Twenty questions for consultants

19 February 2015 – Michael Adamson

Photo credit: Berdea, Wikimedia Commons

Providing assistance to individuals considering careers in consulting remains an ongoing task of the National Council on Public History (NCPH) Consultants Committee. In October 2012 and September 2014, forums held on Versatile PhD opened up discussions that generated valuable data that Consultants Committee members are using in devising initiatives to achieve this end. Both forums were populated with practitioners who represented a number of disciplines, including history. In particular, the forums gave graduate students, postgraduates, and other interested parties in the humanities and the social sciences the opportunity to ask practicing professionals about the business of consulting. The questions posed–the most germane of which are compiled here, in distilled form–can serve to guide the committee in its efforts to address the concerns and meet the needs of those who are considering a career in consulting. Indeed, this is an opportunity to be seized.

I’ve divided the questions into two categories: 1) How do I get into consulting? and 2) What do I do once I’m working in consulting (especially if I step out on my own)?

How Do I Get Into Consulting?

• How do I learn about the consulting business?

• Do I need capital to start up and, if so, how much?

• Do I need to incorporate or set up an LLC?

• Do I need a business plan?

• What (other) steps do I need to take to get started?

• What can I bring from my academic training and what will I leave behind?

• How do I research and apply for jobs at consulting firms?

• How do I apply for federal, state, and local government contracts?

What Do I Do Once I’m Working in Consulting?

• What kind of work is included as consulting work?

• How do I find work?

• If I find a lead or opportunity, how do I approach a potential client?

• How do I market my academic background?

• How do I transform my academic expertise into marketable skills?

• What does the average day/week in the life of a consultant look like?

• Do I need to retain an accountant to do my taxes?

• How do I leverage my training in a business environment?

• How do I stay disciplined and focused?

• How do I establish and maintain a coherent career arc?

• Can I publish anything related to my consulting work?

• What does it take to sustain a consulting practice?

In collecting these queries, I hope to stimulate a conversation that takes the pulse of current thinking on ways to promote consulting entrepreneurship among public historians. As anyone who reviews the Versatile PhD forums will see, professionals with humanities and social sciences backgrounds have offered many ideas already. Perhaps, however, this post can serve as a resource collection point that can inspire, inform, and shape targeted initiatives on the part of the Consultants Committee and the NCPH. In that spirit, if you have resources or experiences to share in the comments, by all means, please share them. That said, I open the floor.

~ Michael R. Adamson is a Senior Consultant with FTI Consulting and works out of the San Francisco office.