Part 1: How To Become A Consultant
Over the next two posts I’m going to go over how to become a consultant. For those people who are consultants already this may seem a bit basic, but you might pick up a tip or two. There are several ways to become a consultant. In this post we’ll go over working for a consulting company and part-time consulting. The next post I’ll talk about how to start on your own.
The easiest way to become a “consultant” is to get a job as one. There are lots of consulting companies out there. Some of these companies offer only consulting services, while others offer consulting as part of a product package.
For example computer companies who sell equipment often offer network consulting, IT, and security consulting as an added service.
Working for a larger company like this is great if you want a nice secure way to break into the consulting field and see what it all entails. This way you avoid all the risks of trying to start your own consulting company from scratch.
However if you do decide to leave the consulting company and start on your own, you will likely be unable to recruit clients of that firm for at least a year.
In all fairness you should recruit your own new clients instead of trying to poach them from your previous firm.
While at the company, try to do as much as possible to establish yourself as a leader in that field. Write reports and speak at conferences. Try to get your name out there as much as possible, so when you do make the switch you have some credibility.
Part-time Consulting
One way a lot of people get started in consulting is by doing it on the side. If you have a job that is flexible in hours you can try and find some projects to do.
This is how many college professors get into consulting. The main thing is to not let it interfere with your regular job.
In the next post I’ll show you how to make part-time grow into full time consulting.
