An associate consultant works in various lines of business, helping provide valuable insight into the development of business strategies, existing systems, and processes. They work alongside consultants and managers, as well as other associate consultants.
Furthermore, an associate consultant also performs other tasks such as testing formulated strategies and systems, monitoring their implementation, and identifying possible areas for improvement. Usually, they work as in-house employees, but they may also work for business consultancy firms and gain clients there.
An associate consultant position typically requires a college education, primarily in business and other management-related fields. Moreover, an associate consultant needs adequate industry experience just like business consultants to establish their knowledge and expertise on their specializations. In terms of soft skills, an associate consultant must be good at communicating, time management, and coordination to be successful at their job.
As an associate consultant, one's earning potential is usually around $69,000 a year, but the salary for this role can be as high as $80,000 or even higher, especially when working for large companies.
What is an Associate Consultant?
What Does an Associate Consultant Do
There are certain skills that many associate consultants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills and time-management skills.
How To Become an Associate Consultant
If you're interested in becoming an associate consultant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 71.0% of associate consultants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 20.7% of associate consultants have master's degrees. Even though most associate consultants have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Associate Consultant Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of consultant you might progress to a role such as controller eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title chief finance and operating officer.
Average Salary for an Associate Consultant
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Associate Consultant Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active associate consultant jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where associate consultants earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Associate Consultant Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 5,623 | $74,740 |
| 2 | Texas | 2,590 | $71,790 |
| 3 | Florida | 2,441 | $63,372 |
| 4 | Illinois | 1,843 | $75,198 |
| 5 | New York | 1,703 | $79,267 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 1,567 | $71,797 |
| 7 | Virginia | 1,443 | $75,175 |
| 8 | Georgia | 1,318 | $70,466 |
| 9 | Michigan | 1,254 | $70,970 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 1,200 | $81,090 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 1,194 | $73,455 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 1,132 | $81,402 |
| 13 | Ohio | 1,073 | $70,236 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 1,054 | $65,811 |
| 15 | Arizona | 960 | $69,874 |
| 16 | Washington | 901 | $83,021 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 788 | $74,445 |
| 18 | Alabama | 724 | $74,217 |
| 19 | Colorado | 703 | $78,536 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 699 | $71,216 |
| 21 | Oregon | 682 | $74,961 |
| 22 | South Carolina | 674 | $62,769 |
| 23 | Missouri | 665 | $70,724 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 661 | $77,184 |
| 25 | Maryland | 597 | $78,124 |
| 26 | Utah | 594 | $58,585 |
| 27 | Kentucky | 593 | $62,303 |
| 28 | Indiana | 591 | $65,477 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 452 | $67,983 |
| 30 | Arkansas | 423 | $56,778 |
| 31 | Iowa | 357 | $69,871 |
| 32 | New Mexico | 340 | $69,959 |
| 33 | Kansas | 313 | $65,193 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 295 | $62,374 |
| 35 | Louisiana | 287 | $67,471 |
| 36 | Mississippi | 285 | $64,855 |
| 37 | Nevada | 280 | $64,389 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | 266 | $71,067 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 264 | $73,692 |
| 40 | Nebraska | 247 | $64,446 |
| 41 | Idaho | 219 | $69,892 |
| 42 | Maine | 201 | $70,171 |
| 43 | Delaware | 200 | $67,177 |
| 44 | South Dakota | 179 | $65,227 |
| 45 | Vermont | 172 | $67,718 |
| 46 | Hawaii | 161 | $60,343 |
| 47 | Montana | 156 | $65,359 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 127 | $63,497 |
| 49 | Alaska | 116 | $84,793 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 102 | $68,127 |
Top Colleges for Associate Consultants
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
6. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
7. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
8. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
9. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Top Skills For an Associate Consultant
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 8.7% of associate consultants listed healthcare on their resume, but soft skills such as interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Associate Consultant Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Associate Consultant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Associate Consultant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Associate Consultant Demographics
Associate Consultant Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among associate consultants, 44.5% of them are women, while 55.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among associate consultants is White, which makes up 68.5% of all associate consultants.
- The most common foreign language among associate consultants is Spanish at 33.7%.
Work Experience Programs For Associate Consultants
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: General Electric
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Tata
Cost: Free
Duration: 3.5-4.5 hours
Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-5 hours
Company: PwC Switzerland
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Online Courses For Associate Consultant That You May Like
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A practical guide with cases studies how to analyze and improve a retail business during management consulting projects...
How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...
Best States For an Associate Consultant
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an associate consultant. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Washington, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Associate consultants make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $84,793. Whereas in Washington and New Jersey, they would average $83,021 and $81,402, respectively. While associate consultants would only make an average of $81,090 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$84,793
Avg. Salary
2. Alabama
$74,217
Avg. Salary
3. Connecticut
$77,184
Avg. Salary
How Do Associate Consultant Rate Their Jobs?
Top Associate Consultant Employers
Most Common Employers For Associate Consultant
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly and Company | $95,904 | $46.11 | 121 |
| 2 | Clinique | $90,344 | $43.43 | 168 |
| 3 | ZS | $82,693 | $39.76 | 255 |
| 4 | Boston Consulting Group | $78,731 | $37.85 | 73 |
| 5 | Bain & Company | $78,591 | $37.78 | 355 |
| 6 | HM Health Solutions | $78,164 | $37.58 | 86 |
| 7 | Charles River Associates | $77,986 | $37.49 | 83 |
| 8 | Huron Consulting Group | $77,583 | $37.30 | 73 |
| 9 | TIBCO Software | $75,936 | $36.51 | 79 |
| 10 | Virtusa | $75,682 | $36.39 | 155 |
Associate Consultant Videos
Becoming an Associate Consultant FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Go From Associate To Consultant?
It typically takes one to three years to move from associate consultant to the position of consultant. Job titles and levels of promotion may vary among companies, but candidates will typically have to work several years at each level before being promoted.
Is Associate Consultant A Technical Role?
Yes, an associate consultant is a technical role. There are many responsibilities considered technical for anyone interested in becoming an associate consultant.
An associate consultant is responsible for managing the installation of software and the training of the end-users. This training may focus on cloud-based billing or reimbursement methodologies related to medicare.
What Are The Skills Required For An Associate Consultant?
Associate consultants should have a mix of both hard and soft skills. These skill-sets ranges from communication to specific programming languages.
One of the more important skills necessary in this field is communication. Associate consultants may be tasked with collaboration and problem solving that involves iterating closely with clients and employees.
What Is The Difference Between An Associate And A Consultant At Mckinsey?
The difference between an associate and a consultant at McKinsey centers around additional responsibilities. The hierarchy at McKinsey differs from other consulting firms, but the roles of its employees are very similar.
What Is The Role Of An Associate Consultant In Oracle?
The role of an associate consultant at Oracle is to carry out routine work assigned within the framework of a consulting team. These new employees have limited autonomy yet are expected to think critically and contribute to problem-solving.