How to hire a professional consultant

How to hire a professional consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step professional consultant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a professional consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new professional consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a professional consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The professional consultant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect professional consultant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents professional consultant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Professional Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Professional Consultant	Management analysts, often called management consultants, propose ways to improve the efficiency of an organization. They advise managers on how to make organizations more profitable through reduced costs and increased revenues.	$33-44
   Manager And Consultant	Managers and Consultants are employees who are considered industry experts. They contribute to the company by providing valuable insights regarding the industry... Show more	$41-71
   Small Business Consultant	A small business consultant specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize the daily operations of small businesses. They typically meet with clients to identify their needs and preferences, determine their short and long-term goals, perform market research and analysis to find business or client opportunities, determine the strengths and weaknesses of current processes, and implement solutions against problem areas... Show more	$16-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Customer Service
   • C #
   • Financial Statements
   • Internal Audit
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Payroll
   • Financial Analysis
   • Process Improvement
   • Business Process
   • SQL Server
   • Human Resources
   • Database Tables
   • Windows XP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage implementation of initial ERP modules.
   • Manage a team responsible for designing service-orient application architecture, standards and best practices guidelines, security and data access frameworks.
   • Provide guidance to clients in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
   • Provide and customize marketing materials for TLC affiliates.
   • Identify improvements and gaps in client's existing SOX programs and testing parameters.
   • Work with several manufacturing clients with international facilities, assisting in streamlining the SOX process and focusing on key controls.

   More professional consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your professional consultant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A professional consultant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, professional consultants' average salary in arkansas is 34% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level professional consultants 26% less than senior-level professional consultants.
   • Certifications. A professional consultant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a professional consultant's salary.

   Average professional consultant salary

   $80,770yearly

   $38.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level professional consultant salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average professional consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$93,360	$45
   2	New Jersey	$91,442	$44
   3	Maryland	$88,623	$43
   4	Colorado	$87,359	$42
   5	New York	$86,095	$41
   6	Connecticut	$83,041	$40
   7	Texas	$82,334	$40
   8	Minnesota	$81,761	$39
   9	North Carolina	$81,355	$39
   10	Oregon	$80,821	$39
   11	Illinois	$80,754	$39
   12	Rhode Island	$80,512	$39
   13	Georgia	$77,922	$37
   14	Missouri	$77,272	$37
   15	Ohio	$76,571	$37
   16	Wisconsin	$74,273	$36
   17	Arizona	$73,564	$35
   18	South Carolina	$72,830	$35
   19	Florida	$69,956	$34
   20	Nebraska	$69,547	$33

   Average professional consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$111,881	$53.79
   2	Best Buy	$104,834	$50.40
   3	A.T. Kearney	$100,442	$48.29
   4	The Children's Place	$98,565	$47.39
   5	Talend	$97,198	$46.73
   6	Colgate-Palmolive	$96,298	$46.30	4
   7	Highmark	$92,137	$44.30	175
   8	ICONMA	$91,624	$44.05
   9	Dresser-Rand Group	$87,772	$42.20
   10	Kofax	$86,449	$41.56	1
   11	Allergan plc	$85,694	$41.20
   12	Q Analysts	$83,068	$39.94	2
   13	Wood Group Mustang	$81,790	$39.32	6
   14	Infosys Public Service	$80,255	$38.58	125
   15	Beyer Blinder Belle	$78,391	$37.69
   16	VLK Architects	$77,584	$37.30
   17	Colgate University	$77,485	$37.25
   18	Cavco Industries	$74,527	$35.83
   19	Steris	$73,565	$35.37

4. Writing a professional consultant job description

   A job description for a professional consultant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a professional consultant job description:

   Professional consultant job description example

   A Geek Squad Apple Pro Consultation Agent is a brand ambassador for both the Geek Squad and Best Buy brands. As the solutions expert, the Consultation Agent manages the Geek Squad check-in and check-out experience for customers and helps them find the complete solution that works for them. They coach the sales team, building trust and explaining services and technology to help meet all customer needs. Their knowledge of services, technology and business group strategies in partnership with the sales team ensures no customer is ever left unserved or underserved.
   Job Responsibilities include:
   
   * Apple Pro Consultation Agent manages the Client's services experience from check in thru check out.
   
   * They are responsible for "aligning" with the Client on their specific need, and then ensuring we deliver the service/solution that was jointly agreed upon.
   
   * Attend targeted trainings and complete necessary certifications on Apple products and services. Achieve Geek Squad sales goals and meet or exceed Client expectations.
   
   * Monitor the reservation queue throughout the day to make sure all Clients are being helped
   
   * Perform store services (pair a Bluetooth headset with a cell phone, set up parental controls, etc.)
   
   * Manage inbound and outbound phone calls, partner with 3rd Party Vendors and internal Core Services Depots
   
   * Manage the shipping and receiving process for the Precinct
   
   * Review daily, weekly, monthly inventory and que management reporting address issues with DCI and Geek Squad Manager
   
   * Ensure functionality of consultation stations and Client area is stocked with necessary collateral
   
   Basic Qualifications:
   
   * Experience actively using and learning about customer electronics
   
   * Ability to work successfully as part of a team
   
   * Strong ability to prioritize and multi-task in a fast-paced environment
   
   * Ability to work a flexible schedule inclusive of holidays, nights and weekends
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   
   * High School diploma or equivalent
   
   * 1 year of retail or customer service experience
   
   * 1 year of experience diagnosing or repairing electronics

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find professional consultants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your professional consultant job on Zippia to find and recruit professional consultant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with professional consultant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new professional consultant

   Once you've found the professional consultant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new professional consultant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a professional consultant?