How Business Consultants Screen CVs and Resumes
When you submit your resume for a screening process, you know that you will hear one of two things, “You’re hired!” or “We regret to inform you”. Occasionally, you will be told why you did not get the position you wanted, but it is usually not very specific feedback. “Not a good fit.” is frequently used.
We hope to be able to clarify, in this article, how resumes are read by consultants. Additionally, we want to point out some big differences between finance and consulting.
You may have questions regarding who is in charge of the process.
When it comes to resume review, there is a team of managers, associates and analysts. Here are some things you can count on:
First of all, the team will be made up of three to five people. Each one will have a look at your resume individually and then they will review it as a group.
Second, undergraduates, graduates, and MBAs from your school will comprise the team.
Third, the final decision will be made by the committee.
As with finance, the senior members of the group will not be involved until it’s time for interviews and offers. One would hope that this is because they trust their junior team members, but really it is probably just a matter of saving time and money.
Click here for more on differences between consulting and i-banking.
Someone who has a background similar to yours will be consulted regarding your resume. Say you are an engineering undergraduate at Columbia. An engineering undergraduate from Columbia will be asked about things like your involvement in student groups, your GPA, and so forth.
What happens in the process?
Each team member will receive a packet that could contain as few as fifty or as many as three hundred resumes each. The consulting letters will probably have been removed, so applicants who have taken care to present the best resume possible will have that much more edge.
Resumes will be reviewed for no more than thirty seconds each by finance and about a minute each by the consultants.
After the consultants have reviewed the resumes individually, the team will look at each resume as a group. The will compare notes and insights. This is the decision-making time.
Here is what they are looking for and why you might not get an interview.
Solid work experience, strong leadership skills, and evidence of academic success.
Click here for more on how to create a management consulting resume.
