Consultants are human too
A recent article from the Financial Times (“Consultancies prioritise the human touch” - FT, 26 February 2026) has led to greater discussion of the role and development of consultants.
It’s no secret that in the world of consultancy, a firm’s biggest and best assets are its people. People make the business run; they provide innovative solutions to client problems, are approachable, build profile, deliver work, help others navigate change and, fundamentally, there is also a core of people also facilitating the consultants; from IT to HR and Marketing.
However, recent changes to the way in which consultancy firms are structured means there has been a perceived decline in the importance of people.
The drivers of this are two-fold. Firstly, the covid-19 pandemic meant that working patterns changed and became more flexible and hybrid. This means teams are often spread out across a country, or possibly several countries, and may also be working different patterns.
Secondly, the introduction of more technology, and specifically greater AI use and integration, means roles within consultancy firms are changing. Most notably, this means fewer people and a leaner, different organisational structure.
A re-focus on the role of people offers a unique opportunity to redefine a career path. In order for firms to truly embrace their people, as the FT article notes, they must place greater value on the softer skills that are so often over-looked, such as “judgement, empathy and leadership.”
It’s notable that increased investment in, and focus on, people comes at a time when many firms have made redundancies, reintroduced mandatory office time and reduced the number of trainees in an intake.
So what might these changes mean for people in their early careers?
Whilst the development of soft skills is something everyone, regardless of career stage, can work on, it might be harder for people in the early stages of their careers to recognise or demonstrate some of these skills.
The good news is you may have more of them than you realise and those that you feel you need to improve can be developed over time.
With regards to existing skills that you might be overlooking, it’s worth thinking about hobbies. If you’ve ever played a sport, sung in a choir, played an instrument in an orchestra, or been part of an organisation such as the Scouts, then you will be familiar with working as part of a team. Depending on your role within any of those environments, you may have also demonstrated leadership or problem-solving. All of these skills, are important within a professional services environment, particularly in relation to consulting, where the work for a client will be varied and will may involve working collaboratively to create a solution.
You may have also had a part-time job, perhaps in retail or hospitality, where you’ve also been part of team and have developed experience of talking to different people and building up rapport in a short space of time. These are really important skills not only within an office environment, but also on client engagements, where you might be working with different colleagues and an ever-changing set of clients.
For skills you would like to improve and develop, then volunteering positions present a wealth of opportunities. Allowing you to meet with different people, be exposed to the ways in which charities or businesses run and grow in confidence.
It’s worth keeping in mind that in an interview situation for a professional service firm, recruiters will likely be looking for evidence of some of these more “human” skills. They know they can train you on the more technical knowledge but ensuring consultants are human too, is increasingly important.
