DEVEX CAREER Guide

While there are plenty of job opportunities for consultants posted publicly, there are also many roles that are not advertised externally, making it difficult for professionals looking to get started as consultants or secure their next project.

This is why networking is crucial to finding consulting work. Connecting and engaging with the organizations and departments you are interested in will increase your visibility and open up new opportunities.

As a consultant, you likely have a lot of experience to fit into one CV. Still, it’s important to keep your CV precise and succinct, while still showcasing your accomplishments and level of expertise. It’s equally important to tailor your CV to specific postings and clients and ensure that it’s up to date with your latest experience.

This is why having multiple CV formats tailored to different fields is encouraged, advised Kate Warren, executive vice president of Devex.

Whichever CV you apply with, it's important to know that when it comes to the initial screening process for consulting positions, time is of the essence.

“The time of the reviewer, whoever it is going to be, in whatever capacity [or] whatever scenario, is limited,” Amorosino said, adding that this person will likely spend only 60 seconds, or less, reviewing a CV. So, length matters, as does how you utilize your summary section.

More insights for Career Account members:

A: I would focus more on what is relevant to the position rather than any specific number but also try to show duration over a certain amount of time. So, if you've been working as a consultant for the past 15 years, you want to show that you have 15 years of experience, so that means including something that's less relevant from 15 years ago, but you don't have to go into quite as much detail.

When it comes to page length, you should have relevant information be your guide rather than any specific page length, but you do want to establish yourself as a credible consultant. You also want to think about client diversity. If all of them are with

one client, that may be a little less impressive than if you've worked with a variety of clients. 

It’s also good to include specific dates for these, and it can be helpful to include the duration of an assignment, whether it was two months or two weeks. That doesn't necessarily mean that longer is better or shorter is better. It’s about showing the different kinds of ways that you've engaged and are able to engage with a client.

— Kate Warren, executive vice president and executive editor, Devex

Knowing what rate to charge can be one of the biggest challenges for independent consultants. According to Susanne Barsoum, founder and CEO of KeyLime International, there are four ingredients that can help when it comes to calculating your rate: market rate determination, salary history, confidence, and flexibility.

Here are just some of the questions to ask before signing a contract: Does the project involve overseas travel? Will you require any special insurance coverage? Is the scope of work manageable? And when will you get paid?

One of the most important things to consider is the
workload. Generally, consultants are not hired on
an hourly basis and are instead hired for the

duration of a project or to support specific deliverables. They may be hired at the proposal writing stage or be brought on board later when the deliverables have already been determined.

Before committing to a project, it’s important to evaluate the scope of work and the time it requires. While a flexible schedule is one of the perks of working as a consultant, it is also easy to end up working around the clock to meet deadlines.

Often, the deliverables are totally unrealistic, said Craig Zelizer, a mentor with Nexford University's The Global Grid program, resulting in 16-hour days compressed into short time periods.

“I’ve learned to better scope out the time I think it’ll take me and not just agree to something,” Zelizer said.

Another thing to think about is the length of the assignment, and what other work you may be missing out on. This, in turn, can inform the rates you charge.

More insights for Career Account members:

Given the size and complexities of a multilateral system such as the United Nations, there’s much for applicants to understand before pursuing consulting jobs within it. This includes knowledge of the working culture and how one's background could potentially fit in with what many U.N. agencies specialize in — which includes a strong focus on government policy.

“If you're not interested in working with governments, it's perhaps not for you,” said Loksan Harley, an independent migration specialist and the co-founder of Impact Consulting Hub.

But Harley also made it clear that there are still consulting opportunities for a broader range of specialists if one knows how to find them.