You guys might have thought about being a consultant. Just like becoming an entrepreneur, many people aspire of becoming a consultant without even having proper knowledge about what a consultant does and in which field of industry did they work. Consultants provide support whenever a business or economy is going through trouble. They work independently, for the private sector and government sector as well. In this guide, we are going to breakdown the top 10 most popular consulting careers for graduates in the USA.
Strategy Consulting
Domaine of a strategy consultant is the most important and prestigious one in an organization. Strategy Consultant is the top-level decision-making body in an organization that drives the business. His duties include making strategies by keeping in mind the long-term vision of the business, overviewing proper allocation of resources, and managing the portfolio of different businesses of the company. Making such kind of decisions require in-depth knowledge of data analysis and of market goings. Graduates with a major in accounting and management can pursue strategy consultancy as their career but getting your foot on the door of the job is not easy and require a lot of hard work and dedication.
Operations Consulting
Business operations are what make the smooth flow of business possible. When there is a hindrance in the normal process in the business or the old process is no longer efficient then the operations consultant is hired by the organization. The operations consultant works closely with top-level management provides solutions about how to improve the efficiency of the business process and helps in the implementation of the improved business process. For pursuing operations consultancy as a career one needs a high level of problem-solving skills.
Financial Advisory consultant
For a business in order to be successful and work smoothly, well informed financial decisions are required to be made for which complex variables are required to be analyzed. This necessity opens up a completely new market of financial services for which financial advisory consultant is hired. They work closely with clients and provide them advice on various financial issues including investment strategy and tax-saving strategies. A certain level of qualification and license from the US government is required to provide the services of a financial advisor.
Human Resource Consulting
Employees are the roots behind the successful growth of the organization. Companies generally have a separate HR department to manage a team of employees. Human resource consultants are hired to determine whether the organization is using its personals effectively or not. They review the training programs for employees and provide an expert opinion on whether it is required to be improved, and also review whether the content of the job description is in line with state and federal laws. Often a graduate degree is sufficient to become an HR consultant in the USA but for working with MNCs a separate certificate from HR certification institute has to be obtained.
Risk and Compliance consulting
Adherence to the law is the basic requirement for a company for avoiding unnecessary fines and penalties. Companies generally have a separate compliance program implemented in their business process to review compliance with the law. Risk and compliance consultants are hired to review the company’s compliance program and provide suggestions for its improvement. Virtually only a bachelor’s degree is required in the US for becoming a risk and compliance consultant.
IT Consultant
With continuous development in technology, there arises a need for businesses to keep up to this development to survive in a competitive environment. Consistent enhancement in technology has emerged the need to hire an IT consultant to maintain the competitive strength of the business. IT consultants review the existing technology infrastructure of the company and provide an opinion on how new technology can be helpful or is there really a requirement to enhance the latest technology.
Business Consultant
Running and handling a business is a difficult task and there are situations when even the top-level managers find it difficult to understand the market situation and provide a solution to the problem. Business consultants are hired to look at the business operations objectively and conduct a SWOT analysis and provide solutions to different market and business process-related problems. Graduates in the US with a bachelor’s degree can get a foothold in the industry and after getting years of experience can start their career as a consultant.
Environmental consultant
Companies are generally required to purchase large areas of land to set up facilities for their business operations. This kind of usage of land effects the environment, companies have to comply with regulatory requirements for the use of this land area. An environmental consultant is hired to do review whether the company is fulfilling those regulatory requirements and also provide expert advice on ways to reduce the negative environmental effect of business processes. They generally work for big organizations but can also incorporate independent firms to manage different clients’ work.
Software Consultant
In today’s modern world businesses are implementing automation in their business processes. Businesses generally use huge and sophisticated software tools to optimize their business process workflow. When purchased from the third party these software tools are rarely compatible with the organization workflow. Businesses hire software consultants to optimize those software tools according to organizations’ business process flow. Graduates who have the capability of analytical thinking and problem-solving mindset and have a bachelor’s degree in software development can pursue their career as a software consultant.
Sales Consultant
The final objective of every business on this planet is to improve the sales of its products or improve the provision of its services. Companies generally have a separate sales department for the management of sales activities. Sales consultants are hired to provide expert advice on training programs of sales personals and to review the workflow of the sales department. Graduates in the USA who hold a bachelor’s degree and have experience of managing a sales team can choose to become a sales consultant.
Also read: Top 5 Career Options in MBA for Graduates in the US
