Management Consultant Resume Sample

For many, the most convenient way to complete a job application is to pattern it from a management consultant resume sample on the Internet. Though this may be helpful, not all samples show you how to supply substantial and quality information.

Recruiters assume that your resume is an accurate representation of who you are. If it’s too superficial and commonplace, it might suggest that you won’t be able to make a valuable contribution to the consulting firm and your resume will therefore be put aside after the 30-second assessment. Breaking into management consulting is a serious goal and you have to craft your resume very carefully. It must be effective enough to pique the interest of the recruiters and convince them to schedule you for testing, interviews, and other assessments.

Pre-writing Requisite: Know Your Target Firm

Before you turn on the computer and start typing, allot some time to investigate your target firm. Your knowledge will guide you in writing your resume; it will help you build a connection between you and your potential employer and enable you to construct a unique and personalized marketing tool. Below are some techniques on how to do this:

Website Visit	Visit the firm’s website. You will find their history, goals, values, and culture and learn the fundamental information about the organization.
Social Media	Follow their LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media accounts. They post links to industry trends, activities, events, and other company updates. Keep yourself abreast of  these matters. If you can’t use this information for resume writing, you will benefit from it during job interviews.
Networking	Communicate with professionals who have worked or are working for the firm. Network with them in order to access information from an insider’s point of view. Some, if not all, will be eager to lend you a hand.

How do these activities distinctly help you tailor your resume?  First, you will be able to phrase your resume so it resonates with the individual company. Two firms may have the same values, stated in different terms. Alternate the terms in your resume to correspond with each firm you apply with. Moreover, you can emphasize content based on an individual firm’s goals. For instance, if a particular firm values leadership, it’s wise to list previous work experience and accomplishments highlighting your achievements in this area.

Resume Content

You know for a fact that thousands of candidates are trying as hard as you to get a big break at Booz, BCG, or McKinsey. This emphasizes the need to thoroughly brainstorm before you write your resume content.

Management consultant resume samples on the Internet do not follow a specific structure. The arrangement depends on your preference, experience, and skills. Experienced applicants often place their work history at the top because it clearly tells the recruiters what they have accomplished and what they are capable of. Recent graduates, on the other hand, highlight their objective and education, especially if they come from a prestigious school or if they have an impressive GPA.

Many, however, find the pattern in the diagram to the left comprehensible. If you are thinking of adopting this structure, continue reading for details on what to write in each section.

Contact Information

This is the section where you will provide basic information about yourself. It may sound easy, but here are a few techniques and reminders you may find useful:

Name	The font size for your name must be larger than the rest of the text so recruiters can easily read and remember it.
Contact number	Check the accuracy of your contact number. Mixing up numbers is a huge mistake—you will never be contacted.
Links	Provide a link to your online portfolio, public LinkedIn profile, or blog so the recruiter can further assess you.
Email address	Use a professional email address. The recruiter won’t take you seriously if you use  mischievousconsultant@example.com or sarcasticman@example.com.

 

Summary or Objective

A summary is a brief statement of your major qualifications, expertise, and experience; an objective refers to your career goals and motivation. The former is often utilized by applicants with professional experience, while recent graduates employ the latter.

When you write this section, make sure that:

• It is written concisely but substantially. It should not exceed two to three sentences.
• It must be related to the desired position and target firm.
• It must be catchy enough to encourage the recruiters to read the rest of your resume.

Below is a good example of a summary:

Here’s an example of a good objective:

Professional Experience

When brainstorming about what you should include in this section, ask yourself two questions:

As you know, recruiters don’t have the luxury of spending even five minutes on your job application. Hence, it is crucial that a recruiter can ascertain you have the right qualifications upon the first look at your resume. Moreover, including irrelevant details will lead the recruiter to assume you are not the perfect fit. It also wastes your limited space.

For every position you mention, describe your key responsibilities, followed by quantifiable accomplishments in bullet form. Use powerful terms such as verbs and numbers—they make your statements more results-oriented. Some of the suggested action words are listed in the table below:

Addressed	Coordinated	Interviewed	Persuaded	Reviewed
Analyzed	Executed	Interpreted	Planned	Supervised
Communicated	Guided	Led	Promoted	Summarized
Conceptualized	Influenced	Managed	Recommended	Written

Management consultant resume samples for experienced professionals would most probably state the experience section this way:

Here’s an example for the fresh graduates:

If you shifted into a consulting career, focus on describing your soft skills and how they can be utilized in the firm. For instance, if you used to be a software developer, emphasize how you applied logical thinking in coding or how you resolved bugs with your problem solving capability.

Education

For recent graduates, education plays an important role in the resume. It serves as your foundation for entering the competitive industry of management consulting. It’s the indicator of your knowledge, competencies, and values. You can include the following information in this section:

Name of institution	If you graduated from an Ivy League university, the prestige of your school is a factor recruiters will seriously consider.
Degree earned	This indicates what you learned over the past four years. It tells recruiters whether you have knowledge of accounting, management, marketing, economics, or law.
Grade Point Average (GPA)	Include your GPA if it’s remarkably high or if it meets the minimum requirement of the management consulting firm.
Remarkable academic achievements	If you graduated with honors or you received any distinctions, state it in your resume. Your determination and hard work to achieve these accolades will be taken into consideration.
Significant extracurricular activities	Your participation in various club activities will alert the recruiter that you have  developed skills, discipline, and values that are necessary in management consulting.

Take a look at the example below:

Here’s another one:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

When enumerating competencies, list the most relevant ones. It’s not the number but the substance that matters. You may have more than a handful of practical skills, but if they don’t have any bearing on the position you are applying for, save the space for pertinent information.

Think carefully about what you’ll write. If you apply to Marakon, do you think the programming languages you know are worth enumerating? It’s a boutique consulting firm that focuses on oil and gas, healthcare, consumer, retail, and financial services, so a list of competencies related to those areas will be more effective. However, if you apply to Accenture, it may be wise to list all of your competencies as the company also offers a wide range of technology services.

Here’s an idea of what this section may look like:

Personal Interests

Writing about personal interests isn’t a requirement, but recruiters will not reject you for specifying them. If you do, you will gain these advantages:

More Value	It adds more value to your resume. Some hobbies illustrate passion, diligence, and intrinsic motivation which are qualities that are necessary in the consulting field.
Memory Recall	It may facilitate memory recall. Many applicants have the same experience and expertise; writing about your hobbies might set you apart from the others.
Fun Side	It adds excitement to your resume; personal interests manifest your fun side.

One line for interests will do, such as the example below:

Review the Content and Form

Once you’re done writing your resume, proofread it to perfection. You may be able to think of better ways to represent yourself the second time you go over it. Never send out a resume without checking the content and form; your candidacy is at stake.

Below is a short checklist to ensure that your resume is perfect:

If possible, ask a friend or professional to read your resume. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can give you  objective feedback.

Common Resume Mistakes

Exercise care when writing a management consultant resume, otherwise you might commit the following mistakes:

One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Some resumes end up in the trash because applicants do not consider this as a critical step or they find it too troublesome to follow the aforementioned guidelines. As a result, they end up preparing an updated, generic resume they can readily print whenever they send out an application. Is this a good idea? Yes and no. Yes, to having an updated, generic resume ready in your hard drive because it can serve as your main reference source each time you tailor your resume to fit the firm you apply to. No, to the one-size-fits-all approach because your application will always have an impersonal tone and therefore won’t catch the recruiter’s attention.

Misrepresentation of Competencies

Another common mistake is misrepresenting oneself. True, you must project your best self in your resume, but it doesn’t mean you can make up stories in order to be noticed. If you do, you are fabricating information, a violation against honesty and integrity. Even if you are successful in the preliminary screening, your capabilities will still be evaluated during the interview. If you fail to prove you possess the abilities you say you do, you will be rejected and you will realize that you have wasted your and the recruiter’s time and effort.

The Waiting Time

Even if you follow all the guidelines in this post, there is still a probability that you might not be invited to interview. Unfortunately, it’s a sad reality that there’s an abundance of applicants in this industry. You are competing against candidates as qualified as you, so after sending out your job application, you may want to:

Interview Practice	Start practicing for fit and case interviews. These are tough recruitment tools which you better prepare for.
Networking	Network with people who can possibly give you a status report about your application. It’s helpful to stay in touch with someone who can follow up for you.
Other Options	Continue looking for other career opportunities. As long as you don’t have a signed contract in your hand, you have to keep looking.
Resume Buildup	Take on other jobs to build up your resume. If you think your lack of experience is the reason why other applicants are ahead of you, consider positions that can prepare you for a management consulting career.

Remember to always be proactive in your application. Nobody said that breaking into this industry is an easy venture. Just take things one step at a time and you will get there one day.