To help you out, we have created this guide that is complete with all the answers to your questions and confusions. You will learn all there is to learn about management consulting resumes by the end of this article. We will discuss how to write a professional resume, how should your resume look like, how you should write various sections and we will also give some bonus tips at the end to increase your chances of getting a perfect job!
So let's dive in!
Professional management consultant resume
A professional resume is defined by various characteristics such as formal language, perfect visual appearance, presentation of the information, accuracy and so on.
When you are looking to be professional in person, with attire you have a fixed dress code that is defined as formal attire, with behavior you have fixed and defined etiquettes and formalities and manners that are professional, so how can you make your resume a professional resume too with just language and the layout and information? How can you reflect professionalism on paper?
We will discuss the ways and tips that you can consider to ensure your management consultant resume is professional:
- Always make sure that the information on your management consultant resume is accurate whether it is the spellings or grammar or facts, everything should be accurate. When you are done writing your resume, you should proofread your resume twice and remove any grammatical errors, spelling errors and factual errors. Any one of such errors can make the hiring managers think that you do not pay attention to details which is highly unprofessional.
- Your resume should be saved in a format that is compatible for most document viewing mediums, devices and various applicant tracking systems and software. If it is not compatible with all of them, many hiring managers and other readers will fail to be able to go through your resume and that can cost you a good opportunity or a job that you want.
- Your resume should be written in a professional resume format and you should make sure that you choose one of the formats that is suitable for your own management consultant profile so that your management consultant resume displays your profile in efficient manner, and helps you highlight and focus on the aspects of your profile that is attention worthy.
- Your resume document should be labeled well with your full name with first name and last name along with the term 'resume' or 'CV'.
- In order to ensure that your resume has the desired impact, you need to write the information in particular manner. You need to make sure that you use as many action verbs, power words, relevant keywords, action words etc. as possible to increase the efficiency of the language used on your management consultant resume. You should also try and quantify as many details in your profile as possible with numbers because numbers are always better at creating positive impression which is something that vague and ambiguous word-statements fail to do.
- If you are using resume template make sure that you do not forget to replace every sample information with your own profile's information and do not miss out any part of the template's sample information. After replacing the information you should also make sure that you edit any moved margins, white spaces and change font size to ensure that everything looks good. Templates are great however you need to make some small edits to make sure that the visual appearance and visual appeal of the same are symmetrical and good, not compromised. There are many resume templates available for various professions, for management consultant resume, you should choose the resume template that is professional, perhaps traditional or simple or minimalistic-such templates are suitable for the resume of your profession management consulting resumes.
Research
Doing research may sound dreadful however we do not mean the field research here, but simply exploring some areas on internet. When you are looking to begin a new task and you want to do well, you would want to explore all the knowledge and tips and more about the same to ensure that you do that task well and perhaps better than what average people do.
When you are about to write your professional management consultant resume, you should explore your role/job title/designation, your job descriptions, your industry or management consulting and potential employers. You should explore everything that may be relevant for you and make sure that nothing is left unexplored.
This research will help you understand the current job market scenario and help you figure out how you can stand out from your fellow job applicants who are also management consultants. The research will also help you understand the salary range that you can expect from your next job and how you can negotiate the best offer for yourself when you are at the right stage in the hiring process. The research also helps you understand what will hiring managers expect from you in terms of skills and experience.
Formats
There are essentially 3 types of format. The Functional format, the Reverse Chronological Format, and the Combination Format.
The Functional Format: The Functional format, essentially is for those who are just beginning their career, in this case even as a management consultant. The management consultant could be hired right out of university, and therefore, would not have any prior experience, in which case they can put in all their internships, and key positions held during university, any additional courses one might have done.
The Reverse Chronological Format: The reverse chronological format should be used when the person applying for the position of management consultant has experience in the field, has held some jobs prior to this role. The person can then put their experience in the reverse chronological order, as the name suggests. Everything in the management consultant resume should be in the reverse chronological order i.e., education, experience, any additional certifications, courses.
The Combination Format: The combination format is a mix of both the functional format and the reverse chronological format. This resume format is suitable for those who are looking for a format that helps them highlight their transferable skills and experiences because they are looking for a format that will help them prove they are competent for the new role. Professionals who are planning to change career path by choosing a different role than their past professional experience or different field altogether choose this resume format. This combination resume format is also known as hybrid resume format.
Management consultant resume outline
Header-contact information
📌 Details that you should include in your contact information section:
- Your full name-first name and last name with accurate spelling
- Your contact number with area code and country code that you keep handy and is always active
- Your email ID that is professional, it should formal and you should be using it regularly so that you do not miss any mails from hiring managers and respond to their emails immediately
- Your LinkedIn profile link-only if you are regularly active on the platform, your profile is carefully curated and updated all the time and you are present on the platform in your professional capacity meaning you post and interact with regard to your professional capacity as a management consultant.
- Your professional headshot where you are dressed in formal attire (not mandatory so it is up to you whether you want to include it or not)
- Your brief home address in case you are applying for a job in another state or country (not mandatory so it is up to you whether you want to include it or not)
Resume summary
Your management consultant resume summary should:
- have 3 to 5 bullet points
- begin with the mention of your role or job title at past jobs
- be crisp, concise and short
- mention your total years of experience and background
- mention your most impressive achievements and awards/recognitions etc. along with the impressive aspects of your professional experience and work history
- mention your top most relevant skills for management consultant role
- mention your goal for next job such as what kind of opportunity you are looking for
- provide reassurance of your good performance in words such as how you will leverage your skills, knowledge and experience to perform well at your new job/next opportunity
Professional experience
Your professional experience should be detailed and include everything from your job descriptions, the tasks that you dealt with that were perhaps not in your job descriptions, you should mention every job duty that you managed as part of your job. Many professionals end up underselling themselves, avoid doing that by recognizing your work ethic and skills that you showed at your previous jobs and mention them all so that the hiring manager knows how talented you are.
When you are writing your professional experience section, make sure you include certain details before describing each and every professional experiences: your role or job designation, your employer's full name whether it was a company or organization, the employment period for which you were employed with and worked with the particular employer.
Education section
Your education section should mention your educational background. you should mention your degrees along with the name of the educational institute that you acquired it from. You should avoid mentioning any years because that can lead to bias. You can also mention any relevant coursework, your majors and minors that maybe important and relevant for your role of management consultant.
Skills section
The skills section should include your top most strengths that are important and most relevant skills for your role of management consultant. Make sue that you write the skills on your management consultant resume's skills section, in list format.
We have curated a list of relevant skills for your management consultant resume, you can make use of the same. In addition, you may also want to pick up relevant skills from various job descriptions in job postings for the position of management consultant.
📌 List of relevant skills needed for management consultant skills section on your management consultant resumes:
- management consulting
- project management
- business administration
- working with management consulting firms
- project management during project life cycle
- working with cross functional teams
- working with senior management
- handling business clients
- working with consulting firm
- management analysis
- technical skills
- data analysis
- working with project team
- strong client relationships
- business acumen
- knowledge of industry best practices
- process improvements
- integrated solutions
- analytical skills
- risk assessments
- process flows
- knowledge of labor statistics
- project plans
- providing data driven insights
- consistent formatting
- increase revenue
- qualitative data analysis
- increasing staff productivity
- handling business problems
- avoiding common mistakes
- working with small businesses
Bonus Tip
The AI software
You may have heard of how recruiters use AI software for scanning and filtering the resumes that they receive on their job application portal. They receive thousands of applications which makes it difficult to review them manually and shortlist them. This is why they use AI driven software to make their work easier.
The software operates on simple parameter-the presence of relevant keywords on your resume. You need to use the relevant keywords throughout your management consultant resume. Make sure you don't stuff the keywords randomly and write sensible sentences that have meaning.
We have prepared a list of relevant keywords for your management consultant resume that you can use for your own management consultant resume. You should also note down keywords when you are doing the research of everything that is relevant for your job and role. Make sure that you do not repeat the keywords way too many times as it can have negative effects.
📌 List of relevant keywords for management consultant resumes:
- work in house
- work history
- potential employers
- bachelor's degree
- master's degree
- business problems
- staff productivity manager
- professional experience
- soft skills
- junior consultants
- relevant experience
- relevant coursework
- education master
- education section
- process improvements
- industry best practices
- business acumen
- business administration
- strong client relationships
- project team
- technical skills
- data analysis
- management consultant
- management analysts
- senior management consultant
- knowledge of business administration
- management consultant jobs
- management consulting jobs
- management consulting
- management consultants
- management consultant skills
- management consultant
Key Takeaways
Let's conclude by noting the key takeaways:
- Follow the guidelines for your professional resume for management consultant role
- Choose the right format for your management consultant resume
- Ensure the accuracy on your management consultant resume
- Use the relevant keywords
Now that you know everything there is to know about management consultant resume, you may want to explore the management consultant resume examples. You can also choose the best management consultant resume sample to refer to while writing your own resume. We have extensive collection of resume examples, resume templates and resume writing guides that you can explore. We also have the resume builder feature that you can use, that provides AI prompts similar to ChatGPT making your task of resume writing really easy and time saving process.
Good luck with the job search!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need a master degree on my management consultant resume?
Depending on the job description, you may or may not need a master's degree however the probability is that you will need a master degree that is common for most management consultants, most professionals have MBA or at least BBA which is a bachelor degree but business administration centric. You should make sure that you check the job description and confirm the requirements of the qualified candidates. Depending on the job description and level of role/designation, you may or may not be expected to have a master degree. In case, the qualifications are not mentioned in job description, you should contact the hiring manager and confirm the same.
How should I choose the references that I mention on my management consultant resume?
The references mentioned on your management consultant resume should be the people that have worked with you and have positive feedback for you. This will help you impress recruiters because when they contact the people mentioned in your references, and get positive reviews about your skills, experience and more. When choosing the references, you should make sure they are the people that have worked with you closely either as your co-workers or managers or supervisors or directors or so on.
How long should my management consultant resume be?
A standard professional management consultant resume should be 1 to 2 pages long. Management consultant resumes that are longer than 2 pages tend to fail to grab and sustain the hiring manager or reader's attention as well as interest which can cost them a good opportunity. You can get rid of irrelevant or relatively less relevant information in case you are struggling to include all the information of your profile on 2 pages. You can also edit margins and font size along with white spaces to ensure that your resume is only 2 pages long.
