This is a "seat of the pants" operation that requires the dedication of a salaried employee and DBM treats you that way, milking you for every bit of non-billable time they can. However, it doesn't take long for hourly compensated consultants to realize the business model doesn't work and they come and go very quickly. It’s hard to build a team in this environment.
As a consultant, your performance is completely based upon clients’ opinions of your ability to coach them into their next position, which can be very dicey depending on the qualities and skills of the laid-off client. Moreover, clients come in with the expectation that you will get them their next position, which is the carrot that the DBM sales rep uses to get clients in the door and allows DBM to bill the former employer for the services.
Their computers and CRM are very old and outdated due to the fact the company is run by bean counters - they are milking it. Most of the full time (salaried) employees are jaded and cynical, and they treat you as if you have little or no value so consultants are used and abused. It takes someone with a bit of a mean streak to stay in the DBM environment in a permanent role.
The business is completely dependent upon contracts and large layoffs, making the business extremely cyclical. When the corporate layoffs stop or the sales rep fails to deliver, they cut your hours or lay you off without much notice, which is what DBM is good at. It is only at that point that they treat you like an hourly temp, which is what you are. Helping companies layoff people is a nasty business and nobody likes it. The movie "Up in the Air" with George Clooney tells a dramatized story about the business, but there are threads of truth in the movie.
