TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. WHO IS AN ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT ?
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If you wish to pursue a career in consultancy, then becoming an associate consultant is your first step in this direction.
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Popularly known as junior consultants, associate consultants occupy a vital position in the business consulting industry. The working field of associate consultants is diverse.
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Their primary job is to help and accompany senior consultants in client and project-related activities. They conduct research and accumulate the required data to solve business issues.
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Associate consultants examine the system applications and network infrastructure. They later recommend possible adaptions for optimal performance and immaculate navigation.
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They also determine cost-efficient business prospects to accumulate more clients and enhance overall project management strategies.
These associate consultants don’t belong to a particular department in any company. Instead, they give consultations in any department they are asked to work.
Case Study 1 -
To understand the job of an associate consultant, here is a small case study. Suppose a company has launched some new products/services. The money invested in the project is huge, but the customer responses aren't. Here the assistant consultant comes in force. They will have a problem-solving role. It is their responsibility to understand the customer requirement and formulate/give consultation to improve the response in the market. They will collect data, analyze it, and then make modifications as per the client's specifications. They will even get in touch with their clients and ask for feedback regarding their products/ projects.
II. HOW MUCH DOES AN ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT EARN ?
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The average annual salary of an Entry Level Associate Consultant is ₹4.5 lakh. (0-2 years of experience)
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The average annual salary of a Mid-Level Associate Consultant is ₹7 lakh. (2-5 years of experience)
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The average annual salary of a Senior Level Associate Consultant is ₹17 lakh. (5 and above years of experience)
III. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT
An associate consultant has a vital role to play in the consulting team of any company. The number of responsibilities on Associate Consultant vary from company to company.
The role may include the following responsibilities:
- Interview clients to collect their requirements
- Understand the needs of the clients and document their requirements and required processes
- Evaluate the solutions recommended by the clients and explore alternatives
- Finalize the solution with the help of lead consultant and prepare detailed strategy of project execution
- Ensure successful execution of the project by providing all the necessary help to the project team
- Keep track of project deliverables and ensure timely delivery to the client
- Stay connected with client and keep communicating scope and progress in project at regular intervals
- Discuss or highlight issues associated with the project with the client and proactively resolve the same
- Focus on enhancing operations of the project by leveraging the processes, strategies, and guidelines
- Perform routine quality security checks on activities being carried out on the project
- Confirm that the project deliverables fulfill the quality bars
- Analyze and fix software and hardware related bugs
- Provide specialized/technical support during project development
- Develop project documentation for future references
- Stay updated with the details of relevant legal matters and help in preparing legal documents and confirm legal obedience
- Identify leads to convert new clients for the company. Identify new global market prospects, if any
- Develop training materials to develop the analytical capabilities of the consulting team.
- Train the clients on project being developed
- Write solution documentation, case studies, and marketing materials
- Focus on enhancing customer service to the client through unique strategies
- Prepare reports and presentations for demonstrating the development in project to the clients
- Coordinate and supervise work events for senior consultants
- Work with the human resources department to interview and employ new talent
- Create analytical models using data visualization tools as per the project requirements
- Establishing and maintaining sound customer relationships
IV. SKILLS REQUIRED TO BE AN ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT
Technical Skills:
An associate consultant needs to have some basic technical skills. These skills vary from department to department. Some of these skills are:
- Excel (VBA) and PowerPoint Presentation: If you are working as a management consultant, you need to have a sound knowledge of these management software. The associate consultants, on various occasions, are required to make presentation to their clients.
- SQL, Python, and R language: If you are working as an IT Associate Consultant, you must know the SQL and R languages. Knowledge of Python or any other programming language will be an added advantage. The associate consultants need to evaluate data feeds, utilize Python and SQL to study data sets, and deliver insights for client requests.
- Data Visualization Tools like Tableau / Power BI: For a management Consultant, knowledge of these data visualization tools is an added advantage. As an associate management consultant, you may have to customize dashboards particularly for a device and this can be done easily if you have knowledge of Tableau.
- Effective Email Writing Skills- One of the core responsibility of associate consultant is to interact with the clients for different requirements. Effective email writing skill is required for effective communication and for avoiding any misunderstanding
Soft Skills:
There are certain soft skills which one needs to fulfill for the job of an associate consultant in any company/organization. Some of these basics skills are.
- Interpersonal skills: An associate consultant encounters and teams with many distinct people during a project. Thus, they can benefit by maintaining adequate interpersonal skills.
- Communication skills: An associate consultant is required to interact frequently with team partners, customers and stakeholders. If they have strong spoken and writing skills, they can assure clear and accurate communications.
- Problem-solving skills: Associate consultants work to find relevant and quick resolutions for the disputes and issues that appear during a project to prevent any trouble in work.
- Analytical skills: During their job, an associate consultant may have to study and analyze extensive information and make recommendations based on their conclusions.
- Time management skills: Several projects have inflexible deadlines. In this scenario, associate consultants can use exceptional time management skills to assure timely completion.
- Organization skills: Associate consultants can use their organizational skills to handle numerous tasks and return them on schedule as per customer specifications.
Minimum Skills Required:
- Strong Interpersonal and communication skills
- Team collaboration skills
- Research skills (for both quantitative and qualitative issues)
- Analytical skills
- Strategic planning and problem-solving capability
- The ability to work under pressure
- Commercial and business understanding
- Excellent knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint Applications
- Effective Email Writing Skills
V. CERTIFICATIONS
- Various certification exams validate that the candidate possesses the essential and core understanding required for an Associate Consultant profile.
- You can get certified as an associate consultant from diverse experienced associations and communities.
- There are various institutes that provide certification courses in the fields like technology associate, management, technology, analytics and planning consulting, etc. Consider giving these certification exams. It will certainly increase your chances of being chosen.
- You should also consider getting certified in the fields mentioned in the skills section above.
- Some of the companies which provide certification courses are Naukri Learning, SAP Training, and LinkedIn Learning etc.
VI. A GUIDE TO BECOME AN ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT
Here is a career path to Associate Consultant. It can be referred to make sure you do not miss any important step in meeting the job requirements.
i. Complete your 10+2 system of Education
The basic requirement to pursue a career in consultancy is completing school with 50% minimum grades. You can choose any stream to complete your academics. There is no hard-core rule to this. However, if you want to have a consultancy career in the science/engineering field, go for PCM + computer subjects.
ii. Get Your Graduation Degree
The minimum requirement at most companies for an Associate Consultant is a bachelor's degree. Though, there is no hard-core rule to this, the preferred subjects for graduation are marketing, economics, engineering, business management, computer science, etc. If you have a prior plan to become an associate consultant in a specific department, graduate in that subject only.
iii. National Level Entrance Exam
Certain IT and Human Resource Management companies hire employees based on certain exam scores. Consider giving exams like CAT and GATE to seek a direct job in a good company.
iv. Get your Post-Graduation Degree
The top business consulting firms may ask you for a master's degree. You can always go for master's degree courses like M.Sc. in marketing science, Master of Business administration (MBA), or M.Sc. in business analytics.
v. Do 2-3 Internship - As listed in the Internship section, the benefits of doing internships are many. Work as an intern under an established consulting company or any other firm which provide relevant skill learning opportunities.
vi. Get Certified – Get certified on skills required for Associate Consultant jobs. Refer certification section for more details.
vii. Acquire the Minimum Skills Required for the Job
In the above para, I have discussed about the skills you will need to grab an associate consultant job. You must build these skills, especially ‘the minimum skills required’, to ensure your selection in the job interview.
- You may refer to certain online websites which work in providing such courses.
- You can even take help of sources like YouTube to learn these skills.
- There are certain certificate courses available in Excel and Tableau which you can easily do.
viii. Make a Good Resume
- One of the most important thing that one needs to prepare before applying at any company is a resume/CV.
- Make a good resume, having all the relevant details like- internships, certificate courses, and work experiences.
- Make sure that the details you add are authentic.
ix. Interview Preparation
- The final step in your selection would always be a personal interview.
- It is basically a test of your personality and test of your attitude towards the job you have applied for.
- Refer to interview videos that are available online regarding associate consultant recruitment. Learn what type of questions can be asked and prepare accordingly.
- Sometimes, the questions may be asked regarding the company you have applied for, to know your interest in the same. Read the job description to analyze what could be the possible questions the recruiters can ask concerning this.
VII. TOP 10 COMPANIES IN INDIA TO HIRE AN ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT AS FRESHERS
- Infosys
- Indira Gandhi National Open University
- Wipro
- ATOS
- Tata Consultancy Service
- Capgemini
- 360 Realtors
- Flipkart
- Microsoft
- Salesforce
VIII. INTERNSHIPS
- Internship experience in a consultancy firm will help you get an edge over others.
- Consider doing an internship while you are still completing your education. This may help you to get a job right after your college.
- There are certain internships which offer job, once you complete your internship with the company. Thus, internships can offer jobs as well.
- You can use platforms like Internshala and LinkedIn to search for such internships.
Internship Fields
Though internship as Associate Consultant intern will be preferable to grab Consultant jobs, any internship which facilitates you to learn any of the skills mentioned in the roadmap will help you get Consultant jobs. Some of those internships are:
- Associate Consultant Intern
- Business Technology Solutions Intern
- Data Analyst Intern
- Excel Operator Intern
Companies hiring Associate Consultant Intern
Below are some of the companies you can apply at for an internship as associate consultant:
IX. FUTURE OUTLOOK
The demand for Associate Consultants in any field is on the rise and will continue in the future as well. The main reason for this is the never-ending evolution of new technologies in the market today. The associate consultants would always be in demand in these technologies to help the new companies bring in potential clients.
The job also provides a great opportunity to work with senior business leaders. Consulting is a long-term career option, and one of the perks associated with it is a standard lifestyle. In a nutshell, your future will certainly be bright, if you manage to secure a job at a good consulting firm.
X. CAREER HIERARCHY
- Associate Consultant: In the initial stage of your consultancy career, you will learn core consultancy skill trainings.
- Senior Associate Consultant: Associate consultants are often promoted to the position of Senior Associate Consultant for their exceptional working skills. Their work includes assigning work to the team and managing the projects.
- Senior Manager: Having acquired this position in any company, you will be required to focus on business development projects and work.
- Director: As the Director of any firm, you will be responsible for developing new business and developing client relationships. Besides, you will also keep a look at the growth of your consultancy firm.
ALL THE BEST!!!
