Most folks seem to think that consulting<\/a> is a cushy job\u2014it\u2019s highly paid, you don\u2019t need any \u201chard\u201d skills such as being able to code, and you\u2019re basically getting a paycheck for making PowerPoint presentations that tell businesses what to do.<\/p>\n But while consulting might seem glamorous on the surface, it does come with certain realities that are less-than-appealing.<\/p>\n In this article, we tell you all you need to know about consulting, so you can figure out if it\u2019s the right career for you.<\/p>\n This one\u2019s fairly obvious: if you\u2019re a consultant, you need to be able to problem-solve.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just assume that this is a general ability that everyone has, though. We\u2019re talking about complex, multifaceted problems here\u2014and these problems might be unique to a highly niche industry that you know next to nothing about.<\/p>\n With that in mind, do you think you\u2019ll be able to jump in, understand the context, diagnose the issue quickly, and come up with a robust solution?<\/p>\n Trust us\u2014it\u2019s not as easy as it seems.<\/p>\n Consulting isn\u2019t exactly synonymous with a great work-life balance<\/a>. It\u2019s not rare to hear consultants working 10, 12, or even 14-hour days.<\/p>\n What if you\u2019re intending to set up your own consulting firm, and dictate your own hours?<\/p>\n You might still get clients who reach out to you outside of your working hours, and expect a reply almost immediately. If this happens, you\u2019ll need to make the call as to whether you want to respond to your client in order to maintain the client-consultant relationship, or whether you want to enforce your boundaries at the risk of upsetting your client.<\/p>\n The way consulting is often perceived is that consultants work on one project for around three to six months. Once that\u2019s wrapped up, they move on to their next task.<\/p>\n In real life, however, that isn\u2019t always the case\u2014unless you\u2019re working for big multinational corporations, such as McKinsey, Bain, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).<\/p>\n These companies are larger and have more resources, and as such, they can afford to assign individuals to specific projects for months at a time.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re working at a smaller firm (or running your own consulting gig), you\u2019ll be tackling multiple projects at once. This means that you\u2019ll need to have great project management skills, and be able to prioritize and juggle multiple things.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re running your own consulting business, that\u2019s where things get even<\/em> tougher.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to work on multiple client projects at a time, and on top of that, take care of other activities such as generating leads and pitching to new clients<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re highly analytical and able to distill a complex problem into its essence and figure out a solution quickly, that doesn\u2019t automatically guarantee you success in the world of consulting.<\/p>\n Another huge component that factors into consulting? People skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you work in consulting, your job is essentially to come up with solutions that will bring about change. And when you consider that most people are comfortable with the status quo and resistant to change\u2026 well, that makes your job difficult.<\/p>\n So here\u2019s the thing: you could come up with the best, most sound strategy in the world, but it\u2019s not going to work unless you\u2019re able to convince all your stakeholders and get their buy-in. We\u2019re not just talking about senior management, but also the wider team, and anyone that these new changes are going to impact.<\/p>\n How do you do this? You\u2019ll need to talk to everyone and get their feedback or their take on the issue at hand, and make sure they feel like they\u2019re being heard. When you communicate the solutions you\u2019re suggesting, you\u2019ll need to frame it in a way that makes your stakeholders feel like it\u2019s a win for them.<\/p>\n Obviously, this requires interpersonal skills. The key here is in building rapport and communicating well, and aligning your interests with your stakeholders.<\/p>\n Following in the same vein\u2026 networking skills are crucial for consultants, as well.<\/p>\n The more people who know about you (and what you\u2019ve achieved in your past projects), the more client work you\u2019ll get\u2014simple as that.<\/p>\n Some people (mistakenly) think that their work speaks for itself, and if they\u2019re good enough, they\u2019ll naturally attract clients.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that\u2019s not the case. There are a million consultants out there, many of whom are just as driven and capable as you. Even if you\u2019ve got a great portfolio and an amazing track record, you\u2019ll still need to network and build connections<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most consultancy work involves some sort of ambiguity.<\/p>\n Your client might not give you a well-defined problem statement\u2014they might come to you with a very open-ended question, and it\u2019ll be up to you to refine it and make sense of it.<\/p>\n Or, you might be halfway into a project, and your client will suddenly announce that their main competitor has changed their strategy, and that you need to incorporate these new elements into your strategy, as well.<\/p>\n Or, you might be working in a specific industry that\u2019s subject to a lot of market regulations, and if a new law gets passed while you\u2019re working on a project, you\u2019ll need to tweak your approach to accommodate the new regulations.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re the kind of person that thrives in a fixed, structured environment with no ambiguity, then consulting might not be the best fit for you. When consulting, you\u2019ll need to embrace the unknown and be able to deal with last-minute changes that come your way.<\/p>\n Contrary to what some people may think, consulting isn\u2019t an easy job.<\/p>\n You need to have an analytical mind, possess good problem-solving skills<\/a>, be able to multi-task and juggle multiple projects, and be able to build enough rapport with your stakeholders to get their buy-in.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/airfocus-K_VeavYEfdA-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n1. You need to be able to problem-solve<\/h2>\n
2. The hours are demanding<\/h2>\n
3. You don\u2019t get the luxury of working on one thing at a time<\/h2>\n
4. You need to have people skills<\/h2>\n
5. You need to be able to network<\/h2>\n
6. You need to be comfortable with ambiguity and change<\/h2>\n
A final word on working in consulting<\/h2>\n