ask an HR consultant? Emerzian Shankar Legal Inc. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://eslegalinc.com/what-questions-should-i-ask-an-hr-consultant/
Mercer (2022). It’s time for the next generation HR Service Delivery Model. Mercer. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.mercer.com/content/dam/mercer/attachments/global/Talent/Assess-BrochureHRAssessment.pdf