Consultancy

About The Consultancy Sector is made up of individuals who specialise in a specific area of business. They provide feedback and solutions relating to management, technology, business strategy and operational issues. Companies will typically employ a consultant to gain a fresh approach to an outstanding issue. The following projects are why Consultants are typically employed:

For start-up businesses lacking expertise in a certain area of operation For the restructure of a failing business To run change-management project as it is often more financially viable to outsource this kind of work

The most in-demand consultants are Management Consultants, Recruitment Consultants and Business Advisors. There are over three hundred consultancy firms in the UK and this continues to grow year on year.

Below we have listed the different types of Consultancy

Recruitment Consultancy

Consultants in this field are responsible for attracting candidates to job vacancies on behalf of companies. They provide a service to both the Company and the Candidate by finding a synergy between both parties. They can also be responsible for reviewing the employment structure of a business and establishing the strong and weak links. They will subsequently advise the business as to where they need to create job roles or potentially reduce the size of a department.

Human Resources Consultant

Consultants in this field are responsible for advising on the legal and regulatory implications of internal HR policies such as:

Discrimination Dismissal Employment GDPR

They are experts in advising on all matters relating to the employees of a business. HR Consultants are often called in to a business to review all HR policies and ensure they are in line with current regulations. On occasion, they are instructed to provide training to internal staff to ensure they are aware of new policies and procedures that have been introduced

Most HR Consultancy based roles require you to have a bachelor’s degree in business administration or any related field. Furthermore, most companies do expect you to have three years previous experience in a Human Resources department. It is also important that you can demonstrate that you keep up-to-date with current HR regulation and software. These are ever-changing and as such it is vital that your practice is current so that you can help businesses to minimise risk in this regard.

Management Consultancy

Consultants in this field are responsible for improving the overall performance of a business. Their area of expertise can range hugely from designing and implementing I.T. systems to supply chain optimisation. Generally, a Management Consultant will take on a project and see it to the point at which it has completed all it’s objectives.

Most Management Consultancy based roles require you to have a bachelor’s degree, as a minimum, in one of the following fields: finance, business management/administration, accounting, marketing, human resources or engineering. Some companies do insist on a Master’s in Business Administration and furthermore, three years previous experience in Management Consultancy.

Key Skills in the Consultancy Sector

Below we have highlighted some of the key qualities that companies expect Consultants to possess:

Strong Communication Skills; as a subject matter expert, you will need to explain complex ideas and concepts to your client. It is, therefore, important that you can do so in a way that everyone can understand.
Strong analytical skills; you will need to be able to draw conclusions based on experience and knowledge, in order to offer your solutions. Listening skills; your ability to listen will enable you to get to the heart of the problems that you have been instructed to resolve. Creativity; problem solving requires lateral thinking and innovation. You will need to apply a creative element to providing business solutions to your client. Personal Integrity; as someone who is providing advice to a business, it is essential that you are able to gain trust amongst your co-workers. Having personal integrity is key to building these relationships. Practical knowledge; for example within HR Consultancy you will be expected to be aware of up-to-date policies and procedures.