Five Tips on How to Get a Consulting Job

Knowing that you want a change is one thing; making that change happen is another. In my last few blog posts, I've talked about the many reasons why independent consulting is a great career choice for those who are looking for something more dynamic and fulfilling. If you've been reading these blog posts, you might be intrigued about the possibilities of consulting, but you might not necessarily know exactly how to get a consulting job.

There isn't a single, reliable method to obtaining a consulting job, but there are some tips you can follow to make the process of finding consulting opportunities easier and more effective. With these five simple tips, you can begin to turn your dreams of a new career into a reality.

1. Don't do anything until you have the right mindset.

   I can't stress the importance of proper mental preparation enough. If you aren't mentally prepared to do great work as a consultant, you'll have quite a bit of trouble finding consulting jobs. Picture yourself experiencing success in consulting, and envision yourself impressing potential clients with your knowledge and accumulated experience. Then, you can go out and find the perfect opportunities.
    

2. Throw out that old resume.

   When it comes to consulting, clients don't care that you worked at ABC Company for three years back in the '90s. They want to know what you're capable of doing for them right now. That's why I think the skills-based resume is so important. Put your best skills front and center, and you'll show that you're ready to jump and help immediately.
    

3. Work on enhancing your influence power.

   In your career, you've been able to develop position power by virtue of rising through the ranks at your job. You've done the work necessary to earn a certain title, and your underlings have to follow you simply because you've been given a specific position. When you become a consultant, you can't rely on your position power anymore – you won't have a title to make people defer to you automatically. You need to develop your ability to influence people with your ideas. This will give you the power to implement the the most effective solutions as a consultant.
    

4. Show that you have a highly tuned EQ.

   Intelligence and smarts are important at any job, and consulting is no different. However, if you're wondering how to get a consulting job, I would focus on developing your EQ, or emotional intelligence. A highly developed EQ allows you to intuitively sense the mood of an individual, group or an entire company. It allows you to make sense of your observations, and it also keeps you in tune with your mood and how it affects others. With a finely tuned EQ, you can impress potential clients with an almost supernatural sense of intuition.
    

5. Know how to network properly.

   If you haven't been able to figure out how to get a consulting job, you might be networking incorrectly. Networking is essential in the search for any job opportunity, but you should go about the process in a different way if you're interested in consulting jobs. Consultants don't need to be like Captain Ahab searching for Moby Dick; they need to be able to fill their nets up with smaller fishes. In other words, you need to use your network to find opportunities that you can combine to create the perfect career and the ideal income.

Finding out how to get a consulting job isn't always easy, but these five tips should be able to help you steer your career in the right direction. As you can see, a lot of it has to do with changing your perception and working on your thought process. Once you become mentally prepared and you're willing to do some things differently, you put yourself in the perfect position to find jobs as an independent consultant.

Have you been wondering how to get a consulting job? You've come to the right place! For more great information about consulting, download our free consulting guides and obtain your free copy of Buddy Hobart's eBook, “Experience Matters,” today.