Acting Up as a Consultant — JCST (2024)

FAQs

What is the hardest part of being a consultant? ›

2 Manage your time and resources

Another challenge of being a consultant is to manage your time and resources efficiently and effectively. You need to balance multiple projects, deadlines, and deliverables, while also finding time to market yourself, network, and learn new skills.

The right question is, “Have I learned the tools and tricks and concepts that will empower me to also do these things?” There is virtually nothing in the consulting work that requires an Einstein-like brain. Consulting is — can you guess? Common sense and basic math, and it's moving people to action.

The management consulting recruiting process is one of the most competitive processes in the world. With so many candidates vying for limited spots, it can often seem impossible to know how to get into consulting.

Other activities that tend to cause consultants the most grief, and where they learn the most are poor communication, maintaining a silence when you should've spoken up, not managing scope creep effectively, and a failure to align your consulting business strategy and your short-term goals and objectives.

In conclusion, overpromising, not embracing change, losing calmness under pressure, and lacking empathy are some qualities that may stop you from reaching new heights in your consulting career. You should also avoid being defensive when you're given feedback and respond rationally.

Consulting is a rewarding but demanding career that can expose you to high levels of stress.

However, no matter what type of consulting area a person would like to enter or what firm they would want to work for, there are several key characteristics that every successful consultant should possess: Having self-confidence, be a good listener, be a team player, easily cultivate and gain client trust, exhibit ...

Be smart. Strategically putting yourself first is how you create a work environment that lets you succeed and gives you the space to look out for others as well. Saying no (and knowing when not to) is difficult, and requires tact, but it's a necessary skill for you to learn if you want to make it long-term.

Why should we hire you as a consultant answer? ›

Sample Answer: I'm a highly motivated individual who is eager to learn and grow. I have a proven track record of success in my field and I'm excited to bring that experience to your company. I'm very familiar with your industry and I've worked with companies just like yours.

As a result, most management consultants have to work between 50 to 80 hours in a week to satisfy the job, thereby giving consulting a reputation for its challenging work-life balance. Across the globe there are several studies that have confirmed the long working hours for consultants over the years.

At one end of the pay spectrum, you have human resources (HR) consultants who on average make around $63,000 USD a year. At the other end, you'll find financial consultants who average closer to $90,000 USD. That's a large differential, but it's not unusual when comparing 2 careers within the same category.

There's a lot of pressure that comes with the job as well. Client demands that can catch up to you and if you're not prepared for that, or if you don't want to work hard, it's not going to be a good fit for you.

Another challenge you face in consulting projects is managing the expectations of various parties involved, such as the client, your team, your firm, and yourself. You need to balance the demands and interests of each party, while delivering high-quality work within the agreed timeline and budget.

Con: Less Predictability in Your Time

As a consultant, you are expected to deliver for clients. And that means being available whenever a client, the partner, or your manager needs you. It can be hard to make personal plans because you never know when you're going to be asked to do something on short notice.