Top 3 must-have consulting skills and how to evaluate them

There are a few critical factors to consider when hiring a consultant. To produce effective work, professional consultants rely on a core set of essential skills. 

Since a consultant should provide your business with expert advice, they must have specialist skills in their field. Knowing which skills to evaluate will give you the upper hand over competitors when finding top talent. 

Read on to find out which consulting skills are most important.

What are consulting skills?

“Consulting skills” refer to the qualities consultants need to analyze and understand the requirements of clients or other individuals. They also refer to the skills that help consultants provide tailored advice, support, and recommendations to their clients.

What is an example of a consulting skill?

The most important example of an essential consulting skill is critical thinking. If you’re hiring a consultant, your candidates must show critical-thinking skills to handle challenging and intricate problems your business encounters. 

Why is critical thinking an important skill for consultants

Critical thinking is crucial because it helps consultants look beyond the expected, run-of-the-mill solutions for businesses. This skill makes it easier for consultants to embrace new ideas and innovative concepts that your business may not have tried. 

These innovative concepts can lead to cost-effective and time-saving solutions.

How can you assess a consultant’s critical-thinking skills before hiring?

If you’re looking for a consultant with exceptional critical thinking, a quality skills testing platform will help you evaluate your candidates’ abilities. 

And there are a number of other advantages when using TestGorilla’s Critical Thinking test to assess your consultants’ critical thinking. The test will help you:

• Avoid unconscious bias when selecting candidates for an interview 

• Reduce your time-to-hire metrics by giving you an alternative to resume screening

• Choose between two similarly skilled consultant candidates when making a hiring decision 

We recommend choosing several skills tests as part of a rounded TestGorilla assessment when reviewing your candidates. Read on to find out which other consulting skills and tests you may want to consider during the process.

What makes a top consultant?

A good consultant will have the perfect balance of intuitiveness and collaborative leadership skills. They can discern the finer points of a client’s challenges and work in a team to help them handle challenging problems.

One factor to note when hiring a consultant is that 64% have a bachelor’s degree and 17% have a master’s, meaning many top consultants are highly educated. However, companies are increasingly looking for relevant skills instead of qualifications, and this approach requires a reliable skills testing platform.

What are the top 3 consulting skills or traits?

The skills required to excel at a consulting role can vary based on the type of consultant. For example, in an innovation consultant job description, you’ll see a focus on analytical, communication, and leadership skills. In contrast, a job description for a financial consultant will emphasize financial management skills, proficiency in compliance, and expert knowledge of regulations and tax.

That said, there are three skills that every top consultant must have. Read on to learn more.

So, which top three consulting skills or traits must you consider when assessing your applicants’ abilities? Check out the following abilities to see if they’re a good match for your business.

1. Problem-solving skills

As your new consultant joins your team, you may count on them to help solve a variety of problems. You may need advice about complex issues, and you may not have much information about such problems when you ask for their support. 

With this in mind, you can see why problem-solving skills are crucial for consultants. Whether they’re working on employee conflict resolution or assisting a business leader with their training programs, your consultant should know how to solve problems.

2. Communication skills

Communication skills for consultants don’t only mean they should know how communicate solutions to your team. It means they should be capable of using active listening skills to understand the problem and how it may go beyond financial implications.

For example, senior management may want to improve efficiency by introducing new training programs. So, since the team will have to accept these suggestions and complete the training, consider whether your consultant could convey new changes in a way that ensures the team responds constructively.

3. Project-management skills

Your new consultant must have the project-management knowledge and skills to facilitate the planning and scheduling process for projects, solve challenges related to resource allocation, and give teams the means with which to complete projects on time and within budget. 

Which other skills tests should you consider when hiring a consultant for your business?

We’ve already mentioned that the Critical Thinking skills test is vital to help you review your consultant applicants’ skills. Consider these three other skills tests when hiring a consultant for your business for an effective skill reviewing process.

1. Problem Solving test

The Problem Solving test is the best way to determine whether your candidates can define and understand a problem. The results will tell you if applicants can carefully analyze information or data and use analytical skills to handle challenging problems. Can your consultant decide on the best actions or solutions based on the rules of your business? Use this test to find out.

2. Communication test

Need a method to review how well your consultant can communicate? Our Communication test is the optimum method for this. It will help you find out whether your consultant can:

• Use active listening skills to understand your business problem

• Clarify the next steps related to a complex problem

• Show empathy and share empathetic solutions 

3. Project Management test

The most precise method for reviewing a consultant’s project-management skills is to use our Project Management test. With this test, you can learn whether your consultant can calculate project schedules and minimize risk to help you plan and budget.

Business Judgment test

This Business Judgment test evaluates candidates' judgment in the areas of corporate and portfolio strategy, innovation, cost transformation, digital transformation, procurement, supply chain, organization, operating model, behavior change, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, sales, pricing, customer segmentation, value propositions, go-to-market, and customer experience

Review your consultants’ must-have skills and hire effortlessly

Hiring a consultant can be complicated, but it all begins with knowing the skills they require to complete their work.

Remember that problem solving, communication and project management are important qualities to try to review when you’ve sourced a consultant for your business. 

Make sure you consider the skills important for your business and review them using our skills tests. Check out our test library today to begin hiring your next top professional. Get started for free today