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Consulting as a career option?

Sarah

Rocket Is HR Consulting a Career Move or a Leap of Faith? Let’s Discuss! Thinking

For many HR professionals, consulting feels like a distant possibility — something that happens after years of climbing the corporate ladder or perhaps even post-retirement.

But is that really the case? Thought balloon
At what point does HR consulting feel like a realistic career option?

Question Is it when you reach a crossroads in your career?
 Question After experiencing burnout in a corporate role?
 Question Or do you see it as a planned pivot towards freedom and flexibility?

Over the last few years, I’ve seen HR professionals at all stages make the move into consulting — from early-career professionals to senior directors with decades of experience.

Some made the leap after a corporate restructure, others after feeling they wanted more control and flexibility in their careers. And let’s not forget those who were simply ready to make a bigger impact on their own terms.

I’d love to hear your thoughts:
 Speech balloon Do you see HR consulting as a career move? At what stage would you consider it a viable option for yourself?

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  • Hi Sarah, I work as an interim and run my own business. I would say that the decision to move into an independent business needs to be balanced with:

    - what experience do you have, is is marketable, will people buy it and will it generate the level of revenue needed to sustain a life and build a career.

    - how will you find clients- will they all be direct or will you get them from associate, other business partnerships, via agencies or intermediaries. All require work. 

    - being prepared to handle all the other elements of running a business like marketing, business development, finance, IT etc. If you don't do those yourself you might have to pay others for some of those services so it adds to your cost base and needs to be reflected in revenue targets. 

    What I've noticed over the years is the demographic for people running their own businesses has changed and people might start earlier and it's more fluid so people move in and out of the permanent workplace. I'm not sure how that will pan out in the future and there are a lot of assumptions employers can make about people who choose this path that you have to counter when you pitch for work or want to move back. All that said, I have gained more than I've lost from from running my own business but it's not always been financially lucrative or consistent pipeline of business activity. 

    The Institute of Interim Management has been running a survey for the last 16 years looking at the market - it includes HR- and that's a fascinating source of data and worth a look as is IPSE.

    This is an area I'm really passionate about, not just because I am solo worker but also because I run a community for those of us who work this way because it's also a little lonely when you go out on your own and I knew it was important to have company on my journey. 

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  • Hi Sarah, I work as an interim and run my own business. I would say that the decision to move into an independent business needs to be balanced with:

    - what experience do you have, is is marketable, will people buy it and will it generate the level of revenue needed to sustain a life and build a career.

    - how will you find clients- will they all be direct or will you get them from associate, other business partnerships, via agencies or intermediaries. All require work. 

    - being prepared to handle all the other elements of running a business like marketing, business development, finance, IT etc. If you don't do those yourself you might have to pay others for some of those services so it adds to your cost base and needs to be reflected in revenue targets. 

    What I've noticed over the years is the demographic for people running their own businesses has changed and people might start earlier and it's more fluid so people move in and out of the permanent workplace. I'm not sure how that will pan out in the future and there are a lot of assumptions employers can make about people who choose this path that you have to counter when you pitch for work or want to move back. All that said, I have gained more than I've lost from from running my own business but it's not always been financially lucrative or consistent pipeline of business activity. 

    The Institute of Interim Management has been running a survey for the last 16 years looking at the market - it includes HR- and that's a fascinating source of data and worth a look as is IPSE.

    This is an area I'm really passionate about, not just because I am solo worker but also because I run a community for those of us who work this way because it's also a little lonely when you go out on your own and I knew it was important to have company on my journey. 

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