Consultants are not usually permanent employees of the company, although some large corporations pay top dollar to keep full-time consultants on their payroll. Most companies, however, benefit from hiring consultants on a temporary or contractual basis, usually from a consultancy firm. These firms act as agents that regularly find work for the consultants under their wing, often catering to as many industries as possible.
An advantage of being employed under a consultancy firm is that it is easier to find work after each contract is done. You will not have to look yourself for companies for whom to do consulting. An advantage to finding your own consulting work, though not as efficient as being with a consultancy firm, is that you are able to demand your desired pay, with no need to give your consultancy firm a percentage of your earnings. This will mean you will have to do a lot of networking and will have to be able to sell yourself well, but if you have the necessary skills, then working for yourself can be more lucrative and offer more freedom.
Jobs in management consulting are the most popular of consulting jobs, with accounting consulting jobs coming in a close second. But these aren’t the only industries that require consultants. Industries such as finance, education, arts and entertainment, healthcare, insurance, research, sales management, information technology, public relations, and many others would benefit from consultancy.
Industries that rely on efficient operations will definitely benefit from a consultant. Industries including transportation, logistics, manufacturing, merchandising, construction, media and communication, and customer relations are included in this category. Operations consultants are usually people who have been previously employed in the industry of their expertise, know the business inside and out, and thus are able to offer reliable consultation services.
There are many kinds of jobs in consulting, but operations consulting is just a bit more specialized and, in many ways, more complicated. It is important that, as a consultant, you have a high level of expertise and knowledge about your specific industry; in this way you will be truly valued by your company. In operations consulting, you will analyze how a particular business operates and offer suggestions and solutions on how the systems will run more efficiently. Therefore, you will need a lot of expertise on the kind of business you will be analyzing.
Consulting jobs are not entry-level positions. Most consultants should also be able to function as department managers or project directors in their chosen industry. Qualifications for jobs in consulting are standardized as high as managerial and directorial positions. Consultancy firms are rigorous head hunters and will hire their consultants based on their previous technical experience and qualifications, as well as professional referrals.
So why not stick to your job as a department manager or a project director in your industry? Why go into consulting at all? Consulting jobs actually yield a lot less work than managerial jobs. For one, the responsibility is not so great; the manager or director is still in charge of implementing the solutions that you provide. Also, depending on the agreement or contract drawn up by the company, consultants may not need to report to work as regularly as the other employees in the office. Less work does not mean less pay; in this case, consultants are compensated for what they know, and not necessarily for what they actually do.
It is not very difficult to find jobs in consulting, whether you attach yourself to a consultancy firm or do your own network within your specific industry, as long as you are qualified. Consultancy firms are companies that act as agents between a consultant and the company in need of a consultant. Consultants are often employed by corporations on a contractual or temporary basis, but are also employed by a consultancy firm on a regular basis. Freelance consultants who are not attached to any specific consultancy firm will have to look on their own for corporations in need of consultation.
While this may sound tedious, difficult, and complicated, it need not be. These companies can be found online, and can easily be tracked through common online search engines. There are Web sites dedicated to finding consulting jobs, sometimes acting as online consultancy firms by offering several job opportunities simultaneously. Of course, some sites are more specialized than others, and you should be aware that although certain Web sites are supposed to be dedicated only to consulting jobs, there will be other kinds of jobs that can be found there as well. Rest assured, however, that once you find the Web site that you need, you’ll be a lot closer to finding not just the job of your dreams, but several other consulting jobs lined up right behind it.
