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We spoke to Dan Connor, who recently hired a Chief of Staff and Director of Growth & Business Development for his team through Movemeon, about his career journey. In this article, Dan, CEO at Migo Indonesia and ex-Bain, shares his experience leaving consulting to join a startup.

Tell us a bit about your early career journey, Dan! 

After completing my Masters degree in politics, I actually had my eye on joining the State Department. I had a job lined up in the USA, but I decided to put it on hold and take some time out and work in Asia, to get that notch on my belt and broaden my horizons a little. 

So I joined Bain in Singapore, expecting it to be a 18-month to 2-year type thing. But I really enjoyed the challenge of consulting, as well as working in Asia, so when I asked to help found Bain’s Jakarta office in 2013, I felt it was an awesome opportunity that I just couldn’t turn down. I was proud to be one of the first five employees for Bain in Indonesia, which I believe is now a team of 70-80 consultants. 

So I guess you can say I was really bitten by the Asia bug. I also learned Bahasa Indonesia and some basic Chinese along the way. 

What was it about working in Indonesia in particular that really grabbed you?

I think ultimately it was about being able to have the most impact and getting up close to the really fundamental issues. As a consultant in Singapore, we’d often (not always) be helping more mature, stable businesses optimise for performance gains. 

Whereas in Indonesia, we were helping our clients grapple with fundamental growth opportunities and the various challenges to navigate. I could really tangibly see and feel the impact we were having, working with really senior decision-makers. 

So talk us through the next phase - leaving Bain and joining Migo.

It was in 2018 when I was thinking about my next step out of Bain. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew that I chafe at existing systems that don’t make sense - much better to help build something new, effective and fit-for-purpose. Not to mention an opportunity to help launch something much bigger, not just doing the optimising and refining thing. 

Furthermore, I’d always been more interested in companies that make products and services for the mass market, rather than those which look to target the top 5-10% of consumers. 

I had done a bit of work in the telco space while at Bain. Once I heard about Migo and its mission to make a difference to the 90% of Indonesians who have limited internet access, I knew this was a pretty special opportunity.

Migo had done tech trials at that stage, and was ready with the first iteration of our solution, but needed someone to come in as Indonesia CEO to drive our go-to-market and scale the team. So right on three years ago, I joined Migo and have loved being part of this great ride. 

Tell us a bit more about Migo?

For the majority of people living in emerging markets, the promise of high-speed internet is a pipe dream. They have limited cellular data budgets and no wireline internet. Their access to data is limited to the most basic functionality. They are not able to participate in the rich data experience of the few who have real-time access to virtually any service at their fingertips.

Migo levels the digital playing field for 3 billion consumers by bringing the best bits of the internet to the corner store. We offer affordable access to Entertainment, Education, Financial Services, and other digital products and services through a disruptive tech solution that delivers data up to 100 times cheaper than existing networks. 

What’s the trajectory for Migo from here?

It’s been such a great growth story. In two years we’ve built a team from scratch to 200+ people across 4 offices in the country, and we have 1,200 locations across Java. In April we welcomed our one millionth customer in Indonesia, and we’ve attracted multiple rounds of investment from Temasek and leading VC firms along the way. 

We’ll continue to focus on our rollout across Indonesia, while in parallel we are actively looking at other markets in the region where we see huge opportunities for our offering. 

What kind of advice would you give to consultants keen to make the jump into a startup?

Bear in mind that startup life isn’t necessarily going to be all about super-intellectual problem solving, every day, like it is in consulting. Ultimately, it’s about getting your hands dirty, grappling with multiple problems and challenges (and opportunities) quickly and efficiently. You will use your consulting toolkit, but you’ll need to make trade-offs and make decisions rapidly. 

How did you get to know Movemeon?

I think I first heard about Movemeon through the Bain grapevine. I signed up as I was interested in picking up freelance projects while I was looking around for a new challenge. 

It was great to be able to keep an eye on the market for permanent jobs as well as interesting freelance projects. I really liked that I could keep the net super wide across different geographies and role types, but the alerts and jobs highlighted through Movemeon were always relevant, so I wasn’t wasting my time sifting through other channels or platforms.

And we’re thrilled that you’ve recently made some hires through Movemeon!

Yes! I’m happy to have been able to leverage Movemeon to find a great Chief of Staff and Director of Growth & Business Development for my team. 

I’ve been super happy about the quality of candidates that Movemeon have been able to connect us with. Movemeon is proving a great partner as we scale: they can obviously support across Asia-Pacific, but the ability to cover both permanent hires and contract resources is particularly helpful. 

Thanks, Dan for your time and all the best for continued success at Migo!

At Movemeon, we connect (ex)consultants and freelancers with job opportunities, advice & events. 
Register now to view and apply to jobs, for insider advice & networking/industry events.

Recruiting? Contact Movemeon for strategy and management professionals

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What can a smaller boutique advisory firm offer to attract and win talent over a major player?

When we ask this question the reasons are usually pretty well known. Work-life balance, opportunities for quick progression, more flexibility and a sense of community.

These are all powerful reasons that boutiques can flaunt in the face of their larger adversaries competing in the race for talent…but are these selling points being marketed in the right way? Are candidates looking at the long list of benefits that boutiques can provide and being swayed enough to apply for their next opportunity?

Here are five hiring tips on what boutiques can do to drive home the point that what they offer is more than just a counterweight to lower base salaries

1. 40-HOUR WORKWEEKS DO NOT REPRESENT GOOD WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Sure - some employees are still clocking in 60 hour weeks, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are in competition with a large, large majority of players that stick to a 40-hour workweek policy. If you’re promising great work-life balance and yet, you’re not doing anything to differentiate yourself from other players, candidates aren’t going to take that point seriously.

There are plenty of things that boutiques can do to differentiate their work-life balance proposition, such as having a half-day on the last day of the month, or adding another 30 minutes to the typical 1-hour lunch break. These are small, but significant benefits that boutiques can market to differentiate themselves.

2. APPLY FLEXIBILITY TO YOUR SALARY MODELS

Boutique firms often mention flexibility as one of their greatest strengths and it also functions as a key selling point. The irony is that the same level of flexibility can’t always be shown when it comes to salaries. More than once, we have heard hiring managers tell us that they simply cannot go above a certain amount, or that their internal pricing scheme dictates that XYZ is how much they can pay.

More so than their larger competitors, boutique firms are better placed to bend their own rules. In a market as candidate-driven as this one, they’re going to have to in order to attract the best talent. However, when base salary is not negotiable, boutiques can add a signing bonus, or a hefty commission 6 months in to make their job offer more competitive.

3. SPECIALISM CAN BE YOUR SELLING POINT

At Movemeon we often hear from candidates how much they value the ability to focus on projects they love and find interesting. This is one of the top things job seekers look for when they consider a new role, along with the aforementioned work-life balance and salary expectations. Sometimes, the pursuit of the right development opportunities might even win over a bigger paycheque.

Candidates who are still exploring their options are likely gravitating towards the more generalist range of opportunities offered by larger firms. On the other hand, boutiques are the places where individuals looking to develop certain skills, or interested in working in a specific sector, can really thrive.

When marketing a role, boutiques should keep in mind that this is a big selling point and emphasise their expertise in their sector/niche. Also, we recommend including an overview of their projects and the clients they work with, highlighting opportunities for progression, development and exposure to senior leadership.

4. STOP LIMITING YOUR CANDIDATES BASED ON INDUSTRY EXPERTISE

Boutique advisories are often experts in a particular field, and it's this unprecedented level of expertise that will give them the edge when competing with the bigger players. As such, they are also well equipped with all of the tools and knowledge to train their talent to become experts themselves. Yet, instead of looking to properly market these aspects, boutiques often expect incoming talent to possess similar capabilities and expertise around the sector. While the best-case scenario is to find someone who already knows what they’re doing, companies are seriously harming their chances at finding great talent by enforcing industry/sector requirements in their search.

A great method would be to have 20-30 minute chats with candidates to gauge why they want to change sectors and why they are interested in the field that the company operates in. Once the interest or passion within the candidates has been confirmed, boutique firms would be better placed to establish a strong training system. This would not only widen the pool at which boutique advisories can draw from, but it would also give them a very enticing and marketable benefit.

5. ELABORATE ON YOUR CULTURE 

Boutiques are in a better position when it comes to creating a sense of community in the workplace, due to their size and flexible hierarchy structure. However, it is also true that boutiques will need to work a little bit harder to ensure that their company’s culture and values are conveyed, compared to the well-established brand names of larger companies.

Employees are becoming more and more eager to work for companies that share their own set of beliefs and values, and boutiques are prone to share many of those beliefs and values that candidates are looking for. The key issue is how they are showing it. Simply mentioning that you have ‘a great company culture’ is not showing candidates anything - other than potentially engraving in their mind that you have nothing more concrete to offer benefits-wise. Use the right keywords to better describe your culture. Is it fast-paced? Flexible? Collaborative? Innovative? Fun-loving? If so, give an example of how you promote that aspect of your culture in your benefits. 

Recruiting? Contact Movemeon for strategy and management professionals

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Anticipating what the future of work will look like is a concern for leaders. Prior to 2020, digitalisation and AI adoption were hot topics of debate. However, COVID-19 rushed the adoption of digitalisation and globalisation trends. Indeed, during the coronavirus crisis, speculation has become even more exciting and difficult thanks to unprecedented, rapidly changing factors and accelerated transition to new modes of working.

In our Future of Work series, we reflect on the changes that will impact you as a leader - whether in your capacity as an employer or as an employee looking for your next step. The nature of work continues to evolve, and we want to use this space to share our insights with you. Indeed, we sit at the intersection of disruption in the industry: Speaking with senior leaders in consulting firms and organisations of all sizes, as well as with thousands of ex and current consultants themselves.

The Changes to Work During Coronavirus

Prior to 2020, the main disruptions to work were to do with new technologies and globalisation to a certain extent, but these did not affect work on a daily basis as we have seen with COVID-19. For the first time, we were made truly aware of the physicality of work. Of course, some employers were already working in flexible workspaces and let their employees work from home a few days a month. For example, Movemeon team members could work from home 3 days a month before the pandemic. But in 2020, everything accelerated – namely:

• Virtual meetings
• Remote working
• Hybrid working
• Flexitime

Companies were forced to go virtual because of the restrictions enforced by Governments, which meant teams had to adopt digital solutions overnight. This was a completely unprecedented event with leaders and employees alike having to adopt new ways of working in a blink of an eye and quickly find new ways to remain productive and communicate efficiently, miles apart from co-workers. This, in turn, resulted in the acceleration of two processes that were already disrupting work prior to 2020:

• Automation
• Moving to online sales

Digital transformation was at the top of every organisation’s agenda but the coronavirus crisis only accelerated the adoption of digital practices by pushing for more automation and flexibility when it comes to digital processes.

The Future of Work Beyond Coronavirus

In our Future of Work series, we will not only focus on changes brought on by the pandemic but we will also investigate in detail other issues that are as crucial when establishing a modern and adaptable workplace. Although these topics might not be at the forefront of conversations at the moment due to the constant evolution of COVID-19, they nonetheless require our attention as leaders and creators of the workplace of tomorrow. We will explore the following:

• Gender equality
• AI
• Globalisation
• Ageing workforce
• Sustainability

These topics are really important to us as a company, and we have always made sure to raise awareness of the existence of the Gender Pay Gap ever since the creation of our yearly Work & Pay Report in 2017. We’re also very proud to have recently helped more and more consulting firms and corporates to augment their energy transition and sustainability capabilities to serve rapidly growing clients’ and consumers’ demands.

Our Future of Work series will aim to delve deeply into the various aspects of the workplace of the future and help you understand the ins and outs of those various changes. We will also share more practical and actionable advice on our website so that you can make sure your organisation stays on top of the trends and hire the best talent for your need. If you want to read more about our exclusive insights from our great community of employers and consultants, make sure to subscribe below to receive updates in your inbox as new instalments in this series are published:

Strategy consultants may have been faced with this conundrum before - do I really want to stay in consulting or is it time for me to make a fresh start? Or it may be the pandemic that has made you reconsider some of your career choices and you’ve come to the realisation that you are after something more fulfilling.

As part of our broader series on career change, we share with you our 12 top tips to consider to make sure you’re on the right track for success.

Wondering how to start?

Planning a career change can be scary. You probably already have a day job that brings you stability and responsibilities, but you might feel that something is missing from your current role. Changing career sounds like the right thing to do and it’s really quite exciting to think about, but it also feels like you are throwing caution out of the window by starting everything from scratch.

There are so many conflicting emotions involved in this process, along with the number of hurdles that exist when operating a change, whatever that change might be.

This nerve-wracking process can be made easier by looking at our 12 tips for success and systematically going through the reasons, desired outcomes, and various other logistical considerations. You need to take the time to really think of the reasons why you want to change your career as this will help you to keep your motivation afloat in more trying times.

Why do people change careers?

• They have become disillusioned with their work.
  
• They’ve outgrown their current role and feel like they’re stagnating.
  
• They feel a disconnect from their personal interests and want to follow their passions.
  
• They want to be less stressed by their job.
  
• They feel like they will never be paid enough in their current career.
  
• They want to find a better work-life balance to spend more time with their families.
  
• They lack a sense of purpose and want to make a difference in their career.
  
• They want to fulfil a dream that they were not able to do at the start of their working lives (they maybe lacked the financial security and opportunities to get into the career they wanted, etc.)
  
• Their current career is becoming redundant following technological and digital transformations.

Movemeon's 12 top tips to change career

1. Reflect on your current job satisfaction: build a clear picture of why you want to change.
   
   
2. Reflect on whether you are dissatisfied with your role or your whole career path: make sure it’s not just the role you want to change.
   
   
3. Assess your skillset and the skillset required for any potentially interesting jobs: try to build an understanding of any gaps.
   
   
4. Investigate other options: browse job sites, read articles, make the most of your network and speak with people in the roles you’re interested in or people who have changed careers too.
   
   
5. Do your research: Make a list of the ins and outs of your chosen career path (what does the role and/or industry look like now? how will it evolve over time?, do you need to start from scratch or can you use transferable skills to start at a less junior position, etc.) and compare them with your personal situation and your broader life goals.
   
   
6. Make your moves in several small stages: consider upskilling one skill at a time. You can add more moves as your goal becomes clearer and your motivation greater.
   
   
7. Start researching new options: monitor whether you feel motivated and excited to do this.
   
   
8. Take your time: try out some different possibilities, almost like a role-play, and try them for a little while to see if that’s actually the right direction for you.
   
   
9. Find a mentor: As you’re speaking with people, try to ask them for advice and follow-up so that they can guide and support you in your career change.
   
   
10. Volunteer in your desired path: that’s a fantastic way to see whether the role you’re envisioning is the right choice for you. Register to Movemeon's Pro Bono initiative to volunteer your time with NGOs.
    
    
11. Make sure you’re clear on money: try to build a clear picture of your financial situation. When you start a career from scratch, you often find yourself with a lower salary at the beginning and sometimes it can take a little while before you secure the right opportunity.
    
    
12. Commit: if you still feel motivated and excited, the next step is to fully commit to the change. Movemeon can help you to find your perfect next step with opportunities in all industries for strategy and management professionals. Register now to explore live jobs and be notified of relevant opportunities.

Conclusion

Changing careers is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking. There are so many things to consider and prepare for before actually doing the exciting thing of taking the leap. But taking the time to build a clear picture of what your current situation is, what you want to achieve, and what steps you need to take in order to do so will help you properly assess your motivation. With a strong plan and enthusiasm from your research, you will be sure to make the right decision for this important life change.

Movemeon can help you find your next role with over 350 roles in various industries and companies of all sizes, specially dedicated to former strategy and management consultants or equivalent skillsets. Register to explore your new career opportunities.

Explore your new career opportunities!

The UK is a really great place to work and live and has always been the prime destination for European ex-pats. However, due to Brexit taking effect at the beginning of 2021, moving across the Channel is not the most straightforward process anymore. Information on how to relocate to the UK is hard to find, and the resources on gov.uk are plentiful but confusing if you’re looking for high-level guidance.

Working with businesses across the world, here at Movemeon we thought we needed to provide you with actual guidance on how to understand the situation better. We asked the Home Office our most Frequently Asked Questions and added to their answers some tips that we reckon will be useful to all European professionals looking to work in the UK after Brexit.

Are you an employer wondering about hiring EU citizens? Read our brief guide to understand visa sponsorship better.

Changes brought on by Brexit

But first, let’s talk about what changed since Brexit happened. It’s important to note that an agreement over the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK was a precondition of progress in the negotiations over the UK leaving the EU. What this means is that it’s a lot easier to move to the UK as a EU citizen than another country in the world. Regulations have become more relaxed to make it easier for employers to sponsor foreign colleagues.

When does the visa process start?

Visa considerations should only be undertaken once a candidate has been selected for the role. So you don’t need to apply for a Tier-2 visa until you’ve accepted the job offer. Employers can register as Licensed Sponsors beforehand (that’s why some job descriptions state that they offer visa sponsorship), or after they’ve made an offer to an applicant but this will considerably lengthen the process. 

Can I relocate with my family?

It’s dependent on the type of visa you’re on but most professionals are on the Tier-2 visa, which means you can bring your spouse and/or children with you. Procedures for their visa can be dealt with at the same time as yours, so you don’t need to necessarily worry about a delay.

Can I work remotely from outside the UK for a UK employer?

Yes, you can! UK visas are not required for those working outside the UK for UK-based employers. This is great news, especially considering the growing number of remote and/or flexible roles we see on Movemeon.

I’m a freelancer - how does it work?

There are different routes that you can use, depending on the circumstances of your employment in the UK. For example, if you’re interested in taking part in our pro bono initiative, you can apply for a Charity Work visa. In any case, you will need your employer to sponsor you to apply for a temporary work visa.

What if I don’t have a job offer lined up?

You can still apply for visa routes to relocate to the UK! Do you know about the Global Talent visa? As a leader in Digital Technology (a Fintech professional for example), you can apply for this visa which will allow you to be self-employed or an employee in the UK and enjoy relative freedom of what you can do. You don’t need a job offer lined up, but you need to be able to prove your expertise in the field.

You can also apply for the Innovator visa or the Start-up visa if you are an entrepreneur with an innovative business idea. However, you will need some form of endorsement or sponsoring in both cases but not as an employee.

How much does it all cost?

Applications costs vary widely depending on the type of visa you’re applying for. For example, the Charity Worker visa costs under £250 whereas the Innovator visa costs over £1,000 (per person, if you’re coming with your spouse and/or children). 

If you’re on a Tier-2 visa (the most frequent), fees can vary between £600 and £1,400 depending on your circumstances (industry, function, etc.). You also need to prove you have at least £1,270 to support yourself once you are in the UK. But please bear in mind that your employer is very likely to be able to help with the costs we’ve mentioned.

Other helpful tips

If you’re coming to work in the UK temporarily (for up to 2-3 years) you won’t need to pay social security in the UK, but in your home country where you’ll need to request a certificate in some instances. That’s useful to know if you’re relocating to the UK with your current EU-based company.

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At Movemeon, we are privileged enough to sit at the intersection of disruption in the consulting industry: Speaking with senior leaders in consulting firms of all sizes, as well as with thousands of ex and current consultants themselves. Over the course of Q4, we will share some of our insights and offer our view on some of the major trends shaping the industry. This week, we're taking a look at the current War for Talent and how 2021 was the perfect storm for consulting.

Request your free copy of 2021 Work & Pay Report, Understanding the Impact of Covid, here.

The war for talent in consulting is nothing new: In the last year alone, our work in the consulting space grew from 17% to over 40%.

Consulting demand has always been predicated on the need for additional capacity or capability. We hear time and again from consulting clients of all sizes that they simply don’t have enough people to staff their pipeline of work. We specialise in placing people with strategy consulting backgrounds. And sometimes clients want just that: a great strategist who can take a problem and figure out how to fix it, quickly.

But the pandemic has heightened the need to access expertise in high-growth areas such as supply chain, digital strategy and data analytics and we see this reflected in increasingly specific requirements from clients for very exact capabilities.

So what can you do when you’re faced with pressure on both these fronts and need to augment both capacity within your team, as well as plug capability gaps? Here are our top three tips:  

1. Think flexibly about your current workforce: If you’re lacking critical expertise or capabilities, can these be taught and your employees upsilled quickly? Not only can this plug any gaps but gives employees a clear progression path and will likely support retention
2. Consider freelance support: many consulting firms are putting in place virtual ‘benches’ to augment permanent teams from both a capacity and capability perspective. At Movemeon we’ve helped many firms put these in place - you can read about it here
3. Hire ahead of the curve: Don’t wait until you really need people. If the pipeline of work is there, the pipeline of talent needs to be there too. We don’t just support clients making specific placements. We can work with you to keep a talent pipeline open and allow access to a steady stream of exceptional candidates.

Whether you simply need more people, experts, or both, we can help. Get in touch with us here, we have offices in Europe (UK), APAC, and soon the US!

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In Q3, Movemeon worked on twice as many roles as the same period last year. This is an accurate representation of the continued growth we are privileged enough to see in 2021. We talk to many hiring managers and candidates looking for their next steps, in various industries and at different seniority levels. In this instalment of our Market Trend Series, we’re taking a look at the most popular functions and job titles on Movemeon this year.

Do you have some consulting experience and are looking for your next step? Register on Movemeon to explore 350+ opportunities across the world for consultants or ex-consultants.

Global Trends

Globally, the most highly sought-after functions on Movemeon this year are the following:

• General Management (P&L, Team)
• Operations
• Programme, Project & Change Management
• Strategy

Of course, strategy will always be the most important function when it comes to recruiting candidates who have some experience in consulting because that is where they excel. Strategy experts are especially wanted in high-growth companies, Private Equity and Venture Capital funds, as well as Boutique Consultancies. But consultants are also highly sought-after to manage a team or a company’s P&L thanks to their exposure to similar projects in their consulting missions. As a result, more junior consultants make for great project and change managers and companies are eager to recruit talent with the consulting toolkit for such positions.

Tech & Startups

Interestingly, hiring managers in Private Equity and Venture Capital funds, Boutique Consultancies, and in the Public Sector are especially interested in Project & Change Managers. This can be explained by the fact that more and more of these companies are focusing on digitalisation and automation of their processes. 2020 was a real wake-up call for many businesses as they were forced to digitalise their activity to fit the evolution of consumers’ needs, as more and more people relied on online solutions and products while stuck at home.

Freelance

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 39% of employers find themselves with ‘hard-to-fill’ vacancies. Companies in business services are just under this average with 36% of the sector with ‘hard-to-fill’ positions. 

While a common long-term solution to this talent shortage is to upskill current staff, when companies need a more immediate fix, they resort to freelancers. Contractors are also the best solution for employers who face uncertainty and need a short-term solution with highly flexible talent.

Operations & Supply Chain

Candidates with experience in Operations are in high demand in startups in various stages as well as, unsurprisingly, consumer goods organisations. We don’t expect this demand to decrease anytime soon due to the supply chain shock this year. Companies know that, in the future, they will need to take rapid actions when unexpected and sudden changes occur. So companies need to consolidate their Operations and Supply Chain systems to make sure they can deal with any crisis in the face of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, Brexit or both!

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At Movemeon, we are privileged enough to sit at the intersection of disruption in the consulting industry: Speaking with senior leaders in consulting firms of all sizes, as well as with thousands of ex and current consultants themselves, we see how clients’ needs are evolving, which firms have kept pace with digital transformation, and how delivery mechanisms are changing - all within the context of political and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Request your free copy of 2021 Work & Pay Report, Understanding the Impact of Covid, here.

Over the course of Q4, we will share some of our insights and offer our view on some of the major trends shaping the industry. As 2021 draws to a close, it seems like a great opportunity to reflect on the changes brought on by the pandemic and the solutions consultancies have resorted to, or the measures they may need to take in the future.

Over the past 9 months alone, we saw a surge in demand from consultancies of all kinds on our platform. So much so that we posted 13 times more advisory roles than during the whole of 2020. If you’re interested in finding out why, you can read our latest insights and industry experts' interviews on our website.

Read our whole series below:

1. The war for talent: Do you need capability, capacity, or both?

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Over the past year, we published over 350 roles for consultancies. In fact, we have posted 13 times more advisory roles than during the whole of 2020. At the same time, we’ve also found that 20% of ex-consultants now working in industry are looking to go back into consulting. In this instalment of our Market Trend series, we’re trying to find out why consultancies have been hiring so much more this year.

Are you a consultant looking to read more about the latest industry trends and insights? Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you never miss out.

Why is the demand for consultants on the rise?

Consultancies have always been eager to acquire new talents, but the pandemic has increased their need to get new people fast and in great numbers. Many businesses put their consulting projects on hold out of caution at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. After lockdown, they were able to resume their various projects with consultancies as well as new projects. It's especially the case in high-growth areas such as supply chain, digital strategy and data analytics. These have been the most requested requirements from our consulting clients this year, given the digital shift for businesses and the global population that took place over the pandemic.

This is very logical but the situation that consulting firms are facing at the moment is quite unique. These firms are always cautious to have a perfect employee/project ratio. Therefore they are incredibly vulnerable to talent shortages if they experience a sudden surge in project demands. In just a few months, Movemeon’s work in the consulting space grew from 17% to 40%. This highlights the rapid need firms have for new talent to meet their clients’ demands in the risk of having to turn down work times and times again.

A global talent crisis

Another strain on firms, and a reason why consulting is in such high demand at the moment, is an overall talent shortage crisis. Many jobs are created and many people leave their current employment, but there aren't enough candidates to fill those vacant positions. Usually, businesses tend to resort to freelancers and/or consultants to quickly compensate for skill shortages. Consultancies can provide experts more readily than businesses can hire a full-time team member. This is especially true now since consulting fees were lowered in the past year. However, clients have high demand in terms of expertise and consultancies need to adapt to these demands. They can no longer sacrifice depth of expertise for readily available teams of generalist consultants. Instead, they need to provide readily available teams of actual experts with the appropriate capability.

A need for both Expertise and Flexibility

This can also explain why we have seen so many boutique consultancies getting in touch with us to hire for their team. They’re building up teams of experts that have the capacity to react swiftly to clients’ demands – whether they’re in a freelance capacity or joining the firm full-time. Over the 350 jobs posted this year in consultancies, nearly 75% were in boutique consultancies and the ratio between permanent and interim positions was roughly proportional. Interestingly, both boutiques and larger firms were mainly looking for Associates and Managers level – consultants ready to hit the ground running in terms of projects, with roughly between 3 to 8 years of previous consulting experience, these seniorities accounted for about 70% of the roles we helped consultancies to hire for in the past year.

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