Job Responsibilities
Managed / Led teams or individually delivered high-level
strategic / planning / design, as well as operations-level
implementation of small and large-scale programs in Compensation,
Classification, Reward Systems and Human Resource Management to
multiple clients (up to 33,000 employees) in Financial Services,
Mining, Education, and Government. Led implementation of large-
scale annual salary planning, performance management / merit
increase budgeting, long-term compensation/classification
reforms, etc. Managed a team of 8 compensation analysts in large-
scale implementation of market-referenced job pricing processes
(??market pricing??) using Mercer Prism methodology. Trained
managers / staff assigned to international operations.
Time spent each day/week on a specific responsibility varies by
project load.
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Job Requirements
Bachelor's degree (specialty open). Master's degree in Human
Resource Management or related area.
Career Path
- Specialist / Analyst / Consultant
- Senior Specialist / Analyst / Consultant
- Manager
- Senior Manager
- Director / Principal
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Uppers
- Great pay when the going is good.
- Making an impact.
- Being highly respected by clients.
- Varied projects and locations.
- Challenge - the juice - of new projects and environments.
- Satisfeid clients.
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Downers
- Zero Pay when the going is bad (in small shops or one person
consultancies).
- Spending 80% of time in Marketing (sucking up to clients and
prospects) versus Delivering solutions.
- Crazy hours (twice or three times what most people work).
- Travel.
- Cost of starting on your own (small / one person consultancy).
- Loneliness when on your own (small / one person consultancy).
- Being the outsider most of the time.
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Lifestyle
To Succeed you need to in established firms you need:
- Personal charisma (looks, youth, grace, diplomacy and high suckup quotient).
- Billable hours (work like crazy).
- Flexibility to travel at the drop of a hat.
- Mix well at company social events.
- Dress well.
- Diversity so long as clients accept it (sadly some clients still express their
preferences for "Mainstream" consultants meaning that minorities can have a tough
time the higher they go, unless they compensate very strongly with other highly
desirable attributes).
- Team work.
Lifestyle can be tough on insecure relationships.
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Compensation
As an independent it can be rough. As little as zero pay in a bad year. As much
as six figures in a good year.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Ask recruiters for a chance to Talk with beginners, mid-level
folks and higher level folks. Your best lessons about what it
takes may be from people who left the company or business.
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