Return to the Transferable Skills for PhD Careers Index
Interpreting Information as a Consultant in Consulting
As part of consulting you conduct primary and/or secondary research. It is crucial to be able to analyze the raw information and interpret meaning around the key strategic questions the client is hoping to address.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Ability to analyze data
- Ability to gather and interpret information
- Interpretation of data
Communication as a Market Assessment Consultant in Consulting
Communication is critical to consulting because your clients are incredibly busy and need you to communicate key project points clearly and help them to focus on the most important pieces of information. Depending on the type of consulting, being able to comfortably switch between technical and business jargon is quite helpful in building credibility with scientific colleagues of your clients.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Oral communication skills
- Speaking clearly and effectively
- Written communication skills
How else do you use this transferable skill?
Communicating technical info to business people and vice versa
Teamwork as a Market Assessment Consultant in Consulting
Everything in the business world, and especially in consulting, is done as part of a team. Even though I consult on my own, for many of my projects I am working with a team of people on the client side. Right now I am coordinating a team with people from Research, Clinical Development, Commercial, Medical Affairs, Business Development, and other functional groups to plan for covering data presentations at medical congresses.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Ability to work on a team
- Ability to work with people outside the organization
Managing Up/Down as a Market Assessment Consultant in Consulting
As a consultant, most of the managing I do is to manage my clients. When a client comes with a new project, I spend time working with them to understand not just what they think they want, but what they really need (which are not always the same thing). I also have to work with them to understand their timeline and budget and, when it's not possible for me to do what they want in the time/budget they need, there is a lot of negotiation to figure out how to get them the most important pieces within a reasonable amount of time. A successful consultant has to be very good at managing their clients' expectations and meeting their needs (while not over-promising or burning out).
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Dealing with conflict
- Negotiating difficult conversations
Strategic Thinking as a Market Assessment Consultant in Consulting
The difference between a solid consulting job and a superior one is the ability to think strategically and frame the project in the context of the client's programs and priorities. For example, when I cover data at a congress, a mediocre report just lists out a bunch of data - long and hard to read! An excellent report organizes the data along the lines of the company's priorities (i.e., start with the most important data, frame descriptions to answer commonly asked questions, etc) and also includes some context that explains the impact of that data to the client's programs. A strategic report is easier for the client read and, more importantly, will be *used* when they make decisions. A mediocre report gets "filed in the email files" and may never even be read.
How else do you use this transferable skill?
Understanding how data fits into the big picture; making sure all work answers the question "so what?"
Interpreting Information as a Market Assessment Consultant in Consulting
My specialty as a consultant is market assessment and, more specifically, competitive intelligence. My job is to gather information, piece it together into a story about the marketplace and the players in it, and then put it all into context for the client. It would be impossible to do any of this if I couldn't interpret information. The information I work with ranges from scientific and clinical data presented at conferences (where I need to be able to quickly review and identify the most important info), to investor updates. I need to be able to not just understand the information but also understand the bias of that particularly source of information, and give the resulting insights the correct level of confidence and importance.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Ability to gather and interpret information
- Ability to learn quickly
- Critical evaluation of scientific literature
- Technical skills related to my specific research area
Communication as a Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs
Communication is key for Regulatory Affairs. I once talked my way out of having to initiate a recall with regulators. I convinced them that it wasn't necessary and had the data to prove it. This was all due to having effective communication skills.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Basic writing and editing
- Oral communication skills
- Speaking clearly and effectively
- Written communication skills
Teamwork as a Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs
Regulatory submissions are built with teamwork. It is a cross-departmental effort.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Ability to work on a team
- Ability to work with people outside the organization
- Providing constructive feedback
Managing Up/Down as a Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs
In regulatory, it is imperative to have the ability to manage up/down and sideways. There was a looming risk to have certain products registered in a particular country, I had to convince my boss and other executives that we had to proceed with the registration.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Ability to manage others
- Dealing with conflict
- Negotiating difficult conversations
Strategic Thinking as a Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs
Regulatory is all about strategy.
What specific skills are part of how you apply this transferable skill?
- Ability to make decisions and solve problems
- Ability to set a vision and goals
- Creating vision and goals
- Creativity/innovative thinking
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