You’re considering a consulting career. What common misconceptions should you be aware of?

When considering a consulting career, understand the difference between project-based consultants and part-time fractional advisors. Fractional advisors are not project-based; they build long-standing relationships with key stakeholders, becoming an extension of their team. Consultants often face mistrust for giving advice without helping implement it. Overcome this by actively listening to clients, addressing their specific needs, and participating in implementation. Focus on your strengths and expertise rather than trying to be a generalist. Building collaborative referral partnerships with other specialists can help provide comprehensive solutions and enhance client trust. Remember, you still have a team to support you—your network.

Consulting is not always about travel. In today’s dynamic scenario where you are looking forward to join a Big4 or any other management consulting firm. You need to understand that travel and consulting go hand in hand but today when consulting firms have offices around the globe and most of metropolitan cities. They tend to hire people who are living in the region. So that travel time and cost is saved for the firm. So if you’re scared to join consulting just because you think it’s only about travel then you’re wrong my friend.

Being a consultant begins with an attitude of service and a genuine demonstration in updating your skills with your potential clients.

Consulting careers don’t necessarily require an MBA. While an MBA can enhance credibility, skills, and networking, it’s not a prerequisite. Successful consultants come from diverse backgrounds—engineering, law, medicine—bringing unique perspectives. What matters most are critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. Real-world experience, adaptability, and cultural fit matter too. So, whether you hold an MBA or not, focus always focus on the continuing learning aspect and like all consultants take the opportunity to learn something new to you and think of its applications to real word scenarios.

The first 10 years of my consulting were without a MBA, though I did have a graduate degree in my field. You certainly do not need to have the MBA, but I would say there is a tipping point. Once you move beyond a certain threshold of project size, the project owner has an expectation (reasonable) that you know how to be a good steward of the budget, MBA can help here. Having said that, a secret of MBA programs is that they are often more about leadership than number crunching. You can learn about numbers and analysis on YouTube -- leadership? not so much.

An MBA degree is not a must. The most important skill is probing skills to uncover the 'real' problem or to help clients realizing their potential problem(s). Once problem(s) identified then the consultant can offer his recommendations based on client's specific conditions.

You don't need an MBA to be a consultant. Practical experience, problem-solving skills, and industry expertise are often just as valuable. For instance, someone with a background in payments and years of successful project management might excel as a consultant in the fintech sector without having an MBA.

The belief that an MBA is essential for a successful consulting career is a misconception. In my experience, many skilled consultants, including those in senior roles, did not hold an MBA. These professionals come from various educational backgrounds, such as engineering, law, and humanities, bringing unique perspectives and expertise. While an MBA can enhance credibility and networking opportunities it should be pointed out that top-tier consulting firms may prefer candidates with an MBA for certain positions for varied levels of experience. Success in consulting is more about demonstrating critical thinking, problem-solving, resilience, communication, and leadership skills, as well as fitting in with the firm's culture and values.

Some of the best consultants are like good teachers or coaches - rather than give you the answer, they help you learn what the answer is. And remember, business is not high school math. Some problems have multiple answers. Bad consultants tell, good consultants show, great consultants co-create.

Consulting in the Non-profit sector can often be more about facilitation and enabling than being a fountain of knowledge. Being open to learning and being open in sharing are both important.

Just like in any business that you are starting. - the belief that if you are good at something, you will find work. The truth is that you need to learn how to be a Marketer and a sales person. - the myth that having a niche will limit opportunities on the contrary being a generalist gets you lost in the crowd. - lastly - the myth that you can go at it alone. Your network is where your access to market is.

A great consultant treats every situation as unique. Sure, use your experience to your advantage. But you have to go in, identify ALL of the stakeholders, and elicit information so that you can completely understand their perspective. Once you understand all of the perspectives involved, then you can leverage your experience to help identify the correct, unique solution for their unique environment.

As a Consultant now for nearly a decade, it’s less about being a “know it all”, but showing genuine empathy in helping to resolve your clients pains, even if you have to learn something’s yourself along the way. You yourself as the consultant are the educator, to help drive the change. Use your ears, more than your mouth - and seek first to understand.

I started a transformation program at a client once. 2 days into a 40-day gig, the leaders decided they weren't interested anymore. I spent my time in hunter-gatherer mode looking for teams that needed help. I helped HR do some stuff, helped the engineering folks merge code repositories, figured out how to automate their release notes, did some training and a bunch of other odd jobs. Sometimes you gotta do what they need and a lot of the time it isn't exciting. Although I did enjoy roaming the countryside inside the client office looking for stuff to do.

You will be tempted to work on high impact projects to gain recognition with your clients. That is a normal human psychology but you will be surprised to know that improving on the mundane routine work may yield better recognition with the mid segment staff. High impact projects are good for building rapport with top management but simple tasks will build trust with the mid and lower segment staff. Their satisfaction will automatically surge upwards in due course and you will get recognized at all levels.

First at the interview stage itself make sure that you are negotiating to work on the high impact projects. Don't fall for the line, "All projects are equally important." Find out and ask to work on the big ones. That'll give you better exposure and learning. If you haven't done that, then do the next best thing: make your current project high impact. Once I found myself shepherding all the painful and low impact clients. I didn't want to be left behind, so I turned them around and grew them into the most profitable ones for the company.

Consulting is all about being a change agent. Sometimes, the change is dramatic for the customer and involves millions in investments; other times, the change is tactical but still brings value. To have the opportunity to lead a consulting team on the former, you first need to demonstrate your value on the latter.

Como consultores hay que trabajar mucho en desarrollar habilidades de alta tolerancia a las frustraciones pues a menudo después de haber trabajado muchísimo en un proyecto de alto impacto y que sabemos que todo apunta a que la organización logrará niveles significativos, los directivos no sigan las recomendaciones tal cual les hemos sugerido y todo se cae. Para mí es como ver morir un paciente por no haber sido disciplinado y seguir las indicaciones de su doctor.

-->Always Solving Big Problems: Some projects may focus on filling specific roles or supporting ongoing hiring needs. -->Work-Life Balance: Its a high demading job in peak hiring season. -->Easy Exit into Industry: While recruitment experience can be valuable for transitioning into HR or talent management roles within organizations. ?-->Slow Growth: Contrary to popular belief that transitioning from consulting to a core industry is the ultimate career aspiration, the reality is that growth in the recruitment industry often occurs at a faster pace. In recruitment, consultants are integral members of the core team within organizations, facilitating swift career advancement opportunities.

You path most likely won't be what you think it will be. We live life forwards and understand it backwards. Looking backwards you will identify lucky twists and turns you could never have mapped out. Looking forwards you will develop a greater sense of how to best invest yourself to invite luck and change your relationship with it as something you can trust in. Also likely you will realize that there are multiple pathways within the broad domain people commonly refer to as "consulting" or becoming a "consultant" ... coaching, mentoring, facilitating, being a board advisor, training. speaking, writing etc. I am very precise in not calling myself a consultant. I am a coach, facilitator, speaker, author, board member and chair.

Consulting is very dynamic and therefore presents a lot of opportunities from a career point of view. It is perhaps the most responsive/reactive industry to changes in market/customer need. therefore while there is no clear path, there are bountiful opportunities chart your own path. Can be very exciting for an agile person!

My experience as a freelance consultant is that it forms part of a very squiggly portfolio career path. Keeping relevant, having/checking product market fit and having to pivot regularly is part and parcel of your lifestyle.

Consulting is no different from other types of roles - you own your career anywhere. While you do have the career progression documented, it is up to you to shape it to reach your goals. Consulting is more than just engagement delivery, it is also around internal and external / client relationship management, contributing to / growing your practice, promoting your company's brand, etc. You would need to score across all dimensions and ideally be performing at that next level to be 'considered' for promotion.

That's the idea, however, phenomenal consultants will have lean high-performing teams supporting them. However you'll be the face to the client, and the successes and failures reside with you alone.

Consulting is a collaborative profession where teamwork and building relationships are key. Working with diverse teams and clients enhances your problem-solving abilities and broadens your perspective. Leveraging your network and support system can lead to greater success and satisfaction in your consulting career. Embracing teamwork can turn challenges into opportunities for growth.

In rare cases, the consultant may solve the problem alone, but most probably implementing the solution will be the duty of a team of the customer's employees. The consultant must properly track the deployments and ensure the implementation team is fully engaged, otherwise, even the optimal plan will fail miserably. There are many possible approaches, but the more people feel they are part of the solution and get the proper recognition, the more engaged they will be.

Consulting means creating a relationship with your client. Often times for me, the first few interactions essentially amount to... therapy! You will hear your clients' frustrations, hopes, dreams, and visions. In this way, consulting can take on a professionally intimate quality. There is no such thing as doing it alone, so long as you hope to offer your client a solution that is tailor made and that works.

When people hear consulting, they often think of big management/strategy consulting firms. However, the consulting field is quite diverse and covers a wide range of topics and specialties. I always encourage people to do their research on types of consulting when considering a career.

1. Consulting can seem lucrative, but it often requires long hours, complex problem-solving, and client management. 2. While some consulting roles may involve frequent travel, not all do. Remote work and virtual consulting have become more prevalent. 3. Clients may expect consultants to have immediate solutions to their problems. However, building expertise takes time and requires collaboration with the client. 4. Consulting isn't just about giving advice. It often involves hands-on implementation, project management, and fostering long-term client relationships. 5. While solo consulting is common, many consulting firms operate as teams. Collaboration and communication skills are crucial .

Other Considerations Before Becoming a Consultant: - Time Commitment: Consulting can be time-consuming, leading to an “always-on” feeling. Assess if this lifestyle aligns with your preferences. - Soft Skills: Develop empathy, agility, and effective communication. These are core to a successful consulting career. - High-Stakes Decisions: Be prepared to make critical choices. Learn from mistakes and adapt. - Long-Term Perspective: Consulting is a marathon, not a sprint. - High-Stakes Decisions: Consultants provide critical advice. Being comfortable with making mistakes & learning from them is essential. Consulting offers unique opportunities for growth and impact, but it requires dedication, adaptability, and continuous learning.

OK, Consultants are indeed important however the most difficult job in the boutique consulting industry by far is the front end. The business development role. The sharp end of the spear. The ability to persuade a C suite executive of the need for change. Transformation. Honesty, humility and persuasiveness coupled with persistence and determination are key in this role. The hunter. The one who brings in the business. There’s no template or process to follow however some strategies do work well. The consultant gets the engagement after this most difficult piece is done and yes the implementation role is indeed fraught with challenge no question. Business development. A skill set rare in the industry. Less talk more listening .