A growing field of employment for those who prefer to travel off the beaten path, consulting is a pretty lucrative career option now. These jobs offer greater flexibility and allow you to really dig deep into the subject of your choice.
At HiCounselor, we know choosing a career can be a real challenge. That’s why we compile guides like this one to help you understand your options more clearly. Read on to find out more about how to become a consultant and find consulting jobs. If you need more help sorting out your professional life, contact us and have a chat with one of our experts!
What’s Consulting?
This profession involves providing expert and extensive information to the top execs of a company. Often, companies look to expand and grow in ways that they haven’t tried before or handle problem areas in new ways. This is where they call in a consultant to help explain the nitty-gritty of the subject matter so they can make the most informed decisions.
Consultants have a truly broad scope of work. You’ll find consultants employed in several industries, providing their expertise on a number of subjects. Due to the nature of this job, you pretty much have to be up to date with your information and have extensive knowledge on the subject.
Who’s Suited for this Role?
A consultant is basically an expert in their field, so this job is for those who like a subject enough to completely master it. Businesses will be relying on your know-how to make their moves, so you must be able to provide them accurate, reliable information.
Consulting jobs also provide greater flexibility than others. This makes them ideal jobs for those who like greater freedom and can be their own bosses without needing supervision. Whether you work independently or for a company, as a consultant you will have more time to pursue your interests and keep your mind sharp.
What’s the Job Outlook?
This is a growing field as many companies are now realizing the advantage of hiring experts to fix their problems and/or help them grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the expected growth for this sector is 14%, which is much higher than average. Around 99,400 job openings are projected each year on average.
How do you Find Consultant Jobs?
Since there are all kinds of consultants, there are many ways to become one too. Here are some routes you can take:
Choose Your Sectors of Expertise
Your expertise might be required by a number of companies in various industries. It all depends on the field you’re an expert in. Many firms need management consultants, operational consultants, legal experts, subject-experts, etc. A simple Google search can show you which industries look for subject matter experts from your field.
Get Your Name out There
You can list yourself on journalistic platforms to help reporters out when they need to connect with an expert. Having your words quoted in the news will also give you exposure and help you establish your brand. Sites like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) can help you connect with reporters working for big news agencies.
Use the Right Search Tools
Since consulting jobs are often freelance or short-term contracts in nature, you have to change the way you look for these jobs. Some job portals are used more for these roles than others. You might find very few consulting job openings on sites geared towards regular 9 to 5 positions.
Network & Hustle
This is true for landing any job but more so for roles like consulting. Having a trusted team member refer you to the top dog as a reliable source of information carries weight so get to socializing, whether that’s online or in person. There are also networking events like trade gatherings, conferences, etc. where you can get leads.
Get a Mentor
While being a consultant implies being an expert in a field, you might benefit from getting a mentor who’ll teach you more about finding jobs. After all, there’s no substitute for real-world scenarios when it comes to finding inspiration and success. Mentors can teach you a lot from both their successes and failures.
Make a List of Suitable Companies
Online searches and networking will reveal to you companies that hire consultants. Make a list of the companies that could hire you for your subject-matter expertise and keep adding to it as you get more information. You can even add companies that aren’t directly involved in your subject but might benefit from expanding in that sector. You never know when you might meet the right person and convince them to hire you!
HiCounselor has forged technical advances to transform the hiring landscape for job seekers and recruiters alike. Our career accelerator program provides job seekers with coaching and mentorship from industry leaders employed at FAANG companies while recruiters ally with HiCounselor to empower their hiring strategy and hone in on the best candidates. Learn more about HiCounselor here and reach out to us on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
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