If you’re pursuing a career in manufacturing or engineering and you’re looking for your next role, you probably have a clear idea of the paths you need to take and the opportunities you’re likely to find. But you might want to pause and take a moment to think laterally. Could you have a greater impact and build a more rewarding career in consulting?
Today the management consultant industry is worth around $250 billion globally . The US industry is now worth $55 billion but Europe comes a close second. In 2019 it reached $45 billion and although the coronavirus pandemic caused temporary erosion, 2022 has seen a return to that pre-pandemic level, with experts predicting further substantial growth. Europe’s share of the global consulting market is a solid 29% and the German speaking countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland, known collectively as DACH, generated €12 billion in fees .
In Europe many sectors are experiencing impressive growth as they emerge from the pandemic. Deloitte reported in January that UK business leaders expect strong domestic and international demand and were planning to invest accordingly. London’s tech start-ups attracted an unprecedented $25.5 billion in venture capital investment during 2021’s funding rounds, which was more than double the figures achieved in 2020. This robust start-up / scale-up resourcing bodes extremely well for the future.
However, it isn’t just the private sector that needs consultants. According to the Financial Times, in 2020-2021, the UK government and public bodies awarded consulting contracts with a value of £2.5 billion, almost doubling the previous year’s performance. To some this is a controversial use of public money but as a government representative explained: “It is sometimes necessary for the government to draw on expertise from the private sector, as was the case during the pandemic where fast action was needed to protect the NHS and save lives.”
Whatever the arguments, it’s clear that consulting skills are an essential resource for both the private and the public sectors. The rate of change in technology and business practice continues to accelerate which means the value of your abilities as a consultant will increase. Change management and digital transformation are just two of the areas in which manufacturing and engineering consultants will be both in demand and in short supply. The opportunities emerging make a career switch to consulting more attractive than it has ever been.
The Attractions of a Career in Consulting
As a full-service provider of talent solutions, Morpheus has extensive experience in helping tech companies and their go-to-market sales teams make the critical hires necessary to scale globally and gain valuable competitive advantage. We know what consultants can do for businesses, but what can the consultancy industry do for you?
Every business, no matter how skilled and dedicated its employees, can benefit from the input of professionals with the knowledge and versatility of thought to refine existing processes, devise alternatives and identify new practices that will improve productivity, efficiency and profitability. That is the level of impact you could have. You are embedded with a client for a fixed period, seeing appreciable results before moving on to the next project.
Variety is one of the most attractive aspects of consulting. As you progress, you find yourself working within different business cultures and environments, engaging with diverse methodologies and gathering vast experience across major industries including tech, manufacturing and engineering. Every project you work on is a learning experience which leaves you better equipped for the next assignment. Instead of excelling in one company as a permanent employee, you will have the chance to contribute to multiple successes. As Berta Cayuela, an IT consultant at BETWEEN, says: engaging in diverse projects, besides from completing both vertically and horizontally your experience, can also help you analyse and decide towards where you would like to focus and direct your professional career”.
The job of the consultant is not to walk through the door and tell the business owners or boardroom what to do, whether it is increasing automation or outsourcing production. Those might be valid solutions, but first, you need to understand the values, vision and structures of the company. This in itself is a very rewarding and instructive exercise. Just as the career of a surgeon or a concert pianist is about constant improvement, so is the trajectory of a consultant a case of starting great and getting greater.
At Morpheus, we understand that sometimes in having a foot in two camps – the employer’s and the client’s – a consultant can feel alienated from both. That’s why we place great importance on the attendant role of the Service Manager whose job is to bridge any such gap and maintain the consultant’s relationship with their employer. This is more than a liaison role: it provides essential support for you the consultant. Eduard Martin, IT consultant at Mobile World Capital believes the role of the Service Manager “is key so that both the company and the consultant are in the loop on all the news, needs or doubts of the other part, at the same time that it increases the feeling of belonging to your company.”
How Morpheus Can Help
Because of our experience and success in precisely those industry sectors which are driving Europe’s economic recovery – tech, manufacturing, engineering, construction and business services – we are ideally placed to help you make the transition into a consultancy role. Businesses look to Morpheus for the start-up/scale-up resourcing they need to solve their scaling challenges by providing them with the expertise they need to grow. The consulting sector is a hotbed of activity which needs people like you. You can assist companies in fulfilling their potential while constantly advancing your career.
Find out how we help businesses and how we can help you. Contact Morpheus today.
Call: +44 (0) 203 833 9339
Email via our contact page: https://www.morpheus-group.com/contact-us/
