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What is a professional services consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Robin Cormier

Professional services consultants specialize in the sale of their services rather than manufactured products. Their duties include identifying professional service problems in a company and utilizing experience and knowledge to propose solutions. You must also identify resources to satisfy customer-specific processes and business requirements while facilitating business process design and development to leverage rapid response capabilities.

You must provide timely ongoing updates and track progress. In addition, you should provide timely consultations for problem resolution and shared resources negotiation. You will also be required to collaborate with sales teams to build deployment plans for new customers to understand and document customer expectations.

Professional services consultants make a whopping $50 every hour, which amounts to about $103,902 annually. The top skills needed are professional services, customer service, architecture, cloud, business process, and other skills. The most commonly required minimum educational qualification is a bachelor's degree in business, computer science, or accounting.

What general advice would you give to a professional services consultant?

Robin Cormier

Assistant Professor, Montana State University - Billings

While college graduates begin to launch their careers, they also face uncertainty about job opportunities. This can be a daunting time in their life. First and foremost, they should be proud of their achievements. There are many steps they can take to prepare for a future career, such as developing a network and building a strong resume. However, in my opinion, the most important advice I would offer new graduates is to pursue their passion. When you are passionate about your career, your life is more fulfilling, and you are more determined to achieve success. Passion shows through how you communicate, develop working relationships, and your level of career investment.
ScoreProfessional Services ConsultantUS Average
Salary
7.9

Avg. Salary $110,145

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.3

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.62%

Black or African American 10.15%

Hispanic or Latino 10.93%

Unknown 5.00%

White 59.11%

Gender

female 30.68%

male 69.32%

Age - 42
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 - 42
Stress level
5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Professional services consultant career paths

Key steps to become a professional services consultant

  1. Explore professional services consultant education requirements

    Most common professional services consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.9 %

    Master's

    14.0 %

    Associate

    9.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific professional services consultant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Professional Services14.37%
    Architecture6.29%
    Cloud6.11%
    Java5.91%
    Customer Service4.96%
  3. Complete relevant professional services consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New professional services 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 professional services consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real professional services consultant resumes.
  4. Research professional services consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the SDLC for a re-write of all systems for a national automobile auction house.
    • Design and manage development of SLA measurement platform to be used by service providers for performance measurements.
    • Generate maps, manage and update GIS data, perform geographic analyses, develop and update databases for clients.
    • Develop and manage database connectivity for AbInitio ETL tool.
  5. Prepare your professional services consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your professional services 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 professional services 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 professional services consultant resume templates

    Build a professional professional services 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 professional services consultant resume.
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
    Professional Services Consultant Resume
  6. Apply for professional services consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a professional services 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 professional services consultant job

Zippi

Are you a professional services consultant?

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Average professional services consultant salary

The average professional services consultant salary in the United States is $110,145 per year or $53 per hour. Professional services consultant salaries range between $81,000 and $148,000 per year.

Average professional services consultant salary
$110,145 Yearly
$52.95 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do professional services consultants rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Professional services consultant reviews

profile
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
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Getting Information Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships Analyzing Data or Information Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Cons

Not being able to provide support immediately to customers


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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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