As all of us know “job search is a job in itself”, so starting to prepare your resume is zeroth step. Keeping this in mind I decided to compile a document, containing the information about things to keep in mind during preparation of your resume and in particular resume for consulting firms.
The bottom line is -
(i) Make life easy for recruiter as they hardly have 30 second per resume during initial assessment.
(ii) Resume should be (a) Concise, (b) Result Oriented and (c) Clearly Presented.
(iii) Resume should be marketable i.e. it should have content and should be visually appealing.
The firm’s outlook - Your resume is their first impression of you as a potential future consultant and it have a primary purpose
a. To determine if you deserve an interview?
b. If you are interested in consulting, and specifically in their firm?
c. If you have experience in the industry of their current client?
d. How soon they will be able to staff you?
One page resume – Is important at most of the consulting firms. This has been stressed million times in millions of articles. The gravity of this situation can be assessed by the following statement: “If you can’t reduce your resume to 1 page, I immediately think you are unable to tell the important from the trivial, which is a death sentence for a consultant”[1].
Skill-based resumes – NOT GOOD. Consultants don’t have good opinion about skill based resume instead they prefer result based resume as evident by following: “I’m always suspicious when I see a
skills-based resume. I feel like I have to make a leap of faith. I prefer to see experience that illustrates skills I’m looking for” and “I hate reading skills-resumes”1.
Formatting & Listing – You can choose variety of formats but be careful while listing your accomplishments. It is desirable to follow following format to list resume items:
a. Education
b. Experience: (i) Reverse chronological order (ii) Bullet-points and key takeaways, not dense prose (iii) Active, rather than passive, voice and (iv) Use buzzwords & industry jargon with caution
c. Other: (i) “Activities,” “Additional,” or “Personal” (ii) Avoid clichés such as travel, reading, running, etc.
d. Use numbers where appropriate to describe your accomplishments: and Avoid vague qualitative terms: “large” “many”
e. Present two or three strengths and back them up with experience & achievement. You need Not necessary to be a jack-of-all-trades
f. State your accomplishments objectively and avoid dramatic, self-congratulatory language
Resume Mistakes – Given below are few common mistakes that you should be careful about.
a. Objective statement at the top
b. Job descriptions rather than results
c. Weak verbs to describe accomplishments
d. Listing experiences where you are unable to recall the details
e. Political or religious viewpoints
f. Any spelling or grammatical errors. Consultants are notoriously detail-oriented
Cover Letter –
a. Should introduce a resume
b. Should have personalized explanation of interest in consulting and the particular firm
c. Is more important when resume submitted directly, rather than on-campus recruiting
d. Shows if the candidate can write clearly & concisely?
e. Should be able to convey professionalism & enthusiasm
f. Should be able to address potential concerns of the recruiter
Cover Letter –
a. Should have position to which you are applying
b. Should indicate primary reason for your interest in consulting and specific role at the firm
c. Should contain concise overview of 1 or 2 qualifications that make you a compelling candidate. These could be accomplishments that are not explicitly included in your resume
d. Availability (graduation date)
e. Logical next steps. Could be a brief telephone conversation
Cover Letter Personalization – Try to personalize your cover letter (whenever possible) and
a. Address the cover letter to a recruiter or consultant by name. Typically, different recruiters for undergraduates, MBAs, and advanced-degree candidates
b. Tell that person who referred you or how you obtained their contact information
c. Recruiters are more willing to review your credentials if you were referred by a respected coworker
Cover Letter & Due Diligence – This is a time consuming step but everyone believes it is very important. Try to address
a. What initiated your interest in the firm? (i) Industry or functional practice specialty (ii) An article or book written by a consultant (iii) An informational interview
b. WetFeet and Vault both publish books aimed to provide an insider’s perspective on consulting and investment banking firms
Cover Letter Mistakes[2] – This is a time consuming step but everyone believes it is very important. Try to address
a. Reiterating your entire resume in prose. Remember resume and cover letter are complementary
b. Sending an impersonal form letter. Recruiter will interpret this as lack of interest
c. Addressing your letter “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom it May Concern”. Find out the name of the recruiter and their title
d. Excessive length. Busy recruiter will end up skimming it
[1] Killer Consulting Resumes! (WetFeet Insider Guide).
[2] Note: This document was prepared with the help of UIUC’s Illinois Consulting Club professional development information power point presentation.
No comments:
Post a Comment