Top 9 in-demand consulting jobs

Consultants work in a variety of different ways within the Australian consultancy industry. Unlike other white collar professionals, anyone can call themselves a consultant and offer various services such as business strategy, management or business consultant, and they may also choose to use HR, IT, finance, or any other professional title.

The number of independent consultants has increased dramatically in recent years due to the wide range of areas in which a consulting firm can operate and the many work environments that a consultant may access. A common definition of “consultant” has become more difficult to achieve due to the influx of people into the industry.

In the last few decades, analysts and branch-specific associations have created various definitions to classify the main types of consultants. This has led to the idea that there are six core consulting jobs.

Read on to learn more about each of these consultant roles and learn all about the role that BizCover, consulting insurance* and insurance for management consultants can play for your consulting business when it comes to purchasing business insurance products such as:

• Business Insurance;
• Professional Indemnity;
• Public Liability;
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• Cyber Liability.

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The most in-demand types of consultants

1. Strategy consultant

The term ‘strategy consultant’ describes consultants at the top of the market who focus on strategic issues such as corporate and organisational strategies, economic policies, government policy, and functional strategy. Due to this, strategy consultants are usually assigned work by senior managers, such as directors, CEOs, and senior managers.

Due to the fact that strategy consulting is different from other areas of consulting, such as implementation and operations, strategy consultants have a profile which is generally different from their peers. Their focus lies more on quantitative work and analytics skills, and their job description revolves more around giving advice than overseeing implementation.

2. Management consultant

Management consultants are also known as organisational advisors or business consultants in practice. They focus on all aspects of management, including strategy. Management consulting involves all consulting services under strategy consulting. Many management consultants eventually become trusted advisors to business leaders

3. Operations consultant

Operational consultants help their clients improve the performance and efficiency of their operations. This segment includes advisory consulting services as well as hands-on support in implementation for both primary functions.

One of the most common types of advisors, the majority of operation consultants work in one of many operating areas. Operations consulting is usually associated with the technology and strategy sides of a business. This means that operations consultants can benefit from remaining active in this area and engaging with experts in these fields.

4. Financial advisory consultant

Financial advisory consultants are often asked to address questions relating to the financial capability of an organisation. Critically, this requires that financial advisory consultants develop their critical analytical capabilities.

The profiles of consultants working in this segment are diverse, ranging from M&A advisors and corporate finance specialists through to tax restructuring, real estate consulting, and risk management.

The financial advisory consultant sector also includes consultants who specialise in forensics and dispute support. Financial consultants are mostly employed by the best paid consulting firms, where they contribute their consulting business ideas.

5. Human resource consultant

Human resource consultants assist clients in addressing human capital issues within their organisation and/or improving the performance of their HR department. The typical consultant job description for HR consultants includes, among other things, topics such as organisational changes and change management, employment terms, learning and growth, talent management, retirement, to name just a few.

HR consultants can also be hired by companies to transform their business culture or their HR department. This includes changes in areas such as organisational design, systems, and processes. The HR consulting sector is one of the smallest in the consultancy industry, with less consultants specialising in this area. 

6. IT Consultant

IT consultants (also referred to as technology consultants, ICT consultants, or digital consultants) help clients develop and apply information technology (IT), within their organisation. IT consultants are more focused on the transitions of ICT landscapes as opposed to regular IT employees who generally focus on their day-to-day IT activities – the ‘business-as-usual’ IT activities and issues).

ICT consultants are primarily involved in implementation projects. For example, ERP applications that require extensive ERP systems. Their roles can range from project management, to process management, to system integration. Digital, data analytics, cyber security, and IT forensics are the fastest-growing markets within IT consulting.

7. Marketing consultant

Marketing consultants develop strategies that help businesses increase their revenue and raise their profile. The duties of marketing consultants can vary according to their industry and specialisation.

Recommended reading: Insurance for Marketing Consultant

8. Sales consultant

A sales consultant helps a business sell specific products. Sales consultants offer a wide range of consulting services that they can tailor to their client’s needs, including sales consulting for newly-established businesses. Sales consultants strive to maximise sales while providing a positive customer experience.

9. Career consultant

Career consultants help individuals to gain employment through professional advice and career counselling around how to begin your career, or how to make career change. This may include developing a strategy to improve the client’s personal life, discussing their skills, offering advice on how they should begin their resume, and providing interview tips. A career consultant’s primary objective is to help individuals choose their career path.

Start consulting and get consulting work

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Consultant FAQs

What does a consultant do day to day?

The majority of consultant jobs are full-time. Their work environment can vary depending on what type of consultant work they do. As a consultant you might spend the day in an office talking with clients, or you may

What is working as a consultant like?

Well, it depends on the type of consulting work you do. If you decide to specialise in sales, you may be required to interact with various teams, such as finance. Regardless of what type of consulting you provide, as a general rule consultants often need to be flexible.

Why is consulting a good career?

Your personal goals, interests and qualifications will determine if becoming a consultant would be a good career choice for you. Building a network of professionals is crucial to this career. If you are able to connect with others well, then this could be the right path for you.

After a few years in consulting and project management you might find that you have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and gain the confidence to venture into other areas of business. You may also be able to get consulting work with different professionals in a variety of environments, giving you the opportunity to travel and perform your duties in other countries.

There are many reasons why consulting is a good career choice. While it is not without its challenges, if you are on the fence about becoming a consultant, consider these general benefits of consulting work:

• more job possibilities;
• opportunity to work in diverse teams;
• work on various types of projects;
• diversity and change;
  broadening your professional network;
• prestige; and
• broadening your technical background.

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The great thing about choosing BizCover is that we make consultant insurance fast, simple, and cost-effective. In fact, you can get covered in just 10 minutes, then get back to growing your consultancy business. Call us on 1300 920 868 if you prefer to chat.