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Consultant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

9 min read

Quoted experts

Hanna Kim Ph.D.,

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

One of the most important hard skills a consultant can possess is strong knowledge of business procedures, such as project management and the lifecycle of business processes. These skills are necessary because they form the foundation of working environments. It's also important for consultants to have the hard skill of data analysis in order to make strong recommendations.

When it comes to soft skills, consultants should have strong customer service skills above all else. Consultants need to present their findings and recommendations in compelling ways, so public speaking and presentation skills are also crucial.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical consultant skills. We ranked the top skills for consultants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.1% of consultant resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a consultant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 consultant skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how consultants use customer service:

Develop rapport with customer to provide an ongoing relationship that provides excellent customer service and future referrals of possible customers.
Worked collaboratively with other Microsoft teams during critical performance and availability scenarios in order to support customer Service Level Agreements.

2. Strong Analytical

Here's how consultants use strong analytical:

Risk management consulting requiring strong analytical knowledge and attention to detail in order to comply with federal and state policies/procedures.
Demonstrated strong analytical, problem-solving skills with the ability to draw inferences and highlight opportunities.

3. Project Management

Here's how consultants use project management:

Advised professional services team on project management best practices and led the development of standardized project management methodology for new products.
Content Management experience including SharePoint and DotNetNuke (DNN) open source Technology and project management support services for regulatory compliance.

4. C++

C++ is a general-purpose programming language that is used to create high-performing applications. It was invented as an extension to the C language. C++ lets the programmer have a high level of domination over memory and system resources. C++ is an object-oriented language that helps you implement real-time issues based on different data functions

Here's how consultants use c++:

Participated in development of a mobile network management application on Linux in C++.
Developed a C++ and Visual Basic data import utility for Henkel-Americas.

5. C #

Here's how consultants use c #:

Worked in MVC pattern and Entity Framework in C #.
NET platform in C # under ASP.

6. Java

Java is a widely-known programming language that was invented in 1995 and is owned by Oracle. It is a server-side language that was created to let app developers "write once, run anywhere". It is easy and simple to learn and use and is powerful, fast, and secure. This object-oriented programming language lets the code be reused that automatically lowers the development cost. Java is specially used for android apps, web and application servers, games, database connections, etc. This programming language is closely related to C++ making it easier for the users to switch between the two.

Here's how consultants use java:

Developed java based GUI and command line knowledge management clients for server installation validation and remediation.
Developed deep learning methods Developed android shopping application in Java end-to-end.

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7. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how consultants use hr:

Coauthored company Immigration Policy to administer to HR community and employees to promote consistency and understanding of company standards.
Created Security document to implement OBI Security with PeopleSoft HR and EPM Security based on functional requirements.

8. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how consultants use financial statements:

Drafted human resource policy document for the client, and established accounting procedures, correcting entries and preparing/analyzing financial statements.
Prepared reports outlining results of data analysis and recommendations for follow up steps in order to properly report financial statements.

9. Business Process

A business process is a group of tasks that are performed by people working in a business to attain a worthy product and to present it to their customers. A business process can also be defined as performing several steps to achieve a certain goal set by a company. Business processes need to set purposeful goals and the outcome of that goal should be clear.

Here's how consultants use business process:

Managed software implementation projects, focusing on improving mortgage banking clients' business processes and enabling technologies related to loan origination.
Provided strategic-level IT services including business process improvement, metrics development, and ITIL-based change management training workshops for various clients.

10. Data Analysis

Here's how consultants use data analysis:

Conducted data quality assessment and exploratory data analysis in aid of assessing and communicating deficiencies in client's data collection procedures.
Performed data analysis and requirement gathering for the initial implementations of University's Finance information system and subsequently producing several reports.

11. SQL Server

Here's how consultants use sql server:

Converted financial Business Objects reports of varying complexities to SQL Server Reporting Services, replicating functionality and formatting.
Added functionality to the software-initialization/automatic-update process by inserting/updating configuration data in a SQL Server database.

12. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how consultants use business development:

Multifaceted professional whose wide-ranging background spans software project management, business development, public sector experience, sales, and marketing.
Incorporated and coordinated focused business development tactics and initiatives into operational strategic road maps from a sales/service and marketing effort.

13. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how consultants use payroll:

Spearheaded use of staffing agencies to reduce hiring costs and payroll while simultaneously increasing Medicare/Medicaid payouts.
Helped in creating and reviewing configuration documents/Workbook with implementation partners for Payroll and Time Tracking.

14. Management System

A management system is a set of policies, processes, and procedures taken by an organization or a business to ensure it can fulfill its tasks and achieve its objectives. A management system makes sure that the company excels financially and improves the user experience. The management system also takes care of the worker's and employees' needs and manages their workload and oversees their performance. Apart from interior matters of the company, a management system also deals with exterior matters like legislations, tax matters, and law issues.

Here's how consultants use management system:

Provide medication management systems, evaluate pharmacy solutions and implement quality assurance of pharmacy services for long term care facilities.
Perform detailed analysis on the inventory management system on a weekly basis and precisely analyze resources used during each procedure.

15. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how consultants use r:

Analyzed 35 years of data using R Programming (statistical analysis) & Tableau (data visualization) to gain insights.
Utilized SAS and R to perform linear regression analysis and validate the hypothesized aging of client's claimant population.

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What skills help Consultants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on consultant resumes?

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Adelphi University

Considering the undergraduate anthropology curriculum, many colleges and universities try to cover at least 2-3 of the 4 major subfields of Anthropology in their curriculum.
I say "try to" as the reality is that having faculty in all 4 subfields is not possible for many reasons. (The 4 subfields are cultural anthropology, archeology, biological anthropology (sometimes physical anthropology), and anthropological linguistics. These subfields are mirrored in graduate school where students going for PhDs will be focused on 1 subfield.)

For undergraduates with an anthropology degree seeking employment, I can speak only from the faculty side, not the employer side. My students report these factors as relevant to their being hired (and accepted into competitive schools in museum studies, social work, law school, etc.:
Analytical skills; clear writing; ability to synthesize large amounts of reading and data into well-supported arguments and interpretations; open-mindedness toward different identities and ways of being.

A hugely important skill that anthropology graduates have is the ability to be presented with a complex situation or problem, and to be able to chart a plan on how to approach the problem, gather data and other necessary information to solve the problem, and then to come up with a solution or possible strategies. Too often, particularly in situations involving human behavior, what is needed is a stronger grasp of social and cultural factors that could impede the desired outcome. Students of anthropology know that ways of doing things, and even seeing and thinking, are profoundly influenced by categories of thought that are culturally situated. This means that problem solving has to consider a network of variables that have an impact on behavior. Anthropology students, I would argue, would embrace this complexity rather than be hesitant to acknowledge it in favor of a more expedient and, in the long run, less successful solution.

What soft skills should all consultants possess?

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Adelphi University

Important soft skills: strong emotional intelligence: Anthropology students with fieldwork experience, for example, from study abroad, field school, or a course/semester capstone or thesis project, know the challenges of conducting a project or being part of a team with a project goal. Being attuned towards one's interlocutors or colleagues, that is, being aware of and acting appropriately, whether to obtain rich fieldwork data or facilitate teamwork, are valuable skills. Successful fieldwork, even of short duration, tests one's skills of interaction in unfamiliar situations; of reading a situation that may be uncomfortable and strange to one's experience; of navigating power dynamics, and learning while doing when one does not have all the skills needed. The anthropology student who has emerged from the other side of fieldwork has acquired these abilities. I would say that anthropological fieldwork demands strong baseline soft skills in emotional intelligence, or what I might call a heightened awareness that how people react, behave, and perform rests on many factors. One learns from anthropology by paying attention to these factors (by discerning them through observation and not via assumptions) and understanding them in context rather than jumping to conclusions.

What hard/technical skills are most important for consultants?

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Adelphi University

Hard skills: being more than monolingual! In a globally connected marketplace where young people worldwide are learning and mastering the English language, their multilingualism makes them attractive hires for multinational or international companies. Anthropology students know the non-negotiable importance of knowing a fieldwork language to understand peoples and their cultures. The same would hold for the workplace: knowing one or more languages affords an employee not just possibilities for work assignments: such an employee, i.e., an anthropology graduate who values the connection of language and culture, is ideally suited to work on projects that demand sensitivity to cultural, social, historical, and political nuances. This includes those who work in international humanitarian groups as well as those who work in global finance.

What consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Brian Simmons

Associate Provost, Columbia International University

I would not think so much in terms of "skills to enhance" but rather experiences that will add depth of insight and understanding. Candidates with a variety of practical experiences, coupled with rigorous academic training, are set apart from others.

What type of skills will young consultants need?

David Smith

Consultant, Coach and Speaker, David J. Smith Consulting

Of course, the need for tech-based skills will continue. But moreover, in the next couple of years, there will be increased demands for careers where personal and humanistic approaches are needed. These are wide-ranging: from home health aids to life coaches. For that reason, the ability to show empathy, apply good listening abilities, and understand and respond to a client's personal challenges will be critical. As society continues to diversify along ethnic, cultural, political, and economic lines, there will be an urgent need for professionals who can seek to connect with clients and help them build bridges, at times, with those who are different.

What technical skills for a consultant stand out to employers?

Melody Buckner Ph.D.

Associate Vice Provost | Digital Learning and Online Initiatives, Assistant Professor of Practice, University of Arizona

The ability to communicate via technology will be essential in the workplace. Employees will be required to navigate virtual environments, networks, privacy and security issues. Digital literacy should become digital fluency. We need to go beyond be familiar with digital skills and become comfortable or entrenched in these skills. Example: don't just drive the car but know how the car is made and be able to fix it.

Do you want to know more?

List of consultant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a consultant resume and required skills for a consultant to have include:

Customer Service
Strong Analytical
Project Management
C++
C #
Java
HR
Financial Statements
Business Process
Data Analysis
SQL Server
Business Development
Payroll
Management System
R
HTML
ERP

XML
Unix
SharePoint
Linux
Visio
SAS
Troubleshoot
Jenkins
Windows XP
Process Improvement
BI
Google Cloud Platform
Amazon Web Services
ETL
PC
EDI
Market Research

Medicaid
QA
Real Estate
CSS
J2EE
Business Plan
ASP
Object Oriented Programming
PL/SQL
DB2
UAT
Test Cases
SDLC
User Interface
Due Diligence
Test Scripts

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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