Consulting Resume Skills
The employment opportunities for an aspiring consultant are increasing as more and more organizations are becoming aware of the benefits of consulting. However, landing a job in this industry isn’t easy. You need to possess certain skills that go beyond technical abilities and effectively convey them in your resume.
To successfully convince your target firm that you’re the best candidate for the job, ensure that your application clearly establishes the qualities and skills listed below:
Business Judgment
Industry knowledge does count. In order to be considered for a consulting position, your application should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of strategic planning, market analysis, and other business processes. Top-tier firms also consider candidates with specific industry expertise, so ensure your consulting resume skills section provides solid proof of this.
Financial Skills
Business schools are known for providing a solid foundation of the essential financial skills; however, you will need to include more than your financial knowledge on your resume. As an aspiring consultant, you must establish your ability to precisely articulate how a specific strategy would save the client money and how a consulting engagement can benefit a company. It’s not just about creating assumptions and projections; you must be able to translate your financial expertise into practical and effective solutions.
Math Skills
One of the most important consulting resume capabilities is strong math skills. Actually it’s essential to the entire consulting application. The ability to calculate quickly and accurately in your head is extremely valuable in the consulting world. You need to show the recruiters that you’re comfortable with numbers as consultants deal with a massive amount of figures on a regular basis. You must display confidence in calculating numbers without having to rely on a calculator. If you pass the initial screening, be prepared to answer questions that will test your quantitative skills during the case interview, without the use of a calculator.
Problem-solving Skills
Consultants are problem solvers. That’s why it’s critical that you demonstrate this ability in your consulting resume skills section. Make sure the skills and extracurricular section of your resume include specific roles you have taken on that exhibit your competencies to devise efficient solutions.
Analytical and Creative Skills
A great management consultant must possess exceptional analytical and creative skills. There are times in which a consultant is required to develop out-of-the-box yet practical solutions. These skills go hand-in-hand with problem solving capabilities. As the daily tasks of a consultant revolve around gathering information, assessing the situation, and offering a solution, you need to prove that you have strong logical skills to implement sound solutions.
Leadership and People Skills
Proven leadership skills are also a necessary quality of successful consultants as they deal with diverse individuals from different industries. It’s not enough that you know how to solve complex problems; top firms are looking for someone who can effectively handle interpersonal situations. Good consultants enjoy being around people and making strong connections with colleagues and clients. Ensure to include some of your activities or roles that will establish you as a personable leader in your consulting resume skills section.
Communication Skills
Your consulting resume skills should also include activities that will further establish your strong communication skills. Consultants are expected to be excellent communicators as they have to convey their strategic insights in a clear and concise manner. Actually, having a properly structured and well-written resume is solid proof of your communication ability, therefore you need to ensure it’s written perfectly.
Presentation Skills
This skill goes hand-in-hand with communication capabilities. You must be able to understand what a client needs, formulate a sound solution, and effectively present your findings and recommendations. Your resume should appear professional and well-structured as this will reflect your presentation skills. As an aspiring consultant, you must also be able to display that you’re comfortable with presenting to diverse clients using the latest multimedia technology such as Powerpoint, particularly if you’re applying to top firms like Bain and McKinsey.
Idea-driven Personality
Consultants are hired to generate ideas. Their capital is not money but ideas and intellect. Thus, you need to demonstrate that you have genuine passion for generating fresh and creative solutions. Consultants are expected to find innovative ways of doing things.
Service-oriented
Consulting is considered a service industry, as consultants generally spend their time helping clients solve complex business problems. Good consultants are committed to meeting their clients’ needs, and top-tier firms look for this trait when hiring candidates. In order to benefit from the rewards of this career, personal excellence, intellectual leadership, and dedication are required. Being committed to affecting change is what makes consulting a fulfilling career path.
Consulting can be a very demanding job and it requires certain traits and skills to achieve success in this field. If you are smart, friendly, and enjoy solving problems for others, you are likely to excel as a management consultant.