Cleaning Consultant - Cleaning Careers

The role of a consultant is focused on a business’ needs, a consultant will offer advice and provide the company with expertise knowledge for that company to progress and improve their performance.

Consultants are often brought in to help when a company is suffering and are looking for some guidance, consultants are also helpful because they offer an outside opinion without any bias.

Useful skills to put in your CV:

Like any job role there are certain skills that will be beneficial for you to develop and progress in order to be a successful consultant.

Creativity: Being able to use your imagination to create new ideas, or to see a task or problem in a different way.

Problem-solving: Being able to recognise and identify a problem either before it occurs or being able to implement the best solutions afterwards.

Communication: Is the ability to convey or share feelings/ideas effectively without any misinterpretation, misunderstandings, or misleading people.

Collaboration: You may be working within a team, and you will need to be able to work well with other so you can achieve your common goal.

Analytical: Be able to identify a problem and investigate it further, focusing on the relevant facts and then find the best solution.

Initiative: The ability to be able to work on your own without being told what you should do next. This demonstrates that you can think for yourself and act when needed.

Teamwork: Be able to work well within a team and work together to achieve the same goal.

Customer service: Demonstrating patience and understanding whilst being able to solve problems and show initiative to keep a customer satisfied, especially if they have a complaint.

IT: Within the role you may be asked to use several devises i.e., a tablet, phone, computer, laptop and their operating systems and software. It is about being able to operate these comfortably.

Top Skills-boosting Tips

Do some personal research into how the cleaning industry puts a big focus on safety, health and the environment. They are all really important in the world of cleaning!

How Do You Get These Skills?

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.

Build Your Skills With the FREE Young Professional Programme

Qualifications and training

Entering the world of consultancy can be achieved in a few different ways, education being one of them. Having qualifications is not a necessity for this job role, however applying for jobs will be easier if you do have relevant certification.

University/college: Most people who apply for a consultant role have a bachelor’s degree, there is not a specific qualification for consultancy however there are GSCE’s, degrees and postgraduate qualifications that will benefit your career choice. The entry requirements for a degree would be 2 to 3 A levels or equivalent, if you are wanted to pursue a postgraduate then a degree in in any subject would allow you to gain access to a postgraduate degree.

Below is a list of subjects that are available and will benefit you in some way:

• Business
• Accounting
• Finance
• Management
• Economics
• Marketing
• Public relations
• Law

The reason why any of these courses will assist with your progression is because they share the core concepts for what you need as a consultant. Each of the curriculum, whether it be that you study the subject at college or choose to progress and study it further at university, focuses on these different elements that you will need daily in your job role.

• Data analysis
• Strategy
• Project management
• Leadership
• Public speaking
• Reporting
• Ethics

Another option available to you is to progress and study an MBA, Master of business management. Again, this is not a necessity but will help you stand out from the rest of the applicants.

Apprenticeships: Apprenticeships are always a great way to study as it allows you to access a hands-on learning style and really gives you an insight into the working environment. You could look for apprenticeships in any of the courses listed above but you can also look specifically at consultancy. The majority of the apprenticeships focus on a specific area of interest i.e., IT, transport, recruitment etc. but there are some courses that are not specific.

Apprentice customer service consultant – Level 2
The duration of this course is 15 months where you will learn on the job, delivering against KPIs, recording customer data, identifying customer needs. At the end of your time there you will gain a certification in customer service and there is the opportunity for a full-time job at the end. The entry requirements for this are GSCE’s or equivalent with maths and English grade 9*- 4 (A*- C).

Apprentice Consultant – Level 2
This apprenticeship is an introduction to the world of consultancy, the duration of this course is 12 months, you will be supporting consultants and maintaining client information, manage enquiries for the clients and candidates. At the end you will receive a Level 2 in customer service practitioner. The entry requirements are GSCE’s or equivalent English and maths grade 4 (C).

For information on any university courses or apprenticeships please check out the UCAS website.
https://www.ucas.com

Who can help?

Many professional bodies also offer a range of training opportunities, including activities that count towards continuing professional development (CPD). Find out more below:

The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc)

BICSc is the largest independent, professional, and educational body within the cleaning industry providing training and education, setting standards and procedures for cleaning. BICSc membership now stands at over 55,000 individual and corporate members in the UK and Internationally.

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM)

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) is the body for workplace and facilities professionals. IWFM empower and enable workplace and facilities professionals to expand their potential and have rewarding, impactful careers. The IWFM was established in 2018. It builds on the proud heritage of 25 years of the British Institute of Facilities Management.

In order to be a successful consultant, you are going to need relevant work experience, most consultants will have around 7 years of experience within their chosen field before they start advising clients, this does not include your time in education.

Consulting internships: Internships are a great way to gain experience, they can take place during your time of study or even, and most commonly, straight after education. Internships can vary in length dependent on the company you decide to go with, it can last from as little to a week or even up to a full year. Being involved in this style of work experience allows you the opportunity to shadow someone and learn on the spot.

Follow the link below for more information and where to find consulting internships that are right for you.
https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/internships/consulting/

Consulting placements: It is quite common that a placement will take place as part of your university course, especially if the duration of the course is four years, the course will require you to complete a year within industry, this will normally take place in the second year of your studies. Another great way to learn on the job, gain experience within the role of a consultant so you can see if it is the environment for you.

https://www.ratemyplacement.co.uk/consulting

Any type of experience where you get to work and develop your transferable skills will assist you on your journey. Another thing to consider, as the role of a consultant can be found across many different industries, it would also be favoured to gain work experience in your chosen field. As a cleaning consultant it is recommended that you do some work within the cleaning industry, taking some time as work as a cleaning operative will help you gain insight into that industry, after all how do you expect to be able to advise clients on what type of machinery will work best if you have not been in that position, I think you may find it very rewarding.

https://uk.indeed.com/q-cleaner-work-experience-jobs.html

In all parts of the industry you can expect to:

hours for the week are between 37 to 39 hours, let us look and what you will be doing in those hours:

• Meet clients to discuss what they need.
• Carry out research to gain an understanding of the client’s business.
• Collect and analyse data and prepare projects.
• Identify and investigate issues and plan how to resolve the issues.

• Highlight areas for improvement.
• Present recommendations to the client.
• Agree the correct course of action with the client.
• Provide ongoing support to the client.

How do we now enter the world of consultancy?

If you have gone down the education route it is entirely possible that you could get a job through an apprenticeship, sometimes at the end of an internship you may be offered a full-time job. Failing this you can take the route of applying for a job directly through job search engines like:

• Indeed
• Accenture
• Consultancy.uk
• Reed
• CV-Library

When entering the world of the consultancy business it is good to be aware that this is a competitive business, companies do not tend to have an inhouse consultant they tend to be contractual. With more experience and confidence, if you find that you are unhappy working for a particular company or feel you want more there is nothing to stop you from starting your own consultancy business, a lot of people follow this path.

Membership is a great way to stay connected and up to date with what is happening within your industry. The Institute if Consulting or CMI, as it is often referred to offer support with your consultancy journey, they offer mentoring, access to events and research as well as the opportunity to network with other people in the industry.

Membership

You can also take a look at our database of local opportunities to see if there are any relevant jobs, work placements, or careers events and workshops to help you get started.

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Click on an employer to find out more about them and the youth-friendly opportunities they offer, from work experience and apprenticeships through to graduate schemes.

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