Careers in Consulting

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Looking for an entry level job or internship in consulting? This is an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have relevant entry level and internship opportunities.

Whenever I go into a bakery I’m overwhelmed by the selection of amazing smelling treats. How could I possibly decide between a snickerdoodle and chocolate chip cookie?! I typically end up weighing factors like how expensive they are, how big they are compared to each other, and what I’m feeling more in the mood for at that moment. But my life would be a lot easier if I had a cookie consultant like Cookie Monster to help me make the best decision. On an everyday basis, real consultants tackle much larger issues, but the premise is the same–they help clients make the best decisions in specific areas where their knowledge is deep, and their client’s is not.

Consulting Careers

Photo Credit: Flickr user laverrue

Consulting Career Guide Overview

  1. What a Consultant Does
  2. A Typical Day for a Consultant
  3. Salary and Career Progression in Consulting
  4. Best Locations for Consultants
  5. Pros and Cons of Being a Consultant
  6. What You Need to Know for a Career in Consulting
  7. Consulting Resources
  8. Careers Related to Consulting
  9. Companies with Jobs and Internships in Consulting

What a Consultant Does

A consultant has a wide knowledge of a particular subject and provides expert advice in that specific field to a client or company lacking significant experience in that area. Consultants work in fields like management, technology, law, or graphic design. More specifically a consultant finds solutions to address specific issues in the way they see fit within constraints such as budget and resources agreed with the client.

A Typical Day for a Consultant

During a typical day, a consultant spends a lot of time researching, sharing learnings with their team, and communicating best ideas with clients. A consultant might go through emails first thing in the morning, then spend time discussing with old colleagues about past projects, or completing surveys and questionnaires, or doing client interviews. Later, they might spend time doing a progress report with another client in a meeting–or take a client to lunch. They typically make many calls and hold team meetings trying to reach a consensus about how to address the issues and what their recommendations should be. Another thing consultants tackle is making the data they’ve collected understandable to the client by using Excel or Powerpoint to compile the data.

Salary and Career Progression in Consulting

A consultant tends to make between $50,000-$180,000 per year. In terms of other opportunities down the road you could become a business process consultant ($44,000-$148,000), or a senior professional service consultant ($61,000-$157,000).

Best Locations for Consultants

Here are some hot spots for consultants:

  • Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Princeton, New Jersey
  • Denver, Colorado
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Fairfax, Virginia
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pros and Cons of Being a Consultant

Pros
  • You get to experience a number of different companies
  • You get to work closely with your team
  • You work on a range of different projects
  • Your advice is valued
Cons
  • Long hours with little to no downtime
  • Lots of travel
  • Low job security

What You Need to Know for a Career in Consulting

To be a consultant you should have a college degree in your field of consulting interest or business. Beyond that, you should also possess people skills and determination. To begin with, you might consider presenting yourself as a contract worker (a worker for hire) until you have an established track record and client list. Or if you’re lacking the credibility and experience to do that, aim for a job with a mid-sized company, which should give you experience on a decent range of projects.

Consulting Resources

If consulting still sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you should do to get started.

Required Reading

Blogs and Websites

Networking Opportunities

Careers Related to Consulting

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Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Consulting

AlphaSights Logo

AlphaSights - AlphaSights is a New York, NY based company that provides “today’s investors, deal-makers and corporate strategists with access to the knowledge they need to succeed.”

See the complete AlphaSights profile


Forensicon Logo

Forensicon - Forensicon is a Chicago, IL based “firm specializing in computer forensics analysis and consulting."

See the complete Forensicon profile


Liferay Logo

Liferay - Liferay is a Diamond Bar, CA based company that helps clients “build modern websites and portals to engage customers, partners, and employees.”

See the complete Liferay profile


Pure Branding Logo

Pure Branding - Pure Branding is a Northampton, MA based consultancy that “builds leading brands for values-based companies in the natural products industry.”

See the complete Pure Branding profile


Kelton Logo

Kelton - Kelton is an NYC and LA based consulting firm that is “passionate about listening to your customers and translating their stories into innovative solutions.”

See the complete Kelton profile


The Culinary Edge Logo

The Culinary Edge - The Culinary Edge is a San Francisco, CA based consulting firm that helps restaurants strengthen their brands, extend their reach, and increase their profitability.

See the complete The Culinary Edge profile


Community Wealth Ventures Logo

Community Wealth Ventures - Community Wealth Ventures is a DC based consulting firm that helps “leaders innovate, grow and sustain social change organizations that build a better world.”

See the complete Community Wealth Ventures profile


Smart Design Logo

Smart Design - Smart Design is “an award-winning design and innovation consulting firm with offices in New York, San Francisco and Barcelona.”

See the complete Smart Design profile


Social Impact Logo

Social Impact - Social Impact is an Arlington, VA based management consulting firm that aims “to make international development more effective in improving people’s lives.”

See the complete Social Impact profile


Crop Quest Logo

Crop Quest - Crop Quest is a Dodge City, KS based “innovation-driven leader in crop consulting and agricultural production management and solutions."

See the complete Crop Quest profile


FSG Logo

FSG - FSG is a "consulting firm specializing in strategy, evaluation, and research" with offices in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and DC.

See the complete FSG profile


BOOST Collaborative Logo

BOOST Collaborative - BOOST Collaborative is a San Diego, CA based non-profit that serves organizations that serve "youth in the out-of-school time hours.”

See the complete BOOST Collaborative profile


Technomic Logo

Technomic - Technomic is a Chicago, IL based food industry consulting and research company that has some great job opportunities for new grads.

See the complete Technomic profile


Urban Science Logo

Urban Science - Urban Science is a Detroit based company that helps auto manufactures manage dealership networks and improve marketing, and they're hiring.

See the complete Urban Science profile


The Marketing Arm Logo

The Marketing Arm - The Marketing Arm is a Dallas, TX based marketing agency that focuses on building brand experiences through promotions, and they're hiring.

See the complete The Marketing Arm profile


Zingerman's Logo

Zingerman’s - Zingerman's is a deli in Ann Arbor, MI and a whole lot more. They generate nearly $40 million in revenue annually, and they have some awesome looking jobs.

See the complete Zingerman’s profile


Cvent Logo

Cvent - Cvent is a McLean, VA based company that offers event management software solutions, and they're hiring a ton of new and recent grads.

See the complete Cvent profile


Prophet Logo

Prophet - If you want to get into marketing and branding consulting, then Prophet would be a great company to consider an entry level job with.

See the complete Prophet profile


Opera Solutions Logo

Opera Solutions - If the word Big Data Analytics get you excited, then a career with Opera Solutions is probably just what you're looking for.

See the complete Opera Solutions profile


Morningstar Logo

Morningstar - If you have any interest at all in investment research or analysis, you have to check out Morningstar and their career opportunities.

See the complete Morningstar profile


Yodle Logo

Yodle - If you're interested in helping small businesses grow through online marketing, check out careers with Yodle.

See the complete Yodle profile


Offerpop Logo

Offerpop - If you like what Offerpop is doing in social media marketing, you can head over to their Jobs page to learn more about their career opportunities.

See the complete Offerpop profile


Catchafire Logo

Catchafire - If you like how Catchafire is revolutionizing volunteering and their B-Corp style, then you should check out jobs at Catchafire.

See the complete Catchafire profile


Corporate Executive Board Logo

Corporate Executive Board - If you’re fascinated by large corporations and how they work, then The Corporate Executive Board would be an excellent place to start your career.

See the complete Corporate Executive Board profile


Sapphos Environmental Logo

Sapphos Environmental - Sapphos Environmental is a Pasadena, CA based environmental consulting company that specializes in planning, resource management, and environmental compliance.

See the complete Sapphos Environmental profile


FactSet Logo

FactSet Research Systems - FactSet focuses their College Recruiting on Consulting and Engineering, but that doesn't mean that they don't have entry level opportunities in other areas.

See the complete FactSet Research Systems profile


Framework:CR Logo

Framework:CR - Framework:CR is a Stamford, CT based sustainability consulting firm that is hiring a Junior Analyst. It's the perfect green entry level job.

See the complete Framework:CR profile


Dachis Group Logo

Dachis Group - Dachis Group “helps companies reinvent themselves into dynamic, socially calibrated organizations " and they're hiring.

See the complete Dachis Group profile


Gerson Lehrman Group Logo

Gerson Lehrman Group - Gerson Lehrman Group is a firm that acts as a professional matchmaker for subject-matter experts, and they're hiring recent grads for a number of positions.

See the complete Gerson Lehrman Group profile


The Cadmus Group Logo

The Cadmus Group - The Cadmus Group is an environmental consulting firm based in Watertown, MA and they have a variety of entry level jobs for new grads.

See the complete The Cadmus Group profile


Rise Interactive Logo

Rise Interactive - If you have never considered a career in online marketing before, it’s definitely worth thinking about—and Rise Interactive would be a great place to start.

See the complete Rise Interactive profile


The Pursuant Group Logo

The Pursuant Group - Now, it seems that each of The Pursuant Group's businesses does it’s own hiring, and only some of the businesses have Careers pages.

See the complete The Pursuant Group profile


Retail Solutions Logo

Retail Solutions - A lot of what Retail Solutions will seem complex if you don’t already know how retail works, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have entry level positions.

See the complete Retail Solutions profile


MCG Logo

MCG - If you're quantitatively minded and looking to work in an innovative and entrepreneurial environment, then you should consider a job at MCG in Providence, RI.

See the complete MCG profile


Green Education Foundation Logo

Green Education Foundation - If the Green Education Foundation sounds like something that you want to get behind, then you should check out both their job openings.

See the complete Green Education Foundation profile


Altimeter Group Logo

Altimeter Group - If you’re an early adopter and want to help businesses overcome their fear of technology, then you should take a look at jobs at Altimeter Group.

See the complete Altimeter Group profile


Fahrenheit 212 - I’d imagine that most of Fahrenheit 212’s hiring is done above the entry level; however, their job postings seem to be more focused on talent than experience.

See the complete Fahrenheit 212 profile


Yankee Group Logo

Yankee Group - If you’re fascinated by communications technology, then Yankee Group in Boston, MA would be a great place to work.

See the complete Yankee Group profile


The Advisory Board Company Logo

The Advisory Board Company - Right now the The Advisory Board Company has just over 40 jobs posted, and I’ve picked out the following as being ideal for new grads.

See the complete The Advisory Board Company profile


Rosetta - Rosetta seems to put a strong emphasis on campus recruiting, which means that they have all kinds of entry level jobs available.

See the complete Rosetta profile


Ceteris Logo

Ceteris - For most new grads, grasping exactly what Ceteris does is pretty hard. The best way to get a feel for them is to take a look at examples of their work.

See the complete Ceteris profile


ExactTarget - ExactTarget has done a fantastic job with their entry level recruiting program, and I bet that reflects how much they value young talent.

See the complete ExactTarget profile


Altman Vilandrie & Company - Altman Vilandrie & Company is a Boston based consulting firm that "focuses on the communications, media, and related technology and investor sectors."

See the complete Altman Vilandrie & Company profile


Revel Consulting - Revel’s Careers page has information on Culture, Consultant Experiences, and Campus Recruiting. The latter means they're likely hiring new grads.

See the complete Revel Consulting profile


TechnoServe - Headquartered in Washington, D.C., TechnoServe is a non-profit helping "entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses."

See the complete TechnoServe profile


Eduventures - Based in Boston, MA, Eduventures helps clients look beyond their own ivory tower and get a feel for how they can improve, and you can help them do that

See the complete Eduventures profile


Taproot Foundation - The Taproot Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, has a really cool approach to non-profit consulting with amazing volunteer opportunities.

See the complete Taproot Foundation profile


campusCATALYST - campusCATALYST is an amazing opportunity for current college students with an interest in non-profits and consulting, but they’re also hiring grads.

See the complete campusCATALYST profile


Triage Consulting Group - Triage Consulting Group does most of their recruiting on campus for the entry level Associate position, but they do have a page that allows you to apply online.

See the complete Triage Consulting Group profile


Root Cause - Right now Root Cause has an opening posted on Idealist (but not on their Jobs page) for a Consulting Research Associate, which looks perfect for a new grad.

See the complete Root Cause profile


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