When someone mentions an IT company, most people probably imagine a group of enthusiastic programmers. While they make up a large part of the team, consultants play an equally important role in projects.
We have already written about who consultants are and what they generally do. However, for many people, this profession still remains a mystery, and it is not easy to navigate related job offers. The term itself is very broad.
Today, we’ll take a deeper look and explore the different types of consultants.
Diversity by Area of Expertise
At GLOBESY, we primarily focus on the digitalization of HR processes. Therefore, when discussing consultants, we’ll cover only a relatively small segment and focus on the types you would find under our roof.
The largest part of our teams consists of HCM (Human Capital Management) consultants — specialists in HR processes and specific software solutions. They are able to perfectly configure these systems for clients and train users to work with them.
Another significant group is business consultants — experts in specific business domains who, even before implementation, can analyze a client’s requirements and capabilities and propose an optimal, tailor-made solution.
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Last but not least, we also have a customer support team. In a way, they are consultants as well, since they constantly communicate with clients, strive to understand their current needs, provide assistance, and improve individual solutions.
Narrower Specializations
The division between business and HCM does not end there — HCM itself covers a wide range of topics. This type of software supports processes across the entire employee lifecycle, from core HR administration to talent management, including advanced data analytics.
That’s a lot for one person. Therefore, HCM consultants specialize in specific parts of this broader area. You may encounter IT HCM consultants with titles such as Payroll, Recruiting, or Time Management. In these areas, they continuously improve and educate themselves, which can eventually lead to earning specific certifications.
To Program or Not to Program?
A specific feature of a consultant’s role is that they typically do not work in isolation from other members of the project team. The individual components of HCM systems are interconnected and influence one another.
Payroll may be linked to compensation, while learning and development can relate to succession planning or goal setting. Consultants therefore work within their specialized areas, but their responsibilities often overlap with those of other consultants — and not only with them.
Consultants serve as the connecting link between the user and the software. Requests for significant system changes that require code modifications are passed on to developers.
To some extent, their work may overlap with that of programmers, and you may encounter consultants with varying levels of technical or development knowledge. However, for most of them, programming is not a mandatory skill. If they do have this knowledge, it is more of a personal advantage that allows them to approach situations from a different perspective.
Are You Interested in a Consultant Career Path?
This article has mentioned several parameters that differentiate consultants from one another. But what do they have in common? This profession offers a wide range of areas to specialize in, and each of them presents numerous challenges — plenty of opportunities to search for new solutions, meet new people, think critically, and most importantly, grow and develop professionally.
