what is a graduate consultant?

As a graduate consultant, you learn the ropes from veterans to analyse a company's problems and develop valuable solutions. You provide a fresh perspective to an organisation and help them expand or gain a competitive advantage in the market. You are involved in consultations, collecting information and preparing briefing materials for consulting teams.

what do graduate consultants do?

In the fact-finding stages, you work closely with the client teams to gather information through interviews. Your job is to schedule interviews, write up the findings for clients and keep the consultation team up to date with the progress of the research. You participate in brainstorming sessions and make recommendations to solve issues. If your client's employees need training, you organise sessions for them.

A graduate consultant career is intellectually stimulating, and you work in your preferred field of study. For instance, you can work in engineering consultancy or management consultancy firms.

Would working as a graduate consultant suit your analytical skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a graduate consultant role.
 

graduate consultant jobs
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graduate consultant salary

According to ONS, the median salary of a graduate consultant is £27,167 annually. A graduate consultant joining the profession receives a starting salary of £21,704 per year. When you have a few years of experience, you earn around £45,000 yearly. The take-home salary varies depending on the employer and the company's size.

Apart from the base salary, you also receive multiple benefits and allowances. For instance, some employers offer private health cover and performance bonuses. You may also enjoy complimentary breakfasts or lunch and subsidised gym membership or yoga sessions.

what factors affect a graduate consultant's salary?

Graduate consultants join the profession after completing university education. That means your experience level and educational qualification will not influence your salary. However, having prior experience gives you an added advantage in landing a job. External factors often influence the take-home salaries of graduate consultants. For instance, the company size and business sector impact your compensation package significantly. 

Working in large companies improves your earning potential since they have unlimited resources and can afford to pay more. Small start-ups usually have lower salaries and benefits. Some consultancy firms also pay more depending on your field of study. For instance, graduate consultants in engineering or accounting are likely to earn more than those in human resources or management firms.
 

smiling male standing on balcony
smiling male standing on balcony
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types of graduate consultant

Graduate consultants can specialise in various roles, including:

  • management graduate consultants: as a graduate consultant in management consultancy, your job revolves around improving multiple aspects of an organisation, from strategy to operations and expansion plans. You assist the company in developing strategic decisions and identifying expansion areas.
  • operations graduate consultants: your job is to help your client optimise business operations like marketing, sales and production. You work alongside operations or marketing teams to formulate strategies that improve productivity and revenue for your client.
  • finance advisory graduate consultant: your role involves researching and addressing the financial capabilities of a company. You analyse assets and liabilities and help companies optimise their use of resources. If a company needs restructuring, you ensure the financial decisions will help the company grow. You also advise on mergers and acquisitions and analyse the risks associated with investments.
  • IT graduate consultant: in the IT sector, you assist clients with acquiring information technology infrastructure. For instance, you can help businesses implement ERP systems applications and introduce cyber security features and IT forensics.
     
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working as a graduate consultant

A graduate consultant often performs research and analysis and comes up with recommendations to help a business grow. Let's explore the specific tasks and work schedules of a graduate consultant.
 

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education and skills

Some of the academic qualifications include:

  • university degree: you can become a graduate consultant with any degree. However, if you pursue an IT, economics, business or mathematics degree, you will have multiple opportunities to specialise. A bachelor's degree in a relevant subject should suffice. You should complete a master's degree if you don't meet the 2:1 (upper second class) degree required by most employers.
  • experience: while you don't need work experience to qualify for a graduate trainee role, any work placement or internship boosts your application. Having other certifications also gives you a competitive advantage.

skills and competencies

As a graduate consultant, you need the following qualities:

  • analytical skills: a large portion of your job involves researching and analysing information. You need to study financial data and performance metrics and come up with well-reasoned answers. Analytical skills help you develop the best recommendations for resolving various problems in the client's company.
  • commercial awareness: as a graduate consultant, you need business acumen and a deep understanding of the market and industry environment. Commercial awareness helps you provide practical solutions based on an understanding of how the market operates, its major players and the position your client occupies. You also need to monitor competitors and current affairs in the business environment.
  • teamworking skills: graduate consultants work in teams, and interpersonal skills help you become a good team player. You need exceptional listening skills to understand other team members' views and communication skills to communicate clearly.
  • attention to detail: when presenting information to the consulting team or clients, you need to organise your findings meticulously and ensure no important information is missing. Being detail-oriented helps you make the best recommendations based on accurate financial data.
     
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smiling female
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FAQs

FAQs about working as a graduate consultant

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