PICA Member Spotlights

Q&A with independent consultants who successfully “made the leap” and created the consulting career of their dreams

 

Q: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your business.

A: I am Jennifer Burnett, the CEO and founder of Caliber Talent Solutions. I advise corporate leaders who want to identify and elevate the potential of their employees.  I do this by creating a business-aligned talent strategy to optimize hiring, developing, and growing their workforce.

Q: That sounds like a very in-demand service offering these days. How long have you been independent?

A: I have been independent now for two years. But I have been independent two other times in my career. I feel more prepared now than I had in the past to really create a successful business. So I guess you could say this is the third chapter of my independent consulting career.

Q: So you launched your business in 2020 when the world was COVID crazy. What was that like?

A: Even though it was such an uncertain and disruptive time, I was hearing from colleagues that as they shifted their focus to keep everyone safe during the pandemic, there was still work that needed to be done, or things that were already underway, that they didn't want to slow down or stop. 

I thought it was a perfect time for me to restart my independent consulting business. It was tough at first because the priority was learning how to operate in a time of a global pandemic and social unrest. But I was very, very fortunate to have a colleague who is a chief human resource officer who said, "Our organization is in an industry that is changing so rapidly, I can't lose footing." She asked me to come in and assist her with building out the talent strategy and a roadmap for all of their talent practices.  It also had to be strategy that was appropriate for the ‘new normal’ so the timing was good.

A lot of times people get started because of people they’re connected with or that they've worked with in the past. I was fortunate enough for that to happen. I think it's an exciting time, not only in the human capital space, but as an independent consultant, because if the C-suite didn't understand the importance of their people before, they certainly do now.

Q: I want to go back to what you were saying about this is your third round as an independent. Why did you go back to a full-time job after the first two?

A:  The first time around I was hired by one of my clients, Bank of America. I think you might have given me the advice, Liz, that if you're doing good work, your clients will want to hire you. Although I enjoyed being independent, taking a corporate HR role was a great decision at the time.

The second time around I was building my pipeline and in that process of networking, someone said to me, "I have this company that could really use someone like you”. That opportunity was with a new, unique team at Cornerstone.I knew that I was going to learn and grow a lot in that role professionally. I got to really stretch my wings and improve my consulting skills. So even though I was again moving away from being independent, it was the right decision. That role gave me the opportunity to work with lots of amazing organizations around the world, and an incredible team of people, and be on the technology side of the HR world. I would not have had those experiences if I had remained independent.

Q: It sounds like it was a really terrific job. So why did you go independent this time?

A: In early 2020, due to an acquisition I was laid off. I took a few months to think about what do I want to do and how do I want to move forward.  Looking back, it worked out all for the best and working as an independent consultant now has been better than I could imagine.

Q: What was one of the first things you did once you made up your mind to go back into consulting?

A: As I was making that decision, I reached out to my professional network and intentionally talking to people who had built their own successful consulting businesses. The most helpful conversations were from those people who had decided to go independent back in '08 and '09, during another very disruptive time with a lot of uncertainty. Hearing their stories and knowing where they were professionally gave me confidence and strength to say, "All right, even though it's 2020, and things are kind of crazy, I need to look at the long term, how this is for me professionally and personally.” 

One of the first things I did was enroll in PICA’s bootcamp. I'm being completely sincere about this, I gained so much from the bootcamp. I feel like the other times I'd been independent, I got lost in some of the details and it was great getting guidance on my website, my LinkedIn profile, thinking about how to set my rates, and even just having those connections with others who were at the same place as me, was really reassuring. The bootcamp helped me lay the groundwork to move forward with confidence, which has set me up for success. 

Q: So obviously the bootcamp was one thing you did differently than before, but tell us what else you're doing differently this time.

A: The first two times I didn’t do well with business development. I told myself I'm just not good at selling myself or my services. Going through the bootcamp and talking to other people about how to create my pipeline helped me to diversify my approach this time. It wasn’t just about me going out and direct selling. I also get work through subcontracting, short term gigs, or work through networks like the ProKo Agency. 

The other thing I am doing this time is working part-time for The Conference Board. I work 20 hours a week for them, which allows me to do one thing I love – research and thought leadership work – and collaborate with amazing people. 

As you say, Liz, but just because you're independent, doesn't mean you have to do it alone. I am inspired and do my best work when I am collaborating with other people. So whether it's reaching out to people and brainstorming on ideas, or through the work I do with The Conference Board, it satisfies that need for collaboration.

Q:  If you could go back to the Jennifer Burnett who went independent the first time, what would you tell her?

A:  I would tell her to take more chances. I was a little hesitant then and not quite as confident in my own abilities. I wanted to stay in safe spaces and not explore too much. So that's probably what I would tell my former self, “Stick with it, have confidence in yourself, take more risks and learn from them.”

Q: What's next for Talent Caliber Solutions?

A: Towards the end of the year I may regroup a little. I’ll probably even pull those boundaries in a little bit more and further define my niche. I think there's enough need and demand in some specific areas that I may want to double down in those areas.

Right now I primarily focus on talent strategy, talent acquisition, learning and development and internal mobility work with my clients, but one area that touches all of those that organizations seem to be struggling with is around the use of skills and skills-based technologies. Whether it's hiring, developing, performance evaluation, or succession, with all the new tools we have, especially using AI and machine learning, there's a need to have skills as that core data element. I feel like I can put a lot more energy into this area, especially with my experience and expertise in the identification and utilization of skills and competencies.  I guess that's the beauty of being independent, as you go along, you can continue to refine and reinvent what you do to get closer to the work you are passionate about.

Q: How can people find out more about you or your business?

A: Two ways, my website or my LinkedIn profile, which also connects to my company page.  


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