Consultants are paid to share their expertise and knowledge to help businesses attain goals and solve problems.

Essential Information

Businesses often hire consultants to supplement their staff and save the costs of hiring a full-time employee.

As a person new to the company or organization, consultants view the situation from a fresh perspective.

Requirements

Required Education Depends on field

Other Requirements Experience and previous accomplishments

Projected Job Growth 7-19% (depending on field)

Job Duties

Job duties can depends on the industry in which a consultant is working as well as his or her specific field of expertise.

They're also expected to provide advice, make recommendations and excel at problem solving.

Consultants are often used prior to, and during, the start-up of a new business or to re-energize a flailing business.

Consultants are also brought in when a business needs reorganization, including the termination of individual employees or entire departments.

Skills required

These skills include the following:

Logical reasoning
Leadership
Communication
Ingenuity
Ability to work well with others

Job Outlook

Earnings vary depending on the field of consultancy and whether a consultant works for a large company or is self-employed. E

Earnings can be high for successful self-employed consultants, while company employees enjoy possible additional compensation such as profit sharing, bonuses, stock ownership and health benefits