CONSULTANT
What does a Consultant do?
Consultants are subject matter experts, requiring excellent interpersonal and communication skills, in addition to a combination of technical knowledge, industry awareness, and analytical prowess. They use these to provide expert advice, guidance and solutions to a variety of paying stakeholders across the sector. These include government, public organisations and private entities across a variety of fields, such as project delivery, nuclear power plant design, commissioning, and decommissioning.
Typical duties and responsibilities of a Consultant
- Client Consultation: Engage with clients to understand the scope of their projects, particularly their requirements and unique challenges; thorough assessments of client needs often occurs via meetings, data analysis and research.
- Technical Expertise: As subject matter experts in their chosen field, consultants often have deep specialist technical knowledge and experience, using this to provide technical assessments, analysis and recommendations on complex nuclear and non-nuclear issues.
- Solution Development: Design innovative solutions and actionable recommendations that are tailored to meet client needs.
- Professional Development: Stay abreast of industry developments to continuously enhance knowledge and capabilities.
- Knowledge Sharing: Share expertise and good practice with colleagues / clients through presentations, workshops, reports and training.
Skills and knowledge required to be a Consultant
To be a consultant, specialist technical expertise are essential.
You must demonstrate passion and strive to become a recognised subject matter expert in your chosen field, via a combination of deep specialist fundamental technical knowledge, high quality experience and a commitment to ongoing learning and development. Differentiate yourself from the competition by showcasing your competence via accredited educational programmes and professional registration.
Additionally, an array of complementary soft skills are also essential to the role:
- Customer-Oriented: A consultant must develop empathy with clients - understanding their needs, delivering exceptional service and forge strong and lasting relationships into the long-term.
- Interpersonal Skills: Excellence in oral and written communication is essential - to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Resilience: Successful consultant are riven to achieve high quality tangible outcomes and measurable impact, often within strict deadlines.
How do I become a Consultant?
Consultant roles cover a wide range of topics and specialisms, so following your passion, developing knowledge and demonstrating competency by any means is the only essential pre-requisite.
University
Obtaining an undergraduate or postgraduate degree can equip with the deep specialist knowledge that is essential to help set you on the path to becoming a consultant. Once you have found your passion and have a certified degree behind you, the world is your oyster.
For those interested in research or highly specialised consulting, a PhD can be particularly beneficial.
Apprenticeships
If you would prefer to earn whilst you learn, why not consider completing an apprenticeship in your specialist field? This can help you to get those essential technical knowledge and skills at the same time as building up valuable experience.
Progression
For those already working in the nuclear industry, in entry-level careers, there are a number of pathways to consultancy. Build your network to seek mentoring from experienced colleagues, look out for professional and knowledge development opportunities, and pursue professional accreditation.
