“Your resume is the single most important element in setting you apart from the competition”.
As a job seeker, you’ll hear these words or a variation of them throughout your job search. Your resume is the first point of contact between you and your potential employer. In consulting, recruiters and hiring managers will filter through thousands of resumes before selecting a handful of suitable candidates for an interview. Many resumes will not make it through the initial screening stage.
Make sure your resume can stand out from the crowd. If you are a recent graduate, a graduate program will most likely be your point of entry into the consulting industry. The recruiter and hiring manager may not set as many expectations as they would for an experienced hire but, since management consulting is an attractive industry that offers many career benefits, you will be up against strong competition.
As a final-year student or recent graduate, you need to understand the specific requirements of the role you are applying for, and tailor your application accordingly.
It is important to highlight the following three elements in your resume.
1. Skills
One key element that your resume should always highlight is your skills. For example, if you are applying for a technology consulting role, you need to be able to highlight both soft skills and technical skills, which might include coding (e.g., Python, C#, JavaScript) and data modelling.
If you are applying for strategy consulting, technical skills are more of a “nice to have” because strategy consulting isn’t as technical. Basic soft skills that you will want to highlight in your strategy consulting resume include problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, team work, and creativity.
Many candidates fail to highlight some of these skills either because they don’t understand the requirements of the role or because they just don’t have them. Start by looking at the job requirements and the skills listed. If you are not sure whether you possess these skills, research the degree or qualification that you are currently studying in order understand the skills that you are expected to acquire from it. In addition, think of the numerous times you have been in challenging situations. How did you overcome the obstacles you faced? How have you collaborated effectively in group settings? How have you solved problems as part of your coursework? How might your hobbies and interests add to your skills?
2. Work and Related Experience
As a final-year student or recent graduate you aren’t expected to have more than 2 years of work experience. Recruiters and hiring managers will instead by interested in the vacation work, part-time jobs, and internships you might have done.
In examining your work experience, recruiters and hiring managers will be looking for certain skills such as organization, time management, flexibility, and the ability to work well under pressure.
When it comes to listing your work experience, it is advisable to list the company you worked for, the dates, and a short description of your responsibilities in 2-3 bullet points. For each bullet point, consider whether you have answered the following questions. What action did you take? What outcomes did you achieve? What lessons did you learn from the role? For example, instead of writing “1st and 2nd year economics tutor” you could instead write “tutored 1st and 2nd year economics students in class sizes of up to 25 students, achieving 100% pass rate for students tutored”.
3. Diversity
Successful applicants for consulting roles are invariably well-rounded. Many candidates can demonstrate their academic abilities, but those who stand out are also able to showcase other attributes like leadership and initiative through roles they have held and volunteer work they have undertaken. For example, you might have been part of the executive committee of a student club, worked as an academic tutor in your faculty, mentored high school students in disadvantaged communities, or volunteered at a homeless shelter.
By showing a track record of being part of diverse activities candidates can demonstrate that they not only work well under pressure but also thrive in group settings. Acts of community service signal that an applicant is a person of integrity who consistently goes above and beyond expectations. Even small acts of kindness and dedication to a cause do count for something.
The bottom line
Your consulting resume is a sales document that must fulfil specific requirements. Recruiters and hiring managers know what they want from applicants because management consulting is a highly demanding role.
In addition to highlighting your diverse attributes, work experience, and skills, make sure your resume is simple, direct, and easy-to-read.
Since the recruiter or hiring managers will only spend 1 minute reading your application documents, your resume must stand out in a way that attracts their interest and attention.
You can download a great resume template here.
Thanduxolo Love Mtsweni is a Management Consultant Analyst at Accenture in South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Administration in International Relations and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management (PDM- Business Administration). She is passionate about empowering the youth, and advocating for better youth employment opportunities.
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