During our time in FSB, we hear about other students graduating and going into consulting. But what exactly is consulting? Consulting is defined as the practice of providing a third party with expertise on a matter in exchange for a fee. The service can involve either advisory or implementation services. There are many types of consulting, but in order to be successful in any of these fields you must have a few key traits.
Enjoy The Lifestyle
Depending on the type of life you want to live, consulting may or may not be right for you. Most consultants travel to different clients Monday through Thursday. This means spending a lot of time in airports and away from family and friends. While most of the time this sounds fun to a lot of people, it can become very tiresome and be hard on a family or relationships. To make sure consulting is right for you, you have to consider if this is a lifestyle you would want to have.
Communication
One of the most important skills a consultant utilizes daily is there communication skills. A vital part of the job is being able to make connections internally in the company and externally with clients. These relationships will propel your career in the right direction. It is also extremely important to be able to communicate and sell your thoughts and ideas.
Flexibility
With a career in consulting, each day is different. When you go into work, you may end up working one something completely different than you thought you would that day. It is important to have a flexible mindset and to be able to adapt and adjust to any situation as it is thrown at you.
Confidence
Having confidence in yourself and your findings is key in consulting. Because you are going to clients with solutions to their problems, sometimes they may feel as if you’re insulting their current systems of operation. That is why it is important to create a strong argument that you can back up, and be confident in your answer. This will help them understand that you are only there to help.
One of the many cool parts of consulting is that there are so many different kinds of consulting. Many common types of consulting for business majors are management consulting, marketing consulting, financial consulting, strategy consulting, risk and compliance consulting, sales consulting and more. This means that no matter what your major, there is probably a consulting career out there for you.
If you are interesting in a career in consulting, talk to a careers advisor! You can also apply online to Hankshake to top consulting firms like Deloitte, PwC, Accenture, and many more. Researching the profession and reaching out to the FSB Careers Office will help you decide if this is a career you want, and how to get started if it is.