Consulting Resume: Expert Tips for Crafting a Winning Resume

In this regard, a competitive industry such as consulting is where this very first brush happens when the individual makes impressions. A good resume can ensure the required skills, experiences, and potential are presented in front of future employers. Reading through this blog post will give you insights into how to craft an effective consulting resume to catch attention and land interviews.

Understanding the Consulting Job

It's helpful to have a little background knowledge about what consulting firms look for in candidates before jumping into the nitty-gritty of resume writing. Consulting is a results-oriented business and places great value on analytical skills and the ability to apply these skills to solve specific problems, as well as effective communication. Thus, your resume must reveal these attributes: relevant experience and achievements.

Check out some Free resume templates for consulting resumes. 

Template 1

Template 2

Template 3

Template 4

Template 5

Components of a Consulting Resume

A consulting resume typically follows this form. Here are the key components:

1. Contact Information

Begin your resume with your complete name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile if you have one. Make sure all of this information reads well and stands out easily at the top.

2. Professional Summary or Objective

Not strictly necessary, a professional summary allows you to recap your qualifications and your career objectives in one or two pages. This section should also be written professionally and keyed toward the consulting industry: the experience you have gained, the skills you have developed, and the achievements you will hope to make in your next career move.

Example

Results-driven consultant with more than five years of experience in strategy development and project management. Proven and well-established ability to analyze complex data sets and deliver actionable insights to businesses that help grow business. I am looking to engage expertise in management consulting with a leading firm.

Skills Section

A skills section should be outlined in a bulleted format describing relevant skills. Hard and soft skills apply, including but not limited to:

• Analytical work with data
• Project management
• Client relationship management
• Strategic planning
• Communication and presentation
• Problem-solving
• Team collaboration

Professional Experience

This section is the most important of your consulting resume. List your work experiences in reverse chronological order with significant attention to details, focusing on roles that relate to consulting. Include the following for each position

Job Title: Indicate your title.

Company Name: Mention the name of the organization and its location.

Dates of Employment: Reflect on time frame (month and year).

Jobs and Achievements: Use bullets to illustrate your key responsibilities and major achievements. Wherever possible, put a number or two on those achievements. That makes a difference.

Example:

Consultant

ABC Consulting Firm

June 2020-Present, New York, NY

• Designed and directed a cross-functional team developing a strategic business plan for a large retail client. Sales increased 20% within one year.
• Conducted market analysis and studies and proposed new growth opportunities that can result in three newly launched product lines.
• Presented results and recommendations to the senior leadership team and accordingly influenced adjustments in company-wide strategies.

 Education

List your educational qualifications by highest degree first. Include all applicable academic records, such as BA's, BSc's, MBA's, MEng's, PhD's etc. Do not omit any school or academic record that has taken you one step closer to where you are today. 

It Includes:

• Degree achieved
• Major or field of study
• University or College name
• Graduation date

If applicable, include relevant certifications earned, such as PMP or Six Sigma, in this section or list separately under a head called "certifications. "

Example:

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Harvard Business School
• Cambridge, MA
• May 2020

More Sections Can Be Added

You might consider including the following sections, depending on your background:

Certifications: You should include any industry-specific certifications, but there may be nothing related to your background.

Professional Affiliations: Provide any consulting-specific organizations or professional groups.

Languages: If you are proficient in more than one language, then list those here also as a potential differentiator on a global consulting firm.

How to Write a Best Consulting Resume

Tailor Your Resume: Use your resume to answer each application. Combine your skills and experience with the job description by using keywords from the job description.

Highlight Impact: Highlight achievements rather than responsibilities. Quantify your impact through numbers, percentages, and specific results.

Brevity is a Must. Aim for one page unless you have experience that goes across more than one page. Write simply and clearly so your points come through.

Using Action Verbs: All the bullet points should start with strong, effective action verbs such as "led," "developed," "analyzed," or "implemented," indicating action and impact.

Professional Format: It would be clean and professional in layout, using a consistent format. Use a font that one can easily read and apply bullet points for clarity.

Proofread: Mistakes will undermine your professionalism. Be sure to proofread your resume numerous times and even have someone who can review it to make sure you haven't missed any errors.

Final Thoughts

Crafting a quality consulting resume is an important step to landing the role you have in mind for yourself in this high-competition field. Relevant experience, skills, and tailoring to application prove effective in putting you in the best possible position as a prospective candidate. Don't forget, after all, your resume is a marketing tool; be willing to invest the time necessary to get it saying the best things about you.

So, with all the tips and guidelines, you're on your way to crafting a resume that opens those doors to exciting opportunities for consulting. Good luck!