killer-cover-letters-resumes-consulting.pdf

INSIDER GUIDE

KILLER COVER LETTERS & RESUMES CONSULTING ★

WHAT RECRUITERS LOOK FOR ★ SAMPLE COVER LETTERS & RESUMES ★ TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE FOLLOW–UP

>> The WetFeet Methodology You hold hold in your hands a copy of the highest-quality research available available for job seekers. We’ve designed the WetFeet Insider Guides to help cut down on the time you spend doing job research by doing some of the work for you. Hopefully we can make your j ob search as painless as possible. Each WetFeet Insider Guide is the product of hundreds of hours of in-depth research, critical analysis, and precise writing. We survey massive amounts of publicly available information and conduct dozens of in-depth interviews of rank-and-file employees who work for the companies and industries we cover. (We keep our company contacts anonymous to encourage candor.) WetFeet writers—experts at reading between the lines—speak with company recruiting staff members to make sure you get accurate information about the recruiting process, compensat compensation, ion, and hiring targets. We also consult countless experts, from career coaches and networking gurus to authorities on professional etiquette and personal branding, in order to provide you insight on the latest trends affecting job seekers. Each Insider Guide undergoes extensive editorial review and fact-checking to ensure that the information and writing live up to our exacting standards. standards. And because WetFeet WetFeet retains all editorial control of our Insider Guides, you can be confident you’re reading the unvarnished truth, not corporate PR. We’re eager to hear about your experiences on the recruiting front, and we welcome your feedback (both positive and negative) about our products and services. Don’t hesitate to c ontact us at

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INSIDER

GUIDE Killer Cover Letters & Resumes: Consulting

4th edition

Killer Cover Letters & Resumes: Consulting

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KILLER COVER LETTERS & RESUMES: CONSULTING 4TH Edition ISBN: 978-1-58207-965978-1-58207-965-3 3

PHOTOCOPYING IS PROHIBITED Copyright 2012 WetFeet. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. No copying in any form is permitted. It may not be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, in part or in whole, without the express written permission of WetFeet, Inc. The publisher, author, and any other party involved in creation, production, delivery, or sale of th is WetFeet Insider Guide make no warranty,, express or implied, about the accuracy or reliability of the warranty th e information found herein. To the degree you use this guide or other materials referenced herein, you do so at your own risk. The materials contained herein are general in nature and may not apply to particular factual or legal circumstances. Under no circumstances shall the publisher, author, author, or any other party involved in creation, production or delivery of this guide be liable to you or any other person for damages of any kind arising from access to, or use of, its content. All illustrations by mckibillo


CHAPTER

1 1

CONSULTING RESUMES AT A GLANCE

2

3

5

THIRTY SECONDS TO SATISFY

11

GETTING READY TO WRITE

6

Make Your Resume Work for You

12 Do the Legwork

4 19

KILLER CONSULTING RESUMES

20 The Resume

Deconstructed 12 Collect Information

6

What You Need

about Yourself

to Know

Formatting 13 Highlighting the

7

Resumes from the

Skills Consulting

Consulting Firm’s

Firms Want

Perspective 8

The Bottom Line

Killer Cover Leetters & Resumes: L Resumes: Consult Consulting ing 4TH EDITION

23 Writing and

Your Resume 26 Resumes Reviewed

5 63

KILLER COVER LETTERS

64 Cover Letters

Covered

6 77

DIGITAL DELIVERY

78 This Application Is

Experiencing

7 85

FROM RESUME TO INTERVIEW

86 Tips for Getting Your

Foot in the Door

Technical Difficulties 64 Contents of a

Cover Letter

87 Following Up 79 Getting Past the

Spam Guard Dogs

89 Interview Prep

66 Cover Letters

Reviewed

80 Using Online

Application Systems

91 Additional WetFeet

Resources

contents

Consulting Resu Re sumes mes at a Glance

1

E N R A E L T G P A A H T C A 1 C


AT A T A GL GLAN ANCE CE S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T

Y D A 3 E R R E T I E G T N R I P T W A T E O H C G T

S E M U 4 S E R R E T R P E A L L I H C K

S R E 5 T T R E L E T R R P E E A L V L I O H C C K

30 SECONDS TO SATISFY •

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Your resume has one primary purpose: to help determine if you merit an interview. A well-constructed resume by itself won’t win you the job. Your resume must make you stand out quickly. quickly. Te typical resume reviewer will spend less than 30 seconds looking at your materials. Consulting firms typically look for four key skills in a candidate: analytical ability, intellectual capacity, leadership capability, and a record of achieving results. Cover letters are much less important to your application, and if written poorly can even hurt your candidacy.

THE KILLER CONSULTING RESUME Resume readers care about content. Use clear, clear, jargon-free language. Design isn’t as important, but it shouldn’tt call attention to itself. shouldn’ Consulting resumes should have three sections: Education, Experience, and Additional Information, beginning with either Education or Experience (whichever is strongest). Write up your experience in brief bullets (preferably no more than a line). Focus on outcomes, not lists of skills. Whenever possible, quantify results. Avoid the most commonly cited resume pitfalls: overuse of buzzwords, inflated experience or titles, factual inaccuracies, overkill, and spelling errors.

• Include a cover letter letter only when you you have to. The The same rules apply online. • Keep it brief. • Your cover letter should be personalized; avoid anything that seems generic. Name-dropping is a denite plus, but make sure that the people you name know who you are.

APPLYING ONLINE •

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Make sure all your digital materials are in accessible, printable formats. Save four versions of your resume: a Word Word document for printing, a PDF for email attachments, a plain text version with line breaks for the email body,, and a plain text version without line body lin e breaks for online forms. Don’’t be afraid to use online application Don systems, especially if a firm directs you there. Follow the instructions precisely, complete the entire application, and choose keywords carefully.

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FROM RESUME TO INTERVIEW •

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Y R E V I L 6 E R D E L T A P T I A G I H C D

E W M E I U 7 S V R E R E R E T T P N M I A O H R O F T C

THE KILLER COVER LETTER

2

WETFEET INSIDER GUIDE

•

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Te best time to apply for a consulting position is October for full-time hires and early winter for summer hires. Follow up, but not in an off-putting manner. Expect weak spots in your resume to be probed during the interview, so have your answers ready. Be prepared for interviewers to develop case questions based on the experience they see on your resume.

A T C A H G A L P A T N E C R E 1

T H I R T T Y C O S H A S E P A C T T O E I N R S F D Y S 2

G E T T C I T N H O G A P W R T E E R A R I D T E Y 3

K I L L E R C R H E A S P U T E M R E S 4

C O V E C R H A L E K P T I T T L E E L R R E S R 5

D I G I T A C L H D A E P L T I V E E R R Y 6


3

T F O R O C I N MH T R A E E P R S V U T E I E M R W E 7

Thirty Second Thirty Secondss to Satisfy

2

Make Your Your Resume Re sume Work W ork for You.................................6 What You Need Need to Know Know .............. 6 Resumes from the Consulting Firm Firm’’s Perspective...... ........ .. 7 Te Bottom Line ...........................8


S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T







MAKE YOUR RESUME WORK FOR YOU

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

› YOU’RE SE ON scoring a job with Bain, McKinsey,

› HIS PUBLICAION IS designed to help graduate

BCG, or one of the other top consulting firms. You also know that the competition for open positions will be fierce—so your materials had better be pitch-perfect. Yet Y et here you are, just a few days away from the application deadline, fiddling with your resume’s formatting. Palatino, imes, Helvetica—bold, italic—nothing seems to make it look better. A twinge of despair is setting in. You’ve You’ve convinced yourself that your resume isn’t isn’t worth a second second look. Well, W ell, maybe. maybe. Ten again, maybe maybe not. Although Althoug h there there’’s no questi question on that competi competition tion for jobs with the elite manageme management nt consult consulting ing firms is intense—at leading business schools, some 75 percent of students interview with one of the big firms—it would be a mistake mistake to assume assume that you you need a 4.0 GPA GPA or a Harvard MBA to win a position. You don’t. Nor do you have to have prior consulting experience. (If you did, how would anyone ever get started in consulting?) In fact, the leading firms are hungry to attract new blood and diverse perspectives. So there’s no reason to count yourself out. Tere are, however, some significant hurdles any applicant must clear. In most cases, the first step in the path to a plum consulting position is to land an interview.. And to do this you must have a compelling resume. view By compelling, we don’t mean in a general well-written sort of way, though excellent writing is always a plus. Wee mean that your resu W resume me must convi convincing ncingly ly pres pres-ent your consulting skills skills and capabilities—regardless of whether wheth er you have prior industry industry expe experienc rience. e. By ident identiifying and presenting your analytical skills, intellectual horsepower, and leadership capabilities in a form that consultants can easily understand, you’ll undoubtedly improve your chances of securing that initial interview.

and college students (or anyone else pondering a career in consulting) present themselves effectively to recruiters, resume readers, and interviewers at top U.S. management consulting firms. Tis Insider Guide will help you do the best possible job of presenting your qualifications for a consulting position. Although it won’t guarantee you a job at a prestigious firm—there’s a lot more to getting a job offer than sending in a resume—it should give you increased insight into the resume review process at leading consultancies. Wee spoke to inside W insiders rs from several of the industry’s industry’s elite firms to find out exactly what they look for in resumes, cover letters, and—down the line—interviews. Teir comments were remarkably consistent: both substance and packaging matter. In this Insider Guide, we show you how to get a handle on both.

6


You’ll You ’ll learn How management consulting consulting firms evaluate resumes resumes and cover letters. What information to include in your resumes and cover letters when applying for management consulting positions. Strategies for writing about your experiences and education in a way that appeals to the consulting firm reviewer. How to prepare prepare effective digital digital materials, and tips for online applications. You’ll also read critiques critiques of actual resumes and cover letters (along with suggestions for improvement). We’ll conclude by telling you a little about what happens after your new and improved materials land you that consulting interview you’ve ve been dreaming about.

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RESUMES FROM THE CONSULTING CONSUL TING FIRM’S PERSPECTIVE › LE’S BEGIN BY considering your resume from the consulting firm’s perspective. Our consulting insiders tell us that a resume plays different roles throughout the selection, evaluation, and interviewing process. What is more, consultancies scan each resume for a set of hallmark attributes before reaching a decision to interview.

HOW RESUMES ARE USED From the firm’s point of view, the resume has one primary purpose: to help determine which candidates merit interviews. No more, no less. Should you progress to the first and subsequent interviews, your resume will serve as the starting point of your conversation with recruiters. Each person who interviews you will probably have not only a copy of your resume, but notes about you taken during previous interviews. Your Your interviewer will use the resume to identify areas to explore. Weaknesses or holes will be prob probed, ed, strengths strengths will be ques questione tioned, d, and anything that seems suspect will be tested. Most firms recruit regionally and have recruiting teams in each office or region that cover one or more schools. Recruiting teams usually consist of consultants from several levels (ranging from recent hires to partners or VPs) as well as one or more administrative support staffers. At least one of the recruiters will probably be a recent graduate of your school. Tis helps the team distinguish between real and inflated points on a resume and make informed judgments about your credentials. For example, at one school, being on the dean’s dean’s list might mean you’re in the top half of your class, while at another that distincti distinction on is reserved reserved for only only the top few students. Such differences are important and will be noted as as your resum resumee is reviewe reviewed. d. As one one insider insider puts it, “We know what’s what’s what on the resumes.”

ypically, one or more members of this recruiting team conduct a first-pass review of all the independently submitted resumes from the schools they cover. Tese consultants flag resumes that look promising based on the firm’s criteria as well as their own judgment. Bear in mind that it’s not a one-size-fits-all process: Instead of forcing reviewers (and applicants) into a formal resume grading system, most firms give individual reviewers a degree of discretion when they evaluate job seekers. Tat’s not to say, however, that consultants have a completely free hand. In order to keep the process as evenhanded as possible, the majority track resumes against the firm’s key criteria, keeping a mental tally of how many of these the candidate candida te appears to meet on his or her resume. Te next step at many firms is for the recruiting team to discuss the top candidates and decide who will receive interview offers. In these sessions the reviewer might be asked to describe the candidate, tell his or her “story,” and explain what is compelling about the candidate. In some cases, a senior consultant will do a final resume review and make interview decisions, either after the group discussion or in lieu of it. Te critical thing to recognize about this process is that you have to stand out quickly. Many members of the recruiting team are juggling their recruiting duties with other day-t day-to-day o-day resp responsi onsibilit bilities, ies, such such as manag managing ing client projects. Further, they tend to review large numbers of resumes at a time (often hundreds), leaving them little time to spend on each one. Yours Yours must stand out.

>





TIP

Though management consulting firms may be supported by an HR staff, it’s the consultants who tend to dominate the recruiting process. But the consultants are also busy with their day-to-day duties,so don’t expect them to spend a lot of time examining your resume. Keep it concise.



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WHAT REVIEWERS LOOK FOR S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T






We’d be lying if we said that every reader evaluat We’ evaluating ing your resume approaches it in the same way. Based on our interviews, we’ve seen any number of reviewing types from “big name” hunters (You used to work for Google? Nice!), to alma-mater animals (You played hockey for Ohio State? So did I!) to dreamy idealists (My ideal candidate has straight A’s, student government leadership experience, and has conducted charity work in in Mongolia). Mongolia). Tat’s because when you dig a little deeper and compare the attributes recruiters are looking for, you’ll find overwhelming agreement about which skills matter most. Most consulting firms look for four key skills and several supporting ones that predict a candidate’s likely success as a consultant. As a general rule, candidates aren’t expected to excel at every key skill, but they should demonstrate them all and show outstanding capability in at least one. Te “Big Four” are as follows: 1. Analytic Analytical al and problemproblem-solvin solvingg ability ability 2. Intellectual capacity 3. Leadership capability or potential 4. Aspiration, achievement, and a record of results (Later in this guide, we’ll discuss these factors in greater depth and show you how to demonstrate your skills in these areas.) Supporting skills or attributes that are frequently cited include: Relevant industry or functional experience (very important for experienced hires) Ability to work well on a team People skills—the ability to communicate effectively Ability to balance multiple responsibilities responsibilities Graduating from a top school Interesting activities Background of personal interest interest or relevance to the reader •

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Naturally, different firms weigh these items differently, depending on the type of work they do and how they deploy junior-level staff. Tat said, if your resume effectively demonstrates the first four key skills (and some supporting ones), you’re likely to be on stable ground.

THE BOTTOM LINE › HERE’S HE FIRS hard truth: Your resume won’t get you a consulting job—but it can help you secure the job interview. And here’s here’s the second: Tough the resume can help you win that coveted interview, it’ll have to make the right impact in less than 30 seconds. Hard? Yes—but not impossible. Te next part of this book will help you construct an excellent consulting resume, one that conveys an image of who you are, what you you’’re capable of, and how you have used your capabilities to accomplish results. Although Althoug h insider insiderss tell us “t “there here isn isn’’t one right answer” to the question of how to create c reate a good resume, they say the best resumes are concise, results-oriented, and clearly presented. Te correct structure can make you a more likely interview target and can even help you sail more smoothly through the interview process. Even better, we learned from many recruiters that a lot of aspiring consultants don’t get it right. So we hope this guide will help you cut in front of them.


Top Ten Ten Things an Interviewer Looks for When Reviewing a Resume 1 0.

The time zone you live in.

9.

Something that makes you stand out from all the other Stanford/Harvard/Wharton graduates applying for this job.

8.

A balance (as if consultants really know what that means!).

7.

Experience in the industry of my current client and availability to be staffed immediately.

6.

A typo—so I can throw it out.

5.

Evidence that you’ll be willing to jump on a plane and spend every week in Omaha (without complaining).

4.

Someone who went to my alma mater. Not that I’m biased.

3.

An in ind ic icati on on th that yo you’re br breathi ng ng.

2.

“I’ll know it when I see it.”

1.

“You’re assuming I actually get a chance to “You’re read resumes.”







9


Getting Ready to Write

3

Do the Legwork ..........................12 Collect Information about Yourself Yourself ............................. ............................ .12 Highlighting the Skills Consulting Firms Want Want ................. 13






DO THE LEGWORK › BEFORE YOU PU fingers to keyboard, spend some time researching the firms you are targeting. Tis information will help you think about what, specifically, might appeal to the recruiting team at a given firm, and which items are best left to a cover letter. Look into the firm’s areas of strength and focus, find out which industries or functional practices it pursues—strategy vs operations vs technology—and find out where the nearest office is. All of this information should affect the way you present yourself. Fortunately, most firms have extensive websites from which you can quickly get basic information and host live recruiting events which offer opportunities to flesh out these details through direct interaction with its employees. Before you begin writing your resume, you must also scrutinize yourself. Which elements of your work, academic, and life experience belong on a single sheet of paper, and which don’t? What characteristics make you distinctive, demonstrate your ability, and prove you’re you’re a team player? Tis section will help you think through your activities and accomplishments so you can tell your story in a compelling way.


› IN ADDIION O knowing all the factual information about yourself—degrees, grades, and so on—you need to think about how to portray yourself in a positive, confident light while telling the true story of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. You’ll also need a firm grasp of your experience, strengths, and weaknesses to create a compelling resume. Tere are any number of ways to approach this task, but here are a few resources that anyone can use as a starting point:

Academic Records Gather your school transcripts, standardized test scores, scholarship applications and awards, and any other information that will help you paint a picture of your academic strength. Calculate your GPA, because you’ll probably need that information at some point. As we mentioned earlier, unless your GPA is superlative, you may want to leave it off your resume. But keep in mind it’ss still likely to come up as a topic at some point. If you it’ are concerned, try calculating it (make sure you use the standard 4.0 scale) using different data cuts—overall, major-only, by year, and so on—to see which provides the most favorable view.

Recommendations Reread any recommendations people have written for you as part of school, job, or contest applications. Note the strengths they mentioned; you can often highlight them as you detail your experience and accomplishments in your resume.



COLLECT INFORMATION ABOU AB OUT T YOU OURS RSEL ELF F

Performance Reviews Employer reviews may contain information on your skills as compared to those of your peers. Tey also tend to include recaps of your accomplishments during the period being discussed.

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Employment History If you don’t already have one, prepare a chronological history of the major jobs you’ve held. Include company names, job titles, the names of your managers, time spent in each position, starting and ending salaries, and primary responsibilities. Hopefully, this history will help detail the upward trend of your career—increasing responsibility, increasing salary, or other advancement. Your Y our employ employment ment history will also help you identi identify fy any gaps that you’ll need to account for on the resume.

HIGHLIGHTING THE SKILLS FIRMS WANT › IF YOU SUSPEC that former consultants get

more consulting interviews than other candidates, your hunch isn’t wrong. Just as in any field, firms are biased toward experienced practitioners who can “hit the ground running.” Rightly or wrongly, consulting firms assume that someone who has been a consultant before has the skills and characteristics required to do the work again. However, consulting firms continually have to bring in new blood as well. (Te turnover rate Review Your Top Accomplishments List the most significant accomplishments from your is much too high for firms to survive on industry veterprofessional, academic, and personal life. For each one, ans alone.) Terefore, if you’re one of those applicants explain why it is significant to you, how you achieved it, who hasn hasn’’t worked for a consulting firm in the past, how others helped you, and how you have measured its you should try for the next best thing: demonstrating success. You’ll need to include information about at least that you’ve done the same type of work, even if it was two of your top accomplishments in your resume, prefer- in a different context. If you’re an undergraduate, of ably with a precise quantification of the results achieved. course, you’re probably not going up against seasoned consultants, but the same advice holds true—you want to demonstrate the consulting-type activities you’ve Survey Your Strengths Using the information above, think about the types of undertaken as part of your other pursuits. So how can you do this if you’ve never consulted work or activit activities ies in which you have consistently succeeded—those situations in which you’ve performed a day in your life? Well, first of all, you probably have well and felt good about it. Te skills you used in done something that resembles consulting. Remember, these situations are most likely some of your strengths. consulting in its purest form is problem solving. Who Include evidence of these on your resume so the reader hasn’t had a chance to take a problem, analyze it, make will identi identify fy you as a strong analyst, born leader leader,, or hypotheses about it, and through research come to formidable communicator. Tese areas will likely be understand whether those hypotheses are correct? You can probably draw examples of this from work, school, explored further in your interviews. or extracurricular activities. Second, as discussed earlier, your resume reviewer Consider Your Weaknesses lookingg for evidenc evidencee of skills in several areas: You Y ou obviously obviously won’ won’t highlight highlight your weaknesse weaknessess on your will be lookin resume, but any omission of information might prompt analytical ability, intelligence, leadership capability, and an interviewer to question you about the area in ques- so on. Tink about the things you have done that showtion. If your resume lacks information on leadership case your abilities in these key areas. In the next few positions, for example, you’ll need to show strengths in sections, we’ll visit these areas one at a time, presenting several other key areas to compensate. It’s It’s a good idea to you with a list of questions that will help you tease out have thought through this before your interview any- those experiences that can demonstrate your aptitude way,, because some interviewers way interviewers still ask the old “What for actual consulting work. are your weaknesses?” question.


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ANALYTICAL AND PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY Analytical and Analytical and problem problem solving skills are critica criticall compocomponents of a consulting resume. Tey are fundamental to your success as a consultant, especially during the first few years, so expect to have these abilities tested during your interviews.

Have you Earned honors or other academic awards? Received academic scholarships? aken particularly challenging courses or had a heavy workload? Pursued intellectual activities (for instance, chess)? Attended academically rigorous schools? Aced your SA SA or the GMA? GMA? Earned a high GPA (3.75 or higher, depending on the firm)? Pursued a double major? If so, you’ll receive points in the academic capacity category. Tat’s important because your academic record is pretty black-and-white. Since a weak academic record often indicates lack of ability or effort, recruiters aren’t especially lenient in this area. •

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Have you Y D A 3 E R R E T I E G T N R I P T W A T E O H C G T





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Used spreadsheets to create data models? Synthesized large amounts of information to draw conclusions? Identified a problem and taken a proactive approach to solving it? Used an unusual method or perspective to solve a problem? Worked backwards from symptoms of a problem to isolate its root cause? Performed experiments that required formulation of hypotheses and the collection of evidence to prove or disprove them?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s a good sign you were engaged in analysis and problem solving, so be sure to include the corresponding experience in the appropriate section of your resume.

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LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY Leadership, or the potential to lead, is at the top of most firms’ wish lists. Firms always look for individuals who have risen to leadership positions on a team, in school organizations, or in companies.

Have you •

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INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENT Intellectual ability is the primary trait consulting firms test for in case interviews. If you graduated from college magna cum laude with a technical degree, you might be safe from withering scrutiny. If you didn’t, expect to show your stuff. Unfortunately Unfortunately,, intellectual bona fides aren’t amenable to much repackaging: Either you have it or you don’t. But a lack of honors probably won’t disqualify you from the running if you’ve attended rigorous schools, earned good grades, and scored well on tests.

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Managed people? Facilitated meetings? Led teams in solving problems? Coordinated dealings with outside vendors? vendors? Held a leadership position in a school organization, team, or club? Been elected to a post by your peers? Organized or coordinated coordinated significant events? Held a position of responsibility at a previous employer?

If you don’t have a track record as a leader, you should at least be able to show related accomplishments and results that will earn respect. And by all means, make sure you also have some stories to tell about being a great team member.


RECORD OF PRODUCING PRODU CING RESULTS More and more firms are emphasizing “results orientation” in their work with clients. Consider this quick survey of several firms’ marketing copy: “Our clients outperform the market four to one” (Bain); “Deliver[ing] sustained shareholder value growth” (Mercer); “Te one firm that delivers results that endure” (Booz Allen; no hyperbole here). Unsurprisingly,, firms want to know whether you have Unsurprisingly what it takes to deliver real results.

Many consulting firms also have functional practice groups that seek people with previous work experience in areas such as supply chain management, marketing, corporate finance, human resources, and customer service. If you’re experienced in one of these fields, target firms that specialize in it.

Have you Worked in an industry for a long time? Held various roles within one industry? Been responsible for analyzing or selling to an industry? Held similar functional roles in different industries? Ever applied functional knowledge learned in one industry to a similar problem in another? Worked extensively in a specific area, such as logistics or manufacturing? Written a thesis or research research paper about a particular industry, business issue, or other topic? Followed a particular industry or business topic intensively?

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Have you •

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Brought new customers and revenue revenue into your company? Made something more efficient by saving money or time? Implemented an innovative innovative idea? idea? Improved service or responsiveness responsiveness to customers? Set a challenging goal and achieved it? Solved a problem that affected your organization’ organization’s ability to succeed?

If you haven’t done any of these or similar things, you might want to reconsider your desire to become a consultant. Tese activities are part and parcel of consulting work, and your ability to perform well in a results-oriented environment will have a strong impact on the success of your consulting career. Don’t forget that on your resume, quantifying results is better than merely describing them.

INDUSTRY OR FUNCTIONAL EXPERTISE If you have a strong understanding of a particular industry, know the challenges it currently faces, and can communicate well with clients in that industry, you may have an edge. Clients today often demand consultants who can “speak the language” and relate to their problems. Check out which firms have practice areas in your industry. Tey’re more likely to be interested in your particular expertise.


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If not, don’t despair. While you’ll need to be able to point to other strengths that counterbalance your lack of industry experience, this is more of a nice-to-have category than a need-to-have. As you might imagine, this is especially true if you are an undergraduate.

TEAMWORK eamwork, with clients and other consultants, is a critical component of most, if not all, consulting assignments. Consultants constantly work in teams—project teams, joint client teams, practice development teams, sales teams, recruiting teams, and so on. Te favorite consulting solution to any problem is to form a team to study it. Some firms even have teams analyzing what makes for an optimal team. As one insider states, “We need people who can be part of our nimble workforce” (read: lots of different teams that are frequently forming and reforming). What they’re looking for is your ability to balance expressing your own opinions with listen-


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ing to others. It’s important to know when—and when not—to impose your will.

Have you •

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ackled problems as part of a team in your professional life? Been a member of a sports team? Worked in study groups? Worked on political or volunteer committees? Planned and attended group events?

Of course you have! Identify the teams you’ve been part of, and think about the role you typically play on them. If you’ve you’ve led teams, highlight it. In your interview you’ll probably be asked to speak about a team experience and how you helped that team reach a goal.





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Killer Consulting Resumes Te Resume Deconstruc Deconstructed......... ted.........20

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Writing and For Writing Formatting matting Your Y our Resume Resume ...............................23 Resumes Review Reviewed ed ......................26









THE RESUME DECONSTRUCTED › FIRS, HERE’S HE question of the resume content itself. What should be in? What should be out? A typical consulting resume has three sections: 1. Education 2. Experience 3. Additional Information Te first two are essential, while the “Additional Information” section is optional (include it only if you have useful information that doesn’t fit neatly into “Education” or “Experience.”). As for sequencing these items, lead with your strength. ypically, if you are a student (particularly from a top-ranked school) you would lead with “Education”. On the other hand, working worki ng professionals professionals (those (those a few years years or more more out of school) should always lead with “Experience.” As your school days become more distant, they become less relevant, and firms become more interested in your professional experience than in the fact that you were editor of your school newspaper. Te “Additional Information” section should always be last. Many sample resumes floating around include a “Career Objective,” Objective,” “Career Summary,” Summary,” or other general overview section. Tis information is superfluous; if you think you need to summarize your resume you’ve probably missed the mark. Besides, you’ll need that space to describe your considerable assets. If, despite everything, you still feel that some of this material is pertinent, then we suggest putting it in your cover letter instead.

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Don’t feel you need to “think outside the box” when it comes to consulting resumes. Resume readers care about content more than looks. The goal of your formatting efforts should not be to make things flashy but to enable the reader to pick out useful information quickly. quickly.

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EDUCATION Tis section of your resume might be more aptly thought of as “Education and Academic Achievement.” At a minimu minimum, m, you should include schools attend attended ed and degrees conferred, along with corresponding dates. You Y ou can also include other information information demonstrating demonstrating your academic achievement, including GPA, scholarships and awards earned, honor society membership, class ranking, and significant papers or research. List only those items that showcase your strengths. A 3.5 GPA isn’t likely to impress anyone, nor is a 600 on the GMA. Tough perfectly respectable statistics, they aren’t going to wow the reader, so you might as well save the space for something stronger. Coming from a top-ranked school is helpful, but it’ll hardly qualify you as unique at any of the best firms. One snobby but honest insider says, “If you’re not from a brand-name school, most firms expect you to be in the top of the class.” Another says, “Te first thing that will cause me to throw out a resume is a second-rate school.” When pressed, pressed, this this insider insider defined defined a second-rat second-ratee school as one not within the “top 20,” which fortunately paves a fairly wide path among graduate schools. When it comes to undergraduates, there tends to be more leeway in the college ranks, though the “top school” sentiment is still echoed at most major firms as a quick and easy way to separate separate the wheat wheat from the chaff. chaff. Either Either way, way, if you’re from a less well-known institution, be prepared to show your strengths in other critical areas because your resume is likely to be a tougher sell. Strong regional graduate schools are an exception to this philosophy. Since most firms recruit regionally, there is a good chance they’ll go to a good local school if they have an office in the area, particularly if alumni from the school work at that firm.

EXPERIENCE Recall what we told you about superior resume writing: Conciseness and clarity are key. In this section of your resume, that goal is best achieved by focusing on “outcomes.” As one insider puts it, “Te section on work


experience should be short on description and long on verifiable results.” We couldn’ couldn’t agree more. So while you should mention the type of work you’ve done and the industries in which you have experience, you need to do so in the context of what you’ve accomplished—and if you can quantify those accomplishments, so much the better. Tis makes sense when you think about what consulting firms do: Tey help client companies achieve What about non-tr non-tradition aditional al backgro backgrounds, unds, such as their goals. Te best consultants point out the direct nonprofits? ts? impact that their work has on their clients’ bottom work in the public sector or the world of nonprofi lines. o do this, they use measurement systems that It all depends. If this work experience complements allow them and their clients to track progress along the more traditional business endeavors in your repertoire, way.. Tey want you to have way have done the same same for yourself yourself it can help make you a more memorable candidate. If this non-traditional work makes up the bulk of your and your career. Consultants also care about the companies you’ve prior experience, however, your situation may be more worked work ed for for.. Comp Companie aniess that are kno known wn to have good challenging. Some of our insiders declared that unusual training programs, such as General Electric or Procter backgrounds were fine as long as they revealed a record & Gamble, play well. In addition, companies with of accomplishment: “I remember the resume of a pernotoriously rigorous selection processes, such as certain son with an art history major who had taken the initiainvestment banks or high-tech firms, score big points. tive to start some programs at her school,” one recruiter A measure measure of success success at at any of of these these compan companies ies isis a plus, plus, said. “Although she didn’t have a traditional backbecause performing well for them indicates to the resume ground, her experience showed results.” Other insidreader that you have what it takes to survive in a competi- ers were less sanguine: “I tend to shy away from goofy backgrounds such as Mother eresa’s nuns, the Peace tive, rigorous environment of well-qualified peers. Corps, or other areas with no direct business experience,” says one consultant. Our advice if you’re in this situation? First, take great pains to ensure that your resume is detailed and specific about the results you have attained. Second, be extra-clear about how such achievements will enable you to excel as a consultant. Finally, despite caricatures implying that all management consulting firms are the same, remember that corporate culture does differ from firm to firm. So pay extra attention to those companies that have a greater tolerance for—and interest in—people with unique backgrounds.

Te section on work experience should be short on description and long on verifiable ver ifiable results. results.


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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T






As unlikely as it may seem, consulting consulting isn’ isn’t only about crunching numbers and creating great PowerPoint presentations. Managing clients and working with colleagues both require excellent people skills. Solving complex problems requires creative thinking and the ability to bring diverse perspectives to bear. And driving projects to completion requires perseverance and commitment. Use the Additional Information section of your resume to underscore the personal strengths that you can bring to the table. Tis section is your opportunity to provide a little personal, but relevant, color. Te kinds of things you might list here include activities, volunteer work, memberships, and skills you may not have touched on yet, such as proficiency in foreign languages. But just because this section of your resume tends to be more flexible than the others doesn’t mean that you should put down anything and everything. Relevance remains the operative word—does the item meaningfully contribute to the picture you are painting of yourself as a candidate? Insiders tell us that interesting or unusual information in this section can play a significant role in the decision to award an interview. interview. Says one consultant, “I saw a woman’’s resume woman resume with with a blurb blurb at the botto bottom m on how how she started an organization to educate the homeless in her city,, and I thought, this is someone who identifies probcity lems and takes initiative to solve them. Tis is the type of person we need on our projects.” You Y ou can also use the Add Addition itional al Infor Informatio mation n section to mention activities that hint at your gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. While the debate over the importance of these topics remains volatile, their inclusion may positively influence your application if your activities link you to a constituency that the company is trying to recruit. Many firms are desperate to recruit a more varied workforce as they serve an increas-

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ingly diverse clientele. We hear regular complaints from recruiters about how difficult it is to find diverse qualified candidates. It also goes without saying that you mention personal activities at your own risk. Controversial causes or activism could spell trouble for your application, especially if you’ve publicly championed fervent political or religious beliefs, participated participated in campus protests, or expressed your civil disobedience in other ways. It’s probably not a good idea to mention your profanitylaced blog or your communist party membership. Don’t forget that consulting firms work for a wide spectrum of corporate (and sometimes government) clients, and are unabashed profit-seekers—you’re kidding yourself if you can’t check the bulk of your fervor at the door.

SKILLS WILL KILL (YOUR CHANCES) Many resume books proclaim the virtues of the skillsbased resume format for dressing up your experience, especially when you’ve had many positions or are trying to change careers. (If you’re unfamiliar with this type of resume, they’re organized around skill sets—e.g., technical skills, communication skills, etc.—rather than around your chronological employment history.) We have two words for the skills-based resume: Forget it. None of our insiders like this alternative format. “I’m always suspicious when I see a skills-based resume,” one tells us. “I feel like I have to make a leap lea p of faith. I prefer to see experience that illustrates skills I’m looking for.” Another consult consultant ant is more more direct. direct. “I hate hate reading reading skills skills resumes,” he says. says . “Sometimes I don’t don’t bother.”

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Make sure the items in your “Additional Information” section are appropriate. Don’t, for example, tout your Barbie collection, as one candidate we were told about did.

WRITING AND FORMATTING YOUR RESUME DISCUSSED SED the fact that your › WE’VE ALREADY DISCUS

resume will need to make an impact if it’s going to stand out from the crowd—but we need to add a dash of nuance to this picture. Submitting a resume with fanciful formatting or unconventional structure is a sure way to stand out—and to torpedo your chances.

TOP-LEVEL GUIDELINES AND PREFERRED RESUME STRUCTURE In the case of your resume, superior design promotes quick scanning. It directs the eye to the key bits of information. o the reader, the design should be practically subliminal—it should just work. Tat’s why violating standard formatting and layout conventions is a bad idea—it pulls the reader’s attention away from your content and toward questions about your judgment.

Guideline One: Conform to Structure Norms We’ve We’ ve disc discuss ussed ed why why you shoul should d follo follow w the norm normss of the resume struture. ake a look at the basic skeleton to the right. Putting your dates on the right or left is fine, just remember that the reader should be able to scan them quickly. Some insiders suggest adding the location of the company or school as well. As one consultant said, “I like to see the location of the company for which someone worked because I want to make sure they’re interested in living/working here.” Either way, the important thing is to be consistent .

Guideline Two: Use Layout and Format to Boost Clarity Recall our earlier discussion on good design: your goal is to help the reader grasp key content quickly, not marvel at your unusual formatting choices. So, we recommend:


A single, standard font: imes New New Roman, Arial, or something similar . A readable font size: 12-point preferred, but no smaller than 10. Neutral paper color: white or off-white. Standard layout: one-inch margins (or larger), larger), leftaligned lines, and line spaces between sections. One page in length!

•

•

•

•


•

Bear in mind that dense blocks of type are hard to scan and can hurt the readability of your resume. Even though you’re distilling many qualifications onto a single sheet, less is still more. Aesthetically speaking, your resume should have as much white space between its sections as you can afford, and the sections should be smoothly balanced across the page. Abovee all, resist the temptati Abov temptation on to use excessive excessive text formatting, graphics, or a matrix or graph. Such extras eat up space that could be dedicated to trotting out the evidence of your qualifications that will win you additional checks or points, and that will help h elp you to land in the “call back” pile.

Basic Consulting Resume Structure Contact info Education Date, degree, school Experience Date, title, organization (#1) • Achievement 1 • Achievement 2 Experience Date, title, organization (#2) • Achievement 3 • Achievement 4 Additional information

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Guideline Three: Write Using Bullet Points When it comes to the words on your resume resume,, superior writing is all about being concise (and using clear, jargon-free jargon-f ree language). language). One One firm’ firm’s vice presiden presidentt tells us, us, “If you can’t reduce your resume to one page, I immediately think you are unable to tell the important from the trivial, which is a death sentence for a consultant.” One of the best ways to fulfill the preceding aims is to use bullets. Why? Bullets make your resume more concise. Bullets make it easier to scan. Consultants love bullets; they write in bullets; they even think in bullets. •

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Insiders tell us that consultants are more likely to toss a resume into the ding pile than to spend extra time plowing through clunky prose to find what they’re looking for. “I’m impressed when someone has enough confidence to write just one line followed by short bullet points,” one partner tells us. “I know writers can B.S. their way through things by writing prose,” comments another. When you you write bullets bullets,, remember remember the follow following: ing: Keep them short (one line if possible). Start them with action verbs. Structure them consistently. •

•

We’ve We’ ve advised you at length about what recrui recruiters ters like to see on your resume. Now let’s take a moment to highlight some stuff they don’t like to see. If your resume exhibits any of the following negative traits, you run a high risk of a ding, no matter how strong your qualifications are.

The Buzzword Bozo Buzzword bozos use words in the wrong context or words that aren aren’’t meaningf meaningful ul in an attemp attemptt to sound savvy. If you claim to have been “responsible for re-engineering the audit approval process,” you risk appearing more naive than you are. After all, “re-engineering” is just another word for “changing,” “changing,” and “audit approval approval process” is redundant. Why not lose “approval” and claim to have “changed the audit process?”

The Experience Inflator Te biggest mistake insiders note is the tendency to overstate experience. Yeah, we know everyone exaggerates their experience to some extent, but insiders tell us that if a resume looks too good to be true, it probably is. Terefore, most of them look at a glowing resume with a heavy dose of skepticism. Yes, Yes, do sell yourself and showcase your talents, but do it without going overboard.

•

The Title Titillator

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Resume reviewers favor candidates with backgrounds similar to their own. Read the employee profiles found on most firms’ recruiting websites, looking for individuals who have worked in the same company or attended the same school you did.



6 WAYS TO AVOID GETTING DINGED

itle titillators think a fancy title will make their experience sound better. Consider the very impressive-sounding title “Director of Strategic Operations.” What on earth does that mean? Any consultant knows enough about how various industries are structured to be suspicious of such a title. Go with “Director of Business Development” instead. When in doubt, simplify so as to make your role and responsibilities clearer.

The Liar Frighteningly enough, many insiders we talked to said they had caught individuals lying about everything from what degrees they had earned to where they had

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earned them to where they had worked. One remembered a candidate from a top finance school who lied about being on the board of a prominent charity. It so happened that the reader’s spouse was on that board, which made for a very inter interesting esting dinner table conversation that evening, and an awkward phone call to the candidate the next day. Needless to say, he was not invited for an interview.

The Jack of All Trades Resumes that lack focus are big losers. Tey include mentions of membership in seven different clubs without a leadership position in any of them; experience in five industries in the past four years; and knowledge of marketing, sales, manufacturing, finance, and information systems. Right. Why don’t such people just start their own consulting firms?

Chek You’re Speling ypos won’t always get you thrown into the circular, but why take the risk? Our insiders said one typo wouldn’’t disqualify wouldn disqualify a candidate, candidate, but several several typos typos probably would. On the other hand, any typo is a good enough reason to nix a candidate and, depending on the reader’s mood and level of patience, a typo might be just the excuse needed to whittle down that pile. Use your spell checker, but also be sure to proofread carefully. Spell checkers won’t catch homonyms (there vs their) or misused contractions (your vs you’re, it’s vs its, etc.). Certainly, the spell check function won’t pick up mistakes in the name of the company or the recruiter! If you catch a recruiter on a bad ba d day, day, your outdated references to Booz, Allen & Hamilton (instead of Booz Allen Hamilton) might tip the scale ever-sosubtly against you. Consultants are a notoriously detailoriented bunch, and a seemingly minor glitch might call your own attention to detail into question. Have a friend or two read through your resume before you send it out.

BUZZWORD ALERT! While you need to sound business-savvy and up to date when you describe your experience and abilities, it’s critical that you avoid banal buzzwords and incomprehensible jargon. Good, Solid Terms These words (and their variations) are specific and quantitative without being too technical, and imply worthy accomplishments. result measure, measurement yield model analyze forecast manage conduct lead implement process percent, percentage revenue create Use with Caution These terms often tip off a reader that the writer is trying to puff, embellish, or add gloss. consult sophisticated complex strategy strategy,, strategic liaison successful facilitate recommend assist work with co-anything Avoid These Completely These words have become practically meaningless through overuse, or they were never real words to begin with. Either way, you can be sure that they’ll seem “wrong” to at least one reader. Our recommendation: Avoid them. re-engineering change management value chain incentivize methodological any Harvard Business Review buzzword more than a year old













RESUMES REVIEWED RESUME 1 › BY HIS POIN you should have a pretty good idea of how a consulting firm handles its resumes, and you should have started thinking about how to present your own qualifications. However, the final step remains: sitting down and writing your own resume. o illustrate many of the points we have offered so far, and to help you along the way, we’ve included nine real resumes from aspiring consultants (changing the names and revealing information to protect the guilty). Our selection includes an assortment of people from different backgrounds. We asked our consulting insiders for their thoughts on how these volunteers could improve their self-presentation for the consulting screen. Tese are the suggestions that resulted (including some direct quotes from recruiters).

MBA WITH TRADITIONAL BUSINESS BACKGROUND From Drowning in Excess… See the numbered items on the resume on pages 27 & 28: 1.If this information is truly important, put it in the cover letter or “Additional Information” section. 2. This information should be omitted if you’re sending your resume to a recruiter i n the United States. 3. This list is suspiciously long; it should be pruned and moved to the “Additional Information” section. 4. This section should come after “Experience,” since that is more impressive. 5. In general: switch to active voice, shorten by hitting the highlights, rewrite to mention results and avoid laundry lists of duties. 6. What does this mean and why is it relevant? 7. Be specific: How big a budget?


8. Managed what size staff? 9. Raised how much capital? Turned a profit in how long? 10. Resulting in what cost reduction annually? 11. Managed how many people with what results?



12. So what? 13. Again, so what? 14. Pick one or two of these; which are most important to you?

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Name Address Telephone T elephone

GRANT, Andrew Wesley 27 Ridge View Way, Wellington, New Zealand (Wk) 821 1234 5991 (Hm) 821 1234 2117 (Mobile) 0419 1234 882

Nationality Work Permits Permits

Australian and British Australian European Union, USA, Australia, New Zealand

Age Experience Family

32 15 years work experience, including five internationally Married with two children

Interests

Chess, Classical Guitar, Piano, Yoga, Skiing, Running, Photog Photography, raphy, Current Affairs, Travel and the Internet



EDUCATION

MBA (Technology) (Technology) – Auckland Business School, University of Auckland (Studying part time, working working full time. 15 out of 20 subjects completed. GP GPA:>78%) A:>78%) BA (Economics) – Royal Military College, Westland University High School Certificate – Peninsula Grammar School, Auckland EMPLOYMENT 2009–Current Position Experience

2008-Current Position Experience


Selecta Multimedia Pty Pty.. Ltd. Marketing Manager (Full Time Consultant) Electronic Commerce • Complete marketing responsibility for new product development in the area of Electronic Payments Payments via the Internet, cable, mobile, and basic telephony: market/industry market/ind ustry research, market segmentation and sizing, focus g roup selection and brief, positioning, branding, pricing, and promotion. promotion. Tool Toolss used include sophisticated database and mapping techniques. Ongoing negotiation and development of channels, registration processes, and customer care • Development and successful presentation of the Business Case and Marketing Strategy for Australian and South East Asian markets • Determination and management of budgets • Management of cross functional team of 8 • Provision of technical / systems consultancy in areas of encryption, the Internet, business system requirements and security • Developed object oriented model and new Internet based prototype for product conceptualisation • Conclusion / ongoing negotiations with New Zealand financial institutions/ba institutions/banks, nks, merchants and corporates, as well as (geographically dispersed) internal development team, systems integrators and suppliers


National Internet Pty Pty.. Ltd. National Internet Service Provider: Dial-up Dial-up,, Web Authoring, Consultancy Founder and Managing Director • Equity position and startup of a national Internet Service business, employing three Directors and four staff • Providing local dial up access nationally nationally,, LAN connectivity connectivity,, web authoring, data base design and business strategy (Internet) consultancy services • Servicing consumers, small business and corporates in every mainland state • Developed Business Plan, Technol Technology ogy and Marketing Strategies • Generated profit within 18 months • Raised venture capital • Setup national inbound/outbound telemarketi telemarketing ng and customer care centers • Prepared and implemented national advertising strategy (print and radio) • Concluded negotiations for sales and service channel with partner companies in Sydney,, Perth and Canberra Sydney



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Killer Cover Letters & Resumes: Consulting 2005–2008 Position Experience


2003–2005


Position Experience


2002–2003 Position Experience



Jervis Partners Pty. Ltd. Commodity Traders – Precious and Non-Ferrous Metals (Famil (Family’s y’s business) Manager – Commodities Trading and Risk Management • Responsible for commodity trading in London / North American markets, and foreign exchange risk management • Negotiated international sales purchase agreements (import and export) • Identified new markets for buying selling of commodities globally globally,, resulting in a 15% increase in profits • Managed team of 5 • Managed all commodity shipments internationally • Developed sophisticated financial and scenario modelling to tight deadlines First Boston Bank Systems Accountant Corporate Operating Services • Successful specification, development and implementation of Management and Executivee Information Systems for European operations – within budget and on time Executiv • Managed team of 5 • Reported to London and New York

2001 to 2002

Financial Services – Management Accountant, London Largest U.K. retail chain; 60,000 staff, £1.6 billion turnover • Reporting to Director of Finance (Credit Cards): • Management accounting: monthly monthly,, quarterly quarterly,, year end • Profitability Profitability,, bad debt, variance, cash flow and cross spend analysis

1999 to 2001

Baden Business Publications – Trainee Financial Accountant, London German publishing company; 11,000 staff; £1.1 billion turnover, top ten worldwide • Financial accounting: monthly monthly,, quarterly quarterly,, and year end • Monthly variance analysis and presentation to publishers and senior management • Trial Balance • Also worked/t worked/trained rained in litigation, credit control, purchase/sales ledger, payroll, and cashiers departments

1998

— Underg raduate Trainee, Trainee, Auckland (Part Time) National New Zealand Bank — • Trained in Loan, Securities, Customer Service and Cashiers departments

1995 to 1997

Staff Cadet, Royal Military College, Westland Westland — Staff • Third youngest cadet to be accepted at Australia’s Australia’s most prestigious Officer Military Academy

OTHER 2009–Current 2009–2010


Selecta Corporation New Zealand telecommunicat telecommunications ions company company,, $15 billion turnover; 70,000 staff Senior Business Analyst (Full Time Consultant) Corporate Systems and Processes, Corporate Finance • Successful identification of firmwide work flow and business process redesign opportunities • Responsible for development of Business Cases in consultation with senior management at national level level for a number of applications • Successful development and implementati implementation on of associated business requirements, functional specifications, specifications, test strategies and training in support of identified business process redesign opportunities • Prime focus on budget and forecasting Management and Executiv Executivee Information Systems and processes across Selecta • Successfully performed complex financial analysis for senior management and Selecta Board – affecting balance sheet • Managed numerous teams across software development life cycle

1997/98 1994/95 1994 1994 1992–94 28

Elected and actively contributing to Board of Management Synagogue Elected and actively contributed to Student Council Auckland Business School, University of Auckland Backpacked Backpack ed through North Africa, East, Central and West Europe Member of two month Middle East study tour (Israel, Golan, Sinai, West Bank) Bank) Completed High School Certificate at age 16 Member of School Debating and Chess Teams – reached State Finals Attended several Outward Outward Bound Expeditions Expeditions







Continue to page 30 for the revision.






RESUME 1: REVISED S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T

MBA WITH TRADITIONAL BUSINESS BACKGROUND …To Focused and Relevant Our rewrite focuses on Andrew’s most recent experience and mentions only his most significant responsibilities and accomplishments. We used the active voice to create a more compelling and less narrative tone, dumped the hyperbole, and scaled way back on extraneous information. The result is a resume that shows evidence of the basic consulting skills (leadership potential, analytical skills, and some level of academic achievement), highlights entrepreneurial experience and specific accomplishments, and shows experience leading teams, analyzing data, and bringing about change in an organization. Andrew now has a strong, balanced resume.



You can see it on the next page.




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Andrew Wesley Wesley Grant 27 Ridge View Way Wellington, Wel lington, New Zealand Telephone (Wk) 821 1234 5991 5991 (Hm) 821 1234 2117 (Mobile) (Mobile) 0419 1234 882


EXPERIENCE 2009–Current

2008–Current

2003–2005

1990–1992

Selecta Multimedia Pty Pty.. Ltd. New Zealand telecommunications company, $15 billion turnover; 70,000 staff Marketing Manager, Electronic Commerce • Managed all marketing for new products involving involving electronic payments via the Internet, cable, mobile, and basic telephony. Conducted market/industry research, analyzed segments and size, and set up focus groups, positioning, branding, pricing, and promotion strategies. • Developed business case and marketing strateg y for Australian and South East Asian markets. markets. The plan was approved and implemented, resulting in an initial market share capture of 15%. • Managed $500,000 budget. • Managed cross-functional team of eight.


National Internet Pty Pty.. Ltd. National Internet service company providing dial-up dial-up,, Web-authoring, and consultancy services. Founder and Managing Director • Founded and managed national national Internet service provider serving more than 5,000 consumer and business accounts. • Developed and implemented technology and marketing strategies, negotiating contracts with partner companies. • Raised $500,000 in venture capital and generated profit within 18 months.


Selecta Corporation Senior Business Analyst, Corporate Systems and Processes, Corporate Finance • Developed business cases for new IT systems proposals in consultation with senior national management. • Identified and wrote associated business requirements, functional specifications, test strategies and training programs in support of business process redesign opportunities resulting in a cost reduction of $50,000 annually. annually. • Performed complex financial analysis for senior management and Selecta Board, which resulted in changes to the balance sheet. • Managed three teams across software development life cycle to deliver projects on time and on budget.


Jervis Partners Pty Pty.. Ltd. Commodity Traders – Precious and Non-Ferrous Metals Manager – Commodities Trading and Risk Management • Identified new markets for buying and selling of commodities globally globally,, resulting in a 15% increase in profits. • Managed team of five.


EDUCATION

MBA (Technology) (Technology) – Auckland Business School, University of Auckland (Studying part-time, working full-time. full-time. 15 out of 20 subjects completed.) BA (Economics) – Royal Military College, Westland University 1998 OTHER

Member of synagogue board of management. Elected to Student Council, Auckland Business School, University University of Auckland. Interested in chess, classical guitar, current affairs, and the Internet.


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RESUME 2 S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T

MBA WITH TRADITIONAL BUSINESS BACKGROUND From Poorly Quantified Achievements… See the numbered items on the resume on page 33. 1. Who? How big?


2. What’s your role? 3. What’s the result? 4. Conducted? Attended? 5. To do what? 6. What was your role? What was the outcome?


7. Second-tier school—need to see some academic strength here. 8. How selected? 9. Big or small? How many students? 10. Top percent of class? “Gerard’s background probably has many of the elements we’d look for, but I don’t get the feeling he’d be a good consultant because there is no indication that he’s strived for measured results in his professional endeavors,” one reviewer tells us. Another cautions, “Without a degree at a top school, he’d need outstanding experience to pass the screen at our firm, and this candidate just doesn’t have it. He might be suitable for one of our European offices.” The truth isn’t always pretty, but you need someone to give you the straight scoop! The format of Gerard’s resume is excellent: dates on the left, logical sequencing,, companies and titles clearly indicated, and concise bullets. sequencing But the sentence structure for the bullets should be parallel—each sentence should start with an active verb. In addition, there’s no evidence of academic achievement.




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GERALD MAILLAND 306 Green Road Tel. (Home): 901 555 1821 Rochester, NY 27410 Tel. (Work): 901 555 3000 Email: [email protected] Experience Aug. 2010 to date

OMNI SURGICAL, S.A. Research Analyst – New Markets

ROCHESTER, ROCHESTE R, NY

• Mexico and Central America Given the task to develop a market penetration strategy and its implementation implementation.. Establishing an office in Mexico. Selection of potential distributors distributors.. • Medical Device Product Manager Identified a new market and assessed its possibilities possibilities.. Presented the project to the CEO and the Holding Company Director. Led the product development team and carried out its market entry with the Regional Sales Manager. • Traini Training ng at European offices in France and the Netherlands Netherlands.. Jan.– June 2009

J. WALTER WALTER THOMPSON LATIN AMERICA AMERICA MEXICO D.F., D.F., MEXICO Marketing Analyst – GENERAL GENERAL MILLS account • Analysis of General Mills’s allocation of advertising resources throughout Latin America. • Created a P&L program and a database for the eight Latin American subsidiaries subsidiaries.. • Proposal on chocolate Ready to Eat Cereal’ Cereal’ss segment. • Research on media analysis and planning. • Presentations to General Mills’s executives after internal review with the account Vice President.

Summer 2008

OMNI SURGICAL, S.A. Intern – Controller’ Controller’ss department • Assisted in the development of a valuation tool for contracts. • Developed a valuatio valuation n approach for export contracts. • Corrected the control method of export margins. • Executed a valuati valuation on of total sales & rentals and related analysis.

Summer 2007

ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE BORDEAUX, FRANCE Intern – Controller’ Controller’ss department • Forecast analysis of the electric utility market in South West France. • Updated the “Report on External and Internal Diagnosis of the Company Company.” .”

Education 2008-2009

2006–2008

2005–2006 2004–2005

PARIS, PA RIS, FRANCE

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY WASHINGTON, WASHINGT ON, D.C. Master of Business Administrat Administration, ion, Class of 2010. Concentration in Global Marketing and Entrepreneurship. One out of the two first students jointly sponsored by ESLSCA and GMU to attend Graduate School. NOTRE DAME BUSINESS SCHOOL PARIS, FRANCE Business degree, December 2009, International Business. Ski team captain, co-creator of the baseball team. A.I.E.S.E A.I.E.S.E.C. .C. member. Organizer of “International Week” welcoming East European business students. LEROI PREPARATOR PREPARATORY Y BUSINESS SCHOOL Co-creator and editor of the school’s newspaper. newspaper. EXCHANGE STUDENT, REDMOND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

BORDEAUX, FRANCE MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Graduated class of 2005. Academic Achievement Award Award.. Language Skills Computer Personal

Fluent French and English, proficient Spanish, started Japanese. IBM compatible systems, Microsoft Office, Netscape. Programming in Turbo Pascal. Special interest in Latin America and Asia. Backpack Backpacked ed through Central and South America.











MBA WITH TRADITIONAL BUSINESS BACKGROUND …To Well-Specified Strengths Our revision requires that Gerard put some thought into how to quantify his accomplishments. This doesn’t have to entail numbers, but he must show that he’s tracking his performance somehow. His strengths include a solid international background, good research and analytical skills, marketing knowledge, and lots of experience developing proposals, which comes in handy in consulting during business development pushes. He needs to showcase these strengths if he wants a chance at an interview. The resume on the next page provides a clear example of how to do this. In addition to improving his resume with quantitative results, Gerard will probably need to take other steps to successfully secure an interview for a consulting position. To start, he should contact alums from his business school, set up informational interviews with them, and really seek to understand the industry and the players. He may want to target some boutique firms that would value his language skills and international experience. One possibility would be to consider firms that focus on providing advice about Latin America. Alternatively, Gerard might have better luck approaching firms with an interest in Latin American markets, especially in the consumer goods industry. Finally, because his resume doesn’t jump out of the stack, Gerard will want his story down cold about why he wants to work for a particular company and what he can bring to it that is unique.






34



GERALD MAILLAND 306 Green Road Tel. (Home): 901 555 1821 Rochester, NY 27410 Tel. (Work): 901 555 3000 Email: [email protected] Experience Aug. 2010 2010 to date

Jan. to June 2009

OMNI SURGICAL , S.A. Rochester,, NY Rochester (Surgical equipment manufacturer—$55 million, sales) Research Analyst — New Markets • Conducted a detailed study of the medical device market in Mexico. Managed a two-month research effort, including surveys, interviews and customer visits. • Identified a new $10 million market, and drafted and presented a market penetration strategy to CEO. • Led five-person product development team and implemented market entry strategy with Regional Sales Manager. • Established a new three-person office in Mexico City City.. • Identified eight potential distributors and negotiated distribution agreements. J. WALTER WALTER THOMPSON THOMPSON LATIN AMERICA AMERICA Mexico D.F., Mexico Marketing Analyst — GENERAL MILLS account • Analyzed effectiveness of General Mills’s $25 million Latin America advertising budget, and proposed reallocation of one-third of budget to higher value channels. channels. • Created the first standard P&L worksheet covering eight Latin American subsidiaries subsidiaries,, which improved cash forecasting capabilities capabilities,, and allowed office-by-office profit analysis. • Proposed a brand extension strategy for the chocolate Ready to Eat cereal market, which for med the basis of new product development efforts. • Made regular presentations about business unit performance to executive committee.

Summer 2008

OMNI SURGICAL, S.A. Paris, France Intern — Controller’s Department • Devised a valuati valuation on tool to analyze lifetime cost of manufacturing equipment contracts and maintenance. • Developed a valuati valuation on system for export contracts that captured exchange rate fluctuations. • Improved the system for estimating and setting export contract profit hurdles.

Summer 2007

ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE ELECTRICITE Bordeaux, France Intern — Controller’s Department • Forecasted electricity electricity demand in Southwest France as a basis for bringing on additional generating capacity. • Researched company’ company’ss internal structure and external market position, and revised the standard company operating procedures manual used by 75,000 employees.

Education 2008–2009

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSI UNIVERSITY TY Master of Business Administration, Class of 2010 Concentrating on Global Marketing and Entrepreneurship. One of only two students to qualify, qualify, based on 3.8 GPA in first term, for Graduate School sponsorship from ESLSCA and GMU.

Washington, D.C.

2006–2007

NOTRE DAME BUSINESS SCHOOL Bachelor of Business, December 2008, International Business. Ski team captain, co-creator of the baseball team. A.I.E.S.E.C. member. member. Organized “International Week Week”” welcoming Eastern Eastern European students. students.

Paris, France

2005–2006

LEROI PREPARATORY BUSINESS SCHOOL Co-creator and editor of the school newspaper. newspaper.

Bordeaux, France

2004–2005

EXCHANGE STUDENT EXCHANGE STUDENT,, REDMOND SR. H.S. Graduated in top 5% of class and won Academic Achievement Award. Award.

Minneapolis, MN

Other

Fluent in French and English, proficient in Spanish, starting Japanese.











MBA WITH SMALL COMPANY EXPERIENCE A Model of Excellence… “Robert’s resume is a very easy read. Even at first glance he looks like a strong candidate. We like to see a high GPA like his, especially when he’s from a less well-known school. And the fact that he’s achieved a lot in both entrepreneurial and corporate settings indicates that he’d do well at our firm and with a variety of clients.” Even though most of Robert’s experience is at a small, unknown company, the explanation of his role, work performed, results achieved, and career progression is so clear and thoughtful that the company becomes almost irrelevant. Would it be stronger if his experience were at Intel? Maybe, but then we’d wonder why he went to business school at all…. He has clearly described his role and neatly summarized his responsibilities at the top of each section. The points in the bullets illustrate specific, quantified results achieved through research, analysis, and modeling. In addition, Robert gives examples of team involvement, management experience, and leadership potential through his summer employment and activities.




1. He should lead with his experience, since that is his strength. 2. Move the dates to the left margin under experience so that they don’t become lost in the locations.



3. Add a location for the GE experience.

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ROBERT A. MacPHERSON 422 Applegate Blvd., #633 Pittsburgh, Pittsburg h, PA 15102 (412) 555-5566 E-mail: [email protected]

EDUCATION:

EXPERIENCE:: EXPERIENCE

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY Candidate for MBA Degree to be awarded June 2012 GPA: 3.92

Pittsburgh, PA

BATES COLLEGE B.A., Histor History, y, June 2004 National Merit Scholar

Lewiston, ME



MARKETING ASSOCIATE November 2009–present GE – Health Care Division Work directly with technical and marketing professionals in the design and strategic positioning of high-tech surgical products. • Co-leader of project team that is developing a surgical product to be used in image-guided neuro-surgery. My role is to perform strategic market analysis, work directly directly with endusers to identify key product attributes, and implement global product roll-out. Work ork directly with global product manager and European and Asian marketing marketing managers • W as lead analyst on long-term, world-wide product strategy. strategy. Responsible for identifying global competitive threats and oppor tunities, evaluating evaluating regional and local market trends, and making recommendations for systematic market penetration.


GENERAL MANAGER October 2006–July 2009 Delivery Express St. Louis, Missouri Developed strategic systems and managed day-to-day operations for $1.1 million same-day delivery firm. • Instituted changes within the firm which directly led to sales growth from $250,000 to over $1 million in less than three years. • Performed market price analysis and customer price elasticity study to determine optimal service pricing and employee compensation levels. levels. Persuaded company president to make make changes to these systems that generated 10% increase in net revenue and 80% increase in net profit. • Created logistical model for customer-specific delivery systems that was initially applied to two accounts that totaled totaled 5% of net income. The increased efficiency from this model delivered a 30% increase in net profit while g enerating 66% improvement in customers’ ability to meet critical critical time parameters. parameters. Model was subsequently applied to all accounts in scheduled scheduled delivery division. Worked orked directly with client team from a chemical chemical supply firm to customize distribution • W system. This required careful process mapping, rationalization rationalization of service options, and creation of a pull-through vendor-managed delivery delivery system. This system eliminated product delivery delays and reduced order cycle times to less than 24 hours while reducing the customers’ costs by over 15%. • Used multiple regression analysis to model optimal staff levels and strategically target recruiting efforts. Process rationalization rationalization reduced contractor turnover turnover by 50% and recruiting costs by over 70%.



MANAGER, BICYCLE DIVISION September 2004– October 2006 Delivery Express St. Louis, Missouri Directed day-to-da day-to-dayy operations of twenty bicycle messengers and two dispatchers dispatchers.. • Instituted performance standard measurement tools that defined expectations for back-office staff based on analytical performance measures. quantitative goals for critical ser vice parameters. • Used competitive benchmarking to establish quantitative Achieved unprecedented 99.6% 99.6% on-time delivery delivery rate for bicycle division. ACTIVITIES President, CMU MBA Association (May 2010 – May 2011) AND HONORS: Co-Founder and Chair, Chair, CMU Consulting Club (September 2009) Team T eam Leader, CMU Volunteer Consulting Project (September 2009 – January 2010) Finalist, “Most Valuable Student Award” – Nominated by peers (May 2010)


37





MBA WITH NONTRADITIONAL BUSINESS BACKGROUND From Prolific Prose… This list references the numbered items on the facing page: 1. Lose this entire section. Doesn’t add value.


2. Second-tier school; don’t focus here first. 3. This will barely make it. 4. What is this? Was he working while going to school? 5. Not good enough to include.


6. Good! Uses active voice and gives results. 7. Bullets, please! Does he expect me to read this entire paragraph word-for-word? 8. Too much info, most of it unhelpful. 9. Nice, but you’re not going to be touring Spain during client travel assignments.


10. Why total? As opposed to 4 years not totaled? 11. Yes, we assume this if you’re interested in consulting. Consultants do travel.



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MICHAEL D. NEWMAN 987 Cantilever Court Weston, MA 02123 (508) 555-9021 CAREER SUMMARY

Engineering services and management generalist with over 7 years of experience in a diversified industry industry.. Seeking position as management consultant with emphasis on operations and decision support.

EDUCATION

BABSON COLLEGE Wellesley,, MA Wellesley Graduate School of Business Administration GPA GP A 3.7/4.0 Candidate for Master of Business Administration, May 2011 Charter Member, Part-Time MBA Association OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering

EXPERIEN CE EXPERIENCE 2003 – 2010

Norfolk, VA GPA 3.0/4.0 GPA

NAVAL SHIPYARD NAVAL New London, CT Project Engineer Coordinated contracts and services of seven engineering divisions for over twentyseven projects valued valued at $25.9 million. Compiled, presented, and defended manning and budget proposals for all assigned projects. Led a successful process improvement initiative to double the quality of cost estimates and managed implementation of team recommendations. Oversaw development and maintenance of twenty-three process instructions used to ensure the quality and consistency of engineering services, including process instructions for planning, estimating, and engineering nuclear projects. Developed and maintained a database of manning and budget data for a department of over 400 engineers and technical professionals and utilized this resource to develop departmental budget and staffing plans. Received Outstanding Achievement Award Award for development and presentation of five-year personnel hiring plan. Initiated and participated in development of departmental technical resources management system estimated to reduce engineering cost by $52,000 per year. Developed policy for and maintained functional control control over departmental intranet. Developed process for and maintained functional control control over electronic distribution system for all nuclear process instructions. Lead Instructor, Nuclear Training Developed, coordinated and conducted training program for engineering personnel responsible for directing nuclear reactor systems systems testing for submarines. Oversaw preparation and administration of qualification examinations for a division of over 100 personnel. Testing Support, Nuclear Engineering Wrote technical procedures for and assisted in oversight of on-site post-repair testing of reactor plant systems.

PERSONAL

Skilled in WORD, EXCEL, MINITAB, WORDPERFECT, and POWERPOINT. Skilled in use of decision support programs LINDO and DAT DATA. Working knowledge of PROJECT, PROJECT, VISIO, and FOXPRO. Read/write Spanish, communicate verbally at tourist level. Four years total experience as editor of Mace & Crown and County Dance News. News. Willing to relocate/travel.









Killer Cover Letters & Resumes: Consulting EXPERIENC E EXPERIENCE 2003 – 2010







NAVAL SHIPYARD NAVAL New London, CT Project Engineer Responsible for coordinating contracts, budgets, and services of seven engineering divisions for 27 projects valued at $25.9 million.

• Led a process improvement initiative that doubled the quality of cost estimates, resulting in $2 million annual cost reductions. • Created departmental staffing and budget plans by developing and maintaining a database of manning and budget information for a department of more than 400 professionals. • Earned Outstanding Achievement Award for development and presentation of five-year personnel hiring plan. • Initiated technical resources management system estimated to reduce engineering costs by 12% per year. • Developed policy for and maintained functional control over departmental intranet serving 130 users.

RESUME 4: REVISED

RESUME 5

MBA WITH NONTRADITIONAL BUSINESS BACKGROUND

PHD WITH NON-BUSINESS BACKGROUND

…To Precise Bullets

From “Take My Word for It”…

Above is the edited version of Michael’s most recent experience (bulleted, of course): Michael should add a summary of responsibilities, as we’ve done, making sure that it’s short but captures the essence of his role as project engineer. Note that in describing his accomplishments we omitted some of the fluff words, such as “successful,” and added information on specific results achieved, to clarify Michael’s depth of responsibility. We exchanged the dollar figure for a percent, because 12 percent is more impressive than $52,000 (the loaded equivalent of less than one engineer). Unless the dollar figures for the items on your own resume are very large, we recommend that you use the percentages approach as well.

This list references the numbered items on the facing page: 1. How significant are these? How much money? 2. Indicate skills by showing experience. 3. Good, but how would this be relevant to consulting? 4. Sort of a jumble—need to illustrate with better examples. 5. No clear evidence of achievement, not to mention a very unfortunate typo on the second line. 6. What? This makes me worry that he’ he’d d wax scientific and lose sight of the business fundamentals. 2–6. Combine these sections, make chronological, illustrate work performed and achieved. Overall: Does this guy have enough business knowledge to have an impact on clients? Readers would be skeptical….

40



BRANDON R. SHEA OFFICE: Physics Depar Department tment Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Cambridg e, MA, 02134 617 555 7854


HOME: 245 S. Braithwaite Ave. # 201 Boston, MA 02140 617 555 1244

EDUCATION Ph.D., Physics Harvard University, Cambridg Cambridge, e, MA

Sept. 2005

B.A., Physics (with highest honors) Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH

May 2000


FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS 2009 2009 2007 2005

United States National Science Foundat Foundation, ion, International Fello Fellow w (Japan) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Invitation Fello Fellow w Alton Bergmann Research Publication Award Achievement Research for College Scientists Fello Fellow w

TECHNICAL SKILLS


Analysis of complex data. Numerical modeling. Code development on parallel supercomputers. Extraction of signals from noise. Image processing. Techni Technical cal and proposal writing. Undergraduate instruction (see teaching experience, below). MANAGERIAL AND TEAM EXPERIENCE Supervised MIT Monitor Pulsar Project. Coordinated multi-inst multi-institute itute NASA observing proposals. Served as principal investigator and coinvestigator on successful U.S., U.S., European, and Japanese observing programs. Frequent visits to Japan and Europe for collaborativ collaborativee research and preparation of scientific papers. Supervised graduate and undergraduate undergraduate students. students.


RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW FELLOW,, MIT 2008 to presen presentt RESEARCH ASS OCIATE, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands 2005-2008 RESEARCH ASSISTANT ASSISTANT,, Harvard Universit Universityy and Institute of Space and 2002-2005 Astronautical Science, Frankfurt, Germany Developed computationall computationallyy efficient technique for signal detection with parallel supercomputers. Compiled major review paper on accreting pulsars. Discovered Discovered microsecond time lags in a new coronal diagnostic in binary stars. Developed optimal techniques techniques for measuring time differences between noisy aperiodic signals. Helped develop data acquisition and refrigeration systems of the Harvard neutrino detector.


Initiated and helped coordinate two world-wide astronomical observing campaigns. TEACHING EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE 2010–2011 2011 2005 2000–2001 1998–2000

Mentor, Summer Undergraduate Research Fello Fellowship wship Program, MIT Summer Instructor, Physics Department, Rice University Supervisor and Instructor, Oberlin College Winter Term Project Teaching Teac hing Assistant, Physics Department, Harvard University Tutor,, Physics and Mathematics Departments, Oberlin College Tutor

PERSONAL Engineering Management Certificate, MIT Industrial Relations Office Languages: Japanese, Dutch, and German


41





PHD WITH NON-BUSINESS BACKGROUND …To Bona Fide Experience “Brandon’s experience just doesn’t seem relevant to consulting,” notes one of our reviewers. “I question his ability to add value in a business situation.” This one is a real stretch, but we think there’s hope for Brandon. After all, someone with a PhD in physics has to be smart, right? (Big points for intellectual capacity!) Brandon’s challenge is to beef up the information in the other checklist areas: leadership, record of results, and analytical skills. Brandon’s uncommon background, coupled with a nonstandard resume format, may confuse readers who are used to looking for top schools and GPAs. Brandon should definitely put his resume into the standard three-section format to help reviewers sift through his credentials. We suggest the substantial rework on the following page:






42



BRANDON R. SHEA 245 S. Braithwai Braithwaite te Ave. Ave. #201, Boston, MA 02140 Home: (617) 555–1244 Office: (617) 555–7854 [email protected] Experience 2008 to current

2011

2010

Massachusetts Institute of Tec Technology hnology,, Cambridge, MA Senior Research Fellow project. Managed staff of four analysts. analysts. • Supervised Monitor pulsar project. monitoring campaign, and publishing findings. • Responsible for structuring standard analysis, monitoring • Analyzed very large quantity of data drawn from many sources with significant variabi var iability lity.. Develop Developed ed analysi analysiss techn techniques iques and num numeric erical al models models to illust illustrate rate pro project ject findings. Universityy of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Universit Summer Instructor the curriculum for a three-month class in only one week, cutting cutting the standard • Developed the development time by 70%. student reviews ever received for a scientific class. • Received the highest ratings from student Colton Homeowner’s Associati Association, on, Pasadena, CA Member, Board of Directors of Directors of 100-member homeowner homeowner’s ’s organization. • Elected to Board of Responsible sible for managing $150,000 budget and negotiating contracts. • Respon opportunity for management improvements that resulted in 20% annual • Identified opportunity savings in homeowners’ costs.

2005–2008

University Univers ity of Utrecht, The Netherlands Research Associate computationally efficient technique for signal detection with with parallel • Developed a computationally supercomputers. microsecond time lags in binary stars, and developed developed optimal techniques for • Discovered microsecond measuring time differences between noisy aperiodic signals.

2002–2005

Harvard University, Cambridg Cambridge, e, MA Research Assistant • Promoted from Teaching Assistant. worldwide campaign to observe an astronomical astronomical object. • Initiated worldwide Published four papers that helped solve a long-standing problem related to binary stars. problem • recipient of the Alton Bergmann Research Research Publication Award Award for • Became the youngest recipient excellence in scientific publishing publishing..

Education MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOG TECHNOLOGY Y Cambridge, MA Engineering Management Certificate, 2011. Coursework Coursewo rk included general business and management topics.

Other

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Ph.D., Physics, Septembe Septemberr 2005.

Cambridge, MA

OBERLIN COLLEGE B.A., Physics, with Highest Honors, May 2000.

Oberlin, OH

Fluent in Dutch, Japanese Japanese,, and German. Active swimmer and member of the Harvard cycling team.











BASIC UNDERGRADUATE From Light on Details… This resume would be borderline or outright rejection at most firms—though high grades might entice a reviewer, they aren’t enough…. This list references the numbered items on the facing page:


1. Probably not relevant to consulting, so why add? 2. Good GPA—makes the mark. 3. What kind of company is Webstreet? How big is it?


4. Good. 5. How much money managed? 6. Not necessary. 7. Funny, but offbeat; would go over well in some places, may not at others.




44



NATHAN ROSENBERG 3446 30th Street San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 555-2429 [email protected]

EDUCATION: Dartmouth College, Hanover Hanover,, NH Bachelor of Arts in English, 12/09 12/09 –Substantial additional course work in global environm environmental ental issues –GPA: 3.8



EXPERIENCE: Kidsoft,, San Mateo, CA Kidsoft Technical Writer Technical Writer, 10/10-present –Wrote text for children’s software Webstreet, San Francisco, CA Copywriter/Database Copywriter/Dat abase Editor, 7/10–8/10 –Wrote ad copy for the World Wide Web – Edited FileMaker Pro database


New Hampshire Conference Center, Hanover, NH Dining Room Floor Manager, 4/10–6/10 –Supervised staff of 15 servers and bussers –Managed deluxe meal service to 150 guests Summer Staffer, 6/08–9/08, 6/09–9/09 –Developed and implemented programs for kids’ groups Chacra Millalen, El Hoyo Hoyo,, Argentina Farm Hand, 1/10–2/10 –Tended –Ten ded large, organic, biointensiv biointensivee garden –Prepared meals for 10–20 people The Weekly Review, Amos Tuck Graduate School of Business, Hanover, N.H. Layout Manager, 9/09-12/09 –Duties included copy editing and layout of a bi-weekly newspaper ADDITIONAL INFORMATIO INFORMATION: N: –Published article in Winter ’09 issue of SOMA magazine –Member, Phi Beta Kappa –Fluent in Spanish –Familiar with Macintosh and Windows (proficient on software such as Word, Excel, Photoshop, and FileMa FileMaker ker Pro) –Extensivee volunteer experience with at-risk youth –Extensiv –Can play guitar and harmonica simultaneously








BASIC UNDERGRADUATE …To Materially Convincing Here’s an excerpt demonstrating how we would rewrite several entries from Nathan’s “Experience” section. Through conversations with him we uncovered additional relevant tasks that he had performed while employed at each of these companies, but that he hadn’t believed were important for his resume:






46



10/10–present

Kidsoft, Inc., a $14 million software company Technical T echnical Writer Writer • Wrote text for educational software targeting children. • Evaluated competitive products and created new format for best-of-class documentation in children’s educational game market. • Was named “most valuable team member” by peers for work in communication communic ation and coordination across products.

7/10–8/10

Webstreet, an online e-mail startup Webstreet, Copywriter/Database Copywriter/Da tabase Editor • Created and maintained database to manage manage a dynamic portfolio of product text. • Respo Responsible nsible for writing, reviewing and editing text for more than 30 greeting products products.. • Developed several innovative greeti greeting ng concepts that became profitabl profitablee new product lines.







47





UNDERGRADUATE WITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE From Very Good… This list references the numbered items on the facing page: 1. Needs an email address!


2. Excellent academics—top schools and grades. 3. What has she done related to this? Clubs? Coursework? 4. Use “Experience” instead of “Honors and Activities.”


5. Bullet each of these positions. 6. Move dates to left margin. 7. Many school activities—shows balance, leadership, and initiative. 8. Many honors—sounds good, but is i t real? 9. Delete this and consolidate with the material from the section above.


10. What kind of work? 11. TYPO!! NO-NO!! 12. Not helpful; better to show evidence of these skills through experience. 13. You want to be a typist?



14. Not needed.

48


Amy Y. Y. Chan

Summer address: 1642 Oxford Terrace Palo Alto, CA 94305 (415) 555-5969

Home address: 1465 Kapiolani Blvd, #2222 Honolulu, HI 96817 (808) 555-7854

EDUCATION:

Princeton, n, NJ. NJ. Anticipate Anticipated d BA degree degree,, June 2011. Senior status. Princeton University , Princeto GPA: 3.9/4.0. Double Major: International Relations and American Studies. GPA: Strong interest in Business/Management and Public Policy Policy.. Punahou High School, Honolulu, HI. Graduated May 2007. Valedictorian. GPA: 4.0/4.0. National Merit Scholar. Earned college credit in English, Calculus, GPA: Physics, Spanish. University of Hawaii , Honolulu, HI, Summer 2003 and 2005. GPA: 4.0/4.0. Coursework included Spanish, Honors English Literature and Exposition. GPA: HONORS AND ACTIVITIES: University Undergraduate Student Government , elected Secretary of Class of 2011. Initiated activities to promote class spirit and unity among 1200 undergraduates. Headed publicity committee and facilitated communication with students. President of Volunteer Organization, 2006-07 school year. Coordinated frequent volunteer projects with over 35 community organizations. organizations. Presided at weekly meetings with over 60 students to discuss volunteer opportunities. Honored at Samantha Stone international competition for Service to Community Community.. Honored in 15th Annual Vol Volunteer unteer Service Awards of Honolulu.

Executive Board, 06–07. Commissioner of Community Action Action, Student Government Executive Acting liaison between school and community for all school-wide projects. Head Coordinator of canned food drives drives,, clothing drives drives,, Vol Volunteer unteer Week (school-wide event to promote healthy healthy,, drug-free alternativ alternatives es to substance abuse). Vice-President (2 Years), Spanish Club, 2005–06 and 2006–07 school years. Started organization at school. Planned activiti activities es to promote language and cultural exploration. First Place honors at State Declamation Foreign Language Championships. WORK EXPERIENCE: EXPERIENCE: Communications, San Francisco, Francisco, CA. Summer 2009. Public Relations Intern, Smith Communications, Currently working with Senior Account Executiv Executives es on managing clients specializing in emerging high technology and healthcare areas. Director of Youth Program, Volunteer Center of San Diego. San Diego, CA. 6/08–9/08. Led the start-up and development of a youth volunteer program connecting 50 high schools with community organizations. Entailed Entailed extensive research. Created database of surrounding schools.

West Street Library, Librar y, Wellesley, MA. 9/07–5/08. Library staff , West Managed front desk and circulation records. 2006–07 school years. years. Peer tutor , Honolulu, HI. 2005–06 and 2006–07 Provided private assistance for high school students students..

SMMARY OF SKILLS: –Extensivee experience as Projects Coordinator, with excellent communications skills. –Extensiv –Proficient –Profici ent with MS Word, Excel, WordPerfect, Netscape. Typing speed 80 wpm. –High degree of competency in written and spoken Spanish. –Quick-learning worker with analytical skills and proven leadership capabilities capabilities..

References readily available upon request.












UNDERGRADUATE WITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE …To Nearly Perfect While Amy’s resume is very good, we have a few questions and suggestions. For her experience section, she should select the most important activities and experiences and list them chronologically. We recommend reverse chronological order. She also needs to describe the work she performed as a PR intern. Did she do research, write reports, resolve client issues? The inclusion of her work as director of a youth program is good, but what type of research was conducted? Market research? Competitive research? What kind of database was created and for what purpose? The mention of her experience as a library staff member looks strange because it occurred during the school year in Wellesley, Massachusetts, during what would have been her first year at Princeton. We immediately wonder whether she started out at Princeton, or whether she completed her first year of college at another university. This probably wouldn’t affect the decision to offer an interview, but it is a distraction that would definitely be addressed early in an interview. The rest of the information in the “Work Experience” section can be included elsewhere in the resume or is superfluous. She should move the student government mention to the “Education” section. And if she feels it’s important, she can mention the Foreign Language Championships in the “Other” section, where she talks about her Spanish language competency. The “Summary of Skills” section isn’t necessary for a consulting resume because firms already know what they’re looking for. Including information on standard software packages is unnecessary. Including typing speed is unnecessary unless you’re looking for a position as an assistant rather than a consultant. Amy says she’s a quick study, and we’ll take her word for it because of her grades. But she also claims to have analytical skills, although there is no evidence in the resume of how or when they’ve been used.






50



A MY Y . CHAN MY Y [email protected] [email protected] PRESENT ADDRESS: 1642 Oxford Terrace, Palo Alto, CA 94305; (415) 555-5969 HOME ADDRESS: 1465 Kapiolani Blvd., #2222, Honolulu, HI 96817; (808) 555-7854


EDUCATION

Princeton University Princeton, NJ International Relations Relations and American American GPA: GP A: 3.9 B.A. expected June 2011. Double major in International Studies. Extensive Extensive coursework (approximat (approximately ely 15 credits each) in Business/Management and Public Policy departments. Secretary Secr etary of Class of 2011. Elected by peers to plan activities that promote class spirit and unity among 1200 undergraduates. Head publicity committee to promote major class events. •

•

•

Punahou High School valedictorian. n. National Merit Scholar. Earned college credit in Graduated May 2007. Class valedictoria English, Calculus, Physics, and Spanish.


Honolulu, HI GPA: GP A: 4.0

WORK E EXPERIENCE

Smith Communications San Francisco, CA Public Relations Intern Summer 2009 to present Work with senior account executives to manage relationships with clients in emerging high technology and healthcare industries. industries. Assist with the writing, editing, production, and distribution of press materials, including press releases and fact sheets. Conduct account-related account-related research and compiled ndings into complete coverage reports. Develop and maintain media lists and editorial calendars. Collaborate with ofce staff to devise publicity strategy and coordinate publicity logistics for major client events.


•

•

• • •

Volunteer Center Volunteer Center of San Diego San Diego, CA Director of Yout Youth h Programs Summer of 2008 Led the start-up and development of a youth volunteer program that connects 50 high schools with community organizations in need of volunteers volunteers.. Conducted extensive research to identify participating community organizations, interview organizations’ leadership, and determine their most immediate volunteer needs. Created a comprehensive database of area schools that enabled program to effectively match student volunteers and community groups.


•

•

•

West Street Library Wellesley,, MA Wellesley Library Libra ry Staff September 2007 to May 2008 Managed front desk and circulation records. Wellesley, MA: worked an Worked part time while completing rst year of college in Wellesley, average of 10–15 hours per week while maintaining a full course load. •


•

PERSONAL

High degree of competency in written and spoken Spanish (founded high school Spanish club; received rst place honors at State Declamation Foreign Language Championships, 2007). (president of high school volunteer Demonstrated interest in community service initiatives (president organization; honored at 15th Annual Volunteer Awards Awards of Honolulu).

•

•


51





UNDERGRADUATE WITH SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND From Untailored… This list references the numbered items on the facing page: 1. Relevant? Depends on desired type of consulting.


2. Bullets would make this easier to read. 3. Not clear how significant these research projects are. 4. Analytical? Theoretical? What types of techniques?


5. Is this a team experience? 6. Move together—delete a space. 7. Good—tells us she’s not just science-oriented, has a sense of humor; shows critical balance. 8. Funny! Christine’s resume indicates decent academic achievement in a competitive major usually frequented by pre-meds. Her standardized test scores show that she’s not just a science geek. Her experience is very science-focused so she’ll need to clarify her roles in terms that are appealing to consultants. In all fairness, however, undergraduates aren’t expected to have nearly the business experience or acumen expected of MBAs and experienced hires.




52



Christine Elaine DeMichele [email protected] Present Address Mather House #421 Cambridge, Cambridg e, MA 02138 (617) 555–5596

Permanent Address 1263 33rd Ave. San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 555–1258

EDUCATION

Massachusetts.. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts Candidate for B.S. in Biological Sciences, June 2011 –Overall GPA GPA 3.74/4.0 SAT Math 740 Verbal 710 –Presidential Scholar Scholar (one of 68 for the Class of 2011). –Selected coursework includes: includes: computer programming, computer consulting, and statistics. statistics. Rockridge High School, San Francisco, California. Graduated in June 2007. EXPERIENCE Department of Biological Sciences, Sciences, Harvard College. 1/11–present, 1/10–6/10 Biology 201 and 202 Senior Course Assistant: Assistant: Supervise a weekly 5-hour core experimental laboratory laboratory course on plant physiology and animal behavior, respectively. respectively. Deliver weekly 45-minute 45-minute lecture/slide show,, help students design and r un experiments, and teach students statistics and analysis of observed show data sets. sets. Also, serve as mentor and and advisor to select group of students students.. (This course is required for all biology majors at Harvard College.) Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical Center. 4/10–9/10 Undergraduate Researcher: Worked Worked on an independent project involving the production and characterization characterizati on of polyclonal antibodies. antibodies. Utilized molecular molecular biology techniques. Brainstormed various methods to bypass problems with past experimental protocols. Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center , Boston, MA. 6/09–9/09 Researcher: Studied complications complications of diabetes mellitus at Mass General, concentrating concentrating on the eye. My project involved involved studying the effects of glucose concentration on pericyte growth. Assisted other lab members in carrying out experiments. Exxon Chemical Company, Houston, Texas. 6/08–9/08 Process Technician: Technician: Conducted bench-scale polymerization polymerization runs and polyester recycling studies. Data entry and analysis. 6/07–9/07 polymer characterization characterization tests tests.. Assisted with with Analytical Laboratory Assistant: Conducted polymer implementation implementati on of new test procedures. procedures. Data entry. entry. RELATED ACTIVITIES Computer Lab, Harvard College Spring 2010 Computer Consultant Intern: Assisted members of the Harvard community with computer-related problems in a Macintosh-based computer cluster. The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College. 1/2009–2/10 Columnist: Co-created and co-wrote “The Daily Grind,” a satirical column that depicted the lives of five college students as they searched for good grades, romance, and some sort of explanation for why they were getting neither. Harvard Hotline, Harvard College 2007–2008 Peer Counselor: Fielded phone calls from members of the Harvard community who were upset, depressed, or just needed someone to talk to.











UNDERGRADUATE WITH SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND …To Consulting-Friendly In the revision on the opposite page, we’ve tried to explain what Christine has done in terms relevant to consulting. We’ve used bullets, of course, to enable the reader to zero in on some of her achievements. And we’ve sprinkled in some of our preferred terms in places where her experience allows for it. The activitie activitiess mentioned in the “Related Activities” section provide a critical balance to our view of Christine as a very scientific, analytical person. We might wonder about her ability to operate in a team environment, to work with people, and to think creatively. With the addition of her experience as a columnist, which is very cleverly described, as well as her role as a peer counselor, we can assume that she has at least the minimum necessary people skills.






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CHRISINE ELAINE DEMICHELE CDEMICHELE�FAS.HARVARD.EDU

PRESEN ADDRESS MAHER HOUSE #421 CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 �617� 555�5596

HOME address 1263 33rd Avenue San Francisco, CA 94123 �415� 555-1258

EDUCATION H ARV ARVARD ARD UNIVERSITY

Cambridge, MA Candidate for B.S. in Biological Sciences, June 2011. Extensive coursework in computer


•

programming, computer consulting, and statistics.

GPA: 3.74 Named a Presidential Scholar (one of 68) for class of 2011. Selection based on academic

•

achievement, leadership, and service to the community. ORK E W ORK E XPERIENCE

Department of Biological Sciences, Harvard College Cambridge, MA Senior Course Assistant, Biology 201 (plant physiology) and Biology 202 (animal behavior) January 2011 to present; January 2010 to June 2010 Supervise a weekly 5-hour core experimental laboratory course se quence required of


•

all biology majors at Harvard College.

Prepare and deliver a weekly 45-minute lecture and slide show on course material. Assist students with the design and execution of laboratory experiments. each statistical analysis of observed data sets to help students interpret outcomes. Provide mentoring and academic advising services to select group of students.

•

• • •

Department of Dermatology Dermatology,, Harvard Medical Center Cambridge, MA Undergraduate Researcher, focused on production of polyclonal antibodies April 2010 to September 2010 Developed and structured an independent project to identify the characterization of •

polyclonal antibodies.


Used molecular biology techniques to collect and analyze data. Identified problems with past experimental protocols and developed new methods

• •

that resulted in more accurate and reliable experimentation.

Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center Boston, MA Researcher,, focusing on complications of diabetes mellitus, concentrating on the eye Researcher June 2009 to September 2009 Formed hypotheses, developed research methodology, and conducted tests to identify •

the effects of glucose concentration on pericyte growth.

Measured results of tests to prove hypotheses and draw relevant conclusions. Acted as a team member at large, assisting other team members on experiments as needed.

• •


CTIVITIES A CTIVITIES

Computer Consultant Intern, Harvard College Assisted members of the Harvard community with computer problems in a Macintosh-

Spring 2010

based computer cluster. January 2009 to February 2010 Te Harvard Crimson Columnist, Harvard College Co-created and co-wrote “The Daily Grind,” a satirical column that depicted the lives of ve college students as they searched for good grades, romance, and some sort of explanation as to why they were ge tting neither.

Harvard Hotline Peer Counselor, Harvard College Fielded phone calls from members of the Harvard community who were upset, depressed,

2007–2008

or just needed someone to talk to.







COLLEGE GRAD WITH CEO EGO From Cocky… This list references the numbered items on the facing page: 1. Very strong academics.


2. Move dates to left colu mn, under “Experience” to show chronology chronology.. 3. Including emptying the trash every evening? 4. Good—very results-oriented. 5. Define success.


6. Is this a soap opera or a resume? Consistent use of melodramatic terms is distracting and unprofessional. 7. Typo! 8. Good, quantified. 9. Innovative.


10. A long time ago…probably not that important anymore. Why is he clinging to the past with so many more recent accomplishments?

“This resume is a great example of someone who thinks extremely highly of himself,” says one of our reviewers. “The way it’s worded shouts, ‘Me, Me, Me!’ I’m immediately concerned that this person, although very accomplished, isn’t a team player and would not collaborate well with clients.” Although this is a strong resume as far as accomplishments go, we agree with this consultant that Richard’s ego comes across as



56


too forceful. Confidence is a good thing, but boastfulness is a problem. We’ve underlined and boxed the language that is particularly suggestive of an enormous ego. We suggest that Richard tone it down and make a few layout changes. To make it easier to track his tenure at Clorox, we suggest that he move the dates to the left side of the page and mention the company name only once, at the top. His rapid career progression is impressive and should be highlighte highlighted. d. In addition, he should move his state student award to the education section, where readers look for academic achievement. We caution against touting the awards earned in high school (and we’ve left it out of our rewrite), but if he can’t resist, he should include them in the activities section or under the high school mention. To change the tone, we suggest eliminating the words “my” and “personally.” Since this is his resume, we know it’s what he did; otherwise it wouldn’t be included. Other ways to alter the tone include eliminating words that don’t add meaning, such as “superior,” “significant,” and “successful.” For example, “Developed a superior media plan” should be illustrated through the results of cutting 25 percent from the budget. We don’t need Richard’s opinion that his plan is superior. Richard’s resume would be stronger and much less irksome to a consultant reviewer if he stuck to his results, which are significant, and spared us the hype. His efforts to convince management of their mistakes might be a good learning experience to discuss in an interview, but such a mention on the resume raises red flags.

Richard M. Corbin EDUCATION


18 Elm Street; Branford, CT 02130; (222)555–4005

Princeton, Princeton, NJ – Earned B.A. in English in May 2008. GPA GPA:: 3.9/4.0 – Graduated magna cum laude and with distinction from the English Department. – Elected to Phi Beta Kappa after junior year (awarded to top 5% of class). – Test Test scores: GMA GMAT—750; T—750; SAT—760M, SAT—760M, 660/v; Math I—800; Math Math II—800


Fieldview High School, Branford, CT – Graduated 1st in a class of 253 in June 2004. GPA: 4.00/4.00 4.00/4.00

2011 1 EXPERIENCE Assistant Brand Manager, CLOROX, September 2010 – June 201 • Led every aspect of a International food product launch ($65 million annual sales potential). – Created marketing plans which improved US project’s project’s NPV +92%, Profit Profit +22%, and Volume +20%. – Developed new TV ads with +49% higher trial potential than the the strongest previously developed ads. – Developed introductory introductory sales plans plans which shipped shipped 198% of 12-week objective. – Successfully executed executed test plans (including (including Clorox Food’s biggest biggest ever Year Year I sampling plan). – Led development of plans for launching this product in Canada, Mexico, Mexico, England, and Japan. – Consulted on international marketing marketing issues; significantly significantly improved improved launch plans in every country.


• Developed on my own initiative an enormously improved basic strategy for the Hidden Valley brand. – Determined that that a flanker strategy strategy couldn’t work for Hidden Hidden Valley. Valley. Recommended an equity strategy instead. – For 30 months management management rejected my recommendation, recommendation, and consequently consequently lost $38 million. – After finally finally implementing my strategy strategy,, HV is seeing its first first potentially positive results since 2005.


• Reversed Hidden Valley’s 3 year share decline among US Hispanics – Dramatically improved Hispanic advertising by reapplying successful ads from Anglo business. – Developed Developed a superior media plan which exceeded all objectives objectives while while cutting-25% cutting-25% from the budget. – Identified opportunities to import products from Mexico. Project has $10 million NPV. • Saved +$7.7 million by developing and implementing profit maximization maximization plans on a struggling brand. – Analyzed results of a recent food product initiative; concluded further spending would be futile. – Gained management’s management’s agreement to my recommendation and implemented the plan successfully.


Brand Assistant, CLOROX, September 2010 – September 2010 – My supermarket supermarket marketing plans delivered +90% more recommendations recommendations than objective and went national. – My in-home trial program for for senior citizens shipped shipped +50% more units than objective objective and went national. – My Hispanic promotion plans grew our retail business +20% more than objective and paid out. – Promoted to Assistant Brand Manager in September September 2010.


Sales Management Intern, CLOROX – Surpassed Surpassed all sales quotas and job expectations. expectations. Sold 179 new items worth $100,000 annually. – Managed 18 accounts. accounts. Developed persuasive selling skills. Received full-time offer. Summer 2008. Sales Representative, EASTERN IMPLEMENTS CORPORATION – Developed winning price proposals in bidding situations. situations. Fully managed managed sales and and service for 25 accounts. – Created scheduling processes processes which improved efficiency efficiency and ensured ensured we met all deadlines. Summer 2007.


57





ACTIVITIES

Co-Founder, STUDENT ADS COMPANY – Sold ad space on text book covers; distributed 2,000 2,000 covers to students. students. – Personally sold $3,500 in ads on cold calls. Made a profit profit of $2,000 $2,000 on sales sales of $5,250. Summer 2006. Independent Travel, July 2009 – March 2010 – Fulfilled a lifelong dream by backpacking backpacking through Viet Viet Nam, Nam, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Egypt. Princeton Activities – Co-edited a weekly weekly humor and satire newsletter newsletter throughout 2008 and 2009. – Elected by classmates to to serve on Princeton’s Princeton’s student student body government. government. Led efforts to improve campus safety. – Created a volunteer volunteer student escort service to operate nightly nightly from 12:30 AM AM – 2:30 AM. 2007-08


AWARDS

– State Student Fellowship; Awarded to 1 outstanding undergrad in Connecticut. 2008 – All-American All-American Band & Jazz Jazz Band; Awarded to top top 104 and 23 of 4,000+ applicants. applicants. 2005. 2005. – Eagle Scout Rank; Earned from Boy Scouts of America. America. 2005.

RESUME 9: REVISED S E M U 4 S E R R E T R P E A L L I H C K

COLLEGE GRAD WITH CEO EGO …To Just the Facts We’ve incorporated our suggested changes into our resume rewrite on the following page. In the revised version, the recruiter will immediately see evidence of Richard’s steady career progression without being distracted by the extraneous, selfcongratulatory language he used to describe his achievements. Richard’s achievements speak for themselves; as the second resume demonstrates, he doesn’t need to beat the recruiter over the head with them. However, the recruiter reviewing Richard’s resume still might question the extent to which he is a team player; consulting recruiters like to see a record of measurable results, but they also know that consultants rarely achieve these results in isolation. It would be reassuring to see some evidence of teamwork on Richard’s resume. By reframing a few of his accomplishments in a teamoriented context, Richard can polish his resume even further.




58



RICHARD M. CORBIN 18 ELM STREET, Branford, CT 02130 TEL: 222-555-4005; E-MAIL: [email protected]

EDUCATION

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY � �

� � �

ENGLISH B.A. IN May 2008. GPA: 3.9. GRADUATED WITH HIGH honors and with distinction from the English department. ELECTED TO PHI Beta Kappa (awarded to top 5% of class) after junior year. GMAT SCORE: 750. ELECTED BY CLASSMATES to serve on Princeton’s student body government.

EXPERIENCE

CLOROX CORPORATION

2010–2011

ASSISTANT BRAND Manager LED THE INTERNATIONAL launch of a food product with projected annual sales of $65 million. CREATED MARKETING PLANS that improved U.S. project’s net present value by 92%, prot by 22%, and sales volume by 20%. DEVELOPED NEW TV advertisements with 49% higher trial potential than previous ads. DEVELOPED INTRODUCTORY SALES plans that resulted in achieving 198% of 12-week objective. LED DEVELOPMENT OF plans for international product marketing and consulted on international marketing issues. INITIATED AND EXECUTED an equity strategy for Hidden Valley brand, which resulted in the brand’s rst positive sales growth since 2005. SAVED SAVE D $7.7 M ILLION by developing and implementing prot maximization plans on a struggling brand.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

2009–2010 �

�

�

�

SUMMER 2008 �

�

SALES Management Intern MANAGED 18 ACCOUNTS and sold 179 new items worth $100,000 annually, exceeding personal sales quota. RECEIVED FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT offer at the completion of internship program.

EASTERN IMPLEMENTS CORPORATION

SUMMER 2007 �

�

SALES REPRESENTA REPRESENTATIVE TIVE DEVELOPED WINNING PRICE proposals in bidding situations. Fully managed sales and service for 25 account. CREATED SCHEDULING PROCESSES that improved efciency and timeliness.

STUDENT ADS COMP CO MPANY ANY

SUMMER 2005 � �

ADDITIONAL

BRAND ASSISTANT DEVELOPED SUPERMARKET MARKETING plans that exceeded objectives by 90% and were adopted on a nationwide scale. RECOMMENDED AND IMPLEMENTED an in-home trial program for senior citizens that exceeded sales objectives by 50% and was adopted on a nationwide scale. DEVISED IMPROVED PROMOTION strategies to increase market share among Hispanics, resulting in retail sales growth exceeding projections by 20%. PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT brand manager after one year.

CO-FOUNDER SOLD AD SPACE on textbook covers; distributed 2,000 covers to students. PERSONALLY PERSONALL Y SOLD $3,500 in ads through cold calls. Business made a total prot of $2,000. RECENTLY RECEN TLY SPENT eight months traveling throughout Asia; visited Vietnam, Thailand, India, Nepal and Egypt. W E T F E E T I N S I D E R G U I D E 59









Killer Cover Letters & Resumes: Consulting RESUME DOS AND DON’TS DON’T






60

DO

DON’T

DO

use vague qualitative terms such as “large” or “many,” which leave the reader with questions about specifics.

use numbers where appropriate to clearly describe your accomplishments, as in “led a team of nine sales reps.”

DON’T

DO

waste resume space with frivolous information, such as “my favorite color is blue.”

include personal information that is relevant and gives the reader a better understanding of who you are.

DON’T

DO

try to differentiate yourself with an unconventional format or tactics such as graphics and colored paper.

stick to a basic, clear format that helps the reader glean information quickly and with minimal effort.

DON’T

DO

puff up your titles to make them sound more impressive.

focus on your responsibilities more than your titles, describing work performed and results achieved.

DON’T

DO

try to portray yourself as a jack-of-all-trades in the hope that something will strike the reader’s fancy.

discuss two or three of your biggest strengths and illustrate them with experience and achievement.

DON’T

DO

use dramatic, self-congratulatory language to describe either your accomplishments or your suitability for consulting.

let your achievements speak for themselves by describing them succinctly and objectively.

DON’T

DO

get caught in the passive voice trap, writing as if things happened to you.

use the active voice with verbs that indicate you’re in charge.

DON’T

DO

try to sound like an expert through the reckless use of buzzwords and industry jargon.

spend time on industry and company research before putting together your resume.

DON’T

DO

even think of writing more than one page, unless you have more than 10 years of experience.

distinguish the important from the trivial in your background to fit the most relevant and significant elements onto a single page.









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Killer Cover Letters

5

Cover Letters Cover Covered ed .................64 Contents of a Cover Letter ..........64 Cover Letters Reviewed...............66









COVER LETTERS COVERED ABOU  COVER letters? Whereas your › WHA ABOU

resume will almost always accompany you through the interview process, the cover letter is less important to your candidacy. Insiders overwhelmingly indicated that little, if any, attention is paid to cover letters. Sometimes Sometime s recruiters attach it to the resume when they forward it, sometimes not. According to those few insiders who do read them, cover letters can be useful for introducing your resume, highlighting a few relevant points, and explaining your interest in interviewing with the firm in question. In short, cover letters, like doctors, should be forced to take the Hippocratic oath—“First, do no harm.” None of the recruiters we spoke with could recall outstanding or memorable points mentioned in a candidate’s cover letter, but many of them remembered cover letters that had hurt an applicant’s candidacy. With these conside considerations rations in mind, mind, we recomm recommend end a low-risk strategy: If you don’t don’t have good reason to cover c over,, don’t. If you do, the cover letter should be concise, well written, writte n, and person personalized alized (enough so that the recruit recruiter er won’’t suspect that you’ve won you’ve sent this same cove coverr letter to multiple recipients, changing only the names of the recruiter and the company). Well-written cover letters seek to establish a rapport with the reader and convey an image of professionalism, interest, and enthusiasm. Here’s a list of situations where we’ve learned the benefits of a cover letter make writing one worthwhile: You’ ou’re re applying for a position directly directly,, rather than through a campus recruiting effort. Naked resumes (especially ones sent in the mail) can hurt your chances if they lack supporting context. •

•

Your background is highly technical or you’re an international candidate from a non-English-speaking country seeking a position in the United States. Insiders tell us that cover letters are used to assess candidates’ ability to write clearly and concisely,

64


especially in cases where they may have cause to question an applicant’s fluency in the language. •

•

You’ ou’re re changing careers or applying for a position for which your qualifications don’t appear to match up very well. When recruiters review resumes from career changers looking to make a switch from another industry to consulting, they often look to the cover letter to understand the candidate’ c andidate’ss interest in consulting (You want to give up managing a retail supply chain in favor of living out of your suitcase four nights a week? Why?) and for evidence of compelling, readily transferable skills. You’ ou’re re submitting an application based on a personal connection or for an internal referral. Te cover letter is the perfect place to drop a name or make a personal connection clear (if you’ve got it, flaunt it), but be sure the tie is a valid one, or you risk getting burned.

CONTENTS OF A COVER LETTER › WHILE HE COVER letter (or cover message if you’re emailing) should be both thoughtful and personalized, this isn’t the place to regurgitate your resume in prose, nor is it the forum to lovingly narrate every career decision you’ve made to date. Te purpose of the cover letter is to set the stage for your resume, not to explain anything on it—or worse, repeat it. At a minimum minimum,, your cover letter should indicat indicatee the position to which you’re applying (and if applicable, where you saw the positi position on listed), the primary reason for your interest in the specific role at the company, and a brief overview of the one or two qualifications that make you a compelling candidate. Finally, the cover letter should suggest logical next steps (politely, and never presumptuously), such as a brief telephone conversation or an in-person meeting. By the time you’ve made each


of these points, you’ll probably have reached the desired cover letter length: no more than one page in hard ha rd copy, copy, and no more than one screen’s worth if you’re sending your resume via email. If your message is polite, brief, well informe informed, d, and errorerror-free, free, it’ll have served its primary purpose. Now let’s unpack this advice in more detail:

NAME-DROP Address your cover letter to a specifi Address specificc person, and, when appropriate appropriate,, include how you you have obtained obtained that person’s contact information. For example, if you are writingg on the basis of a referral, mention writin mention the referring referring person’s name early in your text; when a recruiter scans a cover letter, she’s she’s more likely to pause and review your credentials if she recognizes a colleague’s name in the text. Even better, better, if you know someone at the firm, send s end him your resume and have him forward it along for you directly. If you don’t know anyone at the company (not a good goo d sign if you’ you’re re in school and the firm’s firm’s hosted recruiting events at your campus), call the company’s main number and ask for the name of the relevant recruiting manager.

DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE Before writing a cover letter to a firm, do some research. What inte intere rests sts you you about about the organ organizat ization ion?? It may may be an industry or functional practice specialty, an article published by one of the firm’s consultants, or a discussion with wit h a cur curre rent nt emp employ loyee ee that piqued you yourr cur curios iosity ity.. It helps if the reasons you cite for your interest don’t belie blatant plagiarism of the company’s website or word-for word wor d reg regurg urgitat itation ion of the job des descri cripti ption; on; a litt little le jud judici icious ous paraphrasing never hurt anyone, but the obvious cut and paste ranks high among recruiters’ lists of pet peeves. Whatever Whatev er the case, case, make sure that that what you you write is accurate and shows sh ows that you’ve you’ve done your homework. If you target BCG for its leadership in re-engineering or Monitor for its storied history, you’ll never make it into the reception area.

SPOTLIGHT ONE OR TWO STRENGTHS OR ADDRESS AN AREA OF POTENTIAL CONCERN Te purpose of the cover letter is to communicate to the employer a specific personal message about your potential value to that organization. While you should include information on what specific factors have attracted you to the company, make sure your approach is balanced. Don’t forget to tell the reader why the com pany should be attracted to you. After all, your cover letter should suggest that hiring you would be a mutually beneficial decision for you and the employer. Alternatively Altern atively,, you can use the cover cover letter letter to address address an area of potential concern. If you have a non-business background or are changing careers, briefly explain why you are pursuing a career in consulting. If there are any chronological gaps in your work experience, and legitimate reasons for the holes, you can explain them in your letter.

>

TIP

Complete the “To:” field only after preparing a cover message to introduce an emailed resume. This way, you won’t accidentally click “Send” before your message is ready, and don’t forget to actually attach that resume. An “Ignore last message!” or “Oops!” email can instantly destroy your credibility.

DON’T BE PRESUMPTUOUS Consider this scenario: You’re a second-year MBA student. It’s 10:00 a.m. on a Friday and the consultant in charge of recruiting at your campus goes through his email and finds your cover letter and resume. He’s cranky—he’s been on the road since Sunday night and didn’t get to bed until 3 a.m. because of airport delays. He’s counting on an easy day at the office so that he can leave early and spend some quality time tossing a tennis ball around in the backyard with his prize-winning golden retriever, Junior. Junior. He’s He’s already smelling the aroma of freshly cut grass when he reads the end of your cover














message: “I will call your office at 4:00 p.m. on Friday to arrange a convenient time for a telephone interview.” He thinks to himself, “Who does this kid think he is?” Your Y our resume would then win a one-way ticket to the trash can. While we advise advise suggesting suggesting next steps steps in your cover cover letter, don’ don’t presume that you’re assured an interview or or that you can elbow your way onto the recruiter’s calendar at a time that’s convenient for you. In your cover letter, it’s it’s much more diplomatic to request (politely (politel y, we might add) a brief telephone conversation or an in-person meeting rather than an interview. Furthermore, the stated purpose of this meeting should be to learn more about the firm, the position, or how the recruiter himself attained consulting fame and fortune—not how he can help you land a job.

EMAIL TAKES COVER, TOO Put the same care into preparing a cover message, the electronic version of your cover letter that you’ll use when submittin submittingg your resume via email. email. Te ease ease and informality of email can be deceptive and dangerous; in fact, the same rules of engagement apply. No matter how brief the cover message, it has to be flawless. Tat’s why we highly recommen recommend d that you you actually actually compose your electronic cover letters in a word processing program like Microsoft Word that offers spelling and grammar checking, as well as the ability to preview your work. Ten when you’re ready to send it, simply paste the revised, final copy into the body of your email.



66


COVER LETTERS REVIEWED LE’S CHECK OU SOME concrete examples of what cover letters might look like. Te first example below fills its role effectively. Te second could easily cause trouble for the writer, regardless of her qualifications. Te third letter, while brief, lacks enough substance. Suggestions and revisions for each are included.

COVER LETTER 1 REVIEW This is a very solid letter—clear, concise, and direct. We’d recommend just a few minor changes. If Bill wants to reach Cathy in person, he should contact her on Friday, since consultants are often in the office then. Otherwise he can leave a voice mail message, though that puts him at risk of initiating a game of phone tag, which can be frustrating. Bill should also check grammar carefully. Sticklers would note the improper use of the preposition “at” after the word asset. The proper wording is, “I would be an asset to McKinsey & Co.”



July 14, 2011 McKinsey & Company Attention: Attentio n: Cathy Stevenson 75 Park Plaza 3rd Floor


Boston, Massachusetts 02116-3934 Dear Cathy: Frank William suggested that I forward my resume to you for your consideration. I am a second-year MBA student at the Krannert Graduate


School of Management at Purdue University, and I am currently working as a summer associate at Motorola in Chicago. As Frank may have mentioned, I am in the top 5% of my class at Krannert, and I was recently elected President of the MBA student body. In and out of the classroom I have consistently demonstrated my capacity to make a positive impact regardless regardless of the situation. My analytical and


personal skills are ideally suited to management consulting, and I am confident that I would be an asset at McKinsey & Co. I will call you next Wednesday to discuss next steps. If you do have any questions regarding my resume or qualifications, please don’t hesitate to call. I look forward to speaking with you.


Sincerely:

Bill Pendleton


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COVER LETTER 2 S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T

REVIEW From Way Too Much… “I couldn’t get through the entire letter, given the daunting length and small font,” one consultant tells us. “This is far too much information, and yet it doesn’t tell me what I need to know: how her experience is relevant to consulting.” Aside from the verbosity, numerous red flags pop up to reviewers of this cover letter. The opening paragraph is almost silly in its confident tone. Most of our insiders agreed the first sentence was a real turnoff, detracting from Linda’s credentials. The long-winded explanation of her career path, including the mention of her sister’s illness, reads like a novella and indicates that she has difficulty separating the important from the unimportant in the context of a cover letter—not a good quality in an aspiring consultant. Linda has gone to the trouble of including her transcripts, which aren’t generally necessary and serve to complicate and clutter her message. A GPA on her resume would suffice. She has even asked for advice on whether to pursue an MBA! By the time we’ve read the cover letter, we’re pretty sure she’s not cut out to be a consultant.






68



LINDA S. BRADFORD

305 Locust Drive #12, Los Angeles, CA 90046 310–555–0883


August 30, 2011

Hamilton Trout Accenture Consulting Spear Street Tower One Market Plaza Suite 3700 San Francisco, CA 94105 Dear Hamilton: The purpose of this letter i s to introduce myself to you and to present Accenture Consulting with the opportunity to increase profitability by securing my services as a professional. I have excellent academic and professional credentials, as reflected by my enclosed resume and Harvard Law School and undergraduate transcripts. Throughout my professional career, I have adhered to the highest standards of excellence and have demonstrated strong communication skills, analytical ability, poise, creativity, creativity, and dedication. I am primed for a career change and the following explanation of my situation should give you some insight into my decision. After graduating from Harvard Law School, I gained extensive experience in high profile corporate litigation and counseling as a business litigator with two well-respected law firms, Rosenberg, Henredon & Spear and Letz, Milkum, Cheatum & Leave. In 2000, I returned to California to spend time with and care for my sister who was terminally ill. After my sister’s death, I decided not to resume a “big firm” law practice so that I could explore business opportunities in the entertainment industry, while continuing to practice law as an independent contractor. Recently, after having spent sufficient time to have gained an insider’s insider’s perspective, I concluded that I don’t wish to continue pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. industry. Rather, I desire to embark upon a business career at the level of so phistication that I was accustomed to in New York, primarily so that I can fully use my communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills, and because I genuinely miss the intellectual challenge, innovative thinking, pride in work product, and opportunity to provide the highest quality service to clients. Instead of resuming a purely legal career, I intend to translate my experience and abilities to the dynamic and productivity enhancing realm of business and management consulting. I have identified your firm, with its stellar reputation and corporate clientele, as an ideal match in light of my qualifications, work ethic, and interest. I am particularly interested in the Process and Strategic Services Competency Groups, and am very willing to travel extensively. I would prefer to be based on the West Coast, and am very interested in relocating to San Francisco. I appreciate your time and attention and look forward to discussing with you and your colleagues a mutually beneficial association with Accenture Consulting. I am highly motivated and will provide quality results in a cost-effective manner. I would also appreciate your advice on the benefits of obtaining an M.B.A., which I am more than willing to pursue should this make me more useful to your firm. If I don’t hear from you in the next several days, I will call to schedule a meeting.





Very truly yours,

Linda S. Bradford






REVISED …To Short and Professional We recommend the following rewrite, which is simple, clear, and to the point:






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LINDA S. BRADFORD 305 Locust Drive #12 Los Angeles, CA 90046 310-555-0883 August 30, 2011 Hamilton Trout Accenture Consulting Spear Street Tower One Market Plaza Suite 3700 San Francisco, CA 94105


Dear Hamilton:


I am writing to introduce myself as a candidate for a consulting position at your firm. I have excellent academic and professional credentials, as indicated on my enclosed resume. Throughout my professional career, I have adhered to the highest standards of excellence and have demonstrated strong communication skills, analytical ability ability,, poise, creativity creativity,, and dedication. [note - we need to then see clear evidence of these claims on the resume!]


Andersen’s excellent reputation and corporate clientele are an ideal match with my interests. Andersen’s In particular, particular, I believe my experience in formulating legal strategies and preparing analyses for complex litigation cases would be an excellent addition to your Strategic Services Competency Group. I plan to be in San Francisco the week of September 15 and would like to meet with you then to further discuss my qualifications. I will call you on Friday and look forward to scheduling a meeting at your convenience in mid-September. mid-September.


Very truly yours,

Linda S. Bradford


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REVIEW From Generic…






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Dear Ms. Conroy Conroy,, Through the www www.careerbuilder .careerbuilder.com .com website, website, I learned of your opportunity opportunity for a Senior Benets Specialist. I am submitting my resume for your consideration. I received my MBA in Management Information Systems and my BBA in Finance, Risk Management and Insurance from Temple University. For an MBA student– consulting project, I assisted in reviewing and redesigning the compensation structure for a suburban Philadelphia engineering engineering rm. For the past six years, I have worked at Aon Consulting, the 5th largest human resources consulting rm in the US. My primary responsibility is valuating retirement programs. I work on Qualied Pension Plans, Retiree Medical Plans, Supplemental Executive Retirement Programs, Deferred Compensation Plans, and Multi-employer Union Plans. Some projects that I have worked on include mergers and acquisitions, preparing benet statements, calculating severance packages, projecting benets, calculating FICA tax calculations for Executives, and conducting pay studies. I look forward to discussing this opportunity with you and how my skills can be an asset to your company. I can be reached at (212) 555-6867 or via e-mail at graceadler@ adler.com.




Sincerely,

Grace Adler



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COVER LETTER: 3 S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T

REVISED …To Targeted and Personalized Here’s our rewrite of Grace’s cover letter, which explains specifically why she’s interested in this position and this organization:






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Dear Ms. Conroy, I am writing to you to apply for the senior benets consultant position in the Stamford ofce of Hewitt Associates. Associates. I learned of this opportunity through through the CareerBuilder website, and and based on the experience, experience, skills, skills, and qualications qualications outlined outlined in the job listing, listing, I believe that I am well suited to join your team in this capacity. As the attached attached resume indicates, indicates, I have have spent the past past two years years working working as an actuarial analyst with Aon Consulting; I was promoted into this role after my two-year tenure as a data analyst at the same rm. At Aon, I provide analysis and recommendations on a range of retirement investment investment vehicles, including qualied pension plans, retiree medical plans, supplemental executive retirement programs, and deferred compensation plans. Now that I have developed a solid technical understanding of plan valuation and administration, I am eager to assume a more strategic advisory role in the creation, review, and redesign of competitiv competitivee employee compensation packages. packages. I am excited by the prospect of applying the client-facing, team-building, team-building, and results-oriented focus that I’ve developed—as developed —as well as my familiarity with the employee benets terrain—to a career with your organization. Not only does the senior benets consultant position represent a logical next step in my desired career path, but it offers a unique opportunity to join a rm r m that is committed to providing both clients and employees with opportunities for continuous development and growth. I would be delighted to meet you to discuss this opportunity further. Should you have any questions, or should you wish to schedule a time to speak about this position in greater detail, please feel free to contact me via email or telephone.




Kindest regards, Grace Adler Telephone: Teleph one: (212) (212) 555-6867 555-6867 E-mail: [email protected]



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Digital Delivery

6

Tis Application Is Experiencing echnical Difficulties ..................78 Getting Past the Spam Guard Dogs .......................79 Using Online Application Applica tion Systems Systems ................... 80









THIS APPLICATION IS EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

puting platforms than Word documents do. In addition, Adobe Reader is a free download and comes preinstalled on nearly every computer shipped today. PDF also strips out macros and revisions (sometimes exposed by your software’s “track changes” tool) that could potentially cause problems.

› YOU MAY HINK email is the best thing since the Pony Express, but that doesn’t mean your recruiter does. Don’t expect the person on the receiving end to fumble around with an attached file in a desperate quest to review your qualifications. If you have any doubts about the quality of the format in which your resume will arrive, because of platform or application variables, it’s best to send a hard copy as well. “Nothing is worse than printing an emailed resume with a bunch of garbage symbols in it!” rants a recruiter. Faxing is almost as fast as email, and often more reliable, although it’s definitely a good idea to follow up a faxed resume with a phone call to make sure it was received in legible form. Let’s take a look at some steps you can take to increase the likelihood that your exquisitely planned and masterfully written resume actually makes it into the hands of its intended recipient in legible form.

SAVE FOUR VERSIONS OF YOUR RESUME Once you’ve crafted the perfect resume, be sure to save it in four electronic versions: 1. Microsoft Word or other word processing software document: Tis is your presentation resume—the one with every formatting and stylistic bell and whistle, whist le, and which you you’ll ’ll prin printt on on high-qu high-qualit alityy, heavy heavy bond paper. Tis is the one that you’ll send to recruiters via regular mail and the one you’ll take with you when you interv interview iew.. Keep Keep severa severall copies copies on on hand. hand.

2. Adobe’ 2. Adobe’ss PDF format: Increasingly, PDF is the preferred format for sending a formatted copy of your resume via email. PDF documents tend to display and print with greater consistency on different com-

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3. Plain text format with line breaks: Formatting your resume as plain text allows databases and data recognition software to read it without the confusion caused by formatting. Use this version to cut and paste your document into the body of an email message. In Microsoft Word, use the “Save As” option to save your resume (named differently from the first version) as plain text. Select the “Insert line breaks” checkbox. 4. Plain text format without line breaks: Use this version when you’re cutting and pasting parts of your resume, such as into multiple fields on a Web form. In Microsoft Word, use the “Save As” option to save your resume as plain text, but don’t don’t select the “Insert line breaks” checkbox. Using plain text versions will help you avoid formatfo rmatting conflicts that can make your document difficult to read. Unfortunately, in the plain text versions you’ll lose much of the formatting you took great care to develop for the presentation resume. o minimize the damage: 1. Replace bullets with asterisks (*). 2. Offset category headings with a row of tildes (~) or capital letters. 3. Change your margin settings to 2 inches; 60 characters (including spaces) is the maximum line length you should use to ensure your resume displays correctly in different email programs. Tis setting will allow you to see and control where line breaks occur. 4. Select a fixed-width typeface like Courier and a 12-point font size. 5. Add white white space space for readabili readability ty.. 6. Do a test run. Email to yourself or a friend.


GETTING PAST THE SPAM SP AM GUARD DOGS › SPAM AND COMPUER viruses have changed the rules of the road for communicating with potential employers via email. Many companies now use sophisticated filtering to guard company inboxes from potentially hazardous emails. In many cases these filters delete or divert suspected spam before it even reaches its intended target. You might be wondering how this affects you, the innocent job seeker. After all, you’re not peddling Viagra or get-rich-quick schemes, so your emailed resume should be safe, right? Wrong! Most spam filters don’t even bother notifying the sender, meaning your email may disappear into a black hole. How can you avoid the curse of the overzealous spam filter? We suggest the following precautionary measures:

FIRST AND FOREMOST, FOLLOW DIRECTIONS! If a company has advised you not to send email attachments, don’t. In fact, unless a company or recruiter specifically instructs you to send your resume as an attachment, send it in the body of your email in plain text format. Wee know that plain text resu W resumes mes won won’’t win any beauty contests, but they often represent the most reliable way to communicate your qualifications to hiring personnel. If you simply can’t bear the thought of sending a plain text resume on its own, you can always follow up with a beautifully formatted paper copy in the mail.

TWO WORDS: EASY ACCESS If you have been instructed to send your resume as an attachment, there’s often an accompanying list of acceptable file formats that you should most definitely pay attention to. If not, we’d recommend either PDF or Microsoft Word. A word to the wise on Word, however: Starting with the release of Microsoft Office 2007, Word will by default save files using a new format (Open XML, with a .docx extension) that older

versions of the software won’t be able to open without a converter. So don’t forget to save your materials using the “Save As” command, selecting the older .doc format. Along the same lines, never send zipped or otherwise compressed files that the recipient will have to manipulate in order to read; a busy consultant isn’t going to bother. bo ther. While we’re re at it, it, here’ here’s a quick note on naming naming your document: Be sure to include your name (at least your last name) in the name of the file (Jane_Doe_resume. doc) so that it can be reunited with your cover message if the two part ways. One last tip for resumes and cover letters attached attach ed to e-mails: When you run a spell check before sending off your attachments, make sure to click on “Ignore All” for any words, terms, or proper names that your spell check doesn’t recognize. You don’t want the recruiter to open up a resume or cover letter filled with red and green squiggly lines.

USE A SPAM-FILTER-RESISTANT SUBJECT LINE Don’t leave the subject line blank, but do keep it short and sweet. Avoid words that are often used by spammers, such as “free,” “offer,” “increase,” and so on. In short, the less your email looks like a spam message, the less likely it is to be filtered. If you’re responding to an online job announcement, you may want to include the job title or requisition number in the subject line, keeping in mind that the recruiter receiving your message may be responsible for filling multiple positions. Te job posting will often include specific instructions for what to include in the subject line. Tese aren’t suggestions; Follow the directions that the employer has outlined. Leave punctuation marks (especially exclamation marks) out of the subject line, and don’t use all capital letters or colored backgrounds. While it may be tempting to use the subject line of an email as a marketing ploy to grab a recruiter’s attention—Attention! Ace Analyst Av Available— ailable—we we recomm recommend end a more conserva-


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tive approach that will help the person on the receiving end track, file, or forward your resume to an interested colleague. When in doubt, include your name and the position applied for. For example: Grace Adler, Adler, Business Analyst Karen Walker, Walker, Strategy Consultant •

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CHECK YOUR RESUME FOR WORDS THAT ARE OVERUSED IN SPAM Stay away from action phrases that are also used to market unsavory content over email. You may not wish to say, for example, that you’ve “enhanced” or “enlarged” anything, even if these terms are used in a perfectly appropriate way in your resume. A word to the wise about numbers: Rather than citing the $50,000,000 in sales you’ve personally supervised, change your numerical reference to $50 million, millio n, which is less likely to set off the spam filter alarm bells.

SEND EMAILS IN PLAIN TEXT—NOT HTML—FORMAT How can you tell which is which? If you’re writing an email in which you can alter the appearance of text (you can italicize words, underline text, or change the font), then you’re likely composing an HML email. Most email programs allow you to toggle between the two formats; if you’re using Microsoft Outlook and want to double-check, click on “Format” in your new message window windo w and be sure that that “plain “plain text” text” is is selected. selected.

USE A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL ADDRESS Stay away from clever, cutesy or—even worse—potentially provocative email addresses. You may think that [email protected] is absolutely hilarious, but the overworked consultant on the receiving end may be less amused.

PLAY IT SAFE E W M E I U 7 S V R E R E R E T T P N M I A O H R O F T C

ager on your behalf; that way you can check to be sure that your email has been received without incident. Alternatively Alternat ively,, if you can, follow up on your emailed resume with a hard copy sent through regular mail.

If you are able, ask a personal contact within the firm to forward your resume to the appropriate hiring man-

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USING ONLINE APPL AP PLIC ICA ATI TION ON SYSTEMS › MANY FIRMS ODAY use online tracking systems to manage their inflow of resumes; some even use their online systems exclusively. If you fail to properly enter your information into the system, you may never be visible in the candidate pool. Recruiters rarely add hard copy resumes into these systems, so even though you may prefer human contact, it’s a mistake to avoid the online application process. You do, however, need to be savvy about how these systems work so you can optimize your application materials for the best results.

HOW THEY WORK Tough they differ in the amount of information they capture, online application systems tend to be quite similar behind the scenes. Most automatically evaluate a candidate’s fit against a given open position. Tey also typically dump your information into a candidate database, for automated matching against positions that open up in the future, or for recruiter-driven data searches. Regardless, expect to apply directly for each position that interests you, which may involve repeating the whole form-filling process again or creating an account on the firm’s firm’s site. After you submit an application, some systems systems will send you a confirmation email, some will display it on screen, and some will give you no sign that your submission has gone through successfully. If the instructions indicate that you are supposed to receive a message and you don’t, try reapplying, or contact the company to ensure that your application has been received.


BE THOROUGH AND THOUGHTFUL Don’t be fooled by the one-sidedness of these systems; recruiters really are on the other end evaluating your responses. So don’t skip questions, ignore instructions, or bang out your answers without editing them, thereby th ereby proving your lack of fitness for consulting. You should treat your responses with the same seriousness and care you bring to your other written materials. Another tip: Some of these systems allow you to both enter your information into web forms and upload your materials; unless you are specifically instructed not to, we recommend you do both, because this may make your information more visible to the recruiter.

KEY IN ON KEY WORDS You may be aware that many firms try to stream You streamline line their recruiting process by using specialized software that scans your resume and other materials for key words and phrases selected by the recruiter. recruiter. Te more matches, the higher your application’s score. As this type of software has become more prevalent, career advisors have begun suggesting that candidates pepper their resumes and cover letters with frequently occurring keywords and phrases. Here’s what you need to know about them: Tey’re generally nouns or short phrases. Tey include specific skills, tools, credentials, attributes, and experiences germane to the job in question. Tey probably mirror some of the language used in the job postings and on the firms’ websites. If you get the chance to interact with employ employees ees at the firm, firm, listen listen to to the words they use, use, keeping in mind that firms specializing in a particular industry or function—such as health care or human resources—have their own lingo as well. We’ve composed the list to the right to get you started.


KEY WORDS Industry Terms Analysis Applications Applied research Balanced scorecard Baseline Benchmarking Branding B-to-B (or B2B or business-to-business) B-to-C (or B2C or business-to-consumer) Business process reengineering Case team Change management Commerce chain management Consultancy CRM (or customer relationship management ) Engagement Enterprise application ERP (or enterprise resource planning) Five forces Gross margin Internal consultant Inventory management Just-in-time (JIT) delivery Knowledge management

Market segmentation Outsourcing Sell-through Sell-throug h analysis Six Sigma Supply chain Total quality management


Personal Characteristics Analytical ability Attention to detail Client focus Communication Communica tion skills Follow-through Intellectuall curiosity Intellectua Interpersonal aptitude Goal orientation Motivation Multitasking ability Negotiating Negotiatin g ability Persuasiveness Quantitative Quantitativ e skills Results focus Tolerance of ambiguity



Tools Excel spreadsheet Financial modeling PowerPoint deck



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Having said all this, we should close with a warning—it’s best to temper your enthusiasm for keywords with a healthy dose of good judgmen judgment. t. Part Particularly icularly if you’re applying for a consulting position through an on-campus recruiting process at your college or business school, your resume will be reviewed first and foremost by a human being (and quite possibly an entire committee of them who will decide on your interview fate by consensus). For better or for worse, consulting firms have their own unique set of screening criteria that enable them to pare down the consulting hopefuls from the consulting hapless, and at the resume review stage, it’s typically the perceived quality of the school you’ve attended (both undergraduate and graduate), your academic achievement (read: GPA and test scores), and the quality of your work experience to date that matter. So don’t get carried away. Never attempt to cut and splice the entire job description into the body of your resume (or cover letter) in an attempt to cram in as many keywords as possible. Tis strategy almost always backfires; to the recruiters who are reviewing your resume, you’ll come across as contrived rather than credible. Rather than trying to outsmart resume scanning software, your best bet is to focus on the skills that the consulting profession requires and write a resume that highlights a record of sustained achievement in these areas.



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DO COVER LETTERS STILL APPLY ONLINE? When it comes to online cove coverr message messages, s, we sugges suggestt you follow the same guidelines we gave you when talking about cover letters in print. If you can do without, great (especially if you’ve already answered some openended questions—like “What most qualifies you for the XYZ positio position?”—dur n?”—during ing the applicat application ion proces process). s). If you’re given a text field in which you can paste a cover letter, you probably should. If you’re not given one, but have a valid reason to submit a cover letter, simply include it in the same document with your resume. (If you do this, be sure to add a hard page break between your cover letter and resume so that your formatting stays intact and the entire package is more presentable.)









From Resume to Interview

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ips for Getting Ge tting Your Your Foott in the Door .........................86 Foo Following Foll owing Up .............................. .. ............................87 89 Interview Pre Prep p .............................89

Additional WetFeet Additional WetFeet Resourcess .................................... Resource ............................. .......91







E W M E I U 7 7 S V R R E R E E R E T T T P P N M I A A O H H R O F T C C


TIPS FOR GETTING YOU Y OUR R FO FOOT OT IN TH THE E DOOR › HOPEFULLY, YOU’RE FEELING better about the prospect of assembling your resume and cover letter, but there’s still much you can do to get your foot in the door. First, time your job search to your advantage—most firm’s recruiting cycles gear up around October for full-time hires and early winter for summer hires. Tis also tends to be when the number of open positions is greatest. So try your best to hit these windows, window s, or at worst, worst, not to miss miss them by by more than than a few weeks—you won’t look very smart if you’re late to the party.

IF YOU’RE A STUDENT, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CAMPUS RECRUITING For students of all types, the campus recruiting pipeline is by far the best path to a consulting offer. Most consulting firms arrange resume drops with the career centers of top school. Some, such as McKinsey, even look at top JD and PhD programs. In addition, consulting firms typically hold recruiting events and information sessions on campus, especially at competitive schools. Te point of these events is to meet as many potential candidates as possible (otherwise, why bother?), so don’t be afraid to attend and introduce yourself. Many insiders we spoke with said they were more likely to spend extra time reading a resume of—and even giving the benefit of the doubt to—a candidate who had expressed interest in the firm by attending events and making an effort to meet some of the consultants there. If the firm you’re interested in doesn’t recruit on your campus, try calling the firm’s local or regional office to ask for contact. Tis individual may ma y be able to arrange an interview or visit with you; at a minimum, they’ll be able to tell you where you should you direct your application materials.

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IF YOU’RE NOT IN SCHOOL, PUT ON YOUR NETWORKING SHOES If you’re not currently on campus (or are at one that’s not on consultancies’ radar screen), recognize that you face a greater challenge. In these cases, insiders unanimously agree that your best bet is to try to find someone you know at the firm or someone who has a contact at the firm. Search your school’s alumni directory to see if any graduates work there. Or get a contact name in the practice area in which you have relevant experience. If you must, just call the switchboard and ask for names. Te best route is to call the contact person, give him or her your 15-second resume summary, and ask for information about the firm that you can’t find online. You have two objectives in doing this: to get more information on the firm to use in your interview, and to get that person to ask for your resume so he or she can forward it to the right person. Why would some stranger do this for you? Money. Money. Many firms offer employee referral bonuses. “If I refer somebody who gets hired as a consultant, I get a $5,000 bonus,” explains one insider. “So I have a big incentive to help bring in the right people.”


Once you have a contact, send your resume to that person. Ideally, the contact will forward the resume to the appropriate recruiter, with a note asking that an interview be granted. Tere’s always the risk that the contact will think thin k you’re you’re not the right fit, in which case you won’t be recommended. Don’t worry. Your contact isn’t the only person who reviews resumes. Most firms recruit in a decentralized system. You have many more doors to knock on in different practice areas and in different offices within the firm. Insiders tell us that an employee recommendation strongly influences their decision to interview a candidate. Tough we don’t have statistics, all agree that your chances of getting an interview through a personal contact go way up, even if your resume is less than stellar. With a recommendation and a a stellar resume, you’ve got a great chance.

•

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Keep the ball in your court—you’ll court—you’ll probably feel more in control if you can plan the next steps rather than wait by the phone. Make yoursel f easil y availa ble—provide a number where a message can be left at any time.

THE PHONE FANDANGO

Insiders tell us that one of the most difficult things to do is return phone calls while on the road. Put yourself in the shoes of the average consultant with recruiting responsibility. You’re at the client site at least four days a week, with the possibility of Fridays in your office. You’ Y ou’re re under a deadlin deadlinee and your analysts are behind schedule due to a software glitch. Te client is getting antsy about the amount of change that might be required. Te head of your practice has scheduled an impromptu visit to check in on the project tomorrow. Your Y our significant significant other is is mad because you you forgot to call call APPLYING ONLINE Whether you have have an inside inside networ networking king contact contact or not, back last night…. you may still be required to submit a resume through an Here’s what happens when a consultant listens to employer’s website. Online applications are more effec- your voice mail at 11:53 p.m. on Wednesday: tive at small firms that don’t recruit much. Large firms fill most entry-level positions with on-campus recruits, Y You ou: Tis is Susan Brown calling on Wednesday at 10 and are generally swamped with a surplus of applicants, a.m. I sent you my resume on Monday and wondered whether you you’’d had a chance to take take a look at it. I’ll be in so you’re more likely to get lost in the crowd. all day today, at (333) 555-8956.

FOLLOWING FOLLOW ING UP UP › ONE HEAD OF recruiting confesses, “Te biggest pains-in-the-asses finally do get interviews.” We don’t advocate becoming a nuisance, but there is something to be said for persistence. After all, as we said above, many firms look for people who take initiative and are good problem solvers. Here are a few basic rules for following up: Be persistent but not pesky—two calls in one day are overkill; two calls in a week are probably fine. Be prescriptive prescriptive in your requests—ask specifically for what you you want, want, whether whether it’ it’ss to schedul schedulee an intervie interview w or have a casual chat on the phone. •

Consultant thinks: Who is Susan Brown again? Did she send something to my office? (He hasn’t been in, after all.) Or has she sent me an email I haven’t had time to look at? Whatever.

>> He certainly wouldn’t have seen Susan’s resume—he’s been busy since last Friday. And even if he did receive her materials, he’s not going to bother calling her back while he’s he’s on site.






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T F O R O C I NMH T R A E E P R S V U T E I E M R W E 7



Savvy Voicemail Strategies S D N O 2 C Y E F R S S E I T T Y A P T R A I S H H O T C T






If you plan to call, here are some better approaches:

You: Tis is Susan Brown calling on Wednesday. At You Sandy Smith’s request, I sent my resume to you on Monday. I would like to schedule an interview and will call you on Friday to discuss my qualifications. Consultant thinks: I’ll deal with this Friday if I have time in the office.

>>Tis is an improvement. Now at least the consultant can be on the lookout for the resume and has some incentive to do so, because Sandy is a friend and colleague.

A good idea for your second follow-up follow-up call next week might go something like this: You: Tis is Susan Brown, the candidate with manu You facturing experience in packaged foods and an MBA from Fuqua. I’ll be in Boston this Friday and would like to meet with you to discuss my qualifications if your schedule allows. If you would call me back and let me know if it would be possible to arrange a short meeting on Friday, I would appreciate it. You may leave a message for me any time at (333) 555-8956, or I’ll call you Friday morning to make plans then. Consultant thinks: Hmm, I remember this resume and it’s probably worth seeing her. I’ll check my schedule and leave a message for her this evening.

>> You left another brief summary of your experience so the consultant would remember seeing the resume. You were specific about your plans to be in Boston on Friday, which gives the consultant an opportunity to interview you without having to pay your airfare.

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If you’ve left a message and your call hasn’t been returned, don’t hesitate to call again. Remember, consultants are usually fully booked during the day and often work late into the night night,, when the last thing on thei theirr minds is returning resume calls. Te best tactic is to be persistent and pleasant without badgering. Most insiders we spoke spoke with said they usual usually ly make make an effort effort at least least to return a call, even if they aren’t interested in interviewing the candidate. Don’t give up until you’ve tried at least three times over two weeks to contact the consultant. If you’ve left three messages and all have been ignored, you may want to send your resume to someone else and start the process again. Another option is to contact an administrator in the office, or the consultant’s assistant if one exists, and determine the best method of contacting your target. Many firms communicate primarily through voice mail, although you might have luck using e-mail or even leaving a good old-fashioned message with the secretary. ailor your approach to what you have learned about how the particular firm communicates. If you don’t reach the consultant, your treatment of the recruiting administrator should be positive and respectful. reat any person at the firm the same way you would the prof professi essional onal resp responsi onsible ble for rev reviewin iewingg your resume. We know of more than one candidate rejected by the recruiting administrator because of an attitude!

Consultants want evidence that you are thoughtful about your experience—both successes and failures—and that you demonstrate a capacity to learn and grow.

INTERVIEW PREP › HE BES WAY to prepare for a first interview is to know your resume extremely well. Have your 30-second summary down cold so you can quickly familiarize your interviewer with your background and major accomplishments. Be prepared to explain any of the points on your resume in a clear, concise, and convincing manner. Consultants want evidence that you are thoughtful about your experience—both successes and failures—and that you demonstrate a capacity to learn and grow as you progress. You should also be prepared to address why you want to work for the particular firm in question.

DEVELOP YOUR SPIEL Once you’ve written your resume, develop and practice a 20- to 30-second spiel that summarizes your experience and major achievements. You’ll use this countless times, to introduce yourself over the phone or in an interview when the interviewer has not had a chance to review your qualifications. Tis will also be your answer to the dangerously open-ended “ell me about yourself” lead-in that so many interviewers open with. Preparing your spiel will help you articulate the items listed on your resume.

GET READY FOR CASE INTERVIEWS Particularly if you’re you’re an undergraduate, your interviewer may use your resume as a basis for a case ca se interview question. If you’re not familiar with them, case interviews are essentially word problems based on a real-life (or simulated) consulting situation. Tus, the interviewer might say, “Okay, erry, I see you worked at a small organic cotton -shirt business. Suppose a client were planning to enter this line of business—how large would you figure figure the worldwid worldwidee market market for for organic organic cotcotton -shirts -shirts to be?” Cases come in all shapes and sizes, from the simple, straightforward question designed to see how you think about a problem, to the highly complex business strategy issue that takes 20 minutes to explain and involves


charts, graphs, and enough consultant-speak to kill a mere mortal. However, they all have one thing in common: Tey test a candidate’s analytical abilities. Te case interview is designed to reveal your resourcefulness, how you think about problems, and ultimately, your aptitude for consulting.

RESUME BLUNDERS As we’ve we’ve previ previously ously mentioned, your resume will help the interviewer identify areas to probe during the first interview. You should expect consultants to look for weaknesses weakne sses or inconsis inconsistencie tenciess to check. Read your resume with a critical eye, looking for things that might appear odd or inconsistent. We’ve flagged some of the most common trouble spots below.

Time Gaps One reason consultants like chronological resumes is that they want to know whether a candidate took time off between school years or jobs. jo bs. ime off isn’ isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be prepared to explain any lapses between jobs or in your schooling. If you traveled, be prepared to describe something you learned during that time. If you took time off to have a baby, resolve a personal issue, or “find yourself,” you need to practice your answer to the time gap question. It’s usually best not to go into a lot of personal detail—insiders tell us this is a warning sign, especially in the first interview. But be clear and focus on what you accomplished during that time. Firms want to be sure you can handle the normal rigors of four or more years in academia, jobs with increasing responsibility responsibility,, and balancing your personal and professional lives.

Inconsistent Performance If your accomplishments appear strong in one area and weak in another— another—1200 1200 on the SA with a 3.2 GPA, honors graduate of a top school with no notable professional accomplishments—you should expect questions about this disparity. Te interviewer will want to know the reason for your low GPA (did you work part time
















during school?) or your mediocre experience. Be prepared to explain any circumstances that had an impact on your performance, but again, avoid undue personal detail.

Career Hopping If you’ve been at several companies in just a few years, or never stayed at one company longer than a year or two, you risk being perceived as a job-hopper. Your interviewer may wonder whether you’ve been fired for poor performance. Frequent career changes sometimes indicate that a person has difficulty sticking with a situation, working through problems, or committing to a job. All of these are obviou obviouss concern concernss to consult consultants, ants, whose work requi requires res tenacity tenacity and a strong commitm commitment ent to delivering client value. In addition, most consulting firms look for people who want to stay around for a while. Tree years is often considered a break-even point, but many firms would like individuals with longer-term tenure in mind.

Former Consultants If you’ve been a consultant before and are interviewing with another another firm, expect expect questions questions about about your interest interest in the new firm and your continued commitment to a career in consulting. “Te early years as a consultant involve paying your dues,” says one insider. “I always question a candidate who has left a firm after af ter a few years and now is interviewing here. I assume they were forced out and I’m skeptical of their consulting ability.” Most insiders said they were eager to talk to experienced consultants, but that they definitely quiz the candidate’s motive for leaving a former firm.

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Commitment to Relocating If you’ve spent most of your academic and professional life in Boston, you may be questioned about your sudden interest in joining the Chicago office of a firm. Tis is especially true for those who have attended school and worked in California. Midwest and East Coast firms have a terrible time getting these candidates to relocate, and in some cases have all but given up trying. A firm that that must fly you out for an interview interview will will probprobably quiz you over the phone before anteing up. And relocation costs, often paid by the firm, are reserved for candidates who demonstrate a real commitment to the new locale and are prepared to make the inevitable lifestyle compromises that come with relocating.

ADDITI ADDI TION ONAL AL WETFEET RESOURCES › VISI WEFEE O get help on everything from finding the right firm to acing the case interview. At www.wetfee www .wetfeet.com, t.com, you’ll you’ll find: Articles on writing killer cover letters and resumes. ips on putting your best foot forward in your interviews. Guides to specific consulting firms. Company-specific data on salaries and bonuses for new consultants. Sample case interview questions and answers. Plus a wide range of topical information relevant to your job. •

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Additionally,, once your resume gets you in the door Additionally door,, your next major challenge on the path to getting hired will be the case interview. interview. Fortunately Fortunately, WetFeet WetFeet is here to help with Ace Your Your Case® , our complete guide to the most dreaded part of the consulting interview. Tis best-selling Insider Guide provides: provides: An in-depth exploration of consulting interviews, what to expect expect,, and how how firms use cases cases differently differently.. ips on surviving the case interview, keeping your cool, and impressing your interviewer. An explanation of the different case types, classic examples of each, and what your interviewer is looking for in your answers. Step-by-step lessons on how to attack the case question, including developing frameworks, recovering from mistakes, and using industry lingo. Sample case questions you can use to practice applying your new skills. Detailed examples examples of how to answer each type of case question, including how to choose a frame work,, key talki work talking ng points, points, and sample sample inte interview rview scripts. •

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In particular, you might find WetFeet’s guide to Careers in Management Consulting helpful. In this popular guide, you’ll explore: Te state of the industry today, today, including trends and their impact on consulting hopefuls.. Industry rankings of the major firms firms and a breakdown of the largest consulting sectors. Profiles of 20 top management consulting firms and mini-profiles of 20 boutique and specialized firms, to help you target consulting opportunities beyond McKinsey and BCG. ypical responsibilities for analysts and associates and profiles of real people working in consulting today. What consultants really love—and love—and hate—about their jobs. How to prepare for the recruiting process, including the dreaded case interview. How to to determine which which firm is right right for you— based on our exclusive Consulting Firm Appeal est. How a career in management consulting compares to careers in investment banking, industry, and technology. •


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But there’s more to the consulting interview than case questions. o ensure you’re prepared for the entire day’s events, check out WetFeet’s Ace Your Interview Interview:: guide. Here’s what you’ll explore: Consulting guide. What you need to know know about yourself, the the position, and the organization to excel in your interview. Te fundamentals of interview success, from how to dress to how to build rapport. Te types of questions questions that make up the consulting interview, plus a list of those you shouldn’t have to answer. Te skills interviewers look look for in a consultant and why each each one one is vital to consult consulting. ing. Strategies for following up with hiring managers managers and building on your first impression. •


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For MBAs and undergrads seeking a consulting internship, WetFeet WetFeet has you covered: Getting Your Your Ideal Internship: Consulting , from the first stages of recruitment to impressing the higher-ups on the job. Here’s what you’ll you’ll explore explore:: What questions to ask yourself yourself when considering wheree to apply wher apply.. What your options options are, from interning at big-name big-name consulting firms to consulting pro-bono for a nonprofit. How to navigate the on-campus on-campus recruiting process, plus how to land an internship with a consulting firm that doesn’t recruit on your campus. An overview of the internship internship project project structure. Te particular skills and experience recruiters recruiters are looking for, plus how to differentiate yourself from the competition. What to do do during each step of the consulting internship to increase your chances of getting a full-time offer. •

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>> The WetFeet Story WetFeet was founded in 1994 by Stanford MBAs Gary Alpert and Steve Pollock. While exploring their next career moves, they needed products like the WetFeet Insider Guides to guide them through their research and interviews. But these resources didn’t exist yet—so they started writing! Since then, millions of job seekers have used the WetFeet Insider Guides and WetFeet.com to research their next career move. In 2007 WetFeet became part of Universum Communications, the global leader in employer branding. Thanks to the integration of WetFeet into the Universum group, WetFeet products are now used by job seekers all over the world. In addition to our Insider Guides and WetFeet.com, we produce WetFeet magazine, which features career advice tailored to undergraduate students.

>> The WetFeet Name The inspiration for our name comes from a popular business school case study about L.L. Bean, the successful mail-order company. company. Leon Leonwood Bean got his start because he literally got his feet wet: Every time he went hunting in the Maine woods, his shoes leaked. One day he set out to make a better hunting shoe, doing such a good job that his friends lined up to buy pairs of the boots. And so L.L. Bean was born. The lesson we took from the Bean case? Well, it shows that getting your feet wet is the first step toward achieving success. And that’s what WetFeet is here for: To help you get your feet wet and take the right steps toward ever-greater career goals, whatever they may be.

>> Just 30 seconds. That’s how long a consulting recruiter spends with your resume, on average, before deciding whether to grant you an interview. Even the best resume won’t guarantee you a consulting job, but it’s essential to getting your foot in the door of a top firm and putting your candidacy into serious consideration. That’s why your resume must convincingly present your consulting skills and capabilities, even if you don’t have any professional consulting experience. This Insider Guide will show you how to create a resume that will do just that.

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HOW RESUMES ARE USED IN THE CONSUL C ONSULTANT TANT RECRUITING PROCESS

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HOW RECRUITERS USE—OR DON’T USE—COVER LETTERS

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HOW TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR RESUME TO ENHANCE YOUR MARKETABILITY

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INSIDER TIPS FOR RESUME CONTENT AND FORMAT

BUZZWORD BOZOS: THE QUICKEST PATH BETWEEN YOUR RESUME AND THE TRASH CAN

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WHAT CONSULTING CONSULTING RECRUITERS LOOK FOR WHEN REVIEWING A RESUME

REVIEWS AND REWRITES OF RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS FROM REAL-WORLD CONSULTING CONSUL TING HOPEFULS

ISBN 978-1-58207-965-3

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WetFeet has earned a strong reputation among college graduates and career professionals for its series of highly credible, no-holds-barred Insider Guides. WetFeet’s investigative writers get behind the annual reports and corporate PR to tell the real story of what it’s like to work at specific companies and in different industries. www.WetFeet.com

INSIDER GUIDE

killer-cover-letters-resumes-consulting.pdf

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