What is an associate consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Dr. Bert Greenwalt
introduction image

An associate consultant works in various lines of business, helping provide valuable insight into the development of business strategies, existing systems, and processes. They work alongside consultants and managers, as well as other associate consultants.

Furthermore, an associate consultant also performs other tasks such as testing formulated strategies and systems, monitoring their implementation, and identifying possible areas for improvement. Usually, they work as in-house employees, but they may also work for business consultancy firms and gain clients there.

An associate consultant position typically requires a college education, primarily in business and other management-related fields. Moreover, an associate consultant needs adequate industry experience just like business consultants to establish their knowledge and expertise on their specializations. In terms of soft skills, an associate consultant must be good at communicating, time management, and coordination to be successful at their job.

As an associate consultant, one's earning potential is usually around $69,000 a year, but the salary for this role can be as high as $80,000 or even higher, especially when working for large companies.

What general advice would you give to an Associate Consultant?

Dr. Bert Greenwalt

Professor of Agricultural Economics, Arkansas State University

According to employers, familiarity with farm businesses and rural culture stand out on a resume. If you didn't grow up in a farm business or rural community, use internships to address this issue.

ScoreAssociate ConsultantUS Average
Salary
5.7

Avg. Salary $73,340

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.8

Growth Rate 11%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 14.32%

Black or African American 7.43%

Hispanic or Latino 8.45%

Unknown 4.44%

White 65.19%

Gender

female 44.47%

male 55.53%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress Level
6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
2.2

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Associate Consultant career paths

Key steps to become an associate consultant

  1. Explore associate consultant education requirements

    Most common associate consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.0 %

    Master's

    20.7 %

    Associate

    3.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific associate consultant skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Healthcare8.68%
    Customer Service6.62%
    Project Management6.23%
    HR5.42%
    Azure4.85%
  3. Complete relevant associate consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate consultant resumes.
  4. Research associate consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Manage design and development of cloud-base billing application for streamlining payroll and invoicing, as well as offering real-time business analytics.
    • Design both monolithic and multi-tier systems available to be integrate with ERP.
    • Design, debug, and write online and batch programs using APS COBOL to satisfy user requirements.
    • Involve in analysis and design for various modules that communicate with the ERP system for the data transfer.
  5. Prepare your associate consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your associate consultant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an associate consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Associate Consultant Resume templates

    Build a professional Associate Consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Associate Consultant resume.
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    Associate Consultant Resume
    Associate Consultant Resume
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    Associate Consultant Resume
  6. Apply for associate consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an associate consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Associate Consultant Job

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Average associate consultant salary

The average Associate Consultant salary in the United States is $73,340 per year or $35 per hour. Associate consultant salaries range between $60,000 and $88,000 per year.

Average Associate Consultant Salary
$73,340 Yearly
$35.26 hourly

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How do associate consultants rate their job?

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Associate Consultant reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

As it seeks to solve problems in innovative way

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

I LIKE TO ORGANISE AND I LIKE TO ADVISE OTHERS

Cons

I DON'T LIKE DOING MISTAKES WHEN AM WORKING


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Cons

The non recognition for this service by regulators.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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