There are a number of critical elements that should be found in your management consulting resume if you want to land a job at a top consulting firm. According to resume screeners at McKinsey, the style and formatting seem to matter very little compared to leadership evidence and big brand schools.
What you say and how you say it seem to be the most important elements in putting together an effective resume. Whether you are applying for an entry level management position or internship, there are critical elements to pay attention to. Stick to the facts and showcase your achievements to better your chances at obtaining that highly coveted internship with some of the top rated management consulting firms in the country.
There are five major criteria that the nation’s leading consulting firms look for in a candidate’s resume. The criteria are not only for entry-level management consulting positions, but all consulting roles across the board.
Stellar academic credentials and high standardized test scores, particularly in math, impress firms like Bain and BCG, while AT Kearney places a premium on leadership and social/people skills. The name of the school attended seems to play a significant factor in landing a job at a leading consulting firm, so it is important to brag a little about the school you went to. Below are the top criteria:
Academic achievement or GPA
Graduation from top branded schools
Effectively demonstrated leadership skills
High test scores in math
High achievement in a career
There are a variety of other factors that the leading consulting firms look for but overall the above criteria makes them take notice of your resume.
There is no reason to get bogged down in formatting your resume. Most management consulting firms are more concerned with what is on your resume than how it is structured. However, there are a few common sense elements that can be abided by and tools that will help you put together a pleasing-to-the-eye piece.
Place your education or big-named schools at the top so that they will stand out. Make sure that your school is easy to read and not hidden behind a lot of busy words. To the application committee, if your school name is buried in text it must not be that impressive. It’s important to showcase the big brand school you attended.
Chronologically list your career experiences. Your employer names should be visible and clear; easy to read. You should list your most recent job at the top and work down. Keeping the list structured and formatted in the same manner will keep your resume clean and tidy.
Use bullets and maintain one page. Keeping yourself concise, to the point and simple is most effective, no matter how much you have to say. Using bullets will conserve space and help keep the text limited to a single page.
Keep your font easy to read. According to the human resources department at Booz, there is nothing worse than a font that is impossible to read. Don’t make life difficult for the application screener by using a handwriting or too small font. Keep the font size at an 11, depending on the style of font used.
Eliminate your life story. Your resume is not the place to list every accomplishment and everything you have ever done in your life. The point of your resume is to sell yourself not your personal biography.
Taking note of the preferred critical elements preferred by the top management consulting firms could make or break the job offer. Your statements should sell you as an individual and employee. Do not hesitate to “show off” a bit, sell yourself to the firm and show how you will be their biggest asset.
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