Get Consulting Jobs in 2020: Resume Guide for MBA Graduates

During the last two weeks we gave you an overview of career in management consulting, and skills that you will need to become a consultant, to help you decide if consulting aligns with your interest and abilities. Now that you have opted to pursue a career in consulting after MBA, what’s next? The next step is to actually get into consulting!!

If you have already started looking for a consulting job, then you would realize that there is cut-throat competition in the industry. And above all as a fresh graduate, right out of college it is even more difficult to secure a good consulting job opportunity since you might not have prior work experience and expertise required to be a consultant. But guess what, we have got you covered for this quest! In this week’s edition of ConsutingAfterMBA we will address two basic questions: How to develop an entry level consulting resume? And, how to get a consulting job opportunity?

We will describe how you can develop a profile in long term, that would stand out among applicants and would enable you to get an interview call. Unlike other resources available on the internet, we will focus on the content of the resume rather than the design and formatting. We will also share strategies to look out for and secure potential job opportunities. So here we go….

How to develop an entry level consulting resume?

We know that consulting is all about helping others achieve their goals. But to be able to help clients, you need to have knowledge and familiarity of best management practices in a specific business area. Being a fresh MBA graduate, you may think that you might not have the requisite expertise and competence yet but let us tell you that you are wrong. The advice here is do not underestimate yourself! In consulting, every new project brings a new issue or problem to solve which opens the door for learning. Even the expertise of senior consultants is challenged every other day. However, they have vast resources and knowledge banks at their disposal and so do you. You can leverage these resources, but all you need is to have research abilities and hunger for knowledge. That is the first thing you will need to show on your resume apart from basic business knowledge that you obtain from MBA.

Consulting also requires experience because it equips you with the skills to handle projects, deliver results and manage relationships with clients. Last week we covered the skills needed to become a business consultant. If you believe you have those skills and you are able to demonstrate them on your resume, then you have won half the battle as not having professional work experience wouldn’t be an issue. Obviously, consulting firms also realize that a fresh MBA graduate would not have adequate professional experience. What consulting firm are looking for in a candidate are the ability to lead, thrive and succeed in the consulting world. Your resume should narrate stories that describe you as a customer-oriented, problem solver who has the ability to learn new ideas quickly.

Now you must be thinking, it’s easier said than done. Well, below we share a few ways in which you can portray your knowledge, competence and experience as a fresh MBA graduate. The idea is to build a profile based on your engagements during academic life. If you are still studying, then you have the opportunity to get involved and add more “stuff” in your resume. But if you have already graduated then you will need to sit down and brainstorm to identify all the relevant activities.

·       Academic Projects: Academic projects are a good impression of actual consultancy projects. They help you develop project management, presentation, and problem-solving skills while addressing a pressing issue. They indicate that you have basic know-how about your area of interest. You should include at least five academic projects and cover the purpose and outcome of each project in maximum two to three lines.

·       Research Articles: Research articles or publications are the best way to show your depth of knowledge and familiarity with best practices in a particular area. It also gives assurance to the recruiter that you have the ability to look up information, sort and analyze important evidence, and put down your own thoughts in form of managerial implications and recommendations. It is not ordinary that term papers are published, but if your paper is published in any journal or if you have presented it in any conference then do mention it. Otherwise just a little overview of research in two to three lines will be enough.

·       Certifications and Trainings: Another way to demonstrate your expertise in an area is to earn a professional certification. While most certification exams require having two to three years of experience, there are associate or junior level options available as well. For example, if you are interested in Human Resources Management then aPHR (Associate Professionalin Human Resources) will be your best bet. You may need to search for the certifications offered in your field. If you are not ready to spend money or do not have enough time to study for the certification exam then you may also go for less time-consuming open online courses available at Coursera, EdX and LinkedIn Learning. The least you can do is to include the courses you have studied in your major. It is recommended to enlist all certifications and trainings in a dedicated section.

·        Internships: If you do not have prior work experience to mention in your resume then internships are your savior. They prepare you to navigate through workplace dynamics while getting quality corporate experience. Some MBA programs require an internship for degree completion, but others do not. In that case you may choose to work as an intern to polish your resume before you dive in actual consultancy. Internships are learning opportunities so we would advise you to include what YOU have actually learned or achieved during your short stint, rather than just outlining your job description. Same goes for any full-time professional experience that you may have.

·        Student Clubs: The worst case would be when you do not even have any internship experience. In such case, you should leverage your experience in student clubs and professional organization chapters in your college. They provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your leadership, communication and program management skills. College student organizations are definitely not comparable to corporate settings, but they do educate you about the best management practices through direct involvement. Again, it is sensible to describe YOUR key learnings and achievements in different roles you have been into as a member of the student club.

·       Awards and Honors: Last but not the least, you should think about adding any awards or honors that you may have received during college life. Outstanding MBA Student, Academic Distinction or Outstanding Leadership awards not only show your academic achievements, but they also reflect your expertise and competence in business and management. They are a direct indicator for the recruiter that you are among the cream of business students. If you are still studying, then you should prepare yourself to be able to receive such reputable awards.

How to get a consulting job opportunity?

Now that you have developed a resume that can attract recruiters, you have to actually make it happen to be able to get an interview call. It really doesn’t mean that you start dropping your resume anywhere and everywhere. You will need to follow a strategic and targeted approach. Posting jobs on job boards and company websites is old way of sourcing candidates. With easy access to internet for job applicants, recruiters receive thousands of profiles for an advertised job. There is less than 2%chance that your profile will be viewed. In such competitive environment you do not only need to be effective but efficient as well to land a job in consulting.

Moreover, as a recruiter myself, I can tell you that there is a hidden job market out there. Recruiters are looking for potential candidates more than you are looking for a job. They are actively building talent pipelines through LinkedIn, referrals, branding programs (trainings, internships and talent hunts), industrial events and academic involvement. If you notice, then networking is at the heart of all these sources that recruiters are leveraging. And this is what you need to do aggressively- ENGAGE and NETWORK! Here is how you can increase your networking efforts to be able to get a consulting job opportunity.

·        Create Your LinkedIn Profile: Today, LinkedIn is the most widely used professional network. It can be your best bet to be able to engage with the recruiters. However, to do so you will need to create, develop and polish your LinkedIn profile. Suggestions that we gave for resume are applicable for LinkedIn profile as well. In addition to that, you should consider getting recommendation and endorsements on your LinkedIn profile from your professors, colleagues, classmates or anyone who know you well in academic or professional capacity. Recruiters search for candidate profiles through LinkedInRecruiter using keywords relevant to the job. So do mention keywords related to consulting in different sections of your profile. Moreover, you should also have a well written summary briefly covering your background, skills, competencies and unique selling points. This will be the most important part of your LinkedIn profile. Lastly, avoid having a casual profile picture. A well-suited photograph in professional environment such as presentations will do the job.

·        Engage Though LinkedIn Messaging: Once you have created your LinkedIn, its time to engage with recruiters. You should send them a personalized message to let them know that you are looking for consulting opportunities and invite them to visit your profile. Or you can just attach your resume in the message. This message should be concise and to the point, expressing your interest in working at that particular firm. If you are interested in any job opportunity posted on a company LinkedIn page then look out for the recruiter who posted the job and approach him/her directly after submitting your application. If you are interested in working at any specific consulting firm, then you may also search for LinkedIn profiles of the recruiter at that firm. You can simply google phrases like “McKinsey Chicago Talent Acquisition Linkedin” or “Deloitte Recruiter Linkedin” to get the links of LinkedIn Profiles.

·        Send Out Email Messages: Email messages is a trivial but an effective way to communicate with the recruiter. You will get the direct attention of the recruiter, but for that to happen you will need to have email address of the recruiter. There are several ways you can obtainthe email addresses. First of all, career services center at universities usually have a list of recruiters and their email addresses. You should use your contacts in the career center to get hold of such lists. Another way is to request for business cards of the recruiters during the career fairs. You may also request your acquaintances who are working at or in coordination with consulting firms to share the emails of their colleagues in human resources department. Once you have found the email address, you should inbox them with a message similar to the one described above for LinkedIn.

·        Approach Your Alumni: Alumni are anothervaluable resource for your job search. Usually alumni support their juniors knowing that these beginners are from the same alma meter and would have the same skills and competence as they do. Alumni can not only link you up with the recruiters at the firm but also put in a good recommendation for you. You can get in touch with your alumni through LinkedIn, Facebook or any university based social network, and seek for their referral and guidance.

·        Leverage Connections in Professional Associations: If you are a member of any professional association then you can approach the senior members and request for their referral. Most professional associations also have job boards and groups where members share available opportunities at their firms. Recruiters consider professional associations as a talent bank and usually rely on this bank to draw high quality candidates.

·        Talent Hunt Programs and Sponsored Academic Projects: Companies often run talent hunt programs and sponsor projects at colleges as a branding initiative. Such programs provide a very good chance to engage with the recruiters and professionals. If you are able to stay connected with them till the time you graduate, then you can utilize these links to secure a good job opportunity in consulting.