Salary Consultants Education and Training

Both independent consultants and salary consulting firms can benefit from education and training

By Lea Terry, Freelance Journalist / Copywriter
Salary consulting firms help businesses design compensation plans that not only fit into the company's budget, but also are also fair, competitive and motivate employees to perform their best. Salary consultants must keep in mind a company's financial resources, its business plan and what other companies the same size or in the same industry pay their employees. Some consultants work for human resource consulting firms, while others are self-employed. In addition to learning the basics of salary consultancy, they must also learn how to find and work with clients.

Salary consultants education and training resources include:
  1. Online training courses in compensation
  2. Training and certification as a consultant
  3. Industry publications for consultants and salary experts

 

Take online training in salary consulting services

To start with, you'll need to understand how compensation plans work, including the most common kinds and how to create and manage them. Salary specialists don't just determine a monthly or yearly amount to pay employees; today, salary is only part of a company's compensation package. Salary compensation experts must understand what else goes into these plans, including everything from healthcare benefits to incentive and performance bonuses. You can get this information through online courses.
Try: HRCertification.com offers a compensation training and certification program that covers everything from the kinds of compensation plans to communicating and evaluating your plan. The course is sold as an annual subscription that includes not only the course, but also updates, a certificate and four hours of re-certification credits. HRTrainingCenter.com offers several compensation training courses and webinars, including state-specific compensation training, executive compensation, compensation planning, and a compensation training and certification program.

Receive consultant training or certification as preparation for being salary compensation consultant

While many consultants work at salary consulting firms, many are self-employed. In addition to mastering the compensation aspect of their job, they also need to learn the many tasks involved in being an independent contractor. Training to be a consultant can help them strengthen their skills in everything from finding clients to billing.
Try: The International Guild of Professional Consultants and Coaches offers seminars and certification courses for consultants. Fieldstone Alliance trains consultants to work with nonprofits. To learn how to win more clients, attend an "Odd Couple" seminar for consultants and coaches, led by Alan Weiss and Patricia Fripp. These seminars use role-playing to help consultants strengthen their client relations skills.

Read about salary compensation consulting in industry publications

Industry magazines, both for consulting and for salary and compensation, can help you learn the latest trends and methods in your field. These publications are ideal both for beginning consultants and those looking for ongoing education.
Try: Benefits & Compensation Solutions, an online magazine, covers topics like salary trends for telecommuters, compensation packages that motivate employees, and compensating low-income workers. The magazine addresses compensation and benefits for everyone from the CEO to staff members. Consulting Magazine, published bimonthly, offers general and industry-specific information for consultants.