Your company has a full-time IT Team, but…
► The team has gaps in skill set: The Lead Architect or Specialist just got hired by a competitor.
► A backlog of requests from LOB: Not enough hours in the week to get everything done.
► Company hiring freeze: The cost of hiring another full-time employee, not in the budget.
There are many advantages and benefits to hiring an IT consultant instead of bringing on a full-time employee. Overall, contractors generally incur less financial risk. It’s easier and faster to make hiring and firing decisions with contract workers than with full-time employees.
A Fresh Perspective
Bringing in an outside source can bring a new perspective to the business. Someone who works with many different Enterprise companies will often see things internal teams may not. A fresh voice with experience, an objective, and honest opinions can jump-start a stagnant process or team.
New Skills & Knowledge
A good IT Consultant is up to date with the latest news, solutions, and methodologies in their field. Company leaders can learn from consultants and use that knowledge in the future to benefit the company long after the consultant departs. Consultants hired should have experience of the surrounding marketplace and industry.
They have worked with similar companies that may or may not be competitors. Therefore, the consultant could have a solid perspective of what other companies are doing and what it will take to be competitive.
Hire Experts
Experienced IT consultants are experts in their field. They should have information, contacts, and tools your team might be missing. This equates to faster implementation and results. Consultants are typically hired for a specific engagement. Once complete, they move on to the next project. You can benefit by utilizing their knowledge and skill with “no strings attached”.
Set Expectations
What happens if your full-time employee takes 3x longer to get work done? Experienced consultants have many resources available to them and often end up saving substantial time and money re-training existing employees, organizing and prioritizing their schedules, and executing new strategies. Clearly defined scope of work and a set budget can be more cost-effective and help stick to a yearly budget. No more excuses from an employee, Work gets done.
Cost Effective
The value of IT consultants goes well beyond the cost reduction of their efficiency strategies. Paying for a salary, benefits, workspace, and all other expenses for a full-time employee can be prohibitively expensive. Consultants are often hired to tackle a particular problem within a specific timeframe, which allows for more cost-effective and efficient use of time.
No HR Hassle
When you hire a full-time employee, there are many additional steps and thoughts to consider over and above the salary. Costs include onboarding, relocation, benefits package, vacation, sick days, and more.
What happens when an employee leaves or gets terminated? The cycle starts all over in looking for someone to fill that role. Hiring a consultant ensures that you will always have someone working on that task.
Underperforming employees are more likely to be kept on the payroll for months on end, due to the hassle and cost of hiring someone else. There’s also the matter of avoiding potential employee lawsuits. Hiring IT consultants instead allows you to avoid these issues.
Less Training
Save time hiring an expert vs. training a new employee. Consultants come in with knowledge and do not require initial or ongoing training.
More Time
- Hiring a good IT Consultant can allow the company to focus on core business functions.
- Employees perform best when focusing on their core competencies.
- Having weakness or lacking skills in Information Technology is a very real opportunity cost.
- By leveraging a good consultant, your employees can focus more time on their core role and increase the overall success of the company.
There are many factors to consider when hiring.
Hire an Employee if…
♦ The work needs to be done under your supervision
♦ You want to control the hours of work and equipment used by the worker
♦ You have a long-term need for that role
Hire a Contractor/Consultant if…
♦ The work can be done by a professional who doesn’t need much supervision
♦ The work is a short-term project that will be completed in a defined period of time
♦ The worker has professional expertise or is someone who needs little supervision.
Contracting IT Services might be a better option than another full-time employee.
