People who are interested in economic trends and management. A person who is caring and likes to counsel others. Good communication skills. People who like to learn. People who have logical thinking skills.

This job involves consulting with company managers and others who are having trouble running their companies, finding out what the company's problems are and why, and then proposing remedial measures to improve the situation. Management consultants work on a wide range of projects, including business strategies (methods to achieve management objectives), strengthening the company's organization and human resources, and M&A (bringing together or acquiring several companies). Management consultants often belong to specialized consulting companies (consulting firms), but there are also those who work privately. Furthermore, consulting firms and consultants themselves have different areas of expertise, such as strategy, finance, human resources, IT, and general consulting.
The first step in the workflow is to interview management, employees, business partners, and other relevant parties about management issues, and gather information such as numerical data. We then organize this information to determine the cause of the problem, consider remedial measures and solutions, and summarize them in a report. In order to derive solutions, "logical thinking skills (a way of thinking that establishes a rational path toward a conclusion)" are necessary. In addition, when reporting to the consultant, it is essential to have "presentation skills" to communicate clearly to the other party. If the proposal is accepted by the consultant, the consultant will make every effort to achieve the improvement plan by formulating a concrete improvement plan and providing employee training, etc.
In order for a management consultant to convince a client of his/her proposal, the consultant must be trusted by the client. To this end, it is important for them to have knowledge based on abundant practical experience. They must constantly collect a variety of information so that they can respond to changes in society and management. Such a management consultant has a heavy responsibility to influence the fate of the company. That is why it is such a joy to see a company's performance improve as a result of one's suggestions, and to receive the gratitude of management and employees.

There are no special qualifications to become a management consultant. For new graduates, it is common to graduate from a university or graduate school and find a job at a consulting firm (consultant firm). However, since this is a popular profession in which many talented students seek employment, there is a high ratio of applicants to those who take the employment examination. It is a very difficult gate to enter. In addition, many of the major consulting firms that operate on the world stage and consulting firms with foreign capital have MBAs (Master of Business Administration), which is a degree obtained from a graduate school of business administration (business school). Incidentally, graduate schools of business administration are not only for university students, but also for working people who are attending while working. Some people do not graduate from university, but instead work for other companies, where they gain experience in a variety of specialized fields such as finance, finance, and human resources before moving to a consulting firm. This is because they can make use of their previous work experience in consulting. In this way, there are various paths to becoming a management consultant. If you are serious about finding a job, you will need to study and acquire various qualifications from the time you are a student. In particular, if you want to work for a large or foreign-capital consulting firm, you should acquire English and other language skills.

There are no qualifications to become a management consultant. MBA is one of them. Another well-known qualification related to the work of management consultants is the "Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant," which is a national qualification. The work of an SME diagnostician includes "management consulting," "preparation of management improvement plans and management diagnostic reports," and "dissemination of specialized knowledge" by answering questions and lecturing at seminars. Some people qualify as SME diagnosticians and start their own businesses as management consultants. Another qualification related to management consultants is the "Certified Management Consultant/Associate Management Consultant," which is a private qualification. These qualifications can be obtained by passing an examination administered by the Japan Management Professionals Association or by completing a training course. There are also "certified public accountants," a national qualification for auditing and accounting, "certified tax accountants," a national qualification for providing tax-related guidance and advice, and "certified social insurance and labor consultants," a national qualification for proposing labor management improvements from the perspective of workers. These qualifications can be obtained after becoming a member of society, but it is also a good idea to obtain them while still a student.

Management consultants often change jobs within the industry or start their own businesses. Some change jobs to work for companies in other fields and take on the task of improving the management of those companies. As long as there are companies that want to improve their business conditions, the work of management consultants to help them will not disappear. On the other hand, competition among management consultants is expected to become fiercer than ever as consulting services utilizing generative AI begin to emerge. In order to survive the competition, it will be important to satisfy consultants by offering proposals that are more tailored to their clients, rather than "proposals that can be applied to any client," which is the forte of generative AI.

The average annual salary ranges from 7.22 to 10.5 million yen. It varies depending on the company you belong to and if you are an independent practitioner.

Even if the company they work for has a two day weekend, their days off tend to be irregular because they often conduct research and make proposals at the convenience of their consultants.

The office of the company to which I belong. I often go to the company of the person I consult with to conduct research and make proposals.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to getting a job as a management consultant!