Karnataka - Bangalore

Consultants for specific purposes

Special Correspondent

`They are most sought after and better paid than many staffers on payroll'

Bangalore: This is not exactly temporary staffing, but several steps up the corporate ladder. They are called "consultants" and work for a company for a specific project where technical expertise is badly needed, but for a limited period.

"Consultants are most sought after and better paid than many staffers on the payroll and there is more demand than supply,'' says Sadhana Somasekhar, Director of Future Focus Infotech Pvt. Ltd., part of a global network. Such consultants are widely used by information technology majors in North America and Europe, she says.

A company like Focus will have an extensive databank of such consultants, listed with their specialisations, experiences and availability. A customer relations manager of Focus will have meetings with human resources and technical managers of a client company and help in short-listing likely candidates and explain CV details of prospective candidates.

"Consultants will need specific technical skills. For instance, a company may need help for its project and want to build the right team to implement it. We support the HR department of a client, and in fact, act as an extended HR arm. The client does not have to spend additional resources on selecting and hiring,'' Ms. Sadhana says.

They mostly work for a few months or till a project is completed. It best suits technical personnel who want new challenges and do not want the monotony of a repetitive job profile. A company like Focus will have a large number of consultants to draw from and choose according to a client company's needs.

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