It’s no secret that we’re still in an economic crisis and there are estimates that we’ll face a great recession for much of 2023.
This is causing many of us to consider what’s the best career path for us. Many of us are having to resort to finding a job in a new field altogether. If you’ve considered a new career, you should consider becoming a consultant.
As a consultant, you can help shape decisions that’ll benefit companies and entrepreneurs alike. But which consulting careers should you consider?
Here are the types of consulting you should know about:
Strategy Consulting
If you want to get into consulting, this is one of the easiest paths to jump into. Strategy consulting involves consulting in a particular field or department within a company.
For example, let’s suppose you’re a financial strategy consultant. You’ll speak with the company’s finance and accounts department.
You’ll help them determine strategies to maintain the company’s financial health. You can also give them advice on how to maximize their profits. If this type of consulting interests you, then consider what your strengths are.
Whatever subject you have expertise with, you can potentially become a strategy consultant. You’ll also need several years of experience to establish credibility.
For example, Adrian Probst is one of the most successful freelance translators. Through his YouTube channel Freelance Verse, he’s been able to build authority in this field.
As a result, he would be an ideal strategic consultant for translation and localization services within a company. This is the same approach you must take.
Marketing Consulting
Do you spend a lot of time promoting your favorite brands on Instagram? Do you write Twitter threads on your favorite books?
If you’ve already succeeded with marketing then you must consider a career in marketing consulting. You can advise brands within a particular industry on how they can market their products.
For example, Lawrence Francis of the Interpreting Wine podcast interviews wine entrepreneurs about their businesses. He helps them market their wine brand to the wider industry.
As a result, if a wine company wanted a marketing consultant, Lawrence would be their man. Likewise, game creator David Bodycombe has made so many successful games that he’s now a top consultant for game shows.
If you wish to go down this route, you have to consider which industry you understand the most. How can you help brands within a particular industry increase their presence?
PR Consulting
This one is a bit trickier to get into but offers high rewards. In most cases, it’s always better to have a degree or other academic background in Public Relations. This will help you understand how PR works as well as the guidelines for writing press releases.
However, what really matters is how many connections you have. This type of consulting isn’t for the faint of heart.
You have to work to constantly expand your network. You’ll have to keep in touch with others to maintain a healthy relationship.
For example, you’ll have to know whom to call to arrange a press conference. You’ll have to know whom to email to distribute a press release to major publications.
You’ll have to advise a brand on how they’ll improve and build their public image. Examples of prominent PR consultants include Richard Edelman and the team behind Bell Pottinger.
Leadership and Entrepreneurial Consulting
If you’ve got several years of experience managing a company, it’s time to help others with their ventures.
Leadership and entrepreneurial consulting are precisely that. In this position, you’ll have to advise a CEO on how to operate their business. You’ll be the right hand of the leader.
Sultans had their Viziers and CEOs have their leadership consultants. This is the broadest type of consulting career available.
In fact, this type of consulting doesn’t just extend to companies. Lee Kuan Yew eventually stepped down as Prime Minister of Singapore. But he then took on the role of Minister Mentor.
In this capacity, he advised the current government on how to run the country. This was a role he carried out until his death. He had helped transform Singapore from a Third World country to a First World country.
As a result, he had the credentials to serve as a consultant to the country’s future leaders.
Legal Consultant
If you have a legal background but no longer wish to practice, you can transition to consulting. If you decide to opt for work as a legal consultant, you’ll have to have several years of experience, however. Don’t jump into legal consulting if you’ve only practiced law for a few years.
Legal consulting offers many opportunities and gives you a wide berth of available clients. You can work with a solopreneur, a startup, or a multinational corporation.
There’s also a great variety of work available as a legal consultant. For example, let’s say a solopreneur wants to register their business. As a legal consultant, you can advise them on the best business structure.
What happens as a company increases its workforce? There may be internal conflicts, including serious cases of harassment. As a legal consultant, you can advise on how to prevent such issues.
A legal consultant can also help you protect a company against potential lawsuits. Legal consultants play an important role in ensuring that companies adhere to local laws and regulations.
Legal consultants can prepare contracts for companies. These can range from employment agreements, merger contracts, confidentiality agreements, and much more.
There are many types of consulting and many great opportunities to take advantage of. Choose whichever one works best for you.
Choose Among These Types of Consulting
Now you know the different types of consulting and can decide what route to take.
Strategy consulting is great if you want to help with one particular goal. Marketing consulting works if you have experience in the field. If you have a large network of media professionals, consider PR consulting.
Leadership and legal consulting require several years of experience. But these also give you the most access to clients and a variety of opportunities.
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