What Is Consulting? How to Find Consulting Jobs (2024)

By Kimberli Lowe-MacAuley

You’re at a crossroads in your career. You may be looking to diversify your freelance portfolio or seeking a career change after a lengthy stint in the corporate world. Perhaps you recently graduated and are trying to find a strong career fit.

Exploring your options, you’ve likely come across consulting jobs. Now, you’re curious about what they entail and if you’re qualified for the role. The thing is, you can be a consultant in many different areas, and there’s no singular career path to becoming a consultant. So, there’s almost definitely a way to fit your interests and skills into a consulting role.

If that sounds promising, explore the nuances of consulting, including how to find a consulting job and who’s hiring.

What Is Consulting? Definition & Meaning

First things first—what is consulting, exactly?

Consulting is a professional service offered by individuals or firms, and it involves advising an organization on how to achieve better results. Generally, consultants possess specialized knowledge, skills, or expertise in a particular field. As a consultant, you work with clients to provide advice, strategies, and solutions to specific challenges or goals.

You might leverage your extensive experience in the corporate world to resolve supply chain issues. Or, lean into your freelancing expertise to help a business level up its content. And the most attractive aspect? Consulting is not limited to one industry or sector.

While each project will define the specific tasks, at its core, consulting is about delivering value. Consultants analyze existing systems or processes, identify gaps or inefficiencies, and provide actionable recommendations. You don’t just advise; you work alongside clients to implement changes and achieve desired outcomes.

With a broader understanding of the term, take a look at some of the specific duties a consultant often tackles.

What Is a Consultant? What Do Consultants Do?

Are you still wondering, “OK, but what do consultants do all day?” Here’s a more detailed consultant definition.

Whether an organization is in a rut or looking to expand, consultants can be the catalyst they need. Think of it as mentoring for an entire organization, rather than mentoring one individual. Consultants can perform various duties that vary considerably depending on the industry.

With a fresh outside perspective, consultants help organizations streamline operations, increase productivity, build revenue, and make overall functions more efficient.

For example, suppose a company is experiencing a high turnover in their frontline staffing. As a management consultant, you might analyze the internal communications, scheduling, and leadership styles. You can see that the frontline leaders aren’t being fully set up for success, leading to a high-stress work environment.

At this point, you’d recommend a remediation plan that might include:

Better training and support for managers
Improved career development paths
Increased staffing during peak business

— Sample Consultant Job Description

To help you visualize the role a bit, look through this consultant job description.

The consultant will act as the principal liaison with the customer to implement best practices to drive optimized business outcomes for the customer. The consultant will be diligent, customer-focused, agile, transparent, and a strong communicator. This individual will build relationships with customers to become a trusted advisor and counsel them on solutions and recommended business practices. The successful candidate will lead an in-depth analysis of the customer’s desired business process, operations, and practices and provide recommendations for solution configuration and enhanced business practices.

Types of Consulting

Consulting isn’t a one-size-fits-all profession. From technology and environment to healthcare and education, there are many different types of consulting. And your niche might still be developing.

As industries evolve and new challenges arise, so does the need for specialized consultants. Consider the growing AI field. There’s an increasing need for consultants to support businesses implementing AI while maintaining their branding.

With that in mind, however, a few industries continue to rely more heavily on consultants than most do. Some of the areas where organizations frequently seek consulting expertise are:

Business Development
Education
Healthcare
Human Resources
Information Technology
Project Management

Business and management consulting are two of the most common consulting roles. Many professionals considering consulting don’t fully understand the nuances between the two. Consider the following specifics.

—What Is Business Consulting?

Often, organizations are too entrenched in day-to-day operations to see systemic issues or opportunities. With an external vantage point and cross-industry experience, business consultants offer fresh perspectives and solutions.

But business consulting is about more than just high-level strategy. You dive deep into various facets of an organization, including human resources, finance, marketing, and sales. This breadth allows you to work on diverse projects, from talent acquisition strategies to budgeting decisions.

—What Is Management Consulting?

Management consulting involves training, coaching, and corporate strategy-setting. As a management consultant, you guide an organization’s leadership—often C-suite-level executives.

A significant role of management consultants is facilitating organizational change. You’ll help businesses navigate mergers, acquisitions, or shifts in corporate culture. This often involves devising strategies to manage resistance, ensure smooth transitions, and establish new organizational norms.

10 Top Consulting Companies That Hire

Perhaps now you’re wondering whether you should freelance or work at a consulting firm. In fact, you might be asking, “What is a consultant firm?”

A consultant company or consulting firm is an organization that offers specialized services to other companies. Consultancies generally specialize in a specific area of business and provide guidance and an outside perspective.

Take a look at this list ofcompanies that post flexible consulting jobs to get a better idea of the various roles available. You can also explore the FlexJobs database to find companies offering consulting jobs, such as Apple jobs, Working Solutions jobs, and more.

1. Accenture

Accenture assists organizations in areas such as entering new markets, increasing revenue in existing markets, improving operations, and finding more efficient means of delivery.