How to Become a Consultant: 10 Types of Consultants

A consultant is an expert in a particular field who offers professional advice to help clients solve problems. These fields can include marketing, finance, film and television, science, law, design and architecture, and education. Consultants work either in-house, freelance, or as members of a consulting firm, and consultancy duties can range from offering simple blueprints to hiring contractors or designing programs to get the job done.

There are many types of consultants with vastly different job descriptions, but here are some typical responsibilities most can expect on the job:

• Serve as a listening ear. The number-one responsibility among all consultants is to listen to their clients. Whether the meeting takes place in-person (sometimes after significant travel), over the phone, or by email correspondence, a consultant’s first responsibility is to listen to their client’s needs and create a plan to fulfill them.
• Offer strategic input. Independent consultants may take a hands-off approach to consulting, simply providing expert advice and letting the client implement that feedback. These consultants may only talk to their clients a handful of times before they offer their input, allowing them to solve the problem independently.
• Coordinate to solve a particular problem. Some consultants take a hands-on approach to consulting, analyzing the problem and then doing what’s necessary to solve it—for instance, by hiring contractors or designing and implementing a plan. These consultants often spend weeks, months, or even years with their clients to solve the problem successfully.
• Provide training or coaching. Many consultants serve as expert trainers in their field, offering their services as one-time training or ongoing coaching to help others improve.
• Generate leads. If a consultant is independent rather than in-house at a particular organization, they may spend a lot of time marketing themselves to prospective clients. This marketing strategy can include cold calling or cold emailing, attending business conferences, and setting up a robust online presence.

There is a consultant for almost every career field. Here are some of the most common consulting jobs:

1. 1. Engineering: An engineering consultant advises on the design, operation, safety, maintenance, and repair of engineering projects.
2. 2. Human resources: An HR consultant advises on hiring, onboarding, and people management. They can also help with contracts, creating an employee handbook, and incentive programs.
3. 3. Information technology: An IT consultant advises an organization on computer software, hardware, and security.
4. 4. Legal: A legal consultant advises on laws, statutes, and legal proceedings.
5. 5. Management: A management consultant (or business consultant) advises the leadership of an organization (including startups and new businesses, small businesses, enterprise companies, and nonprofits) on objectives, strategies, and growth to ensure the business is operating efficiently and has strong plans for the future.
6. 6. Marketing: A marketing consultant advises a business on marketing strategies like social media, website, brand voice, and advertising.
7. 7. Merger: A merger and acquisitions consultant advises an organization before, during, or after a company merger, helping with streamlining processes and software, integrating teams, and account management.
8. 8. Property: A property consultant advises on property acquisitions, management, and sales.
   
9. 9. Public relations: A PR consultant advises on press releases, public image, and branding. A PR consultant may also help craft mission statements, organize events, and form relationships with personnel and media professionals.
10. 10. Sales: A sales consultant advises on sales strategies, often conducting sales training to increase team performance.

Since there are several types of consultants, each with their own field or specialization, there’s no single path toward becoming a consultant. However, these are the steps that many consultants take:

1. 1. Choose your desired field. Business, HR, engineering, law—nearly every field will need consultants, so choose an area of expertise that sounds the most desirable to you. Do some research to see what consulting jobs look like in your specific field of interest.
2. 2. Study your field. Begin building your knowledge of your field. For many fields, like law or engineering, this will mean earning at least one higher education degree (and often a graduate degree) before you will be qualified to gain experience. In other fields, like construction or property consulting, you may not need a university degree and instead can look for a certification program or apprenticeship.
3. 3. Gain field experience. To be a desirable consultant, you’ll want to gain some real-world experience in your field—clients will be wary of a consultant without it. Once you find a position that offers the experience you’re looking for, work hard to excel—especially in skills like active listening and problem-solving—so that you can build up your reputation in the field.
4. 4. Transition to consulting. Once you’ve built up a strong resume of knowledge and experience, you can make the transition to consulting services. (The level of expertise you need will vary by field, so perform some research to identify the necessary credentials for your field.) Set up an online presence and market yourself to potential clients, consulting firms, or organizations that hire consultants for full-time, in-house positions. Keep in contact with all of the people you worked with in your field during your studies and work—they can often generate referrals for new clients. As you build up a proven track record, more clients will be drawn to your services.

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