Get Certified as a Management Consultant

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Unlike technical or specialist professions, the management consulting profession does not require its members to get certified. After all, what would you get certified in? The nature of the business is such that members can have broad and general experience, or be specialized so that they are focused to serve a particular industry (or a part of that vertical). How do you possibly certify that?

Enter the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI). In its own words:

We are an international membership organisation and a network of the management advisory and consultancy associations and institutes worldwide…We were founded in 1987 to promote a closer working relationship between all management consulting institutes or organisations primarily dedicated to the registration or certification of individual management consultants. The purpose of this closer working relationship is to… create worldwide recognition and acceptance of the CMC (Certified Management Consultant) mark.

The Certified Management Consultant (CMC)

CMC-Canada, one of the founding members of the ICMCI, describes the CMC designation as the following:

The Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation is the profession’s only international certification mark, recognized in 43 countries. It represents a commitment to the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession.

As you can tell, the CMC designation does not certify a particular skill or competency in specific subject matter. However, it does signify that the management consultant holding this designation has completed foundational courses related to the profession (e.g. project management, communication skills, etc.), is aware of a professional Code of Conduct and has made a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of consulting.

How to Get Certified?

First, gain a better understanding of what the CMC designation is and is not. The ICMCI has put together a detailed brochure (PDF link) describing the designation. Next, locate the institute in your country of your residence.

Institutes may have slight variations to the steps involved to complete the certification process. In general, the following is required:

3 years of prior consulting experience
Foundational courses in project management, communication skills and ethics, and a group consulting case study course
Oral exam/interview

While becoming certified will not guarantee success in a project (or even getting hired by the client), it instills a level of confidence in you as a management consultant - and comfort in knowing you have been vetted by an international institute against standards established by your peers. The rest is up to you.

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