Introduction to HR consulting project

IN TWENTY-EIGHTEEN, MORE THAN THIRTY-FIVE-PERCENT OF THE US WORKFORCE WERE ALREADY SELLING THEIR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS ON THE OPEN MARKET TO ANYBODY WILLING TO PAY THEM FOR THEIR WORK. THIS NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO RISE TO ABOUT FIFTY-TWO-PERCENT BY THE YEAR TWENTY-TWENTYFIVE.

THEREFORE, IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR YOU TO LEARN HOW TO BE AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR IN A CONSULTING ROLE. THIS CLASS WILL HELP YOU IN THE PROCESS OF ACQUIRING, FINE-TUNING, AND SHARPENING YOUR SKILL SET AND KNOWLEDGE BASES HOW TO SUCCEED IN THAT ROLE.

NEARLY EVERY ASSIGNMENT IN THIS CLASS IS GEARED TOWARDS ACHIEVING THIS GOAL.

Client Company

IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU ACQUIRING A CLIENT, A COMPANY THAT IS WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEMESTER AND DEVOTE SIGNIFICANT TIME TO YOU. THE CLIENT WILL INVEST ABOUT SIX HOURS FOR THE CONSULTING PROJECT. THERE AREN’T MANY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TYPE OF CLIENT YOU CAN CHOOSE BUT HERE A FEW:

FIRST, AT LEAST FIFTEEN EMPLOYEES, WHICH IS THE CUT-OFF POINT FOR MANY FEDERAL LAWS, AND SECOND, THEY MUST BE WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU. FURTHERMORE, THIS CLIENT SHOULD VALUE YOUR WORK ENOUGH TO PAY SOMETHING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $600 FOR YOUR WORK.

THE CALCULATION OF THAT PRICE IS SIMPLE: IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT YOU WILL WORK APPROXIMATELY 40 HOURS ON THIS PROJECT DURING THE SEMESTER AND YOU SHOULD GET $15/HR FOR YOUR WORK (AMOUNTING TO $600). THIS MONEY GOES TO THE STUDENT ORGANIZATION UVU STUDENT SHRM CHAPTER TO SUPPORT THEIR EFFORTS TO PUT ON PROGRAMS FOR OUR HR STUDENTS THAT HELP WITH CAREER PLACEMENT, EDUCATION, AND STUDENT SUPPORT.
YOU SHOULD ACCOMPLISH FINDING YOUR CLIENT WITHIN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEMESTER. IF A COMPANY IS NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR YOUR VALUABLE WORK, THEY ARE NOT A GOOD CLIENT – MOVE ON!

YOU WILL PROVIDE MEANINGFUL INSIGHTS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT TO YOUR CLIENT COMPANY AND THEY OUGHT TO RECOGNIZE THAT VALUE. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, YOUR IDEAS WILL RESULT IN SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS’ WORTH OF HR SAVINGS – IF THEY WERE TO HIRE A FULL-TIME CONSULTANT TO DO THE WORK YOU DO—IT WOULD COST THEM TWENTY TO FOURTY TIMES THE MONEY YOU ARE ASKING FOR.

First Interview: Assess HR Client Challenges
ONCE YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR CLIENT COMPANY, YOU NEED TO AGREE ON THE FIRST INTERVIEW SESSION WITH YOUR CLIENT DURING THE THIRD OR FOURTH WEEK OF THE SEMESTER. THAT INTERVIEW SHOULDN’T TAKE MORE THAN THIRTY MINUTES.

 DURING THIS FIRST INTERVIEW YOU WILL DEVELOP A FEEL FOR WHAT SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES YOUR CLIENT IS FACING. UTILIZE THE RESPONSES YOU GET FROM YOUR CLIENT TO DEVELOP A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR BUSINESS AND HR STRATEGY.

YOU WILL FIND A LIST OF THE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD BE ASKING THE INTERVIEWEE IN THE SYLLABUS AND THE CONSULTING PROJECT. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS DURING THIS PROCESS, I’M AVAILABLE TO YOU VIA EMAIL.

Craft Ideas for Client: Maximizing Course Assignments
NOW THAT YOU’VE GAINED YOUR FIRST INSIGHT INTO YOUR CLIENT, YOU SHOULD START THINKING ABOUT YOUR CLIENT AND THEIR ISSUES MORE DEEPLY.

APPLY WHAT YOU LEARN FROM YOUR S-H-R-M AND T-L-N-T/E-R-E READING ASSIGNMENTS AND YOUR LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS/OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUR CLIENT SITUATION. THE TEMPLATES FOR THESE ASSIGNMENTS ASK YOU TO WRTIE YOUR CONCLUSIONS.

THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER, AT SHRM.ORG AND TLNT/ERE.COM YOU SHOULD FIND AND READ CLIENT PROJECT RELEVANT ARTICLES. ADDITIONALLY, THE LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS/ OPPORTUNITIES WILL HELP YOU TO MAKE SENSE OF THE ISSUES YOU HAVE DISCOVERED IN YOUR CLIENT’S HR PRACTICES.

NOW YOU CAN START TO FILL OUT THE PROJECT APPLICATION SECTIONS IN THE ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATES AND SUBMIT IN CANVAS. ALL THESE ASSIGNMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP YOU THINK CREATIVELY AND PROGRESSIVELY ABOUT SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR CLIENT’S ISSUES IN THEIR STAFFING AND PERFORMANCE PRACTICES.

Second Interview: Staffing
DURING THE FIFTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH  WEEK OF THE SEMESTER, YOU SHOULD SCHEDULE YOUR SECOND INTERVIEW WITH YOUR CLIENT. THIS TIME, YOU DEVELOP TWENTY OR MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT STAFFING TO GUIDE YOUR INTERVIEW AGENDA. YOU CAN CHOOSE THESE QUESTIONS FROM THE SUGGESTED LIST OF CONSULTING PROJECT QUESTIONS. THESE QUESTIONS ARE IN EACH MODULE AND IN THE CONSULTING PROJECT SECTION.

WHEREVER YOU SEE THESE CONSULTING PROJECT QUESTIONS IN THE LECTURE SLIDES, YOU SHOULD BE ALERTED THAT THIS IS PROJECT-RELEVANT MATERIAL YOU CAN USE TO GUIDE YOU IN YOUR EFFORTS TO BUILD A GOOD CONSULTING PROJECT FOR YOUR CLIENT.

ORDER YOUR QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW IN A LOGICAL ORDER:
1.	JOB DESIGN/ANALYSIS/DESCRIPTIONS
2.	STAFFING STRATEGY
3.	BRANDING/RECRUITMENT/SOURCING
4.	SELECTION (INTERVIEW AND MEASUREMENT)
5.	ONBOARDING/SUCCESSION/TURNOVER/RETENTION
BY ORGANIZING YOUR QUESTIONS IN THIS FASHION, YOUR INTERVIEW WILL BE MORE EFFICIENT IN PROVIDING YOU WITH THE INFORMATION YOU NEED. SEND YOUR CATALOGUE OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ME FOR APPROVAL AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO YOUR CLIENT AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO YOUR INTERVIEW SESSION.

THE RESULTS FROM YOUR SECOND INTERVIEW NOW SHOULD GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS FOR THE CLIENT’S STAFFING ISSUES. USE THE LECTURE SLIDES, YOUR SHRM + TLNT/ERE ARTICLES, AND THE LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS (AND OPPORTUNITIES) TO DEVELOP IDEAS HOW TO RESOLVE THEIR STAFFING CHALLENGES.

3rd Interview: Performance Evaluation
BY THE NINTH, TENTH, AND ELEVENTH WEEK OF THE SEMESTER, YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR THIRD AND FINAL INTERVIEW SCHEDULED WITH YOUR CLIENT. THIS TIME, YOUR TOPIC IS PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS. AGAIN, YOU SHOULD DEVELOP TWENTY OR MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS TO GUIDE YOUR INTERVIEW AGENDA. YOU CAN CHOOSE THESE QUESTIONS FROM THE SUGGESTED LIST OF CONSULTING PROJECT QUESTIONS. THESE QUESTIONS ARE IN EACH MODULE AND IN THE CONSULTING PROJECT SECTION.

ORDER YOUR QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW IN A LOGICAL ORDER:
1.	APPRAISAL (MEASUREMENT)
2.	FEEDBACK (INTERVIEW)
3.	MANAGEMENT (COACHING)
BY ORGANIZING YOUR QUESTIONS IN THIS FASHION, YOUR INTERVIEW WILL BE MORE EFFICIENT IN PROVIDING YOU WITH THE INFORMATION YOU NEED. SEND YOUR CATALOGUE OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ME FOR APPROVAL AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO YOUR CLIENT AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO YOUR INTERVIEW SESSION.

THE RESULTS FROM YOUR THIRD INTERVIEW NOW SHOULD GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS FOR THE CLIENT’S PERFORMANCE ISSUES. USE THE LECTURE SLIDES, YOUR SHRM + TLNT/ERE ARTICLES, AND THE LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS (AND OPPORTUNITIES) TO DEVELOP IDEAS HOW TO RESOLVE THEIR PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES


Final Presentation
NOW IT’S TIME TO DEVELOP YOUR FINAL PRESENTATION FOR YOUR CLIENT. THE INSIGHTS YOU’VE GAINED FROM YOUR THREE INTERVIEWS SHOULD NOW COME TOGETHER WITH WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM YOUR SHRM + TLNT/ERE READINGS AND YOUR LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS (AND OPPORTUNITIES).
UTILIZE THE TEMPLATE I’VE PROVIDED IN CANVAS FOR THE FINAL PRESENTATION. DO NOT CHANGE THE EDITING I’VE CREATED IN THE POWER POINT TEMPLATE. PLEASE DO NOT USE GOOGLE DRIVE WHILE WORKING ON THE FILE. IT ALTERS THE FORMATTING.
YOU SHOULD INITIALLY DEAL WITH THE TOPICS OF STAFFING AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SEPARATELY BY ANALYZING THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF YOUR CLIENT AND PROVIDING IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENT BEFORE YOU BRING EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN THE SECOND TO LAST SLIDE OF THE PRESENTATION.
SHOW YOUR CLIENT THAT YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A COHERENT SOLUTION FOR A STAFFING AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM THAT COMPLEMENTS EACH OTHER TO IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS RESULTS.
IN WEEK TWELVE AND THIRTEEN OF THE SEMESTER, YOU SHOULD SCHEDULE YOUR FINAL PRESENTATION TO YOUR CLIENT. PLEASE SEND YOUR CLIENT YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR TO YOUR FINAL PRESENTATION.  IN ALL COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR CLIENT YOU SHOULD BE CCING ME – NOT TO MICROMANAGE BUT TO KEEP ME IN THE LOOP OF YOUR PROGRESS AND POSSIBLE CHALLENGES.

FINAL THOUGHTS
THIS PROJECT IS YOUR CONSULTING CAPSTONE PROJECT. TREAT IT AS SUCH AND GIVE IT THE NECESSARY ATTENTION AND DEDICATION IT DESERVES! DEVOTE ENOUGH TIME TO GATHERING THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO DEVELOP YOUR CREATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS OF CURRENT STAFFING AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PRACTICES OF YOUR CLIENT. THIS IS MEANINGFUL AND IMPORTANT WORK AND SHOULD MAKE YOU PROUD AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CORNERSTONE IN YOUR HR EDUCATION AT UVU. YOU WILL SUCCEED!