The Right Personality to Find Consulting Jobs

A lot of people might shy away from consulting as a career choice because they feel like they don't have the proper personality for the profession. The conventional wisdom says that you need to be bold, sociable and outgoing to find consulting jobs. After all, consultants are extraverted, ultra confident alpha dogs who can take charge immediately after stepping into a room, right?

Wrong.

As a matter of fact, consultants come from a wide variety of backgrounds. What's more, they exhibit an expansive range of personality types. Sure, many consultants fit the mold of the confident charmer who can fill a room with his or her personality and ideas. However, consultants don't have to fit this personality type to find success. In fact, those who possess other attributes can use them to their advantage.

Countless books, articles and interviews have addressed the subject of personality type and work in recent years. Today, I'd like to show you why some surprising personality traits can actually help you as you move forward as an independent consultant. If you're hesitant to join the world of consulting because you believe that you need to be bold and brash to be successful, this blog post is for you.

Every Consultant Needs to Adapt to the Situation at Hand

Individuals who are more shy or introverted often feel like they are the only ones who need to change and adapt to fit in as consultants. The reality is that everyone needs to adapt and make changes in order to be successful at consulting. Though it may seem as if extraverted types have it easy, they often struggle when they're not in their element. For example, if an extraverted consultant needed to give a lively speech in front of an auditorium full of people, it would probably be a cakewalk. On the other hand, if that consultant needed to convey a more nuanced message to a small group of analytical types in the office, it could be devastatingly challenging.

At the end of the day, a consultant's work is full of so many different types of situations and settings that no single personality type could ever be described as ideal for the profession. Whether you're introverted or extraverted, you're going to need to find a way to succeed in uncomfortable situations.

Find Consulting Jobs as an Introvert

Even though introverts have just as many positive attributes to offer as their more extraverted counterparts, it can be difficult for some to actually find consulting jobs, considering the conventional wisdom about the “right” personality for consulting. If you consider yourself to be more shy, introverted or analytical, these tips can help you find rewarding consulting work

• Tap into your confidence; people respond to confidence regardless of whether the message is being delivered by an introvert or an extravert

• Study the more extraverted people around you – you'll learn a lot about interacting with others

• Realize that your reserved, analytical nature is actually an asset that you can use to separate yourself from the competition

• Don't apologize for being introverted; be proud of who you are and what you're able to offer

• Learn about emotional intelligence, or EQ, and spend time developing yours

• By all means, find ways to express your ideas; as an introvert, you may be a deeper thinker than others. Clients will be impressed with the level of thought you give to issues, but you need to be able to express those thoughts in a way that makes clients want to follow you and your ideas into the future.

Get Out There and Shine

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong personality type to find consulting jobs. On the surface, extraverts have an easy road, but they face challenges, too. Sure, it might seem easier for the bold and extraverted among us to find work, but the advantages that they seem to have don't hold up when you consider the day-to-day work of a consultant. As a more introverted person, you have a lot to offer. Now get out there, promote your strengths and show the world what you have to offer. Before long, you'll have a roster of clients that any consultant would be proud of.

Are you interested in learning more about how to find consulting jobs? I encourage you to download your free copy of my eBook, “Experience Matters.” You should also download the valuable consulting guides that are available at no cost from the Ex3 Matters website.