FAQ – most frequently asked questions

Find answers to councellors’ most frequently asked questions:

Process & procedure

I have never worked with a consultant. Will somebody support me in drafting the project briefing? What do I have to keep in mind? Is there a checklist to assist me?

The Haufe Consulting process is impressively simple — this makes it perfectly suited to companies that have previously had little experience with consulting or that only need very specific support. Publishing a project enquiry at Haufe Consulting should not take any longer than 10 minutes. We are happy to assist you in drafting the project description and keeping in mind what’s most important. Don’t hesitate to contact us at any time. Perhaps you want to start by reading these recommendations on how to draft a project briefing!

Is it possible to specifically search for, contact and select consultants instead of posting a project and waiting for applications?

No, this is not possible. Please start by defining specific project needs — based on that, relevant consultants with appropriate areas of expertise who are available will actively contact you. Thus, you save time and effort.

How many consultants can apply to my project?

In theory, the number of applications is not limited. In practice, only consultants with appropriate areas of expertise and who are available will send you their application. It’s reasonable to expect 1 to 5 applications, depending on how unusual and/or complex your topic is.

What if I don’t like any of the consultants applying via the platform?

Starting (i.e. defining and/or publishing the description of) a project at Haufe Consulting is entirely free of charge and it only takes a few minutes. Thus, nothing is lost if none of the consultants applying via Haufe Consulting is agreeable to you. However, in that case we would like to ask you to contact us to discuss your concerns — we are convinced that we can find the perfect consultant for you. We continually expand our Haufe Consulting Community and,if required, we are ready to comb through the entire market to find someone to meet your individual criteria — at zero cost to you.

What if nobody applies to a project?

This is very unlikely. Should absolutely no consultant currently registered at Haufe Consulting be eligible for your specific project enquiry, we will actively browse through the market to find the right consultant for you. We will make recourse to our vast network on the consulting market and apply our fast-track admittance process to check the consulting quality of potentially suitable consultants. So we actually guarantee a free-of-charge, customised search for consultants.

To what extent is Haufe Consulting involved in an ongoing project and after project closure? Or does Haufe Consulting act as a pure placement platform?

Haufe Consulting offers far more services than just placement. You can contact us whenever you have questions, feedback or wishes or if you encounter problems. Within the course of a project, we will contact you every month, and once again after project closure, to find out whether you are satisfied with the consulting services and, in case you are not, be able to intervene. This means that you always have the same constant contact person, even if you work with different individual consultants over a certain period of time.

How does invoicing work?

Haufe Advisory GmbH will send you an invoice after project closure or on a monthly basis in arrears. You will then make the payment to us via bank transfer.

Quality

How does Haufe Consulting ensure that the platform includes only high-quality consultants who are well-versed in the subject?

The consultants need to pass a multi-stage admittance process before being enabled to create a profile on the Haufe Consulting platform. After a CV screening and an introductory meeting (mostly by telephone), which serves to find out whether the consultant meets the fundamental requirements, they pass an online assessment. Afterwards, we meet them personally in an interview to enquire about and verify their professional and methodical expertise as well as their demeanour, personality and values. Finally, we seek references by clients that the consultant has accompanied in the past.

What if I’m not happy with the consultant; can I change consultants in the middle of a project?

You can contact us at anytime to discuss your concerns. We will do our best to provide optimal support for you and your project and take all necessary action. This might include a change of consultant — but sometimes an honest conversation is all it needs to settle the issue.

What if the consulting requirements change in the course of a project?

In that case, it’s best to openly discuss it with your consultant. All consultants registered at Haufe Consulting know exactly what they can and can’t do. If a consultant can’t meet the new requirements, they will be honest about it and propose a solution. This might include a change of consultant, or just a specific contribution by another consultant with a different specialist consulting focus.

Do I have to choose a consultant “merely” based on their CV or can I talk to them several times before making my decision?

In general, you can decide whether a consultant might be suitable for your project or not based on their consulting profile at Haufe Consulting. If the former is the case, you invite them to contact you. You can then talk as often as you want (by telephone or personally) — however, we have learned that too many preliminary meetings require a lot of effort for both parties and only have aminimum benefit. The best results can be achieved in one clearly defined meeting during which the consultant can explain which approach they suggest and answer possible questions.

How long does it usually take to find a consultant?

Consultants usually send their applications within 1 to 3 days; it might take longer in case of more complex tasks or unusual profile requirements. After that, it depends on your availability for a meeting or a discussion, and/or on what is necessary for you to reach an agreement with a consultant. It might take longer, of course, if your project requires an entire project team. In that case it is recommended to identify a project manager who will then put together a team for you.

What will Haufe Consulting do with my feedback?

At the end of a project (or, in case of longer project, once a month), we will ask you to provide feedback about the consulting services. On the one hand, we use the feedback to optimise, if required, your current project situation. On the other hand, your feedback contributes to ongoing overall evaluation of the consulting services of the relevant consultant which — as soon as we have gathered enough feedback— will be on display on the consultant’s profile. That way, you contribute to guaranteeing the quality of consulting services commissioned via HaufeConsulting in the long run.

Data protection

Who can see my project post?

If you publish a project at Haufe Consulting, only the consultants registered at Haufe Consulting can see the project briefing; neither other companies nor the public have access to the log-in (inside) section of the platform. Additionally, your project post will first be published anonymously so that the project description is visible,but the name of your company or you as contact person aren’t. This data will only be released for a specific consultant after they have sent you anapplication and you have invited them to contact you.

Can I decide whether my project or company appear in a list of references?

By accepting our General Terms and Conditions, which is a prerequisite for cooperation with us, you give your consent to being cited as a reference after completing a project with our consultants. However, you can withdraw this consent at any time and without specification of a reason.

How does Haufe Consulting process my data?

Please find all information on the processing of your data in our privacy policy.

Administration, organisation & invoicing

Will I have a real contact person at Haufe Consulting or is it “just” a platform?

Of course a real contact person will always be at your disposal at Haufe Consulting. Don’t hesitate to contact us at any time — before the start of a project, during a project or after project closure, we will always do our best to find a solution to any kind of problem.

Who is my company’s contracting partner: Haufe Consulting or the individual consultant?

The consulting contract is agreed and entered into by Haufe Advisory GmbH and your company. Consultants are sub-contractors of Haufe Advisory GmbH.

Do all consultant charge the same fee and/or does Haufe Consulting determine certain daily fees?

The fee normally varies according to the topic/complexity of the project, duration/volume of the assignment, seniority of the consultant; but also according to individual preferences of the consultant (e.g. travel time, possibility of remote work, interest in the topic, possible follow-up assignments, availability situation of the consultant, availability of the requested areas of expertise on the market...). Haufe Consulting has a minor influence on pricing: together with you, our client, we define a maximum fee and a minimum fee that the consultants will take into consideration when preparing their offer. In the end, it’s you who decides who you want to work with and what price you are prepared to pay.

Can I arrange potential follow-up assignments with the consultant himself/herself?

It’s best to talk to your contact person at Haufe Consulting so that we can prepare a follow-up offer together.

Does Haufe Consulting only commission smaller assignments or place individual consultants? Or can Haufe Consulting also put together larger teams?

If you need a team of consultants, there are two possibilities: You can either make an enquiry for a project at Haufe Consulting, looking for a potential project manager who will first define which and how many consultants your project needs and then put together the necessary team via Haufe Consulting. Or you call us or write us an e-mail — we would be happy to put together a project team for you. Find our contact information here.

Find answers to consultants’ most frequently asked questions:

Admittance procedure

What are the prerequisites for becoming part of the HAUFE CONSULTING community?

Suitable consultants need to meet both substantive and professional requirements in order to be enabled to create a profile on the Haufe Consulting platform and enjoy the benefits of the Haufe Consulting community. In addition to that, every consultant has to pass a four-stage admittance procedure. Find more information here.

I’m the manager of a small consulting company with a few employees myself — can we register as company and/or team? Or is it only possible to register as individual consultant?

Haufe Consulting allows companies that need consulting services to select a specific consultant: it’s a matter of personal matching. This is why only individual consultants can register at Haufe Consulting and, when admitted, become part of the community. However, there is no reason why all consultants of a consulting company can’t apply and, should they pass our admittance procedure, have a profile on ourplatform.

Benefits of Haufe Consulting

What benefits do I derive of being part of the Haufe Consulting community?

Haufe Consulting supports you, a freelance consultant, in the day-to-day challenges of self-employment while, at the same time, never interfering with your full self-determination. Haufe Consulting represents a powerful acquisition channel for interesting projects and provides you with the opportunity of offering your consulting services to completely new companies. Furthermore, we regularly ask for feedback in on goingprojects and pass the feedback on to you. The Haufe Consulting community is a network of highly skilled and experienced business coaches — our community allows for exchange of experience with like-minded people.

Can I recommend consultants that might be attractive to Haufe Consulting?

Our platform is booming and the consulting community is growing fast, too — we receive many applications of consultants who want to become part of the Haufe consulting community. At the same time, a lot of time and effort goes into meetings with consultants who, as we know from the outset, most probably won’t meet our expectations — or we won’t meet theirs. So we’re always grateful if you can recommend a consultant who you think would fit in well.

What if I land a follow-up project?

Every now and then, in the course of a project that you were assigned by Haufe Consulting, you might realise during project work that there are other topics that need consulting work and that you have the right expertise for. Our Framework Agreement precisely specifies how to proceed in such asituation.

Does Haufe Consulting offer an official certification for consultants?

No, we do not offer any kind of official certification. However, you are at liberty to officially announce (e.g. on social media etc.) that you are part of the Haufe consulting community — on the market, such a mention is strongly perceived as a quality criterion for consultants.

Does Haufe Consultingsupport any kind of exchange of experience between consultants?

It is our aim to build up a strong community of Haufe consultants. We offer both informal contexts and structured formats to facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience between consultants.

Will Haufe Consulting provide documents and/or equipment (computer, rooms, business cards, pens,...)?

No, Haufe Consulting does not provide any equipment (software, laptops, work material). It is up to you to decide where, how much and when you want to work and which materials you use. Consultants who are part of the Haufe consulting community never work exclusively for Haufe Consulting, but also have many other independent consulting assignments.

Data protection

How does Haufe Consulting process my personal data?

We attach great importance to the responsible use of your data. Find all information on that issue in our privacy policy and in item 8 of our Framework Agreement for Consultants.

Rights & obligations

Can I specify certain project preferences (region, sectors, company size, duration of an assignment, alone or in a team, role, languages,...)?

Yes, you can mention preferences on your profile — but only you decide which projects you apply to anyway.

Do I have to take an assignment?

Of course you don’t. Whenever a company publishes a project, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to apply to it or not. If you apply and the company wants to get to know you, you can contact them to get in touch. If the company selects you for a cooperation, Haufe Advisory GmbH will conclude a contract with the company, and you will work as subcontractor. In the end, you alone decide whether you take on an assignment or not — the Haufe Consulting team is happy to assist if you have doubts.

Who are the contracting parties in a consulting contract?

A consulting contract is concluded between Haufe Advisory GmbH and the company. All contract conditions between you and Haufe Advisory GmbH are laid down in the Framework Agreement that you accept upon registration.

Does Haufe Consulting expect me to take on a minimum number of assignments?

No — not at all! It is completely up to you whether you take on zero, one, five or twenty projects viaHaufe Consulting — and it also depends on the availability of suitable projects.

Can I influence who I work with in a project?

You will obviously have little influence over who your client/contact person at a company is, and it always depends on the size, complexity and priority of a project whether you involve other consultants. In case other consultants are to complement your team, you can either use your own network to find additional team members or make an enquiry via Haufe Consulting. In that case, don’t hesitate to contact us. What’s important is that all project resources be billed by Haufe Advisory GmbH, as laid down in our framework agreement.

Does Haufe Consulting have an exclusivity clause?

No, we don’t; Haufe Consulting does not require any kind of exclusivity. You are welcome to keep working for existing clients outside Haufe Consulting, register at other placement platforms and continue doing everything you did before registering at Haufe Consulting.

Project process & procedures

How many project enquiries/ consulting days per year can I expect?

Unfortunately, that’s hard for us to guess. We offer a broad range of topics covered by Haufe consultants. It’s difficult to predict which topics will be in higher or lower demand.

Will you draw my attention to interesting projects?

Yes. If your profile shows a clear focus (is not too general/generic), you will receive push mails recommending suitable projects whenever your professional expertise and sector knowledge meet a project’s requirements. This is why it is so important to provide as many details as possible on the consultants’ profile on our platform.

Applying to a project — how does it work?

You send an anonymous application to a project published on the platform. The company will look through the anonymous applications and select consultants that they want to get to know better.

Will Haufe Consulting support me in acquisition discussions?

If you arranged a personal meeting with a company, the client is obviously interested in you and your profile. The discussion mostly revolve saround a personal fit and the specific approach you suggest for the project. As Haufe is the client’s contracting partner, we will prepare the offer together and then HaufeAdvisory GmbH will submit the offer to the client.

How does Haufe Consulting support me during a project? (Does Haufe Consulting assume the role that a partner in a larger consulting company usually has?)

During the project, you assume a professional leadership role. This means that you are responsible for delivering adequate results. At the same time, it is in the best interest of all of us that both you and the company get the impression that you can do meaningful work. This is why we ask you and the company to provide structured feedback, always after the end of the project and, in case of longer projects, from time to time (once a month). This helps us to react swiftly in case of disagreements.

What is the size of an average project?

Our projects usually have a duration of 3 to 15 days, and wie also have long-running projects with a project volume of EUR 100,000 or more. However, every project is unique so infact we can’t indicate an “average size” of a project.

What if a project doesn’t go well and the client is unhappy? Who’s the one to judge? Will there be a face-to-face conversation? Will I be excluded from the Haufe consulting community? Will Haufe Consulting take on a neutral and/or supporting stance?

As we continuously ask for feedback, such a situation will never occur wholly unexpectedly. The Haufe Consulting team will naturally talk to both parties and try to find out what the problem is. In most instances, such a discussion is all it needs to settlet he issue. In any case, one negative feedback of a company will never entail an automatic exclusion from the Haufe consulting community! However, should you receive only negative feedback from several companies and following several projects, we will have to decide together how to proceed from then on.

Administration,organisation & invoicing

What about pricing? Can I determine the fee or does Haufe Consulting determine certain criteria?

Basically, you are at complete liberty to determine the fee for your project work. Usually, it will depend on a number of factors, e.g. how interesting the topic is for you, the complexity of the project and the preparation involved, whether you are currently available, how much travel it involves, etc. Haufe Consulting only determines a bracket within which a daily rate should be situated: a minimum of EUR 1,000 to a maximum of EUR 3,500 perday. A specific project enquiry often also includes expected prices of aclient. It’s important that you don’t forget to factor in the 15 % to 25 %(depending on the type of project) that go to Haufe Advisory GmbH in its capacity as general contractor.

Do I issue the invoice tothe client?

No. As it is laid down in the Framework Agreement that you accept at the beginning of your cooperation with Haufe Advisory GmbH, Haufe Advisory GmbH is your client’s contracting partner. We will issue the invoice to the client and pay the agreed sum to you as soon as we have received the payment from the client.

Is there payment ininstalments for long-running projects (monthly invoicing, invoicing according to milestones)?

Yes, in long-running projects we usually issue monthly invoices, unless other agreements have been made.

How does Haufe Advisory support me if a client doesn’t pay or pays very late?

Haufe Advisory will take charge of the entire reminder procedure and the associated expenses.

Do I need any specific software or apps in order to be assigned projects via Haufe Consulting?

No. After you have passed the admittance procedure, we will activate your profile. Then, all you need to log in to Haufe Consulting and apply to projects is a computer and stable Internet connection.