Introduction
NetSuite consultant resumes all look the same.
Five years of experience. Multiple certifications. Long lists of modules and industries. Successful implementations at companies you’ve never heard of. References available upon request.
These resumes tell you almost nothing about whether a consultant can actually deliver for your business.
The problem isn’t dishonesty—most consultants accurately describe their background. The problem is that resumes can’t capture what matters most: how consultants think through problems, how they communicate with non-technical stakeholders, and whether their experience actually matches your specific needs.
This is why smart companies evaluate consultants beyond the resume. They use practical assessments, structured interviews, and scenario-based questions that reveal real capability.
Here’s how to evaluate NetSuite consultants properly—and avoid expensive hiring mistakes.
Why Resumes Don’t Tell the Full Story
Resumes can’t answer the questions that determine implementation success:
Can they configure our specific workflows? – A consultant might have “workflow experience” but has never built the approval routing, conditional logic, or exception handling your business requires.
Do they understand our industry? – “Healthcare experience” might mean medical billing, not medical device manufacturing. The skills don’t transfer.
Can they communicate with our team? – Technical brilliance means nothing if they can’t explain their decisions to your CFO or train your staff effectively.
Have they handled projects like ours? – “Implementation experience” could mean straightforward deployments for single-entity companies, not the multi-subsidiary, multi-currency, complex consolidations you’re facing.
Do they solve problems or just follow scripts? – Some consultants execute predefined playbooks. Others adapt to unique business requirements and find creative solutions when standard approaches don’t fit.
Resumes list credentials and past projects. They don’t demonstrate problem-solving ability, communication skills, or cultural fit. That’s why you need a structured evaluation process.
Step 1: Understand What You Actually Need
Before evaluating consultants, define what success looks like for your project.
Critical questions to answer:
What specific NetSuite modules will they configure? – Financial Management? Advanced Revenue Management? CRM? Inventory Management? Be specific.
What industry-specific requirements exist? – FDA compliance? Subscription billing? 3PL operations? Manufacturing work orders?
What technical skills are required? – SuiteScript development? Integration architecture? Report building? Workflow design?
How much oversight will you provide? – Are you looking for someone who needs detailed direction or someone who can work independently with minimal guidance?
What communication style fits your team? – Do you need someone who can present to executives, or someone who works heads-down on technical tasks?
Without clear requirements, you’ll evaluate consultants against vague criteria like “NetSuite experience” instead of specific capabilities your project requires.
Step 2: Pre-Screen with Targeted Questions
Before scheduling interviews, ask screening questions that reveal whether candidates match your specific needs.
Sample pre-screening questions:
“Describe a project where you configured [specific module] for a [your industry] company. What challenges did you face and how did you solve them?”
This reveals whether they have relevant experience or are just listing modules they’ve touched briefly.
“Walk me through how you’d design [specific workflow your business needs].”
This tests whether they understand the technical requirements and can explain their approach clearly.
“What certifications do you currently hold, and when do they expire?”
This verifies they maintain active certifications and stay current with NetSuite updates.
“What’s your experience with [specific integration or technical requirement]?”
If you need API integrations with Salesforce, ask specifically about that—not general integration experience.
“Are you available [your project timeline] and can you commit to [hours per week or project duration]?”
This eliminates candidates who aren’t available when you need them.
These questions filter out poor matches before you invest time in full interviews.
Step 3: Test Real Problem-Solving Skills
The best way to evaluate capability is to watch consultants solve actual problems.
Practical assessment approaches:
Scenario-based questions – Present a business requirement and ask how they’d configure NetSuite to meet it. Listen for specific steps, consideration of edge cases, and questions they ask to clarify requirements.
Example: “We need to automate our revenue recognition for multi-year SaaS contracts with annual price increases. Walk me through your approach.”
Configuration walk-through – Ask them to explain how they’d configure something complex—like multi-subsidiary consolidations or approval workflows with multiple exception paths.
Problem diagnosis – Describe a system issue and ask how they’d troubleshoot it. Strong consultants ask diagnostic questions before proposing solutions.
Example: “Our inventory is showing discrepancies between what’s in NetSuite and what’s physically in our warehouse. How would you investigate this?”
Review past work – Ask for examples of workflows they’ve built, reports they’ve designed, or integration architecture they’ve created. Explain what they did and why.
These assessments reveal how consultants think—not just what they know.
Step 4: Evaluate Communication Skills
Technical skill without communication ability creates problems during implementations.
What to assess:
Requirement gathering – Can they ask the right questions to understand your business needs before proposing solutions?
Explanation clarity – Can they explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders without jargon?
Documentation habits – Do they document their work so your team can maintain configurations after they leave?
Training ability – Can they train your staff effectively, not just build the system?
Conflict resolution – How do they handle disagreements when stakeholders have different requirements or when their recommendation conflicts with what the client wants?
Testing during interviews:
Present a complex technical concept (like revenue recognition rules) and ask them to explain it as if they’re talking to your CFO who doesn’t know NetSuite.
Ask how they’d handle a situation where the finance team and operations team disagree on how a workflow should work.
Request a writing sample—documentation from a previous project or a technical specification they’ve created.
Strong communication skills separate consultants who deliver successful implementations from those who build systems no one can maintain or use.
Step 5: Verify Industry-Specific Experience
Generic NetSuite experience doesn’t translate to industry expertise.
How to verify industry fit:
Ask for specific examples – “Tell me about a time you configured NetSuite for a [SaaS/manufacturing/3PL/healthcare] company similar to ours.”
Test industry knowledge – Ask about industry-specific requirements (ASC 606, FDA regulations, 3PL billing models) and see if they understand without explanation.
Request relevant references – Don’t just ask for any references. Ask for clients in your industry who can speak to their relevant experience.
Discuss challenges unique to your industry – If you’re in manufacturing, ask about BOM management and production planning. If you’re SaaS, ask about subscription billing and revenue recognition.
Consultants with relevant industry experience recognize your requirements immediately. Those without industry experience need everything explained and make assumptions that don’t fit your business.
Step 6: Assess Cultural and Working Style Fit
Technical skills and industry experience aren’t enough if working styles don’t align.
Consider:
Independence level – Do they need detailed direction, or can they work autonomously with general guidance?
Pace and urgency – Do they match your timeline expectations, or will they push back on aggressive schedules?
Collaboration style – Do they work well with internal teams, or do they prefer to work independently and deliver finished products?
Problem-solving approach – Do they escalate issues quickly, or do they try to solve everything themselves?
Flexibility – How do they handle scope changes, shifting priorities, or new requirements mid-project?
Ask behavioral questions:
“Tell me about a time a project scope changed significantly mid-implementation. How did you handle it?”
“Describe a situation where you disagreed with a client’s decision. What did you do?”
“How do you handle multiple stakeholders with competing priorities?”
The answers reveal whether their working style will mesh with your team and company culture.
Step 7: Check References (The Right Way)
Most companies check references poorly—asking generic questions that get generic positive answers.
Better reference check questions:
“What specific modules or functionality did this consultant configure?” – Verifies scope and relevance to your project.
“How did they handle problems when things didn’t go as planned?” – Reveals problem-solving ability and resilience.
“How effective were they at training your team and documenting their work?” – Shows whether they enable your team for long-term success.
“Would you hire them again for a similar project?” – Most direct indicator of satisfaction.
“What would you do differently if you were starting the project over with this consultant?” – Often reveals issues people won’t state directly.
Ask to speak with someone who worked directly with the consultant day-to-day—not just a project sponsor who saw status reports.
References from projects in your industry or involving similar technical requirements carry the most weight.
Red Flags to Watch For
Certain patterns during evaluation should raise concerns:
Vague answers to specific questions – If they can’t describe how they’d configure something specific, they probably haven’t done it.
Overconfidence without details – Claims of expertise without concrete examples of past work.
Unfamiliarity with recent NetSuite updates – The platform evolves constantly. Consultants should know recent changes.
Poor communication during evaluation – Communication won’t improve after you hire them.
Resistance to practical assessments – Strong consultants welcome opportunities to demonstrate capability.
No questions about your business – Good consultants want to understand your needs before proposing how they’ll help.
Expired or missing certifications – Maintaining certifications signals ongoing commitment to staying current.
These red flags don’t always mean you should reject a candidate, but they warrant deeper investigation.
Green Flags That Signal Strong Candidates
Positive indicators during evaluation:
Specific, detailed examples – They describe past projects with concrete details about what they configured and why.
Thoughtful questions – They want to understand your business requirements, constraints, and goals before proposing solutions.
Recognition of limitations – They’re honest about what they don’t know rather than pretending expertise they lack.
Clear communication – They explain technical concepts in accessible ways without unnecessary jargon.
Problem-solving orientation – They focus on understanding root causes before proposing solutions.
Documentation mindset – They discuss how they’d document their work and train your team.
Current certifications – They maintain active certifications and speak knowledgeably about recent NetSuite updates.
These signals indicate consultants who will deliver successful implementations and enable your team for long-term success.
How NetSuiteHire Pre-Vets Consultants
We evaluate consultants through the process described above—before you ever meet them.
Our assessment includes:
Technical capability testing – Consultants complete practical exercises demonstrating their ability to configure workflows, build reports, and solve real business problems.
Industry verification – We confirm they’ve worked in your industry and understand relevant compliance, reporting, or operational requirements.
Communication evaluation – We assess how they explain complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Reference validation – We speak with previous clients about delivery quality and problem-solving ability.
Certification verification – We confirm current NetSuite certifications and that they’ve maintained skills as the platform evolves.
When you interview consultants through NetSuiteHire, you’re meeting someone who’s already passed this evaluation. You can focus on fit and project-specific requirements rather than basic capability verification.
This is why companies that use NetSuiteHire complete hiring in days rather than weeks—and why their consultants deliver better results.
Conclusion: Look Beyond the Resume
Resumes list credentials. Evaluations reveal capability.
The difference between successful implementations and expensive failures often comes down to hiring consultants whose real skills match your actual needs—not consultants who look good on paper.
Take the time to evaluate consultants properly. Test problem-solving ability. Assess communication skills. Verify industry experience. Check references thoroughly.
Or work with NetSuiteHire and skip straight to interviews with consultants who’ve already been vetted.
Either way, don’t hire based on resumes alone. Your implementation timeline and budget depend on getting this decision right.
Ready to work with pre-vetted consultants? Connect with NetSuite professionals who’ve been thoroughly evaluated and matched to your specific needs.
