Comment pouvez-vous faire progresser votre carrière de consultant dans différents secteurs?

From my experience as a consultant, self-awareness has been my greatest tool. Understand your unique strengths and how they apply across industries. For instance, my ability to synthesize complex information quickly and communicate it clearly has served me well from healthcare to tech sectors. Similarly, have a clear vision of your career trajectory. Are you aiming to become a subject matter expert in a specific area, or do you want a broad exposure to various industries? Early in my career, I realized my passion lay in helping organizations streamline their processes, irrespective of the sector. This clarity helped me pivot successfully across industries and continually advance my career.

In my experience, understanding and leveraging your strengths and goals is the cornerstone of a successful consulting career. Taking the time to assess your current situation provides valuable insights into your professional standing. Reflecting on skills, knowledge, and experiences gained from past projects enables you to identify areas of expertise that set you apart.

Be reflective and ask yourself how can you add value and rich insight to the sector you have the most experience and skills in?

Advancing in consulting across sectors involves leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for skill development, networking, and trend awareness. Key points include identifying sector-specific skills utilizing AI tools for data-driven market research, automating tasks with AI to focus on high-value consulting, applying AI-driven analytics for predictive insights, utilizing AI in CRM for personalized client interactions, showcasing AI integration in consulting solutions, staying updated on AI through continuous learning, and demonstrating AI expertise through thought leadership. The strategic incorporation of AI enhances competitiveness, fosters innovation, and positions consultants as valuable contributors in diverse sectors.

Know what you are strong at. Is it communication? Research? UX development? Make a process and template of your learnings and experiences. Understand similarities and divergences in the process. Find sectors that are similar to your own and begin applying your processes there. That's your first step.

In my journey as a senior consultant, understanding the sector and market I was venturing into was critical. Not only did this provide me with a contextual understanding, but it also helped me anticipate my clients' needs more accurately. I remember when I first transitioned into the energy sector, I spent countless hours immersing myself in industry reports, trends, and key challenges. This research allowed me to engage in more informed discussions, build trust with my clients, and provide tailored solutions. Therefore, take the time to thoroughly research the industry, its competitive landscape, and regulatory environment. The insights gained will be an invaluable asset in advancing your consulting career in any sector.

What is the next thing that is 5 years off? Should you learn it? Who else does your team bring in to work on projects? what value do they add and how can you become the person that your team goes to for those expertise? Who do you need to figure out how to talk to? Some people make whole careers being great at talking to people that are themselves not easy to communicate with. learn the lingo become your team's translator

Consulting is a very knowledge intensive business, I find myself reading alot, searching for live webinars in the area I am interested in taking notes and comparing with what I know a d doing more research. Also joining networking events geared towards the subject matter I am interested in to pick up on new insights and trends in the industry.

Try to map out your sector and research it. Who are the main players in this space, key people, what are the industry trends. Is there any data around that sector, growth, declining etc. test out each sector using a framework to help, you can use a scoring system to analyse whether it’s a sector to suit you.

Knowledge seeking and research is key to consulting work! I'm actually transitioning to Sustainability and I'm doing a lof of reading and knowledge seeking! knowledge is key!

Positive word-to-mouth is worth its weight in gold. Make yourself, your services and your story relatable on all levels, because a story is what you are selling - a story that a client tells him/herself about you/your services. For instance, "this consultancy session will make me a better leader", "this coaching will make me a better negotiator at next month's contract review"... And such a story is best told by those who you have already helped, taught, advised, consulted... Of course, you also need to be your own best advocate and promote yourself in a compelling, authentic and credible manner - it's not bragging.

Build your professional brand and be sure your unique value proposition is well known within the industries you work in or indicate an interest in serving.

First, identify sectors that interest you. Second, build a knowledge base around the sectors you are keen to enter. Third, follow thought leaders and industry doyens in that sector Fourth, analyse what you possess in your knowledge arsenal that could be of value to that target sector. Fifth, engage with the thought leaders on professional platforms and networking events to open a dialogue. Sixth, write to them, mentioning the perspective you have that could add value to their industry. Write an article about your thoughts or express your views in a relevant forum and seek viewpoints. Follow through on those discussions.

In my career, cultivating a diverse and robust professional network has been instrumental in advancing across sectors. I've been able to leverage relationships to gain industry insights, explore opportunities, and even find mentors in new sectors. I remember when I transitioned into the retail industry, it was through a former client's referral. He'd seen my work in another sector and recommended me. Additionally, maintaining a strong professional reputation is crucial. Your credibility, reliability, and quality of work can speak louder than any resume when it comes to new engagements or sectors. Building your network and upholding a solid reputation are key components in expanding your consulting career across various industries.

Building a brand through LinkedIn by writing blog posts or newsletters that show expertise in your areas of interest and influence will also go a long way in getting your name out there.

The ideal way of expanding from specialized consulting into a broader consulting category is to play in the fringes. For example, expertise in pipe manufacturing can be expanded to multiple manufacturing sectors. Expertise in multiple manufacturing sectors can be expanded into manufacturing operations consulting. Operations consulting can be expanded into operations performance improvement consulting. And so on. Look for the overlap with other domains.

Bank some testimonials from the people with whom you served successfully. And a couple of those to your email signature or as part of your pitch. Also, ask clients to make referrals or be references on future projects.

Can you leverage your skill set from previous work. Maybe you learnt other frameworks or models that you can now use. Using experience allows you to become a better consultant. Could you use examples of others to make you a better consultant. When did someone do something that resonated. Remember when you got things wrong and see the upcoming holes.

Find common ground to expand. For example from marketing, move into digital. From creative more to content development. From customer service move to journey mapping. Break down your expertise into small blocks and offer each bit as a specialization.

As a senior consultant, the ability to identify and apply my transferable skills across different sectors has been crucial. For example, my experience in project management, critical thinking, and strategic planning has been relevant across all sectors, from finance to manufacturing. Also, remember that the solutions you've provided in one industry could inspire innovative strategies in another. Once, while working with a logistics company, I applied a process improvement solution I'd previously implemented in a healthcare project, resulting in significant cost savings. So, it's essential to understand and leverage your transferable skills and experiences to showcase your value proposition, regardless of the industry you’re consulting in.

The move from one industry to another often involves a shift in culture and requirements. As a senior consultant, I found that understanding these unique nuances was as important as having the technical know-how. For example, when I transitioned into the non-profit sector, it required a certain degree of adaptability, especially with the sector's distinct value-driven culture and specific regulatory constraints. Being mindful of these differences, I was able to navigate this new environment effectively. The key is to be open and adaptive. Listen to the sector's experts, understand their language, and learn the subtleties of their operations. This sector-specific knowledge will help you tailor your consulting approach effectively.

Each sector will have a blueprint of how things are done or to be done. Now you can follow this format or you can evolve it. But learning the fundamentals in your chosen sector is wise. You can always build up but you need the foundations first. This could be regulatory or maybe legal or even just how it’s done.

This should be the second step! Once you know yourself and your goals, you know your comfort zone and you can start to step out of it and grow, even before you start to look into another sector or industry. “The grass is always greener.” Being dedicated to continual growth and improving your skills in your current sector, even while you’re looking to branch out, means that your steps into a new sector won’t be driven by simple boredom or a desire for a change of pace (which will only repeat again soon), but out of self-awareness, a desire for self-improvement, and—hopefully—a dedication to doing good.

Ask your employer to identify and recommend you for assignments in different industries. In the long term it is a strategic win for both you and your employer.

To me, this point is as important as the first point of knowing our strengths and goals! Seeking opportunities for growth and leadership should be part of our goals! Becoming a leader in your domain should be the aim of every consultant. it's also part of building our personal brand!

In 1996, when I began my journey in consulting, the dominant view was that consultants should be experts in specific areas. However, based on my observations, the most impactful consultants are those who've cultivated a "portfolio career," gaining exposure to various industries, diverse business functions, and tackling a myriad of business issues. The Medici Effect (by Frans Johansson) highlights the benefits of such a diverse approach, emphasising how varied experiences boost creativity and foster intersectional innovation. If you're passionate about your current field, delve deeper into it. If you thrive on diversity, broaden your horizons. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to consultancy.

Become a consultant in an area you have the most expertise on and where you can offer rich insight to others on, in guiding and training people, companies and organisations. Do not consider yourself a jack of all trades - you can only consult on an area where you have in-depth knowledge and insights.

Consulting is a way to help customers with the knowledge you have got by practicing a particular technology/domain/field .When we indulge ourselves in a particular field ,there are other area which overlaps/touches these our area of our expertise. We just need to find that opportunity to expand our boundaries to those areas and plan to master them slowly.

One beautiful thing about consulting is that it gives you an opportunity to interact with diverse industries,people and solve real time problems based on your experience. On one side it requires strong expertise in one area and other side an opportunity to expand you horizon in other areas. We should always thrive to build parrlel skills in different industries and keep practicing it while consulting.

The article mentions using your network to expand your opportunities in new sectors. It mentions potential or existing clients, partners, influencers, and peers in that sector. But it left out a key group of people: those from your past. People you went to school with, people you used to work with, friends from growing up. Often, those who you started with, in life or school, those people are most likely to have taken different paths than you did. That means that statistically, they have the most extensive diversity of potential areas of interest. Just so you know – everyone you've kept in touch with or can still reach out to will know about a field you may need to learn about. It is that group of people that you should reach out to.