Are you looking to outsource some or all of your IT services? If so here are tips to take the stress out of finding the right person for the job. 

As we move deeper into this recession, you may find that in order for you to stay relevant in business you need to adapt to the way your clients are looking for information. If you are in the expansion stages of your business, developing technologies to connect your remote and corporate officesmay be what you are looking for, this will take a technology specialist that has a firm understanding of networking. This means that you may need to include more staff to your current IT Department or even look at developing that side of your business if you have not done so already. However, what if you don't have the money allocated to add another full time employee. What if you would rather pay someone who can create solutions for you a la carte? With all the costs associated to hiring an employee such as taxes, insurances and benefits you may find that hiring someone who has the right blend of experience and education is either outside your reach or simply not desired. This can lead to increased costs as the hired individual doesn’t have the right experience to accomplish the desired results in a timely fashion.

So how do you know if in fact you need an IT Consultant?
Do you have a project or series of projects that need to be completed that are outside the scope of your current employees?
Are you at the beginning stages of implementing technology into your business and do not know where to begin?
Is the current technology implemented in need of being certified for compliance with HIPPA, SOX, PCI or FISMA?

If you can answer yes to any of the above questions then yes in fact you do need to hire an IT Consultant, but how can this done?

Understanding the role of the consultant will help you find the right person for the job.

• Delivering accurate and timely information - communication is key to keeping the project on time and moving in the direction that will keep your business moving forward.
• Elevating the decision makers information – educating the person who makes the decisions about trending and standardized technologies will help you understand what it will actually take to complete your project.
• Allow the final decisions to be made by you – although IT Consultants have the knowledge and experience to do things a certain way sometimes there is a need to adapt to the way you run your business, if this is the case then the consultant should make sure that all plans are approved by you prior to starting any projects.
• Collaboration – This is your business and your project so your input into what your desired result should be stated, with that the IT Consultant can offer solutions that can be agreed upon by both parties involved.

Now that we understand the role that we want our IT Consultant to play in our business, how do you choose the right person? Here are a few questions you can ask to find the right candidate.

• What is the consultants’ area of expertise? This is a great starting question, obviously it gets down to the core of what you are looking for without the need to unload a series of questions only to find that this person isn’t qualified to address the project at hand.
• How long has the consultant been a consultant? This is another great question because even though this person may be a Technological Genius they may not have the rest of the package to sustain what you are looking for; being a consultant is more than implementing technology.
• What certification or degrees does the consultant hold? Knowing your consultants background helps you make an informed decision about whether or not you are hiring the right person for the job.
• What type if any project management education does the consultant hold?  This is your project and you need to be able to track the progress so that you know where this project is standing at all times. If this person is unable to manage this project and give you the information you need when you need it, then this person may not be the right person for you.
• Has the consultant completed any relevant work in the past? You need to complete this project in a timely manner and the last thing you need is to hire someone who has never completed the project at hand. They may have all the certifications and degrees in the world but if they do not have experience completing this project in the past then they may be wasting your time.

If you follow these few steps you should be on your way to hiring the right consultant for the job.