Written byIndeed Editorial Team
Updated 14 June 2024Becoming an associate consultant is the first step in pursuing a consultancy career. Associate consultants can work in various fields and provide a range of support services to senior consultants in project-related and client-related activities. By understanding the role and responsibilities of an associate consultant, you can make an informed decision about pursuing this career. In this article, we explain what is an associate consultant, describe what they do, show how to become one and provide the answers to some frequently asked questions about this career.Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate’s experience, academic background and location.
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What Is An Associate Consultant?
An associate consultant is a professional with expertise in a specific field and an advanced educational degree. They may be a recent graduate with little or no work experience. They are generally on the lower tier of the consultancy hierarchy in a company and may advance to a higher position after at least three years of work.Related:How To Become an Educational Consultant: A Complete Guide
What Is An Associate Consultant’s Role?
An associate consultant may have a problem-solving and client management role in the company. They may work with project teams to plan, develop and deliver projects as per client specifications. Associate consultants may gather and analyse data, assist with project management tasks, make recommendations to improve the project management process, create reports and interact with clients to keep them updated and get their feedback.Related:Your Guide for How To Become a Management Consultant
What Does An Associate Consultant Do?
An associate consultant provides support to the consulting team through the different stages of a project. The role may include the following responsibilities:
- Interviewing clients to gather requirements and build trust
- Evaluating the project requirements based on clients’ specifications
- Creating requirement specifications and detailing processes
- Assessing recommended solutions and researching alternatives
- Improving operations by leveraging processes, procedures and policies
- Creating a detailed project strategy and carrying out risk mitigation
- Assisting the project team with implementing the project
- Communicating project scope and progress to clients
- Scheduling client meetings to discuss project issues
- Performing regular quality assurance checks on activities
- Documenting integration services to meet client needs
- Ensuring project deliverables meet quality standards
- Monitoring project to meet completion timelines
- Diagnosing and resolving software and hardware issues
- Providing technical support during project development
- Developing analytical tools and models
- Providing cost-benefit analysis for proposed solutions
- Maintaining records of the project management procedures
- Creating project documentation for future reference
- Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant legal matters
- Helping to draft legal documents and ensure legal compliance
- Drafting and conducting business correspondence
- Generating leads for acquiring new clients for the company
- Cultivating relationships with stakeholders to accelerate projects
- Advising and training the company’s clients
- Writing case studies, solution documentation and marketing materials
- Designing training materials to develop staff analytical capabilities
- Developing utility programs to improve customer service
- Assisting the sales teams to prepare marketing proposals
- Identifying and analysing global market opportunities
- Preparing information documents and participating in client presentations
- Coordinating and managing work events for senior executives
- Using job sites and networking tools to advertise the requirement of qualified candidates
- Working with the human resources department to interview and hire new talent
Related:Find Out What Does An Associate Consultant Do
What Skills Does An Associate Consultant Use?
An associate consultant can benefit from having the following skills:
- Communication skills: An associate consultant can use strong verbal and writing skills to ensure clear and precise communications since they interact frequently with team members, clients and stakeholders.
- Interpersonal skills: Since an associate consultant meets and collaborates with many different people during a project, they can benefit from having good interpersonal skills.
- Analytical skills: In their work, an associate consultant may have to analyse and interpret vast amounts of information and make proposals based on their findings.
- Problem-solving skills: Associate consultants work to find appropriate and quick solutions for the conflicts and issues that arise during a project to prevent any work disruption.
- Time management skills: Since projects may have strict deadlines, associate consultants can use excellent time management skills to ensure timely completion.
- Organisation skills: Associate consultants can use strong organisational skills to manage multiple tasks and deliver them on schedule as per client specifications.
Related: Associate Consultant Skills: A Guide For Jobseekers In India
What Are The Educational Qualifications For Becoming An Associate Consultant?
Many employers require a bachelor’s degree for an associate consultant role. Associate consultants may also benefit more from having a master’s degree or doctorate. Their degree may be in finance, accounting, statistics, mathematics, economics, business management, business administration, marketing, human resources, engineering, computer science or any other field. If you plan early to pursue a specific area of consultancy, you can consider getting a related degree. Some associate consultants may also get certifications from various professional associations.Related:20 High-Paying Careers With an MBA (With Duties and Salary)
How To Become An Associate Consultant?
Consider following these steps to help you become an associate consultant:
1. Complete 10+2 education
To begin your career, you can first complete the 10+2 (HSC) exam with more than 50% marks from a recognised board. It can be from the arts, commerce or science stream. If you plan to do consultancy work in a science or engineering-related field later, consider selecting the science path.
2. Pass college entrance exams
A passing score in competitive college entrance exams is necessary for becoming eligible for admission to many colleges. Some of the exams you can appear for after 10+2 are the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE, Main and Advanced), the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, the Admission Test (BITSAT) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Aptitude Test (IISER Aptitude Test). If you have a bachelor’s degree, you can take the Common Admission Test (CAT), the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) or the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MAH CET).
3. Obtain a bachelor’s degree
Most associate consultant jobs have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree. You can get a four-year bachelor’s degree in various fields like economics, marketing, business management, engineering or computer science. If you already have a firm career plan of providing consulting services in a particular field, you can choose to graduate in a subject related to it.
4. Consider earning a master’s degree
The top business consulting firms may require candidates to have a master’s degree, so you can benefit from continuing your education after graduation. After passing the required entrance exam for college admission, you can complete programs like a master of business administration (MBA), a master of science (M.Sc.) in marketing science or a master of science (M.Sc.) in business analytics. The master’s degree programs may take two to three years to complete.
5. Consider earning a doctorate
A doctorate is not essential for an associate consultant role, but it may prove useful for advancing in your consultancy career. Many employers may consider you for senior consultant positions if you have a doctorate in addition to relevant skills and work experience. It can take three to five years to complete a doctorate program.
6. Get certification
You can get certified as an associate consultant from various professional associations and organisations. The benefits of certification are obtaining a recognised accreditation, improving your knowledge and skills and establishing your professional credibility. You may also get a competitive advantage in the associate consultant job market and become eligible for higher wages.Related: Associate Consultant Resume Sample For Indian Jobseekers
7. Acquire work experience
It may help to get internship experience with a consultancy firm while you are still completing your education or work for a few years in your selected field. You can also get an associate consultant job right after college. Since the consultancy field is competitive, it may help to start applying for a position in your final year.Related: How To Write An Associate Consultant Cover Letter: With Examples
8. Apply for a job
You can search for associate consultant jobs on online job sites like Indeed, company websites, professional networking sites and social media. Before you apply for a job, it is essential to read the associate consultant job description carefully and customise your cover letter and resume accordingly. You can also review them for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors to help ensure accuracy.Related: What Are Consulting Jobs? (With Careers, Salary And Skills)
Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming An Associate Consultant
Here are the answers to some additional frequently asked questions about this career:
Is an associate consultant higher than a senior consultant?
An associate is lower in the company hierarchy than a senior. You may be able to advance to the senior position after working for several years as an associate. Senior associates may have more work responsibilities, may earn a higher salary and have more job security.Related: Associate Director Vs Assistant Director: A Comparison
What comes after associate consultant?
After working as an associate consultant, you can advance to consultant and senior consultant and progress further to a manager and a senior manager. You might even become an associate director, director and vice president or partner. You may have to work for three or more years in each role before becoming eligible for advancement.
What is the salary of an associate consultant?
An associate consultant earns an average national salary of ₹5,25,108 per year. The exact pay may vary according to the employer, location, educational qualifications, skills and experience. With more industry experience, you can expect to earn significantly more.
