What if your next hire isn't in the market… but locked out of it?
There's a growing pool of highly skilled, internationally experienced women in the Netherlands — mid-management, cross-functional, ready to work. They've led teams. Delivered results. Built careers. And then… they paused.
Consultant for a Day (C4D) changes that — but only for the few organisations in the room.
Why existing hiring misses exceptional talent.
Traditional hiring systems weren't designed for career breaks — or for the people whose careers don't follow a straight line.
CVs don't tell the full story
Career gaps create bias. Decisions get made before a real conversation ever starts.
Experience goes invisible
Qualified professionals are filtered out early — long before anyone sees what they can actually do.
Traditional hiring lacks context
Capability is rarely evaluated live. Pipelines reward pattern-match, not potential.
A diverse talent pool stays untapped
Perspective, maturity and global experience go unseen — the very qualities boards say they want.
What happens when you remove the filters… and watch them perform instead?
A talent pool traditional hiring was never built for.
Highly qualified. Internationally experienced. Motivated, adaptable and ready to contribute — once given a real way in.
Former Strategy Consultant
Career break after international relocation
Product Manager
Caregiving break · Ready to contribute
Solutions Architect
Medical leave · Fully recovered
Motivated. Adaptable. Committed to impact. Ready to contribute from day one.
A curated, experiential talent discovery event.
Not a networking event. Definitely not a job fair. A single high-intensity day built around three commitments:
Real business challenges
Live cases provided by sponsoring organisations — not simulations, not generic prompts.
Real-time evaluation
Decision-makers observe how candidates think, collaborate and present under pressure.
Real potential, made visible
20 pre-vetted professionals showing capability in motion — no CVs, no filters.
But what actually happens during the day is where it gets interesting…
One day. Four moments where everything changes.
- 01 · Morning
The Identity Anchor™ Workshop
Led by TEDx speaker and career restart expert Neha Lagoo Ratnakar, participants anchor themselves back into their professional identity. Then the real work begins.
- 02 · During the day
Real cases. Real pressure.
Participants are assigned real case studies — provided by sponsoring organisations. They collaborate, analyse, challenge, and build solutions under time pressure. No CVs. No filters. Just capability in motion.
- 03 · Late afternoon
They present.
The participants get tips and light directions from the relevant case study partners as they prepare to present. Master Chef™ style. Then they present their solutions to the audience of judges, partner delegates, recruiters and decision makers. And that's where assumptions tend to break.
- 04 · Closing
Conversations that don't usually happen
Feedback. Recognition. The kind of unfiltered dialogue that hiring processes rarely allow.
"No CVs. No filters. Just capability in motion."
Six stages before they walk into the room.
By the time a participant meets you, they've already been through a process most hiring funnels never offer.
- 1Application
Candidates share their background, experience and aspirations.
- 2Selection
We rigorously evaluate for potential, mindset and motivation.
- 3Alignment
We match talent to partner-provided real-world business challenges.
- 4Prep Coaching
Personalised coaching builds confidence, communication and problem-solving.
- 5Upskilling
Targeted upskilling ensures participants are challenge-ready and industry aware.
- 6Dry Runs
Structured rehearsals prepare participants to present with clarity and impact.
Most companies will never meet this talent pool.
Not because it's small — but because it's invisible to traditional hiring systems.
C4D gives you direct access. Not to profiles. To performance.
See how candidates think
communicate, and solve under pressure.
Engage in business context
not in another networking line.
Position your brand
as part of their return journey.
And yes — you also meet your CSR and DEI goals. But that's not why this works.
It works because you get something others don't: early access to overlooked, high-calibre talent.
Traditional hiring
Wide intake → narrow filters → assumptions
Consultant for a Day
Curated → deep evaluation → real performance
The hiring conversation has changed. Quietly, but completely.
Six forces are converging. Each one alone would make C4D timely. Together, they make it urgent.
EU roles go unfilled
Talent shortages are at a 17-year high. The status quo isn't producing the people you need.
Untapped talent pool in NL
Internationally educated women on career break — many never re-enter at the level they left.
Inclusion now reportable
Social and DEI outcomes are no longer optics. Boards are asked for demonstrable impact.
Average time-to-hire
Live evaluation compresses months of screening into a single day of observable performance.
Hiring is shifting
Leading employers are moving from credentials to capability. C4D shows you what that looks like in practice.
First-mover advantage
Founding partners shape the narrative — and meet the cohort before anyone else does.
Real value. Real impact. Beyond visibility.
Curated Access
Engage with a pre-screened, high-potential talent pool — curated for relevance and readiness.
Experiential Evaluation
Evaluate talent in action through real business challenges and observable behaviours.
Employer Positioning
Showcase your purpose, culture and opportunities to future-ready professionals.
Workforce Innovation Leadership
Lead the shift toward experiential hiring and build future-fit workforces.
Stronger connections. Smarter decisions. Shared impact.
Three ways to partner. One mission — turn potential into impact.
Every partnership directly empowers women restarting careers and helps build a more inclusive workforce for the future.
Proximity to talent increases with depth of partnership.
Strategic Workforce Partner
Limited to 2Lead the shift. Shape the narrative.
- Premium logo placement across all event materials, website and communications
- Opening remarks or welcome address (5 minutes)
- Direct access to the pre-screened talent pool and participant profiles
- Thought leadership feature in pre- and post-event content
- VIP access to the networking dinner and leadership circle
- Exhibit table in premium location + 2 delegate passes
Recognition in post-event report, media and social highlights.
Challenge Partner
Limited to 5See talent in action — on your challenge.
- Logo placement on select event materials and digital channels
- Opportunity to introduce your challenge (3 minutes)
- Engage with shortlisted talent aligned to your challenge
- Access to networking sessions and the wider community
- Exhibit table + 1 delegate pass
Recognition in post-event report and social highlights.
Venue Partner
Limited to 1Host the room where it all happens.
- Logo placement on website and event signage
- Engage with attendees and participants on the day
- Access to networking sessions and the wider community
- Brand presence across venue and signage
Recognition in post-event report and social highlights.
| What's included | Strategic Workforce | Challenge | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand visibility | Premium · all channels | Select materials | Website + venue |
| Speaking opportunity | Opening / welcome (5 min) | Challenge intro (3 min) | — |
| Talent engagement | Full pool + profiles | Aligned to your challenge | On-the-day access |
| Thought leadership content | Pre- and post-event feature | — | — |
| On-site presence | Premium table + 2 passes | Table + 1 pass | Venue-wide branding |
| Networking access | VIP dinner + leadership circle | Networking sessions | Networking sessions |
| Post-event recognition | Report · media · social | Report · social | Report · social |
Support real talent. Strengthen brand purpose. Drive long-term impact.
Partner for impact. Shape the future of work.
For the women, this is not another workshop.
It's a return — on their terms.
- Step back into a professional identity
- Solve real business problems
- Present to decision-makers
- Rebuild confidence through action
They walk away with:
Only 20 participants are selected.
One day where talent becomes visible again.
No booths. No CV stacks. No passive networking. If you're in the room, you see it. If you're not — you'll hear about it later.
Neha Lagoo Ratnakar
A leadership development strategist who has spent over a decade coaching professionals, building capability and supporting women restarting careers. C4D was built from a simple belief: exceptional talent doesn't disappear because careers become non-linear.
Become a sponsor of Consultant for a Day.
Request the sponsorship deck or book a conversation. We respond to every enquiry within two working days.
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