Is a consultancy career right for you?

The field of consultancy is very large and versatile, and it’s one of the best fields for self-employment. Most companies now hire consultants in various fields without onboarding them as full-time employees. If you’re considering a career in the world of consultancy, there are many companies in need of your services at the moment.

But, what is a consultant?

A consultant is a person who is academically and practically qualified, with experience in one or more fields. They provide guidance and advice in return for a certain fee. There are certain ethical standards that consultants abide by:

• They serve their clients with integrity, honesty, competence, independence, objectivity, and professionalism.
• Only accept assignments that they, their staff and their colleagues have the necessary experience and competence to perform effectively.
• Charge fees that are reasonable and commensurate with the services to be delivered.
• Treat all client information that is not public knowledge with confidentiality.
• Avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof and immediately disclose to the clients any circumstances that may influence the consultant’s judgment or objectivity.
  
  

There are six basic types of consultants:

1- Strategic Consultant: Consults their clients about their business endeavors and any potential changes to make their organizations work more efficiently, focusing on strategic issues such as organizational and corporate strategy, functional strategy, and economic policy.

2- Administrative Consultant: Conducts an examination process and identifies administrative problems related to policies and regulation, provides solutions and suggestions, and helps to implement them.

3- Quality Control Consultant: Helps improve the performance of operations. The quality control consultant’s services vary from practical implementation support to advisory services.

4- Financial Consultant: An expert and financial advisor. These consultants deal with questions related to financial capabilities and financing plans.

5- HR Consultant: Directs the HR department to improve their performance. The main topics that HR consultants deal with include organizational change, education and development, terms of employment, change management, and talent management.

6- Information Technology (IT) Consultant: These consultants focus on helping their clients develop and implement information technology in their organizations.

Due to the large size of the Saudi market and its increasing need for consultancy across fields, international consulting companies have begun establishing headquarters in the capital Riyadh. Among these companies is Artefact International Consulting for Data Science, which opened its second center in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia. The France-based Artefact works with some of the world's biggest brands such as Carrefour, Orange and Samsung, and now aims to replicate its success in the region's largest economy.  

The government sector also has a strong demand for consultants. An example of this is Caliber Consulting, a small consulting company with a proven track record in public sector strategy and implementation, which has provided guidance to a local government entity in Saudi Arabia in need of support in developing and implementing its strategy. The local government entity embarked on updating its vision and strategic direction and transforming its operating model according to the consulting firm's guidelines, and consultants at Caliber have partnered with the government entity to support this shift.

Global consulting companies continue to express their desire to strengthen their presence in the Kingdom and reveal their aspirations to be present in the Saudi market. For example, global strategy consulting firm Roland Berger has revealed significant growth ambitions in Saudi Arabia, as the company seeks to expand its support for the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Roland Berger's managing partner in the Middle East, Renee Seiger, provided details of the company's plans: “Saudi Arabia is one of the most important markets for our business in the Middle East – we have successfully developed and delivered several projects of national importance in support of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030, and its future prospects show strong potential for continued success.”

Given all this, we can safely say that the field of consultancy has a promising future in Saudi Arabia. If you want to seize the opportunity and delve into the world of consulting, here is a list of the most important attributes that make a successful consultant:

• To be professional and maintain a professional relationship with the client.
• To be highly specialized. Clients expect the consultant to be more knowledgeable and experienced than they are about the matter they are seeking consultancy in. 
• To remain informed and in regular contact with other professionals in the consulting field.
• To be good at implementing theory into reality.
• To not rush decisions and to make sound judgments.
• To have time management and project management skills.
• To work well in a team, accept feedback, and learn from the experience of others.
• To have good communication skills: listening to the clients' concerns well, and expressing ideas clearly.
• To know the language of the client, as the use of an interpreter may reduce the quality of communication between consultant and client.
  
  

Now that you know more about consultancy as a profession, do you think it’s the right career choice for you? If your answer is yes, Mohammed bin Salman Foundation “Misk“ has golden opportunities for you with internships in top-tier consulting companies such as Devoteam, Oliver Wyman, Mercer, Roland Berger, and BCG.