The joys and pains of internal consulting
Part 9 of 13 of my series on the profession of management consulting
The rumours, for the most part, are true. If you’re an external consultant, there is a good chance, you essentially live in a plane and hardly see your desk. You probably work long hours and have to fight your way to the top for a good chunk of your career. For some, this sounds damn sexy and I must admit, there is definitely a prestige about working as an external consultant, especially for a top-tier firm. But if you struggle to have a work-life balance as I do, be it because of your stage of life or plain old fatigue of the jet-set life, know you have an option. A way to hold on consulting as a career without the exhaustion aftertaste. It’s called, internal consulting.
Internal consulting? Oh the shame…
OK. For many, internal consultant jobs aren’t exactly dream jobs. While some may feel this is a bit of a generalization, I don’t think I’m far off the mark. Just doing a job search on Monster.ca for “Internal Consultant” pulls up very little. While the work of internal consultants definitely exists out there in the market, this work either isn’t recognized as consulting, or the term “internal consulting” is downplayed to attract more applicants. But why is that? Is there a stigma about being an internal consultant? Is there a perception that an internal consultant couldn’t cut it as an external consultant? It may surprise you but a good percentage of internal consultants started their career as external consultants, often from very reputable firms.
Remember, a job title doesn’t always describe the work
There are many jobs out there which are just plain hard to summarize in a few words. For example, I’m currently an Analytics Consultant at Bell Canada. (Off topic: I wish the good people at Mozilla would add the word “analytics” to their spell-check dictionary.) However, we do more than just web analytics for clients, both internal and external, these days. We are plunging into Social Media strategy, Web Optimization and competitive analytics. But I really doubt Bell will start revamping our job titles to reflect all that. So remember, the work you do is more important than your title, but I realize from past experience that it’s hard to overlook sometimes.
The perks of going internal
Job title envy aside, there are many benefits to being an internal consultant. First off, your work hours are definitely more palatable. In extreme cases, you could be working half the hours of an external consultant. Secondly, for those looking for stability, internal consultants generally travel less – always a plus for those with families. Ok, so the pay isn’t as great, but I’m willing to wager if you broke it down to a true hourly rate, it would be somewhat comparable to external consultant pay.
Looking closer at the actual work of an internal consultant one can see other benefits as well. While most of the work of an internal consultant is the same as that of an external one, an internal consultant has a greater chance of ensuring that implementation actually occurs. Unlike those McKinsey kids who leave after the recommendation, internal consultants can play a key role in ensuring that their solutions are adopted, especially if they are longer-term projects.
Internal consultants often enjoy more trust from their clients. Since both the consultant and client work for the same company, there is a common denominator that both rely on. In the end, they both have the company’s best interests in mind. Furthermore, when it comes to sensitive data, a company will be more inclined to go with internal consultants to avoid any risk of leakage. Also, unlike external consultants, the knowledge gained during the consulting engagement stays within the company. In addition, because an internal consultant gets to touch upon all aspects of the company and interact with all levels in the organization, internal consultants make prime candidates for promotion. Not so bad huh?
Back to reality
OK, OK. There are some drawbacks – there always are. As I mentioned before, the pay isn’t as high. You’ll also only see mandates in the same vertical so there is less variety in the job (though for some, this is a positive). Also, you don’t get to learn as much from other industries as you would as an external consultant. But with all that said, it isn’t so bad. I’ve been what I consider an internal consultant at Concordia University for close to five years. There is definitely a satisfaction of seeing your recommendations become a reality and building stronger ties throughout the community. Pats on the back and nods of recognition are nice too, y’know.
You could do both
As I’ve said before, I’ve chosen to be both an internal and external consultant. For me, this offers me the best of both worlds: gaining experience in a variety of different industries as well as helping my own company succeed. I find most professional service units of larger business allows for this dynamic.
Ultimately, it’s up to you. Just know you never have to stay as an internal or external consultant. Find the position that fits you and your career goals. Concentrate on the work and the personal rewards rather than the title, and you’ll be just fine.
Comments