Managing consultants are experienced professionals who help managers to come up with new ideas that enable their organizations to stay current within their markets, to beat the competition, and to remain profitable and sustainable. These professionals commonly do not work full time for specific organizations, but commonly work for third party firms or as independent consultants who have had years upon years of experience in specific industries. Senior management consultants commonly lead teams of consultants who have less experience, manage projects, and may manage consultant firms.
To become a senior managing consultant, it is almost always essential to have at least a master's degree in business or in a field related to your industry, or to have an equivalent amount of training and experience. An individual who wants to become a senior managing consultant should plan on working for many years as a leader in his or her industry before establishing him or her self as an expert who can provide consulting services for managers. Establishing yourself as an authority in your field is critical to marketing yourself to clients.
Senior managing consultants are people who are considered to be top experts in their fields. For this reason, these professionals tend to have graduate degrees in fields related to their areas of expertise and might even have experience teaching related subjects in colleges and universities. For example, a person who would like to become a senior managing consultant who specializes in finance might study finance, while a consultant who helps managers in international markets might study international trade. Senior managing consultants who do not have high degrees of academic preparation can make up for this by gaining years upon years of experience managing successful projects and businesses and writing articles for trade publications or even publishing books on related subjects.
An individual who would like to become a senior managing consultant should begin getting experience in his or her field of choice as quickly as possible. For many aspiring consultants, this means taking internships or part time jobs while still in college. Regardless of how distant entry level positions might seem compared to your long term aspirations, it is important to remember that most managers start in these positions. Having a firsthand understanding of operations that occur at the base of an organization can help a manager to make more intelligent decisions.
It is important for a person who wants to become a senior managing consultant to begin taking supervisor and management positions as soon as he or she is qualified. As you gain more experience and are responsible for greater projects and departments, it is important to take stock of the experiences and skills you gain, since these should greatly strengthen your resume for higher level positions. It also is important to find new job references with each step forward you take in your career.
