{"id":721,"date":"2012-01-05T10:53:36","date_gmt":"2012-01-05T10:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consultingfact.com\/?p=721"},"modified":"2018-10-16T11:08:53","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T11:08:53","slug":"management-consulting-resume-sample","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consultingfact.com\/blog\/management-consulting-resume-sample\/","title":{"rendered":"Management Consulting Resume Sample"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"resume\"<\/p>\n

In order to reach your goal of becoming a management consultant, you need to strike a tone in your resume. In one of the most competitive fields in the working world, breaking into management consulting requires substantial work and a perfect resume.<\/p>\n

Recruiters assume that your management consulting resume is an accurate representation of who you are. If it\u2019s too superficial and commonplace, it might suggest that you won\u2019t be able to make a valuable contribution to the consulting firm and your resume will therefore be put aside after a short assessment. Breaking into management consulting is a serious goal and you have to craft your resume with quality, value and uniqueness. It must be effective enough to pique the interest of the recruiters and convince them to schedule you for testing, interviews, and other assessments.<\/p>\n

Before Writing: Know Your Target Firm<\/h2>\n

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 management consulting 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Website<\/td>\nVisit the firm\u2019s website.\u00a0You will find their history, goals, values, and culture and learn the fundamental information about the organization.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Social Media<\/td>\nFollow 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 \u00a0these matters. If you can\u2019t use this information for resume writing, you will benefit from it during job interviews.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Networking<\/td>\nCommunicate with professionals who have worked or are working for the firm. Network with them in order to access information from an insider\u2019s point of view. Some, if not all, will be eager to lend you a hand.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

How do these activities distinctly help you tailor your resume? \u00a0First, 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\u2019s goals. For instance, if a particular firm values leadership, it\u2019s wise to list previous work experience and accomplishments highlighting your achievements in this area.<\/p>\n

Writing Your Resume<\/h2>\n

Your cover letter serves as a knock at the consulting firm\u2019s door. It may be key to your invitation to interview, but your resume deepens the picture your resume reviewer gets of your experience and background. The reviewer will probably only look at \u00a0this document for a short time. All consulting firms receive many applications \u2013 this includes both boutique consulting firms as well as top tier consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group and Booz. Therefore, your management consulting resume needs to provide high impact and be of a high quality. The key is preparation and outline work before you get started with the writing process.<\/p>\n

Go through the full resume preparation and planning process. Craft a structure of your resume by brainstorming about your educational, work and volunteer (or other relevant) experiences and listing them. From there, start to narrow down the experience that is pertinent to your desired career path. Then come up with something like our resume outline (as shown below). This outline is our suggestion, based on our experience with successful management consulting applications. You can, however, use a structure that best highlights your experience in the most compelling way for you. The most important point is to offer clarity and strong, action-oriented results and achievement descriptions.<\/p>\n

Parts of Your Management Consulting Resume<\/h2>\n

\"cover_letter_structure\"<\/p>\n

Management consulting resumes can be organized in many different ways, and many follow a pattern similar to the diagram shown.<\/p>\n

The way you choose to organize it will depend on several factors. Your personal experience and what you want to emphasize in your resume will come into play. New graduates will probably place greater emphasis on education, academic performance and involvement in relevant extracurricular activities and internships.\u00a0Experienced consultants will rely heavily on professional experience and skills.<\/p>\n

Some of what you write may depend on the firm to which you are applying. Some firms have preferences about what you should highlight in your resume. Tailor your management consulting resume to follow any guidance you have about what the firm wants to see. Edit and revise your resume multiple times in the process. Tailor and virtually rewrite it for each new application. Your resume is a living document that changes as you gain more experience but also when you apply for different positions.<\/p>\n

Contact Information<\/h3>\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/td>\nThe font size for your name must be larger than the rest of the text so recruiters can easily read and remember it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Contact number<\/td>\nCheck the accuracy of your contact number. Mixing up numbers is a huge mistake\u2014you will never be contacted.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Links<\/td>\nProvide a link to your online portfolio, public LinkedIn profile, or blog so the recruiter can further assess you.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Email address<\/td>\nUse a professional email address. The recruiter won\u2019t take you seriously if you use\u00a0mischievousconsultant@example.com\u00a0or\u00a0sarcasticman@example.com.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Summary or Objective<\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0When you write this section, make sure that:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • It is written concisely but substantially. It should not exceed two to three sentences.<\/li>\n
  • It must be related to the desired position and target firm.<\/li>\n
  • It must be catchy enough to encourage the recruiters to read the rest of your management consulting \u00a0resume.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Here\u2019s an example of a summary:<\/p>\n

    Senior management analyst with experience in global logistics industry. Dual MBA and MS Logistics Management.<\/div>\n

    Here\u2019s an example of an objective:<\/p>\n

    Seeking management consulting role that requires proven negotiation and strategy planning skills.<\/div>\n

    Here\u2019s an example of a longer summary:<\/p>\n

    Experienced management consultant and strategy expert with over a decade of experience. Successful projects include providing and guiding strategy for merger between X and Y firms, leading the new firm to profitability within one year, and managing a team of junior analysts. They successfully launched a new product and guided it to become the leading product in the X sector and generated a 32 percent increase in revenue for parent company.<\/div>\n

    Professional Experience<\/h3>\n

    A key consideration when you write about your professional experience is to measure whether or not it is relevant. Is the experience you list directly relevant to the desired position? Activities that are unnecessary to your career path only waste the limited space you have to make your case for being hired. It adds nothing and erases prime \u201capplication real estate\u201d.<\/p>\n

    For every position you mention, describe your key responsibilities, followed by quantifiable accomplishments in bullet form. Hiring managers want results first and foremost. Use powerful terms such as verbs and numbers\u2014they make your statements more results-oriented. Some of the suggested action words are listed in the table below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Addressed<\/td>\nCoordinated<\/td>\nInterviewed<\/td>\nPersuaded<\/td>\nReviewed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Analyzed<\/td>\nExecuted<\/td>\nInterpreted<\/td>\nPlanned<\/td>\nSupervised<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Communicated<\/td>\nGuided<\/td>\nLed<\/td>\nPromoted<\/td>\nSummarized<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Conceptualized<\/td>\nInfluenced<\/td>\nManaged<\/td>\nRecommended<\/td>\nWritten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Management consulting resume for experienced professionals would most probably state the experience section this way:<\/p>\n

    June 2007 \u2013 November 2010, ABS Sales Enterpising, New York City
    \nExecutive Vice President, B2B Sales and MarketingManaged a team of 65 sales and marketing executives in a B2B sales structure. Guided product sales and marketing development efforts and managed sales operations. Led expansion to Southeast Asian market and selected and managed a sales team for developing Asian operations.<\/p>\n
      \n
    • Increased annual revenue by 22 percent year over year over three years.<\/li>\n
    • Expanded market for software products from Europe to North America and Asia and increased sales by 27%.<\/li>\n
    • Increased annual revenue by 1.3 million USD and achieved profitability and market share.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

      Here\u2019s an example for fresh graduates:<\/p>\n

      \n

      Project Analyst, Internship Program, STU Consulting Firm, August \u2013 September 2012<\/p>\n

      Assisted a team of management consultants in collecting, analyzing, and presenting market-related information to the client. Brainstormed with experts in creating the design for market researches. Analyzed industry trends and customer preferences on women\u2019s apparel. Notable accomplishments are the following:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Designed a questionnaire that yielded a 80% response rate within one week.<\/li>\n
      • Conducted a field interview in shops and boutiques with only 1% data collection error.<\/li>\n
      • Wrote a qualitative analysis of research results after thorough brainstorming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

        Education<\/h3>\n

        For recent graduates, education plays an important role in the resume. Showing stellar academic achievement and involvement in activities that conferred new strengths and skills will help show preparation for a career in management consulting. \u00a0It serves as your foundation for entering the competitive industry of management consulting. It\u2019s the indicator of your knowledge, competencies, and values. You can include the following information in this section:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        Name of institution<\/td>\nYou do not have to be an Ivy League grad to compete for a place at an elite consulting firm, but a big-name university with a superb reputation does not hurt.\u00a0You may want to get the most mileage you can get from your school\u2019s name.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Degree earned<\/td>\nThis indicates what you learned over the past four years. It tells recruiters whether you have knowledge of accounting,\u00a0management, marketing, economics, or law.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Grade Point Average (GPA)<\/td>\nInclude your GPA if it\u2019s remarkably high or if it meets the minimum requirement of the management consulting firm.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Remarkable academic achievements<\/td>\nIf 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.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Significant extracurricular activities<\/td>\nYour participation in various club activities will alert the recruiter that you have \u00a0developed skills, discipline, and values that are necessary in management consulting.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        Here is a good example:<\/p>\n

        2001-2003 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
        \nMaster of Business Administration\/Master of Public Administration
        \nKey achievements: Graduated summa cum laude<\/div>\n

        Skills<\/h3>\n

        Focus on relevance when adding skills. You may have a number of practical skills, but they might not be practical for management consulting. Think carefully about what skills you have, such as languages, software, negotiation\/communication, and how they fit into your future career. Consider how and why a consulting firm would need or want these skills. If in doubt, find tangible examples of how a less obvious connection can be made between your skill(s) and the consulting career or leave that particular skill out of your resume.<\/p>\n

        \n

        Operations: Teambuilding, human resource management, strategy planning, competitive analysis, conflict and problem resolution, project management, risk assessment and management<\/p>\n

        Financial organization: P&L management, financial reporting, budgetary management<\/p>\n

        Communications: Developing and conducting seminars, negotiation, community outreach<\/p>\n

        Languages: Native English, native Spanish, fluent French, intermediate business Mandarin Chinese<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        Personal Interests<\/h3>\n

        Personal interests do not need to be included in a management consulting resume, especially if you are running short on space. Interests are more often included in European CVs than American ones. You will not be penalized for failing to add personal interests. Some personal interests and hobbies, though, illustrate a certain level of perseverance, motivation and passion that may set you apart from other applicants.<\/p>\n

        Being a lifelong competitive marathon runner who trains consistently may have very little to do with consulting but does display a level of discipline and tolerance for hard work. A history of community service and voluntary work displays personal integrity and commitment. These personal traits may not fit neatly into a \u201cskills and experience\u201d box, but you do not want to fit too neatly into a box either. Briefly show interests where you feel it strengthens your application and makes you stand apart from your competition.<\/p>\n

        One line for interests will do, such as the example below:<\/p>\n

        \n