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What is a consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Erik Johnson Ph.D.
introduction image

A consultant provides expert advice and guidance to individuals or organizations. They often work on a temporary basis to solve problems, improve performance, or provide expertise in a particular area. Consultants collaborate with clients to identify issues, analyze data, develop strategies, and implement solutions. They may specialize in industries such as healthcare, finance, marketing, and technology. Consultants use communication skills and strong analytical abilities. They may work independently or as part of a team.

What general advice would you give to a consultant?

Erik Johnson Ph.D.Erik Johnson Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Economics, Carthage College

Economics gives you a set of tools to analyze a variety of policy and business problems. However, determining which tools to apply in which situation requires that you learn the industry, you are working from top to bottom. When you begin a new job in a new field, be sure to do everything you can to understand how the organization and the industry work to understand the primary incentives that everyone faces. One right way to do this is to make as many connections within the company you are working for as possible, and always be on the lookout for new opportunities within the company and how they can help you learn more. Moreover, do your best to ensure that a significant portion of your job involves some creative endeavors, such as economic modeling or building tools for yourself or others to use. As computing power continues to become cheaper, and artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, relatively repetitive tasks become more comfortable and easier to automate. Therefore, you will have less job security. Creative tasks, such as modeling and tool building, are difficult to automate and are more likely to provide you with more satisfaction.
ScoreConsultantUS Average
Salary
6.2

Avg. Salary $78,912

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 13.76%

Black or African American 7.83%

Hispanic or Latino 8.73%

Unknown 4.48%

White 65.05%

Gender

female 41.58%

male 58.42%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
2.2

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a consultant?

Pros

  • High earning potential

  • Possibility for remote work

  • Chance to work with and learn from experienced professionals

  • Opportunities for networking and building professional relationships

  • Variety of project types keeps work interesting

Cons

  • Potential for long hours and high stress levels

  • Lack of job security or benefits

  • Constant need to find new clients and projects

  • Need for self-promotion and marketing skills

  • Limited opportunity for skill development in a specific area

Consultant career paths

Key steps to become a consultant

  1. Explore consultant education requirements

    Most common consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    64.3 %

    Master's

    17.5 %

    Associate

    9.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific consultant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service10.10%
    Strong Analytical6.79%
    Project Management5.60%
    C++5.44%
    C #5.44%
  3. Complete relevant consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real consultant resumes.
  4. Research consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Lead IIS tuning to get the maximum through put.
    • Manage daily data operations and customer support for SaaS web application products in Linux.
    • Manage several contractors in the development and coding of DB2 interface programs, as well as modification of the package software.
    • Manage operational incidents and changes to consistently meet SLA compliance
  5. Prepare your consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your consultant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable consultant resume templates

    Build a professional consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your consultant resume.
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  6. Apply for consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first consultant job

Zippi

Are you a consultant?

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Average consultant salary

The average consultant salary in the United States is $78,912 per year or $38 per hour. Consultant salaries range between $58,000 and $107,000 per year.

Average consultant salary
$78,912 Yearly
$37.94 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do consultants rate their job?

4/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Consultant reviews

profile
4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

As it seeks to solve problems in innovative way

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Improve 5's & increase productivity, manpower reduction...n+/- concept..

Cons

Can be managed accordingly situation.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Variety of clients and challenges. Ability to solve diffcult probepms and to mentor others.

Cons

Marketing during and between projects. Work is not always steady.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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