Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Business Consultants and Online Educators
For aspiring business consultants, Bianca Lager suggests pursuing "adjacent work" like assistant roles or internships to gain experience, then potentially joining a consulting agency. Meanwhile, those interested in keynote speaking can leverage social media to build a portfolio and gain experience—"just get on the camera, get on social media, give it a go"—creating content without needing formal qualifications.
Business Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Public Speaking, Entry-Level Jobs, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bianca Lager
Business Consultant & Online Educator
Bianca Lager Inc.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Pepperdine University - MBA
History, Art History
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Consider adjacent roles like business assistant to gain experience and learn business models.
2. Seek paid internships or entry-level positions at consulting agencies, even smaller firms.
3. For keynote speaking, leverage social media to build a portfolio and gain experience; no formal qualifications are needed to start.
Transcript
What entry-level positions might an undergraduate college student consider in this field?
Entry-level positions for a business consultant aren't straightforward, but there's a lot of adjacent work you can do. You can certainly become someone's assistant. I'm actually looking for one, so if anyone's available, let me know.
This is a great way to learn the business, the business model, and everything involved in the work. If you can shadow anyone in the industry or do any paid internships, that's always good too.
There's also working for a consultant agency right after college. There are the big firms, the "big five" they call them, but there are so many other smaller and medium-sized consulting businesses. People can really grow a consulting business and they need everyone.
They need everyone from front office support to sales and all sorts of entry-level positions. You can be in the world and understand what the work is all about, then start working up to becoming a consultant yourself. You do need some guided experience before jumping into consulting work.
For keynote speaking, the business is different. Just get on camera, get on social media, and give it a go. You don't need a degree or anything. Put your content out there and practice.
Social media is a great place to promote yourself and get practice as a speaker, cleaning up how you articulate your work. Creating your own keynotes and putting them out there is free. You don't need anyone's permission or a degree.
There are such low barriers to entry. If you think you have a skillset and would enjoy being on stage talking to people, whether it's a virtual Zoom or a stage full of people, go for it. I know it scares some people, and that's okay.
But if you think that sounds exciting, start recording yourself and putting yourself out there. There's so much content and noise out there, so don't worry if people hate it or if you feel like you're speaking into the void.
Eventually, you do build a following, people start listening, and it's fantastic practice. It also creates a highlight reel you can pitch to someone, saying, "Let me be on your stage, look how good I am." So, I highly recommend just going for it.