It’s not just mad dogs and Englishmen that turn their backs on stellar HR careers to go-it-alone; Annie Hayes talks to four HR consultants to find out just why they risked it all.

Redundancy was the turning point for seasoned HR professional Quentin Colborn, who has an impressive 30-year track record in HR and now runs his own HR consultancy and interim specialist, QC People: “It made me think about what I wanted to do. It offered the opportunity for a wide variety of work and the opportunity to do something different to working in a corporate environment.”

Variety and spicing up the humdrum of a steady job is a reason that surfaces time and time again. Sandra Beale, who now heads up her own outfit SJ Beale HR Consult Ltd, points to more freedom and the chance to deepen existing experience as her reasons for going solo.

Lucy Turner, of Turner HR Ltd, who also braved the move just this year, agrees with Beale and admits that the trigger for her was when she felt she wanted ‘more’. As a mum, Turner was also tempted by the chance to control her work-life balance and saw consultancy as the perfect option.

For Sue Kingston, of Kingston HR, a human resource, mentoring and mediation consultancy, who has an impressive 26 years HR experience under her belt, it was the power to be her own boss that prompted the move. Kingston was fortunate to be inspired by two previous bosses, both entrepreneurs who educated her in risk taking. Following what Kingston dubs a “remarkable and unusual” opportunity to make herself redundant, she decided the time was as good as any to explore pastures new.

Skill sets

Being a ‘jack of all trades’ is a key requirement. Colborn says: “There is a much greater emphasis on business development and selling myself – not always something I feel comfortable with! Working for yourself also means being much more self-sufficient; there is no IT department to help when the PC goes down, you either need to outsource or gain experience in finance, book keeping and marketing. Also there is no-one to immediately turn to if you want to bounce ideas off others – or take professional advice.”

It’s a point that Turner is also beginning to understand: “The fundamental difference is it’s only you who is the victim of your success or failure,” she remarks. “The need to be self-motivated and disciplined is paramount.”

On the plus side, Kingston admits that whilst there is the requirement to have a broad skill-set, the chance to ditch the office gossip and abandon the internal politics can outweigh this: “When you walk away from a job you don’t drag the negativity with you.”

The right career move?

Despite the attractive benefits, it isn’t a move for everyone; Colborn admits that it’s a bold move that requires both guts and financial backing: “To launch out on your own, it needs a degree of financial security as income isn’t guaranteed. It also requires a high degree of self supportiveness, I would not say it is the right move for people who need work colleagues close at hand.”

Turner also believes that once you’ve made the move it is difficult to pedal backwards: “I guess the danger of such a move is that if it doesn’t work out, somehow you’ll need to explain this on your CV when you find yourself job hunting again.”

But Beale is resolute in her belief that it is the only way to move up the career ladder: “Waiting around in an organisation for promotional opportunities can often take a lifetime. I personally would recommend an HR consultancy career as it can help you leapfrog upwards on the career ladder if you choose the right contracts/freelance work. It has certainly helped me.”

The qualifications that count

Colborn returns to the emphasis on technical skills and explains that not only do HR consultants need to have a sound knowledge, but they need to upscale that beyond and above what the client has themselves or are easily able to source via helplines or the internet.

Beale says that the badge of honour – the qualification from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – also helps but agrees with Turner that this is no substitute for solid experience: “You also need to be able to converse and build rapport at board level as it’s the key decision makers who are likely to determine whether a business engages your services or not.”

Kingston also highlights the key responsibility of protecting the employer – a role that requires a sound knowledge of employment legislation and best HR practice.

Earning power

Colborn suggests that whilst there is the ‘potential’ to earn good money, clients don’t and won’t give it away for nothing: “Potentially yes, but the emphasis is on earning it – no client expects to just shell out money – quite reasonably, they all look for value for money. There are also the lifestyle benefits that come with working for yourself. Dependent on what I’m doing, I can choose to go out for the day and work in the evening if I wish.”

Beale also remarks that it takes time to build up your billing power: “There is the ability to earn more as an HR consultant, gradually upping the day rate or pro rata rate in months rather than years as you gain more and more experience.”

And there is the competition to consider too, as Turner explains: “The potential earnings are higher than working as an HR employee, but it’s a competitive market and most clients have high expectations – the trick is to manage their expectations and always, always deliver what you promise.”

Money aside, some do it ‘just for the kicks’. Kingston emphasises that those who thrive as HR consultants are the ones that aren’t purely driven by the money on offer: “I made the move to being a consultant as I was more interested in my work-life balance as well as enjoying what I do and the people I interact with.”

So would they all do it again? “Yes” is the resounding answer.

“I have never regretted the decision, but would not pretend it has been easy and it is most certainly not for the faint hearted,” says Kingston. “The most wonderful thing is what you learn about yourself throughout this process – the extent of your inner strength, your innovation, your tenacity, your determination, your self-respect.” Which is something, surely, that money cannot buy and a learning experience that is always worth having.