Building your Consulting CV

Understanding what it takes to work in consulting firm is very important. Long hours of work are part of every industry. And as one gets higher up in the rank, the amount of travel also increases. Consulting is a combination of  both and it requires much more thought process to get the work done smartly while thoroughly enjoying your off duty life. The two most important factors one must consider for getting into Consulting are Hard Skills and Soft Skills. It’s a blend of the two skills that the individual poses; unlike in specialist industries where it’s either one of the two that individual gives more attention to. Let’s understand what is being covered in the hard and the soft skills (applicable to any industry or sector).

Hard Skills: They are nothing but detailed number crunching understanding of a certain expertise coupled with intellectual curiosity. For example, as IT Business Strategist one must poses some analytical and logarithmic understanding, while as a Financial Consultant, one must understand how to get along with excels while understanding the various concepts being used.

Analytical Skills
• Able to find patterns
• Logical thinking
• Creative
• Intelligent

Intellectual Curiosity
• Sector understanding
• Business understanding

Practicality
• Business Sense
• General Knowledge
• Prioritization

Soft Skills: Includes detailed communication of numbers, reports and research, and supporting them with arguments where need be.

Communication
• Active Listening
• Influences
• Clear and to the point
• Presentations

Interpersonal Skills
• Team Work
• Can get along with people
• Calm temperament under extreme pressure

While the lists detailed above may not be complete for both the skills, it gives a generic overview on what consulting firms usually look into candidates. Each individual needs to thoroughly understand the needs of the company and the job profile being offered to further tailor these needs.

By detailing the above the candidate gets in a zone where he understands the needs of the firm and that’s when he starts highlighting and tailoring his CV. While tailoring may vary from job roles and companies, most of the things that one needs to taken into account while highlighting your CV are:

Education:

• Schools and Universities attended
• Majors, Grades, GMAT/GRE/TOEFL
• Awards and Honors, Dean lists
• Languages & Professional Certifications
• Various clubs and activities involved in

Experience:

• Companies (Industry/ Banking/ Consulting/ International & Specific experience etc.)
• Summer Job and Internships
• Projects undertaken
• Numbers and results achieved
• Complex issues resolved

Interests:

• Extracurricular activities and commitments
• Leadership and action oriented activities through interests
• Foundation commitments
• Hobbies and personal interests

Once through with the process it’s very important to understand your CV. The best way is to talk with people who have been there done that. Networking is key for any business and consulting is no exceptional. Make a master resume detailing all your activities while creating tailored CV’s separately and update your resume regularly. It’s easy to fake your CV but extremely difficult to live upto that fake reputation. So be as honest as you can be while tailoring your CV by jotting down buzz words that consulting recruiters usually look for. Marketing yourself and selling your skills are very important. A lot of these buzz words can be obtained via websites that offer sample resumes. Get them reviewed from experts within your network or through some professional services. Write down your answers and rehearse them before the interview. This way you know what you need to speak when you are tensed and can’t detail much with the interviewer. Make 30 second stories to tell to the interviewer. This activity comes with practice and comes handy when you try to relate your experiences with some analogies. Have a plan and build your mind map over how you intend to approach your CV detailing to the interviewer. Finally, some words of wisdom. Enjoy your interview. Don’t get bogged down under pressure and play it like a game with eye-contact, good body language and tone and most importantly your enthusiasm that might ultimately get you to the next rounds of interview.

p.s: You may want to Google/Youtube for sample resumes based on your consulting skills. There are some great videos posted by schools and experienced professionals on how to tailor resumes and avoid common pitfalls. While there are also career related websites which offer free as well as paid services to work on your resumes.

Related Forum: http://consultingnetwork.co.in/open-forum-skills-required-to-break-into-consultingstrategy-roles/966/

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About Anand Rao

Anand Rao has written 9 post in this blog.

Anand Rao currently works with a business and technology consulting firm in his capacity as a business consultant. Anand previously worked for Churchgate Partners, an IB & PE firm. Prior to Churchgate, Anand was associated with a digital media & ent. start-up, based out of Bombay, where he was responsible for strategy & product management. Anand's prior experience includes Infosys' technology, media and telecom group based out of Europe, where he advised clients on strategic product & technology engagements. He was also selected to attend the highly selective Global Consulting Practicum in The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. During this time he worked on business feasibility, partnership development and valuation for a major Spanish firm. Anand received his MBA from IE Business School, Madrid, and a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai.

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