Trainee consultants learn the industry and develop a client portfolio through mentorship and basic tasks. The training program varies by industry, with financial firms focusing on obtaining licenses and business management firms emphasizing client communication. Trainees work with experienced consultants and obtain certifications while positioning themselves as industry experts.
A trainee consultant works to establish a foundation of knowledge and experience in the underlying industry and develop a client portfolio. The typical intern consultant program has two main goals: to prepare the intern for the job and to teach him how to cultivate new clients. Developing an appropriate skill set typically involves working with a mentor or under the guidance of a senior employee and performing the basic tasks involved in working under supervision. Building the necessary acumen in nurturing customers often involves training in the company’s business philosophy, methodology, and nurturing practices.
Consulting firms operate in most business sectors. How new consultants are trained tends to depend on industry practices. For example, financial consulting firms tend to hire graduates for training programs. These interns focus on obtaining licenses that allow them to work in the investment industry and the skills needed to build a professional network and cultivate clients.
On the other hand, business management consulting firms tend to hire interns with advanced business degrees or specialized experience in a target industry such as telecommunications. Often these companies work with large corporate clients rather than individual clients. The consulting trainee program for this type of consulting firm will focus on how to get the job done and proper client management. You wouldn’t expect interns to cultivate new clients in this scenario; therefore, the emphasis of the program would be on learning the client communication protocol.
In either case, a trainee advisor would spend a significant amount of time learning the ins and outs of the trade. External consultants are called in to provide a level of expertise that the client does not have. Each person employed by the consulting firm must be an expert, with the knowledge, skills, licensing and recognition of an expert in the field. To that end, a trainee consultant works closely with more experienced consultants to learn the company’s particular way of doing business. Typically, it will perform lower-level tasks while watching more complex transactions.
In the meantime, the intern consultant will work to obtain any certification or licensing required by the job. Often, the intern must study for professional exams on their own time, but time working in the program tends to satisfy on-the-job experience requirements for certifications and licenses. In addition to developing hard skills and satisfying exam requirements, a consultant-in-training is expected to begin to position themselves as an industry expert. He can usually do this by joining leading trade associations, writing on relevant topics for traditional or online publications, or teaching or speaking at workshops or conferences.
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