By Carrie Morris

In my role at Simplicity Consulting, I help hiring managers reach their specific business goals by explaining the many benefits of thinking differently about the traditional hiring process. I highlight the advantages of adopting a more strategic and nimble approach to finding the right talent in marketing, communications, and project & program management.

I’m passionate about this because it boils down to this truth: Traditional hiring is broken. And the fix is adopting a more flexible staffing strategy that involves hiring consultants. This approach can be used by an organization experiencing layoffs, a hiring freeze, a specialized skills gap, the sudden departure of a top performer or an employee going out on a leave of absence (LOA).

DO ANY OF THESE HIRING SITUATIONS SOUND FAMILIAR?

Need: Vacancies due to recent layoffs have quickly created a cascade of projects to stall. You need help – and fast.

Real talk: You can’t add permanent headcount at the moment. And even if you could, traditional hiring often takes too long, costs too much, and doesn’t always solve the most immediate issues.

When an employer wants to fill a need related to time-sensitive and mission-critical projects, the traditional hiring process may not be a viable option. And even with an approved hiring budget, traditional hiring often leaves hiring managers waiting too long and, ultimately, spending too much.

Without question, hiring can be a time-consuming process. And then there’s all of the resources and time required to then onboard the new employee – a process that takes an average of 90 days.

But traditional hiring can be costly even when the process seems to go smoothly. Here are some of the heftier costs often associated with hiring a full-time employee:

• Salary
• Healthcare benefits
• Retirement savings plans
• Paid-time off
• Disability insurance
• Computer equipment and software
• Communication expenses
• Supplies and furniture
• Training materials
• Travel costs

The true costs of hiring a full-time employee typically far outweigh those of hiring an on-demand consultant once you factor in full-time costs like benefits, taxes and overhead expenses.

Need: A key member of your team is suddenly about to go out on leave (LOA) and there’s no way you can get several pivotal projects done without them.

Real talk: Traditional hiring focuses on the long haul – at a cost to employers.

Traditional hiring doesn’t readily accommodate short-term headcount needs, which is something many employers learned the hard way during the pandemic.

Coverage for an unexpected absence or a leave of several months requires agility and speed. It demands a hiring model that breaks success into bite-sized chunks.

Need: You need to quickly scale your team for an upcoming product launch but won’t need the added headcount after the release is complete.

Real talk: Traditional hiring is inflexible.

We already established that traditional hiring takes significant time, putting it at odds with today’s ever-increasing speed of business.

When you must quickly build an on-demand team, the months required to source, screen, interview, hire, and onboard new employees will only hamper innovation and agility.

TIRED OF THE TRADITIONAL HIRING HEADACHES? HIRE CONSULTANTS!

If you’re sick of navigating the costly and inflexible nature of traditional hiring, consider hiring consultants through Simplicity to address your organization’s most pressing priorities.

Our consultants are available on a short- or long-term basis to help with a wide variety of projects. Our experts can serve as generalists helping organizations with big-picture marketing or communication strategy, or offer a more specialized focus in a particular area, such as paid media or branding.

Ready to start hiring consultants? We’re here to help. Our team uses a multi-pronged and collaborative approach to make sure you find the right consultant quickly.

Carrie Morris is EVP of Client Service & Success, Marketing, and Operations at Simplicity.

Traditional hiring can be slow, expensive, inflexible, and is often hyper-focused on the long term to the detriment of short- and mid-term projects. As someone who has been consulting with hiring managers and enterprise companies for more than a decade, I am intimately familiar with the limitations traditional hiring strategies put on employers.

If you’re frustrated with the many challenges of a traditional hiring strategy and want to incorporate more urgency, cost savings, and flexibility into your talent strategy, consider adopting a model that prioritizes on-demand, project-based consulting talent. Here’s how to get started:

1. THINK OUTSIDE THE TRADITIONAL HIRING STRATEGY BOX

It doesn’t need to be traditional hiring or nothing; you have options. As Simplicity’s CEO and founder, Lisa Hufford, likes to phrase it, shift your mindset from team to Team to embrace a total talent strategy.

A team consists solely of full-time employees. In contrast, a Team includes a collection of resources helping an organization reach its goals. There is no standard template — a Team can be any combination of full-time employees, consultants, freelancers, vendors, agencies, and contractors.

In contrast to the weeks or months it often takes to hire one full-time employee, an on-demand expert can be selected and hired very quickly. And highly skilled specialized consultants brought on for targeted projects often make an immediate impact.

Additionally, working with on-demand talent can be hugely helpful during times of economic uncertainty. This alternative to traditional hiring allows you to take advantage of a variable cost structure by only paying for the work you need when you need it.

Rethinking your talent strategy? Hire a consultant!

2. DEFINE WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU

It might sound obvious, but it’s nearly impossible to have a successful project without first clearly defining what success looks like. So, ask yourself: What’s the most important outcome needed right now? And then dig a little deeper. What results do you want to see in 30 days? What about 90? What expertise do you have on your team, and where are your gaps? What milestones must be met? How will you measure success? 

3. LOOK TO ALTERNATIVE HIRING METHODS TO MOVE BUSINESS FORWARD

Do traditional hiring strategies have some serious limitations? Yes. But are there alternatives to help you overcome these timely and costly obstacles? Absolutely.  To conquer the challenges of an ever-changing business climate, consider partnering with a specialized consulting agency such as Simplicity.

Our team prides itself in matchmaking clients with top Marketing, Communications, and Project and Program Management consultants. We work with you every step of the way from drafting a project outline, to vetting and sourcing consultant candidates, scheduling practice working sessions and interviews, to hiring and onboarding new talent. Our consultants have the skills and expertise to hit the ground running and produce bottom-line results quickly.

We are fully committed to our client’s success, and our work does not end once we’ve paired you with a consultant. Our team continues to manage performance, deliverables, and success metrics for your project, so that you as the client can focus on other pressing business matters.

If you’re ready to adopt a more cost-effective and flexible talent strategy, contact us to discuss how consulting can benefit your organization or department.

Carrie Morris is the EVP of Client Service & Success, Marketing, and Operations at Simplicity.