We all know the standard questions to ask around skill set alignment and bill rates.  What I’m seeing is logistical questions being asked after agreeing to a contract/engagement.  Leaving a contract early because you did not understand the client’s expectation is your fault, and can damage your reputation and future opportunities.  Take a few minutes to review the list below with your recruiter and be sure to understand all the components of the opportunity.

• What is the duration of contract and likeliness of extension?

Typically the start and end dates is provided, but asking about likeliness of extension can help you decide if you are interested.

• Are there any variances to the typical Mon – Thursday travel expectation?

It’s not uncommon to hear variances in travel expectations.  Bi-weekly travel is becoming a norm.  Some clients are now asking for Mon-Friday while others are offering remote opportunities.  Be sure to understand the expectation.

• Is there a preferred lodging option with pre-negotiated rate?

I’m 100% Marriott guy, I don’t vary unless I am required to.  You may be disappointed to hear after signing that contract that the client has a rate with La Quinta or Day Inns.  I would absolutely refuse a contract if being asked to stay at a budget hotel.

• What are the client’s and firm’s pre-screening requirements?

These days almost all clients have screening requirements including immunizations and drug testing.  I’ve heard of a few clients also testing for tobacco.  Your state may have legalized marijuana laws, but your clients may not.  Be sure to understand what you’ll be tested for prior to signing.

• Is there a daily per diem or receipt policy for meals?

Everyone prefers a daily per diem, but many clients require receipts.  I’ve seen sales people offer the client a lower daily allowances as part of negotiation to win the deal.  That is not acceptable.  I want to make sure I understand how I’ll be reimbursed for meals before agreeing to an engagement.

• Will the client approve my already scheduled vacation time?

Be sure to have approval on vacation time before agreeing to a contract.  Many clients set limitations on time off for their own FTEs and expect consultants to agree to this as well.  You don’t want to find out that the week you booked your cruise for is the client’s go-live date.  That clearly won’t work.

• Where will I physically be working and what is the environment?

My favorite story is of a consultant who worked at a client where the IT department was connected to a prison.  Her window looked out into the prison yard.  I’ve been assigned to basements in old building with water leaks, cockroaches, and mold.  Understanding the location and environment you work in prior to accepting will hopefully ensure you don’t request an early release.

• Who will be my direct report while at the client and what is their role?

Understanding the management structure is important to ensure you are signing on to an engagement where you are set up for success.  Whether the project falls under the PMO, IT Director, CIO, or other role can help you better understand the reporting structure.  We all know we are walking into a project that will have bumps along the way.  I want to make sure there is a clearly defined management structure to report issues and identified risks to regularly.

• What is the firms experience and history with this client?

This question can help you better understand the client, the culture, and the general direction of the project.  I like to know if there are other consultant firms represented on the project, how many consultants, and other projects underway before starting a new contract.

• Will this role guarantee a minimum of 40 billable hours a week?

If you are hourly, this question is imperative as it directly impacts your potential income during an engagement.  I’ve seen client’s set limits on hours, especially over 40 hours.  I’ve also seen 35-38 hours written into contracts as they client feels that is most realistic with a Mon – Thursday schedule. Don’t agree to a new project without knowing that expected hours you’ll be able to bill for.

The terrible incident that happened this past Tuesday, April 17th approximately 20 minutes after take off, is all anyone can talk about.  Hearing of a similar event on Southwest in 2016 only exasperated the concerns of frequent flyers, and not just on Southwest Airlines, but any of those who use the CFM56-7B engine.  That list now includes American, Delta, and United on some 8,000 Boeing 737 planes worldwide.  These airlines are all jumping on inspections now, but it beckons the question, why do we have to wait until someone dies?

The FAA is now issuing an airworthiness directive that will require inspections.  In reading articles on the 2016 incident where the plane safely made an emergency landing in Pensacola on its short flight from New Orleans to Orlando, I can find nothing about increased engine inspection requirements.  The press release on this accident showed the same findings of an issue with a worn fan blade.  Yet no cross industry standards or actions were put into place.

As someone who puts their life in the hands of these airlines every week, this type of story is just sickening.  I want to blame Southwest Airlines, I refuse to fly them anyway.  I want to blame the manufacturer.  I can’t even think of all the people the family must be blaming.

As we all reflect on the “what could happen” scenarios on our next trip, I hope all those airline engineers, manufacturers, maintenance crew, corporate executives, and staff take action that would implement further safety measures that would ensure the safety of their own families.

Jennifer Riordan was a 43-year-old mother-of-two and executive for Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I probably receive about a dozen resumes a day in my inbox.  With several big projects coming up, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing well over a hundred resumes, for various roles, just in the last few weeks.  I am using the word “privilege” loosely here as it actually has been pretty much a nightmare.  I’ve never seen such examples of incoherent rundowns of skill sets in my life.  One would think that the topic of resume formatting is something we’ve all read about a million times.  Clearly not.  The variations of crap that came across via email was shocking and frustrating.  So much so, I had to write about it.

Let’s start with content.  A resume should be a reverse chronological summary of experience which also contains a professional profile summary, contact information, education, and credentials.  Some people may also list professional associations, which may be relevant.  Let’s take a look at each of these.

Profile Summary – One paragraph that best captures your skill sets and professional goals.  This should have relevant experience called out that directly aligns with the role you are applying for.  This is not an essay folks, it’s a quick elevator pitch that will determine if the rest of your resume is reviewed.

Summary of Experience – Let’s first try to keep your resume short and to the point.  Ideally a resume is 2 pages in length, which means you have to be selective about how you summarize your experience.  List the job role, employer, start and end dates.  Provide 2-3 sentences that reflect deliverable based work completed, milestones, and/or primary function of the role.  Do not use the same summary job after job.  Be sure to only list relevant experience, I don’t care if you worked at Taco Bell or started your own pet grooming company.

Contact Information – It amazes me that people think just putting an email address is all that is needed.  In our industry, I need to know where you live and be able to call you.  List your cell phone, email address, and the city you live in…you don’t need to give your street address.

Education – Bullet points of higher education including name of institution, area of focus, and degree obtained.  I’ve heard arguments over listing the year, as ageism is a real thing, but if my HR department needs to confirm your degree, I need the year.  Only list relevant education.  I don’t need to see that you graduated from Barbizon in 1988.

Credentials – Again, keep it relevant to the job you are applying.  These should include certifications and/or professional licenses.

Professional Associations – If you are going to list associations, be sure to stay away from acronyms unless they are widely used in the industry.  An example might be HIMSS, no need to spell that one out.

I’m wide open to variations in formatting, but use MS Word.  Do not send an adobe or jpg file.  Avoid hyperlinks, using all capital letters, or bold font.  Whatever template or decide on, keep it consistent throughout the resume.  Be sure to spell and grammar check…seems obvious but again, so many resumes clearly skipped this step.

Last tip on the subject, make sure your resume matches your profile on LinkedIn.  The first thing I do when I receive a resume is go to LinkedIn.  If there are large discrepancies in timelines or roles…your resume goes right into the trash.

When I googled bad resumes, this one came up below.  Love it!

This week the news has been filled with yet another Cyber security attack, this time on Delta.  Several hundreds of thousands of customers may have been exposed who made purchases between September 26th and October 12th of 2017.  The breach exposed the buyers name, address, payment card number, CVV number and expiration date if the information was entered by a customer making a purchase manually.  So the good news is if your profile already contained your payment information, you were not impacted.

In 2015, global credit, debit and prepaid card fraud amounted to $21.84 billion in losses, according to the Nilson Report. By 2020, the same report estimates that card fraud worldwide will reach $31.67 billion.  With numbers like this I had to stop and think how this might affect me, as I buy a lot of flights on Delta.  For some reason news about Target, Macy’s, and other retail stores never concerned me.  I guess I always feel immune to being caught up in this type of security breach.  I think this false sense of security may someday come back and bite me, so maybe there are some things I should be doing.

I don’t know about you, but I am terrible at looking through my monthly credit card statements.  If I saw some large number due that stood out, then I might go through the statement.  This is probably my biggest mistake.  It doesn’t need to be something as big as a cyber security attack to have errors on your credit card.  A store might double charge you (this has happened to me), a waiter may adjust the tip left (this has happened to me), a return may not have been credited (this has happened to me), and so many other variances.  It can’t take that long to review a month’s worth of purchases on a few credit cards.  I have to start making this a habit.

Another area I am terrible at, is passwords.  I am a creature of habit and again, think that no one would be interested in hacking my account or steal from me.  They say you should have different passwords for each of your accounts and that these should be changed regularly.  100% of my credit cards are managed online.  I haven’t written a check to pay a bill in years…with the exception of the IRS.  This week’s news had me going through every single account and updating my password.  It took about 20 minutes, but I feel better.

I googled things I can do to protect myself.  I liked these 8 simple suggestions;

1. Shred your documents.

2. Strengthen your passwords.

3. Check your credit reports.

4. Guard your Social Security number.

5. Be smart about social media.

6. Secure your phone.

7. Know the signs of phishing.

8. Monitor your financial statements.

What are you doing to protect yourself?  Leave comments above…

As I prepare to introduce myself to 100+ consultants at my new job, I started thinking about how I position my role and what I offer to the consultant.  Every company is a little different in terms of their leadership and infrastructure.  Over the years I’ve seen consultants report to their Project Director or Project Manager onsite with their client, have a Resource Manager, report to their sales person, have a Practice Director, or even report up to an executive such as a VP, COO, or CEO.  Regardless of which of these models your consultant firm uses, we all still have another boss…our client.  So this beckons the question, who exactly is my boss?

My first consultant job I worked for a newly acquired firm that had a pretty large infrastructure.  As far as I was concerned, my boss was the Project Director overseeing all consultants on site.  But I also reported to a Project Manager who was a full time employee of the client.  Things got more confusing when we were introduced to an Engagement Director, who now was the direct supervisor of all consultants.  The funny thing is I guess I was never really sure who my boss was, so I looked to my client directly for leadership and direction.

When I joined a smaller fast growing firm based out of Indianapolis, I reported to a sales person.  It seemed odd to me at first, but they were the direct contact to the client and negotiated my engagement, rate, contract duration, etc.  If I needed something I would let them know.  For the first time I felt like a professional contractor.  My firm represented me for contract placements.  My role was to provide services to the client.  My boss here was clear, the client.  It seemed to work, but was only focused on one engagement.  It was not uncommon to see consultants jump ship as their contract end date approached.

Over the next few years the world of healthcare IT consulting became highly competitive.  The company I worked for was looking at new ways to retain and develop talent so not to lose their consultants to competing firms.  The role of Practice Director was created.  This role focused on just that, create a culture of consultant support, growth, career development, and guidance.  The hope was that the consultant felt a part of the company, and stayed loyal to the firm between engagements.  It was a huge success for the most part.  Many consultants who had the mentality of being a contractor buckled at the leadership structure.  However, for the vast majority, this model led to the success of the firm and its employees.

Today, we are seeing firms reduce their overhead and return to a simplified support model for their consultants.  Some firms are merging the practices to have a single cross vendor resource manager/supervisor.  Others are asking executives to wear multiple hats and lead across practice groups while also supporting sales, marketing, and growth initiatives.  Smaller firms look to the consultants to be independent of any need of support.  In fact, use of 1099 IC resources seems to be increasing with these smaller firms.  The thought is with a single HR employee, a lawyer, and a handful of sales people a firm can operate just fine.

The one common thread through all these variations of leadership structure over the last twelve years is obvious, the client.  As a consultant I think we have to look at our client as our boss.  It’s their project support need that keeps us employed.  We need to be a part of the client’s team, not separate ourselves as contractors.  Our firm should provide a “boss” who supports this concept and offers assistance to ensure success and completion of a successful engagement.

The bottom line for me is aligning my role to the individual consultant need.  I can be the engagement director available to consultants for those large projects with thirty or more consultants on site and offer to be a liaison between the consultants and the client.  I can be a virtual support resource to ensure the consultant has everything they need to be successful.  I can assist with career development and future engagement alignment based on the consultants skills and desires.  I can also just be a good listener, while the consultant tells me about how their work is going for their boss, the client.

Let me know your thoughts.  Leave comments above.

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end…” – William Shakespeare

I hope none of you take the decision around luggage this seriously.  However, this week I watched a whole new level of chaos that may just change the way I think about checking forever.

A family of four walked on the plane only minute before the door was to be shut.  Mom, Dad, a 2 year old, and a toddler.  Mom has three large bags in tow.  Dad is carrying a large baby seat…and the toddler.  They are of course, the last to board.  There is no overhead bin space and two of the bags are too large to go under the seat.  What a quandary for this family for sure.  I am watching and thinking that I would never put myself in this position.

Where it gets more interesting is when the flight attendant told the mother they had to check the bags.  I was instantly sympathetic for the family as the mother started crying explaining that two of the bags had urns in them with the remains of her mother.  As I was in 1C, I got the direct eye contact and the guilt started pouring in.  No one was moving, no one was saying anything…everything had just stopped except for the tears falling down the mother’s face.

So, I stood up, removed my bag and told the agent to please check my bag, making enough room for the 2 bags that contained fragile content not suited for checking.  The guilt resided and I went back to playing backgammon as though nothing had happened.

After arriving to Boston, I was pleased to see my bag already on the belt as I walked through the doors.  I had no wait, no inconvenience, and helped a fellow passenger on their journey.

Now the question…to check or not to check.  My instinct after 13 years of traveling has always been to carry everything!  I pack so well, I can fit 5 days of clothes in my carry-on and not even need to iron! (ok, well, maybe a little steaming in the hotel bathroom). After this experience, my thoughts were mainly around giving the space, I don’t really need, to someone who really does.  I also started thinking about all the hassle associated with carrying this bag around for hours has on me.

There are so many inconveniences associate with carry-on bags.  First, I am always rushing to the gate to make sure I get overhead space.  I’m fighting with the bag when trying to find a place to eat dinner.  The elevator is always so slow at the lounge, forcing me to carry my heavy bag up several flights of stairs.  And half the time I’m on regional jets that make me gate side check anyway.  Why on earth do we do this?

Let’s face it, carrying on your bag is the norm for those of us who travel weekly.  I challenge you to try to check a couple times and share your experience.  I would bet that you’ll find the entire flying experience from security to deplaning to be a lot more relaxing and who knows, maybe you made someone else’s day for that truly fragile, sentimental, or valuable item that just can’t go down below.

During the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century, a number of the most famous and successful miners were Irish.  Over time the association of the Irish mining fortunes led to the expression ‘luck of the Irish.’  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that HIMSS is held every year right around St. Patrick’s Day.  The event has every consultant firm under the sun digging for gold, another words opportunities to provide resources to our clients.  This year’s event no doubt turned up a pot full of leads that could benefit consultants.

March and April are the busiest time of year for projects to kick off.  Many consultants have current engagements ending at the end of this month. Don’t wait to see if you’ll be extended…start your search now.  My suggestion is to proactively reach out to your contacts across firms to see what leads they are following up on from HIMSS.  The question to ask is, can I proactively be submitted?  Additionally look for job postings on LinkedIn, emails from recruiters, and phone calls from your contacts.  Don’t be surprised if you get multiple calls for the same opportunity.  We are all digging for the same rare metals.

Even if you are not coming available in the next 30 days, update your recruiters with your availability date.  Many hospital projects will lead to a request for a proposal (RFP), and often times those take several months.  These RFP’s may ask to include resumes.  Be sure your resume is included.  Keep your resume and all your contacts updated.  You could also benefit from the annual gold rush as well.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As professional travelers we are experts when it comes to packing, dealing with security lines, managing our seats, and most of all handling our luggage.  No doubt we all shrug at the daily nonsense we experience from the infrequent traveler.  Some passengers are greatly dependent on the instructions of TSA, gate agents, and especially flight attendants.  The big question this story beckons to be answered is why did the passenger agree to put their dog in an overhead bin?

We’ve all seen the stories of being kicked off a plane or watched the passenger shaming videos.  Most the time we laugh at the craziness of the antics of our fellow passengers.  In this case, I’m not sure this was simply a nonsensical decision made by the passenger.  None of the news coverage talks about the passenger questioning the instructions of the flight attendant.  Why?  The potential for harm to the animal is obvious.  The fact that no one else around bothered to speak up is mind boggling.

Flying should be an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone.  I think those of us who travel weekly should lead by example and speak up when we see something wrong.  Do you ever ask the attendant to ask that woman to stop putting on nail polish or that guy to stop cutting his toe nails?  If you saw a passenger put a dog in the overhead bin, would you speak up?  I think we all would now.

Food for thought as you google this truly sad story.

You are reading that right, Consultant-Tips.blog is back and open for business, and this time for good!  No more corporate monitoring…with their silly rules of setting limits on networking, appropriate blogging, general communication, or just plain old sharing the truth.  The times are changing and the entire consulting industry is shifting to stay aligned with those changes.  Now more than ever we need a place to vent our frustrations, share our accomplishments, express our concerns, and most importantly…share our knowledge!

If you are a returning subscriber, I promise more of the same…tips on travel, industry breaking news, client activity, job postings, and fun topics in the healthcare consulting world.  Some changes will include the introduction to Special Alerts, 3rd Party Vendor Hot News Flashes, Coming Soon to your Local Airport section, and much more.  You’ll notice the slight name change from consultant-tips.com to consultant-tips.blog, but no other changes impacting the site.

For those first time readers, be sure to take a glance through the archive for years of tips and varies stories.  Most importantly, take advantage of my feedback section on the bottom of every story to share your information or give suggestions for future articles.

I am very excited to be back, and hope you…my friends, family, colleagues, associates, and avid readers are excited too!  Be sure to watch for the official first story coming out tomorrow.  🙂

Attending UGM this year?  Be sure to not miss the Leidos Health gathering on September 21st from 6pm – 9pm at The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co. in downtown Madison. Come meet and greet our Epic Leadership team, consultants, and sales team.

If interested in attending, please email me at Douglas.Herr@Leidoshealth.com.  If unable to attend UGM, but would like to hear more about Leidos Health, feel free to reach out to me directly as well.