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<p>A <b>consultant</b> is a <a href="/pages/w/106000462765271">professional</a> who provides expert advice in a particular area such as security, <a href="/pages/w/112892498724794">management</a>, <a href="/pages/w/105470119487701">education</a>, <a href="/pages/w/110739222287627">accountancy</a>, <a href="/pages/w/107979125897734">law</a>, <a href="/pages/w/104033229633392">human resources</a>, <a href="/pages/w/113336252010022">marketing</a>, <a href="/pages/w/107870585903083">finance</a>, <a href="/pages/w/109532545739630">engineering</a>, <a href="/pages/w/108196582538810">science</a> or any of many other specialized fields.</p><p>A consultant is usually an expert or an experienced professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. The role of consultant outside the medical sphere can fall under one of two general categories: <ul><li> <b>Internal consultant</b>: someone who operates within an organization but is available to be consulted on areas of their specialization by other departments or individuals ; or</li><li> <b>External consultant</b>: someone who is employed externally to the client whose expertise is provided on a temporary basis, usually for a fee. Consulting firms range in size from <a href="/pages/w/105645952802772">sole proprietorship</a>s consisting of a single consultant, <a href="/pages/w/103153189725242">small business</a>es consisting of a small number of consultants, to mid- to large consulting firms, which in some cases are <a href="/pages/w/109374872422097">multinational corporation</a>s. This type of consultant generally engages with multiple and changing clients, which are typically companies, non-profit organizations, or governments.</li></ul></p><p> By hiring a consultant, clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be financially feasible for them to retain in-house on a long-term basis. As well, clients can control their expenditures on consulting services by only purchasing as much services from the outside consultant as desired.</p>