At the end of the day, just by choosing this career you probably already know what skill set is needed, all you have to do is to practice and work on things you are not great at.
Helping people is great, everyone wants to do it, but that doesn’t mean everyone is suited for the job! But fortunately enough, there are so many ways you can improve and become a good consultant by building certain skills and focusing on what truly makes a consultant good! So here are 9 ways to get your consulting career to the next level in no time!
1. Deliver empathy
If you are looking at this kind of field of work, you are probably doing so because you love to help people! But, as every person is different, it’s totally normal that people display their emotions differently! While being professional and not getting emotional and personal during your sessions, you still need to seem empathetic towards your clients. It will help the person ease up and be more relaxed, thus being more likely to open up. This inevitably builds a trusting relationship that is much needed if you want the case to be successful!
2. Do a lot of research
Things are always changing, inventions are popping out all the time, so you need to stay up to date with pretty much everything. Doing additional research and taking online PsyD programs can do wonders in building your skills and making you instantly better at your job, not to mention giving you the needed credentials. Even small things like reading credible articles and books are a huge step in establishing your knowledge and expanding your experience! Even with a bachelor’s degree, studying shouldn’t stop there if you want to be successful and have satisfied clients!
3. Understanding nonverbal communication
There is so much focus on being a good listener and a good speaker, but what about understanding nonverbal communication? Not only is it important, so you can spot the emotional shift in a person, it is also something you can use in order to signal your clients that you are there and that you are listening to them. The art of nonverbal communication is all about being subtle but sending clear messages without any fuss! Just staring blankly at someone can cause slight discomfort, and it can go both ways – so make sure you have this form of communication undercover and ready to go!
4. Ability to make parents feel validated
There are so many things that you can do in order to make your client validated, it’s actually extremely important, as they will trust you more, making it easier to open up and talk about intricate topics. Just imagine how you would feel, if you were in a professional setting, seeking help from someone who looks and acts bored and unbothered? So in order to avoid that, always strive to interact with your clients, give them hints that you are listening, and focus on their words! This should be done in every career, but it’s extremely important when working with people who are struggling.
5. Having broad cultural knowledge
You will most likely work with a lot of different people, who might come from all over the world. But even with the slight cultural differences, you can still be a great consultant for anyone. But the important thing is, that in order to do so, you need to be well educated and aware of the differences in cultures all over the world. Learning, reading, watching, and above all else talking to people who come from different places or practice following cultures, can help you a lot if you ever were to consult someone who comes from different backgrounds!
6. Staying on track
Being all over the place is never good, especially when you are working on something as serious as being somebody’s consultant! Taking notes is great, but taking organized notes is the best thing you can do if you don’t want to unintentionally forget something that a client has told you or mix up crucial details! Even if you are forgetful, you can take notes and write reminders during the session itself, just to track the progress and to catch important details! Being organized is key in being successful in a lot of careers, and this is definitely high on the list!
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
7. Being focused
It’s completely normal to zone out from time to time, but as a consultant, you need to be as focused as you can be, so you don’t miss any important detail! There are a lot of ways to practice being focused, which can be done daily or at the exact moment when you start to zone out. Also, little things like sleeping enough and eating nutritious meals can make you sharper and focused, simultaneously increasing your consultant skills!
8. Practice is key
If you have a short temper, you might want to pay attention to that aspect of your personality, chances are you’ll need to be extra patient in some cases. Unfortunately, this is just a regular thing you’ll have to get used to, I most cases, depending on the situation and the person who is opening up to you, it can take a lot of time to reach a certain point or goal, so make sure you don’t end up punching the person over the edge just because you are irritated!
9. Being open-minded
Possibly one of the worst things a consultant can do is to judge and misunderstand their patient – this is rude both in a personal and in a professional setting, as you should never judge a person. You should step into this with an open mind, understand the person and the situation, be involved but take your personal opinions and feelings out of it! The four walls of your office should be a safe space for anyone who is seeking help, so your judgments can hold on for after the session!
At the end of the day, just by choosing this career you probably already know what skill set is needed, all you have to do is to practice and work on things you are not great at. It’s completely fine to get too emotional or to lose track of time and information, but these little things are really going to influence your career in the long run, as they will be influential on your clients as well. So make sure you are professional and always willing to better yourself!
Main photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
