Comments on: How to Become a PR Consultant http://www.kelloggforum.org/how-to-become-a-pr-consultant/ Information about higher education and Career Tips Blog Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:20:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Resume to Referral http://www.kelloggforum.org/how-to-become-a-pr-consultant/comment-page-1/#comment-192 Resume to Referral Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:16:20 +0000 http://www.kelloggforum.org/?p=446#comment-192 You offer excellent advice on how to become a PR consultant. Very thorough. With the economy in the "toilet" so to speak and so many employers that may need help planning their next move, I think just about every industry is ripe for the picking in the consulting arena. In addition to PR consulting, which sounds like a very rewarding and lucrative career for the right person, there are other industries or areas that may appeal to certain individuals such as fashion, fitness, parenting, stress-relief, beauty, and more. If you have the knowledge and the drive, just about anyone can learn how to become a consultant. Below you will find a how-to article about how to become a consultant. I think your readers may find it useful. I hope this helps! Resume to Referral Resume and Career Services http://www.resumebycprw.com Go With What You Know: Learn How to Become a Consultant So you finally found your calling and you want to learn how to become a consultant but you have no idea where to start. If you truly want to learn how to become a consultant, prepare yourself for a serious challenge. The good news is, you’re about to become a member of an industry that rakes in more than $70 billion a year, so there’s enough profit to go around. Once you learn how to become a consultant, you are well on your way to commanding top dollar for your expertise. Companies, individuals, families, and couples are willing to pay handsomely to receive expert advice from a consultant and the opportunities for all types of consultants are endless. Before taking the plunge into selling your expertise for profit, there are a few things you should consider – very carefully. If you want to learn how to become a consultant, one of the first steps is to decide on an area of expertise. A good rule of thumb is to “go with what you know.” While technical, science and management consulting jobs are constantly growing in numbers, small consulting businesses and individual consulting contractors of a non-technical nature are increasing in numbers as well. Search through your local Yellow Pages or online switchboard (www.switchboard.com) and you will find everything from career, fashion, crisis, and fitness consultants to beauty, parenting and stress relief consultants. The list doesn’t stop there -- there are literally hundreds of consulting services available to the conservative and the not-so-conservative public. In addition to the types of consultants mentioned above, it is not uncommon to find energy consultants, pet care consultants, Feng Shui consultants, childbirth consultants, and even legitimate sex therapy consultants! Once you have carefully considered the area of expertise you would like to pursue, it’s time to study the market. Assuming you want to learn how to become a consultant in order to start your own business, browse through similar services and contractors in your area to survey the competition. How long have they been in business? What services do they offer? What are their fees like? You don’t have to model your consulting business after someone else’s, but it helps to familiarize yourself with “what’s out there.” If after researching similar consulting businesses and you are still interested in moving forward, it’s time to move on to creating a portfolio, a presentation package and/or a resume. Depending on your area of expertise, you might have to create a physical or online portfolio that includes samples of your best work or you may have a presentation package, which includes your work experience, a detailed list of your skills, references and/or testimonials. If you are starting out on your own, a resume and a portfolio are still important, but you will also need a business plan. A great resource for information on how to write a business plan (and for start-ups in general) is the Small Business Administration or SBA. Visit the SBA website (www.sba.gov) to browse through an endless amount of information about starting, financing and managing your business. They also offer resources for business training, access to hundreds of forms (financial, technical, tax), information about business laws, how to estimate costs, information about grants and programs, and advice on just about any issue that affects the small business owner. Once you have prepared your business plan, portfolio or resume, it’s time to figure out how you would like to market yourself or your business. At this point, if you decide you want to work for a consulting firm, all it takes is to start sending your resume out to companies that match your background. For a start-up however, marketing will be a bit more elaborate than mailing resumes. Marketing is a hodgepodge of strategies including: promotion, publicity, PR and advertising. If you create a marketing plan that encompasses all four strategies (in one way or another), you’re well on your way to an effective marketing campaign. Depending on your budget, the type of marketing technique you decide you use can range from Internet marketing, direct mail and press releases to advertising in local newspapers and magazines, yellow pages ads, posting to bulletin boards and creating e-zines. With the right information, a few reliable resources and a hefty amount of drive and determination, you can learn how to become a consultant in no time. Resume to Referral Resume and Career Services http://www.resumebycprw.com You offer excellent advice on how to become a PR consultant. Very thorough. With the economy in the “toilet” so to speak and so many employers that may need help planning their next move, I think just about every industry is ripe for the picking in the consulting arena. In addition to PR consulting, which sounds like a very rewarding and lucrative career for the right person, there are other industries or areas that may appeal to certain individuals such as fashion, fitness, parenting, stress-relief, beauty, and more. If you have the knowledge and the drive, just about anyone can learn how to become a consultant. Below you will find a how-to article about how to become a consultant. I think your readers may find it useful. I hope this helps!

Resume to Referral
Resume and Career Services
http://www.resumebycprw.com

Go With What You Know: Learn How to Become a Consultant

So you finally found your calling and you want to learn how to become a consultant but you have no idea where to start. If you truly want to learn how to become a consultant, prepare yourself for a serious challenge. The good news is, you’re about to become a member of an industry that rakes in more than $70 billion a year, so there’s enough profit to go around. Once you learn how to become a consultant, you are well on your way to commanding top dollar for your expertise. Companies, individuals, families, and couples are willing to pay handsomely to receive expert advice from a consultant and the opportunities for all types of consultants are endless. Before taking the plunge into selling your expertise for profit, there are a few things you should consider – very carefully.

If you want to learn how to become a consultant, one of the first steps is to decide on an area of expertise. A good rule of thumb is to “go with what you know.” While technical, science and management consulting jobs are constantly growing in numbers, small consulting businesses and individual consulting contractors of a non-technical nature are increasing in numbers as well.

Search through your local Yellow Pages or online switchboard (www.switchboard.com) and you will find everything from career, fashion, crisis, and fitness consultants to beauty, parenting and stress relief consultants. The list doesn’t stop there — there are literally hundreds of consulting services available to the conservative and the not-so-conservative public. In addition to the types of consultants mentioned above, it is not uncommon to find energy consultants, pet care consultants, Feng Shui consultants, childbirth consultants, and even legitimate sex therapy consultants!

Once you have carefully considered the area of expertise you would like to pursue, it’s time to study the market. Assuming you want to learn how to become a consultant in order to start your own business, browse through similar services and contractors in your area to survey the competition.

How long have they been in business? What services do they offer? What are their fees like?
You don’t have to model your consulting business after someone else’s, but it helps to familiarize yourself with “what’s out there.” If after researching similar consulting businesses and you are still interested in moving forward, it’s time to move on to creating a portfolio, a presentation package and/or a resume.

Depending on your area of expertise, you might have to create a physical or online portfolio that includes samples of your best work or you may have a presentation package, which includes your work experience, a detailed list of your skills, references and/or testimonials. If you are starting out on your own, a resume and a portfolio are still important, but you will also need a business plan. A great resource for information on how to write a business plan (and for start-ups in general) is the Small Business Administration or SBA. Visit the SBA website (www.sba.gov) to browse through an endless amount of information about starting, financing and managing your business. They also offer resources for business training, access to hundreds of forms (financial, technical, tax), information about business laws, how to estimate costs, information about grants and programs, and advice on just about any issue that affects the small business owner.

Once you have prepared your business plan, portfolio or resume, it’s time to figure out how you would like to market yourself or your business. At this point, if you decide you want to work for a consulting firm, all it takes is to start sending your resume out to companies that match your background. For a start-up however, marketing will be a bit more elaborate than mailing resumes.

Marketing is a hodgepodge of strategies including: promotion, publicity, PR and advertising. If you create a marketing plan that encompasses all four strategies (in one way or another), you’re well on your way to an effective marketing campaign. Depending on your budget, the type of marketing technique you decide you use can range from Internet marketing, direct mail and press releases to advertising in local newspapers and magazines, yellow pages ads, posting to bulletin boards and creating e-zines.

With the right information, a few reliable resources and a hefty amount of drive and determination, you can learn how to become a consultant in no time.

Resume to Referral
Resume and Career Services
http://www.resumebycprw.com

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