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It’s not every day that leaders have an opportunity to build a team from scratch. I’ve been fortunate to do just this over the past two years and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. At Rich’s (Movemeon co-founder) invitation, I share below the 3 principles that I’ve found to be essential in building a high-performing team, each of which I’ll expand on in a separate post with examples from my experience:
1. Attract and hire the right people, then set them up for success.
2. Cultivate an inspiring culture that maximizes individual and team performance.
3. Demonstrate servant leadership daily.

Principle #1. Attract and hire the right people, then set them up for success.

Attract top-tier talent with an authentic and compelling narrative.

More than ever, employees are looking for a compelling “why” to take on a new role in a new organization. The story of where the organization has been, where we are now, where we’re going, and how they will contribute and grow should be clear every step of the way.

I learned early in my career when I worked in innovation consulting that documents shouldn’t be boring, especially job descriptions. When I crafted the JDs for the open roles on my team with HR and Talent Acquisition, we intentionally included “conversational” language that gave candidates a tangible sense of the team, the role, the type of person we were looking for, and our excitement and passion.

Candidates must also hear a consistent, authentic narrative from each person that they interact with. At the beginning of the recruiting process, my recruiter and I discussed the “why”, the “how”, and the “what” for each role so that she could be an excellent partner as she screened and communicated with candidates.

Identify the right person for the job with a robust interview process.

Once there’s a slate of great candidates, it’s time for the interview and selection process.

Drawing on my experience as a management consultant, I have always utilized case interviews when hiring. The case consisted of a real business challenge the role would tackle and a set of questions for the candidates to address. Candidates then gave a presentation to a cross-functional interview panel. Finally, interviewers scored candidates with a clear rubric for their assessments.

The case interview approach has multiple benefits:

• Allows candidates to demonstrate how they truly think, work, and communicate. One candidate who joined my team showed extraordinary initiative by reaching out to 20+ employees on Linkedin and including the results of his interviews with them in his presentation. Another team member was hired in large part because he impressed us with the depth and thoughtfulness of his presentation as well as how he responded to questions. In my experience, a case interview allows the hiring team to learn far more about candidates than a series of 30-45min “behavioral” interviews alone.

• Gives candidates a sense of the work they’ll be responsible for. Candidates can determine if the type of challenge being presented during the case interview is something they are excited to work on. Additionally, case interviews can eliminate those who are not seriously considering the role. For example, one candidate had reservations about leaving his current role and did not have time for the case interview. He withdrew his candidacy, and I was grateful for his honesty.

• Enables robust discussion among the interview panel. It’s important for the stakeholders and collaborators on the interview panel to have a front-row seat to what each candidate brings to the table. During the debrief conversations for my open roles, my interview panel and I could dialogue with specificity on the strengths and weaknesses we observed.

Are you looking for a new opportunity? View all jobs on Movemeon here!

Create a strategic onboarding experience with clear expectations.

After the top candidate accepts the offer (hooray!), setting them up for success is key.

I developed 30-60-90 day onboarding plans for my direct reports and asked them to do the same for anyone they hired. On a new team member’s first day, we discussed this onboarding plan together and I invited them to share feedback, including any elements they wanted to add. While this onboarding plan certainly included the standard tactical elements to get them up and running (e.g., technology, mandatory trainings), far more important were the elements specific to their role. For example, my direct reports were all hired into relatively senior and strategic roles. Therefore, I asked them to focus their early days on relationship-building, learning, and assessing the current-state. I also asked them to not jump into the weeds of day- to-day problem solving and firefighting despite pressure from others in the organization.

At the 60-day mark, a key milestone was for my team members to share their observations, analyses, recommendations, and go-forward plan. While we had discussed their top 3 priorities early on (which had been blessed by my manager), these 60-day conversations gave my team members an opportunity to voice valuable fresh perspectives as well as shape their own activities based on business needs and nuances they had independently uncovered.

Summary

In short, building a high-performing team starts with the people we bring onboard. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to articulate a powerful vision that attracts the right types of people, put processes in place to ensure we hire the best talent, and empower and equip our people from the very beginning so they can shine.

Next time, we’ll discuss how to cultivate an inspiring culture that maximizes both individual and team performance. As we all know, culture eats strategy (and anything else) for breakfast.

Author: Li Kehl

Whether you are ready to hire through Movemeon or just looking for more information about hiring, one of our team of friendly specialists will get in touch within 24hrs.

Are you a candidate? Join Movemeon for free.

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Movemeon recently supported Nicholas See's move into an exciting new position as a Strategy & Operations Specialist with one of Australia’s most iconic airlines, Virgin Australia.

We spoke to him about his career path, from consulting to Virgin Australia, and what he particularly likes about his new role as Strategy and Operations Specialist.

Movemeon co-founder Rich regularly shares exciting insights about careers after consulting, how to get the most out of consulting, how to hire current or former consultants and a lot more. Subscribe to his monthly newsletter or join his 32,000+ followers on LinkedIn.

Please tell us a little about your career so far? How did you find the transition from consulting into industry? Do you have any advice for candidates looking to exit consulting?

I started my career as a grad at KPMG, working in audit and transitioned to risk consulting. After a few years in consulting I was itching to get into the startup space and came across a role at Deliveroo. I spent just over 4 years there and then unfortunately they decided to exit the Australian market late in 2022.

The transition from consulting to industry was interesting, as you will only ever dedicate your time to one company compared to several. However there is still plenty of variety and different areas of the business to focus on.

My advice would be to obtain exposure to as many industries as possible prior to making the jump. As it is the perfect place to trial what you might like and don’t.

Are you also looking for an exciting new opportunity? Check out all jobs we currently have on Movemeon.

And so tell us about the new role! What excites you about the new opportunity as Strategy & Operations Specialist at Virgin Australia?

With the backing of Bain Capital, Virgin Australia is going through a major transformational phase at the moment. This is an exciting opportunity for me to use my management consulting skill-set, to provide support to both the Strategy and Insights Manager and the broader Small Medium Enterprise (SME) team.

The role is responsible for supporting identification and delivery of key growth opportunities, as well as supporting preparation of materials for senior leadership meetings, including board and ELT. I'll be working in the Virgin Business Flyer team. What excites me most about this role is gaining exposure to the loyalty program and the intricacies which come with creating and maintaining a successful program. I am an avid points collector myself!

How did you come across the role with Virgin Australia?

This role came up when I was initially setting up my profile on the Movemeon website. The posting definitely sparked my interest so I went ahead and applied. The process itself was speedy and streamlined, about 3 weeks from application to offer.

In your opinion, how does Movemeon differ from other platforms/ agencies/ channels?

Movemeon offers a far more efficient and personalised approach to job hunting for (ex)consultants. There isn’t a strenuous onboarding / application process to join either, very quick and easy. The filtering process for potential jobs is also easy to navigate and set up.

The icing on the cake is Movemeon's Success team, who are there supporting all the roles and making everything as painless as possible. They listen to your concerns and advocate on your behalf. I'd recommend Movemeon to anyone with a consulting background, even if they're not actively looking to move roles, as MMO make it easy to monitor the job market so you can jump on anything as soon as it pops up.

Find out how other Movemeon candidates experienced and managed the change from consulting to industry in further interviews we published on our blog.

Jonny Khan joined as one of our guests for the Youtube series 'Life after Consulting'. Jonny started his consulting career at Bain & Company, where he worked for three years. He used the consulting skillset he gained to work as a strategy in-house consultant at Nando's afterwards, before joining Deliveroo three years later in January 2020, where he is still working.
Movemeon Co-Founder Richard Rosser and Jonny talked about how it is to leave consulting, joining a tech scale-up, going through IPO and much more.

You can watch the whole video here as well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcpSddvBZcE&t=1507s

To make sure you don't miss any of our videos in the future, you can subscribe to Rich's monthly newsletter and join the community of more than 70,000 people. He also shares exciting insights about careers after consulting, how to get the most out of consulting, how to hire current or former consultants and a lot more. 

Jonny, let’s go back around 6-7 years to when you left Bain. What were your reasons for you to leave consulting at that time? Why was it the right time for you?

After one year in consulting, I already knew that I didn't want to do this forever. For me, it was a great start to begin my career and to gain the necessary and unique skillset, but also to meet the right people and build a network for everything that comes after.
In consulting, it is often the case that the career path is predetermined and predictable. Your main task is to advise other people. I personally enjoy doing and implementing things myself more than "just" advising other people on how they should do or implement things.

In terms of when I wanted to leave consulting, there wasn't an exact time or something that I wanted to have achieved before I would have considered a change. In my mind, it was always about 3-5 years that I wanted to work there. However, after three years there was this great job opportunity from Nando's, an internal strategy role where I could work globally and a company with a good culture.
This opportunity kind of pulled me out of consulting after three years and I knew this opportunity might only be available to me now, so I basically had to take that chance.
I think if this opportunity (or a similar one) hadn't come up unexpectedly, I probably wouldn't have left consulting at that point.

Are you also currently looking for a new opportunity? View all current jobs live on Movemeon here.

When you think about your first 2-3 months in your new job, what was the hardest thing about working for a company after your time in consulting?

I don't think it's usually the case that you get your dream job straight after consulting. Many consultants first go into in-house consulting, work as a financial analyst, chief of staff or similar. They gain experience there, build up trust, etc., and then move into roles that they can see themselves working in the long term.

I worked at Nando's in a classic strategy in-house role, so it wasn't too far from what I did before. I learned a lot, worked on interesting projects and with great people from whom I was able to learn a lot.
Looking back, I can think of two challenges that I faced at the beginning after moving from consulting to a company.

1. As a consultant you have a great and important skillset, but you don't really have experience in functional areas unless you have specialised in them before. When I started at Nando's, I knew nothing about restaurants as a company. So there are a lot of things you don't know and you have to learn quickly to do a good job.
2. The second point is usually only noticeable after a few months or 1-2 years. Your career progression in the industry is so much less obvious. In consulting it is more or less clear what your career path can look like, when you will be promoted and what your salary will be. That also gives you a sort of certainty and you often don't have that the same way in the industry.

When you joined Deliveroo three years ago, what was the growth like and how was it for you to work there in a time of rapid expansion?

I joined Deliveroo right before Covid, in January 2020 and it felt like Deliveroo was still in teenage years then. It was like working in a scale-up, but at the same time the company was big enough to have corporate responsibilities. Deliveroo was in transition and getting ready for an IPO, which they knew was probably going to happen within the next year.

Have you noticed a difference in terms of working and the environment at Deliveroo after the IPO?

We have tried to maintain the culture as much as possible, but of course with the IPO there are things that change, especially on a financial level.
You can't go on as fast and get decisions through as quickly as before because you now need approvals from the board. If you for example want to make a bigger decision or if you want to make financial plans for the year, it always has to go to the board and be approved by them, which can sometimes take a longer time than before.
However, due to the financial changes that come with the IPO, you can also do and achieve a lot more, which has been very positive for Deliveroo.

View all the jobs we currently have in start-ups and scale-ups here.

If you think back to your time when you started as an ex consultant at Deliveroo. For whom do you think the start-up world is suitable and for whom not? What do you need to bring with you?

I think it is definitely suitable for consultants with the right mindset. In a start-up there is often a lot of uncertainty and sometimes a lot of chaos. In consulting, there is also often this kind of uncertainty. You often don't know which project you will get or in which functionality and industry you'll be working. If you can handle that well, can work your way into things quickly, like to take responsibility and are willing to solve problems, a start-up can definitely be the right thing for you. However, that doesn't mean it is something for every consultant.

Which post consulting career option have you considered?

Jonny: As I mentioned briefly at the beginning, I wasn't really looking for a new opportunity at that time. However, I knew that I wanted to go in a more practical direction, do things myself and not just advise. I could imagine working in a start-up as well as in a corporate. One of the reasons why I chose the corporate world was that I had a little child at the time and my wife was on maternity leave. That's why I thought a corporate would be a better fit for me and my life at that time.

Rich: I would advise that when looking for a job after consulting, you should always ask yourself what is it that interests me, what gives me energy and motivation. Then, find out what roles suit me in that case. For example, if you like to do things, get things done and solve problems, a start-up or scale-up, a new business venture within a corporate or similar could definitely be something for you. A job in private equity might then not be the right fit.
Nevertheless, as Jonny has already said, the career path is a path and it is rare that you will find the top position directly after consulting. Going straight from A to Z within one job change isn't impossible but very uncommon.

Fancy a career change? Check out all current jobs live on Movemeon here.

Particularly in terms of hybrid companies like Deliveroo, what should you look out for and what might be the red flags to be aware of?

Jonny: It is important to understand what it is you want to do. Ask yourself, do I want to go with a high-growth company because I think it sounds cool or is there a specific reason? Do I want to work in that company in that stage of growth? Am I going to do what I want to do in that company or role? Also, in regards to the company, talk to as many people as possible who already work there to find out if that's what you're looking for.
A red flag for me to be aware of would be the company culture. In my opinion you should find out as much as you can about it beforehand. It's actually often one of the reasons why people leave a company in the end.

Rich: You also have to be aware that interview processes are kind of 2-way processes and I see a lot of candidates who are not really conscious of that. Once you have an offer, it is in your hands. Both the company and the candidate have then already gone through a long process that has cost money and time. They have interviewed many people and selected you. No company will withdraw the offer if you say, for example, that you would like to spend a day in the company and get to know the team, the culture etc. They will only be more impressed by you if you ask for such a chance.

Are you hiring for your team, looking for more information about hiring or just want some advice, one of our team of friendly specialists will get in touch within 24hrs. All you need to do is to fill out the form below.

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Find out how other Movemeon candidates experienced and managed the change from consulting to industry in other interviews that we have published on our blog.

We spoke to Regina Schönberger, who founded her own business 'wild woman underwear'. With Movmeon she talks about her time in consulting and why she decided to run her own business after more than five years at BCG.

Let's start with your journey into consulting. How did you end up starting your career at Boston Consulting Group, one of the largest and most well-known consultancies?

I’m someone who joined management consulting spontaneously - I hadn’t planned it for years, and didn’t do the right internships or study programmes years in advance. In my final year of my master’s, I realised that I didn’t want to stay in academia or join the non-profit sector (I studied Development Studies). Instead, I wanted to join a challenging work environment where I could quickly learn about different industries and frankly, figure out what I really wanted to do. That’s how I started with BCG!

After more than five years at BCG, you started your own business, 'wild woman underwear'. Was self-employment always your dream or how did this step come about? In retrospect, would you have preferred to take this step earlier?

Deep down I had known for years that I wanted to run my own business, but I didn’t think I was “ready”. While I enjoyed my time at BCG, I also quickly realised that I needed a lot more flexibility and responsibility. I wanted to be the one to call the shots, or better, I didn’t want to align myself with my project leaders and partners about every step of the way. Also, I realised that I couldn’t work on the topics I was really passionate about, so it was time for me to take the next step. 

I believe that everything happens at the right time. Of course, I could have started the business earlier, I was ready in terms of my skills and knowledge. But I didn’t feel ready mentally and that’s a crucial part of getting started and keeping at it.

Would you say that your time and especially the experience you have gained in consulting over the years are helpful for you as a founder of your own company?

Definitely. My work at BCG taught me to solve problems relentlessly, to literally not give up and find a solution no matter what. And that’s something I do on a daily basis in my own business. Consulting is an excellent school for diligence, precision and communication. I couldn’t have wished for a better foundation. 

What do you think were the most important lessons you learned during your time in consulting that you now benefit from?

• There is always a solution. As a consultant, I used to be irritated by partners who would push you to deliver a solution no matter how difficult it was to get the data or convince the client. It stressed me out that “this is not possible” was not accepted as an answer. But eventually, I got it and I understood the beauty of the approach of always finding a way to resolve a challenge (even if that means to caveat the solution by adding a bunch of footnotes, it’s better than nothing.. ;))

• Communication is key. In the beginning, I would never understand why we’d have to add another call-out box or yet some highlighting feature to underline the key information. But throughout the years, I realised that communicating your message well and highlighting what your audience might be concerned about will win them over. It’s super critical to tell a story in a comprehensible way, whether it’s a CEO of a major corporation or a potential customer. 

• Structure is king. I still use the same format and logic for naming my documents even though I felt that it was pedantic at first. But having a structure is incredibly helpful to stay on top of everything. And it starts with something small as knowing which document has the right information. It also applies to so many other areas of running a business, for example, using tools to run your workstreams efficiently, implementing regular check-ins to ensure steady progress, sending out follow-up emails after any conversation, etc. Again, consulting is a great way to learn these basics in a way that they become a part of how you think and do anything.

What advice would you give to other consultants who also consider starting their own business?

If you know what industry you might be working in with your business, try to focus on that industry during your years in consulting. Beyond the basics of consulting, it is quite helpful to know some of the industry specifics and leverage them once you’re on your own. 

While I do believe that everything happens at the right time, I also think that starting a business is a major life altering experience that might be easier to digest earlier in your consulting career. Once you’ve reached a certain point in your career, you might feel too intimidated to give up on all the comfort of a steady salary and lucrative benefits. 

Lastly, don’t stress, you’ll find a solution for pretty much anything that comes your way. 

We spoke to Raphaël Bouzy, who started his career at Bain and later founded his own company. With Movemeon he talks about his career path and experience in being a founder and a freelance consultant.

Let’s start with an elevator pitch of your exciting career so far.

I have over 15 years of International experience in consulting and entrepreneurship. I started as a consultant at Bain in London before moving to Hong Kong where I worked for an international advocacy firm which is one of the most influential financial lobbies in the world. It was quite an interesting time as I was working there during the 2008 global financial crisis when it was extremely hard to influence legislative actions that made necessary changes in the market. After that, I took a short break to travel around the world before moving to Singapore, where I've since been residing for over 10 years. 

In Singapore, I joined Control Risks, a firm that focuses on political consulting, crisis management and fraud investigation. I specialised in pre-investment due diligence where the focus was on examining the reputation, track record and political connections of a company, its owners and the senior management, instead of analysing the company’s accounts or carrying out market research. In that way, it was quite different from a typical consulting firm. 

After that, I founded my own company, Datarama, which was recognised as one of the top 100 most innovative RegTech companies in the world under my leadership. I exited in late 2021.

Currently, as a freelance consultant and advisor, I'm helping long-term clients with business politics, emerging markets strategy, ESG/sustainability, and corporate/digital transformation.

Do you think your experience in consulting was crucial in starting and successfully running your own business?

I wouldn’t say it was crucial, but it was definitely useful. There is really nothing that can prepare you to run your own company. As a founder, you'll be working on multiple things at the same time which are completely different, for example, you'll be preparing presentations for fundraising, while reviewing CVs for hiring and building the team, as well as wearing an accountant's hat to keep an eye on the numbers! 

Consulting essentially develops your adapting skills. Often you have to solve problems in an area that you hardly have any knowledge about and hence are forced to learn things faster. In that sense, consulting experience was very useful. But at the end of the day, if you are a consultant and you want to be an entrepreneur, it's quite a big jump.

How did you get into freelancing / independent advisory? What advice would you give to consultants who are keen to do freelance work?

When I founded my company, I had to work 80 - 90 hours a week sometimes and therefore didn’t have the time or energy to do freelance work. I waited until I exited my startup to start working as a freelancer. It has been great so far, offering me a lot of freedom to travel and work. 

If you are considering working as a freelance consultant, ideally you'll already have some potential clients, maybe you've worked with some in the past and have maintained solid relationships. These are clients who offer you a project because they personally know that you can get it done, not really because you worked in a big firm. If you don’t know at least 4 or 5 such clients and don’t have decent personal connections, it's going to be challenging getting started. So my advice is to curate and maintain relationships for the long term while you are still in consulting.

From your experience, how does Singapore or the broader APAC market differ from the European market?

It really depends upon the industry that you work in. In general, Singapore has a lower unemployment rate when compared to countries like Spain or France. 

At the moment, it's a bit hard to relocate to Singapore as securing a visa has become difficult. If you are working in a large consultancy or a tech firm that has an office in Singapore, then your move is going to be smooth. I've found when compared to Singapore, Hong Kong is much easier to move in and find a job, as there is a big demand for brains these days.

How did you find your experience with Movemeon - Do you have any tips for other candidates that are currently looking for a new opportunity?

Movemeon is by far the best experience I had with any recruitment company, platform or jobs-related organisation. The thing that sets them apart is that they listen and actually care about you, keeping you informed throughout. Combined with the platform that automates job alerts and gives access to worldwide opportunities, it's a really powerful proposition.

My advice to candidates is to not hesitate to create a line of communication with the Movemeon Success team.

Are you currently looking for a new job?

Then join Movemeon and find your next opportunity!

We're really excited to announce a new partnership with Hnry to offer automated tax calculations, payments, and lodgments for Movemeon’s network of freelance consultants in Australia and New Zealand.

Movemeon members will be able to use Hnry’s app-based service, powered by a team of qualified accountants, that will take care of all the financial admin - including invoicing, expenses, payments, and tax payments - enabling them to get on with the job rather than having to fret about tax and compliance.

“As the world’s home of consulting and strategy talent, Movemeon has seen the popularity of freelance consulting skyrocket over recent years. But working for yourself comes with challenges such as tax and related admin that can be time-consuming and stressful.

So we’re excited to announce a partnership with Hnry, whose platform solves your tax headaches and ensures working as a sole trader has never been easier”.

- Peter Clifton-Smith, General Manager APAC, Movemeon

How Movemeon + Hnry makes your freelancing tax payments effortless

If you’re an ABN / NZBN sole trader, Hnry saves you both time and additional accountant fees - here’s what you get:

• All your taxes calculated and paid automatically as you earn (Income Tax, GST, Medicare levies, and student loan)
• All your are returns lodged by Hnry’s accountants (BAS and Income Tax returns)
• Send unlimited quotes and invoices from the Hnry app
• Raise deductions on the go (snap a photo of your receipt via the app)
• Generate reports your on business’ financial performance

The thing that sets Hnry apart from either accounting software or using traditional accountants is they are the best of both worlds. Hnry is a digital tax accountant and the software smarts all in one solution.

As part of the service, the Hnry team of accountants lodge your income tax return - this includes any earnings from employee salary or various contract income sources, not just projects through Movemeon.

All of this is included in Hnry’s fee which is 1% of your initial payments from your clients, capped at $1500. No need for additional software or accountant fees. Nothing is too complicated for Hnry, even if you have crypto or shares and investment properties that require deductions.

‍“Most accounting software is just that - software. It requires you to pay for a separate accountant, maintain spreadsheets, and to spend precious time actively reconciling transactions and ‘doing’ taxes. With Hnry, that’s all done for you, and all included in our incredibly low fee.

Hnry is about helping independent earners get on with servicing their clients and growing their businesses, not getting bogged down with tax and financial admin. Given Movemeon’s network and innovative approach to helping freelance and independent consultants find work, we know there is a natural partnership between the two companies”.

- Karan Anand, Managing Director, Hnry Australia

‍To get started with Hnry and have confidence that you’re always up-to-date on your tax and reporting obligations, head to: https://hnry.com.au/au/movemeon/  

Are you thinking about freelancing? Here’s what to think about if you’re considering making the switch.

We spoke to Max Betinski, who recently found his new job through Movemeon and has just started as a Group Corporate Development Manager at Waste Services Group (WSG). He talks about his career through consulting, his original pivot to life on the client side, and now his new role at Australia’s largest integrated provider of SME managed waste services.

It would be great to hear a bit about your career journey!

I’m a strategy and development professional with 10 years of international experience in Europe and Australia. I'm originally from Germany, where I studied business and economics, and joined KPMG Strategy in Frankfurt, where I specialised in advisory and M&A in financial services.

After two and a half years at KPMG I moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2017 where I did some freelance consulting, which was a great way to get up to speed on the Australian market. KPMG then came knocking, and I was happy to rejoin the firm in their Melbourne office, where I was lucky enough to work in advisory and M&A across a number of different industries.

I made my jump out of consulting to client side in mid 2020, when I joined Transurban in their group strategy team. Transurban is an Australian infrastructure and tollroads business with assets around the world and is an ASX top 20 company. This was a terrific opportunity to put my skills and experience to work every day, and I really enjoyed being able to see the impact of what I was doing.

You just started your new job at WSG. What excites you the most about this opportunity?

The Group Corporate Development Manager is a key senior position within Waste Services Group. WSG is Australia’s largest integrated provider of managed services and collections to the SME waste market. The firm was recently acquired by Livingbridge Private Equity, which has further fuelled the business's continued and impressive track record of organic and acquisition-based growth.

I'll be working directly with the CEO and leadership team to drive execution across the business’s key strategic priorities. This includes M&A and planning and driving our organic growth priorities. I'm excited to make a genuine tangible impact on the business's continued growth trajectory, and to develop professionally and take my career to the next level.

In your opinion, how does Movemeon differ from other platforms, agencies, or channels?

The Movemeon platform is very efficient, complemented by great service. However, the thing that sets them apart is the fast response rates. It's so important and helpful to have a responsive team working in the background, particularly in the current market where things are moving so fast and you need to be on the ball!

I worked closely with the Success Team who made the interview and offer process extremely smooth. They helped communicate my expectations of the role and compensation with the client and ensured that the whole process was quick. It only took a month from the application to the job offer, which really impressed me.

What advice would you give other Movemeon members that are thinking about a career change?

Believe in yourself and your skills and follow the process. Also, don’t be shy to ask for support from the Movemeon team. They'll do their best to help you find and then land your new job by keeping the wheels turning in the background and providing expert advice.

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Sign up here! It only takes you two minutes.

Click here to see our wide selection of interviews with other candidates who found their jobs through Movemeon.

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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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.

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