The Enhanced SIOP Consultant Locator System
William Shepherd
Chair, Consultant Locator Subcommittee
PsyMax Solutions
Doug Reynolds
Chair, Professional Practice Committee
Development Dimensions International
Imagine the phone rings in the SIOP Administrative Office. The caller says:
I am trying to locate a consultant who can help my company conduct an employee opinion survey. Do you know of anyone?
Or:
Im a SIOP member and I have an individual assessment practice. I just landed a large nationwide assessment project. I need to develop a network with some fellow psychologists who can help conduct assessment centers in Columbia, Missouri and Coral Gables, Florida. Do you know of anyone?
The staff members at the SIOP Administrative Office do not make referrals or endorsements of specific members. Instead, they refer callers to the Consultant Locator System (CLS). The CLS
(www.siop.org/sioplocator/) is a searchable database of SIOP members who provide I-O consulting services. The purpose of the CLS is to help organizations find the right I-O vendor for their needs. In addition, I-O practitioners can find other consultants who may want to partner on consulting engagements.
The CLS is a great tool for marketing your business, and we encourage you to sign up; this article provides more information about the CLS and how to get your services listed. Simply stated, the goal of the CLS is to increase the visibility of I-O psychologists who provide consulting services regardless of whether they are individual consultants, academic faculty who consult on the side, or are employees of a small, medium, or large consulting firm. The site is very easy for potential clients to use, and its value to the public will be enhanced as more consultants are listed.
New Enhancements
The site has been recently enhanced. Some of the most significant upgrades include:
- Advanced search features: Users can now search for a consultant by category, name, keyword, or location (see Figure 1). Searching by category allows users to identify consultants by area of expertise (see Figure 2) using either general business terms (e.g., Retaining Employees) or I-O terms (e.g., Job Analysis).
- Improved display: Like a search engine result, the CLS first displays a summary of all matching consultants and firms. Users may then click through to a full-page description of each consultant or firm. Your page can include your contact information, a brief description of your services, and a direct link to your Web site.
- Improved visibility: Your CLS registration fee supports SIOPs efforts to drive increased traffic to the site by advertising and marketing I-O practitioners to HR professionals across a range of industries. The CLS team is working with other HR-related Web sites to directly link users to the CLS.
Figure 1. Multiple search methods.
Figure 2. Users can search by need.
Getting started is easy. Simply go to www.siop.org
and click on Consultant Locator on the left-hand menu. Individual consultants/practitioners can be listed for $50 per year. Consulting organizations can purchase a listing for their company plus up to three additional consultants within their company for $300 per year. Payment can be made by credit card.
We encourage you to join today. Gaining one significant client or partner relationship based on your CLS membership will easily provide a solid return on your investment fees.
For more details, please review the FAQs list below (a more detailed list appears on the Web site).
Frequently Asked Questions about the CLS
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Will users be able to contact me directly from the CLS via e-mail or link to my Web site? Yes, the Locator System provides lists of service providers for visitors containing complete contact information including telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and Web-site URLs.
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Do you need to be licensed to enroll in the CLS? No, the only requirement is SIOP membership in good standing.
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Do you need a PhD to enroll in the CLS? No. However, you must be a member of SIOP at the professional level (Associate, International Affiliate, Member, or Fellow). Information on SIOP membership criteria is available on the SIOP Web site.
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Do I have to be a member of SIOP to register my consulting firm? Your firm must employ at least one professional-level member of SIOP as a principal, officer, or executive of the firm.
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Can providers living outside the U.S. enroll in the CLS? Yes. All professional-level members of SIOP can register regardless of their geographic location.
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Is SIOP endorsing providers who enroll in the CLS? No, the purpose of the CLS is to enable visitors to identify individuals, and/or firms that have individuals, who are members in current good standing of the Society and who have self-reported capabilities that may be of interest. The CLS is intended for information exchange only. SIOP does not offer warranties or guarantees regarding participants in the system.
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Do I have to pay SIOP referral fees for business I get from the CLS?
No, your registration fee is all that is required.
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Can I get a discount if I want to list several individuals?
Yes, organizations may register up to three consultants for their organization-level enrollment fee. Additional consultants may be added for $50 each.
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What if the CLS does not list my area of practice or expertise? A text field is provided in the enrollment process that allows for participants to fully describe their range of services. This text is searchable by users who use the keyword search function.
If you have questions about enrollment in the CLS, be sure to review the information available directly on the site
(http://www.siop.org/sioplocator/). You may also contact the SIOP Administrative office directly (e-mail:
SIOP@siop.org) or either of us with your comments, questions, or suggestions about the CLS
(wshepher@psymaxsolutions.com or
doug.reynolds@ddiworld.com).
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