How to Become a Public Health Consultant
First, let’s cover the definition of a consultant. You’ve probably seen jobs that advertise for a “Public Health Consultant”, and it maybe 40 hours per week, plus benefits….right? Well my friend, that’s a job lol🤣 Usually a company advertises for a consultant role when they have won a contract to do some type of work and they are looking to hire someone to work within their company to complete their contractual duties.
When I mention consulting, I’m referring to a person who is contracted to do a specific project/task. This is NOT a full time FTE Role. These contracted roles can take as little as 2 hours a week, or as much as 20-25 hours per week. It all depends on the contract.
Here’s what you need to become a public health consultant:
A MINIMUM of 5 years of direct work experience. School and internship experience doesn’t really count here. Companies want to know that you have done the work before and you have done it well. This is not something that an entry level person can do alone. The more experience you have, the better your chances of landing contracts.
You’ve led and completed the type of project that you are aiming to consult on. For example, if you’re applying to complete a community health needs assessment for a company, then you need to have experience and be able to showcase that you’ve done a needs assessment before. You need to be well versed in ALL the components and be able to showcase that you’ve done this before.
I recommend you have a digital portfolio, which includes samples of your work. Majority of RFPs( Request for Proposals) ask for samples of your work or recommendations from previous clients. You can learn how to put together a digital portfolio for consulting in the Public Health Club. [We have an entire workshop dedicated to this!]
You don’t necessarily need an LLC or a formal business structure, but it is highly recommended for tax purposes and of course to make your consulting business seem legit!
Get a website, a capabilities statement and solid plan for how you’re going to find opportunities. [We have a full list that’s updated weekly in the Public Health Club 😉]
These are the first steps, and I teach you all of this and more in the Subcontracting to 6 Figures Course, which will open again in 2025! This is a LIVE 5 week course, designed to help you build your consulting business and start landing contracts!
Check out what Dr. Herbert had to say about the course! She was part of the first cohort, and has since landed her first contract!👇
You can get on the waitlist to be notified when the course opens here.
