Act as an advisor and consultant to clients who aim to effectively achieve their business goals and objectives in the right direction. This is the job of a Business Consultant, someone who offers insights, experienced suggestions and recommendations to businesses while providing them guidance on various aspects that can help optimise the success of their operations. But how does one become a business consultant? And that too in India? What are the requirements? This blog tells you exactly how while expanding on the prominent details of the career such as salary. Keep on reading!
Table of Contents
What Does a Business Consultant Do?
Before we delve into the process of becoming a business consultant, let’s first understand what exactly a business consultant does. The following are some of the responsibilities that are included in their job profile.
- To perform an initial assessment of the problem or situation that the client is facing in regard to their business.
- To formulate solutions, guidance, and recommendations to clients that can help drive success to their business.
- To analyse and present additional findings to clients that need to be worked on, with ample justification and substance.
- To take on projects of the clients and execute the same as per their requirements.
- To develop business plans which align the business objectives, and help the client in implementing the same.
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A Detailed Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Business Consultant in India
Alright, now that we know who and what a business consultant is and does, let’s move on to the step-by-step process of becoming one.
Select Commerce Stream at 10 + 2
You can start planning your career as a business consultant right from selecting your stream at the 10+2 level. The basics and foundation required for business understanding can be learned in the various courses and subjects offered in the commerce stream, such as business studies and various case studies. So, as a first step, this is a direction that you can start with.
Complete Required Educational Qualifications
More important is the completion of the required educational qualifications at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate level in business-related courses and degrees. Some examples of the degrees that can be obtained to become a business consultant are mentioned below.
Undergraduate | Postgraduate |
BBM BBA BBS BCom BSc Economics BSc Finance BA Economics | MBA in Marketing MBA in Finance MBA in Operations Management MFM |
Colleges to Pursue in India
Taking the above into consideration, what are the Indian colleges/universities that you can enrol into for pursuing the required educational qualifications? Check out the table below.
Name of College | Entrance Exam |
NMIMS, Mumbai | NPAT |
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi | CUET |
St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai | St. Xavier’s BMS Entrance Exam |
IIM, Indore | IPMAT |
Christ University, Bangalore | CUET |
Enrol in Certificate Courses
As one of the next steps, you can also enrol in some certificate courses that shall help you in acquiring an understanding of becoming a business consultant in India, and increase your professional qualifications. These courses are mentioned below.
- Certified Management Consultant
- Talent Optimization Consultant Certification
- Project Management Professional
- Certified Management Accountant
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Intern and Create Your Portfolio
It’s time to start working on gaining some entry-level work experience and creating your portfolio! Research your way through selecting internships that not only add to your resume but also to your industry know-how, allowing you to gain ample insights about identifying real business problems and working on solutions. You can also freelance and get better exposure to different types of work in the field, as well as make contacts and network to know about better opportunities that lay ahead of you.
Start Applying for Jobs as a Business Consultant!
There you go! After following the aforementioned directions and gaining the right industry knowledge, work experience, and developing a skillset, you can start your own job hunt by searching for various types of business consultancy jobs such as operations consultants, financial consultants, marketing consultants, and human resources consultants.
You can also think of starting your own consultancy firm!
Skills Needed to Become a Business Consultant
Skills are the most important when it comes to maintaining any type of profession. In this case, the skills needed are mentioned below.
- Interpersonal skills
- Strategic Planning skills
- Management Skills
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Systems Thinking
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Jobs and Salary
In this field, there are various types of business consultants, and you can plan on working as one per your wish. The salary prospects for such jobs are mentioned below.
Type of Business Consultant | Salary per annum |
Management consultants | INR 21 lakh |
Operations consultants | Up to INR 15 lakh |
Financial consultants | Up to INR 15 lakh |
Human resources consultants | Up to INR 11 lakh |
Marketing consultants | Up to INR 25 lakh |
Top Recruiters
Some of the top recruiters that hire such professionals in India are listed below.
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FAQs
Yes, a business consultant is a job that comprises professionals sharing in-depth industry knowledge with clients and helping them achieve their business goals.
Management consultants are a part of the highest-paid business consultants.
A marketing consultant will have a starting salary of INR 47 lakh per month in India.
This was all about How to become a Business Consultant in India. You may discover more careers in India on Wings by Leverage Edu. Stay tuned.