Consulting is a project-based work where the consultant helps the management of an organisation to secure their goal by analysing the organisational problems with the aid of industry knowledge he/she has acquired by working across verticals.
It gives you the opportunity to work for a range of industries such as hospitality, media, retail, infrastructure, aviation — broadening your understanding of different sectors. Besides offering a plum pay package, consultancy gives you the opportunity to travel and develop a rich network.
Furth says that Indian students have soft skills which are crucial to succeed as a consultant. What qualities do recruiters seek during placements? Sinha says, “Firms recruit students with a good extracurricular track record.” “In addition to this, analytical abilities, good communication and presentation skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to take the lead and get work done are the prerequisites to becoming a consultant,” says J. Rajagopal, EVP and Head of TCS’ Global Consulting Practice.
It requires you to think out of the box. Not only do you have to conceive the idea, but also sell it to a client. Parvesh Minocha, Managing Director, Transportation Advisory & Engineering Division, Feedback Ventures, says, “There’s greater responsibility as the burden of implementing the ideas, rests on the consultant, although there’s less hierarchy than the corporate sector.”
There is considerable amount of job independence as you get to work on different projects, each of which has a stipulated time. “You won’t be working with the same person, and each moment you will be working on something entirely different. It won’t get monotonous; it is in fact challenging; a job where you have to constantly reinvent yourself,” says Nimit Mehra, student, FMS, who has interned with Accenture.
