IT consultant

As an IT consultant, you're the mediator between two worlds: you look for IT solutions that can solve your clients' business problems. You need to have a very good understanding of both sides, because you often advise clients from outside IT on adjustments in existing IT systems or prepare to introduce new solutions. The everyday working life of a consultant demands more than just IT skills. If you want to be successful in this field, you also need to have the right soft skills.

Starting salary (per month)-
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What does an IT consultant do?

IT consultant jobs are mainly available at three types of companies:

Large companies with an internal consulting team
IT consulting firms
IT system houses

IT consultants combine business requirements with information technology solutions on a daily basis. When implementing IT projects, they take on the following tasks:

Needs analysis for hardware and software
Developing and implementing IT concepts
Monitoring and improving IT systems on an ongoing basis
Quality control
Implementing new software
Training software users

Skills

Hard skills

Perform clerical duties
Report analysis results
Agile development
GDPR
Project management
Use production planning software
Intellectual property law
Plan software testing

Soft skills

Self-organization
Written communication
Systemic perception

What skills does an IT consultant need?

Many IT consultants work in a fast-paced environment. But it's really important to appear confident towards clients and partner companies. Resilience to stress and high levels of commitment are among the most important qualities HR departments look for in applicants for these kinds of IT jobs. It's also often up to IT consultants to explain complicated technical situations and ideas in a way that's understandable for less IT-savvy people. They also need to be able to do this on a larger scale, for example as part of reviews or final presentations. So presentation skills are a must.

As a young professional in the field of IT consulting, you'll also rely on relevant specialist knowledge from your studies. This may include knowledge of a programming language. However, it depends on your field of activity: SAP consulting requires a different focus than IT security, for example. If you advise clients on their IT strategy, programming may not play any role at all in your daily work.

IT consultant – qualifications

Whether you're an IT consultant who programs on a daily basis or not, a background in computer science is crucial if you're looking to embark on career path in this field. However, IT consultants are by no means always straightforward computer scientists. In addition to computer science students, graduates from the field of business information systems are particularly interested in this profession. They already deal with the interface of business administration and IT as part of their studies. You can also get into IT consulting from another specialism. The most important requirements are a knowledge of business administration and affinity for IT. Graduates of (industrial) engineering also make successful IT consultants.

IT consultant – salary

Consultancy as an industry is known for its high standards of performance. And earning opportunities are accordingly attractive. The average salary for a junior IT consultant is £32,000. The most important factors for how quickly you'll be able to command a higher salary are your consulting focus, your performance and your assignment to attractive projects.

Salary information from glassdoor.co.uk.