Applicants always know what to expect from the resume screening process – a “Yes or No” answer. You will either be hired or not. Once in a while, you may get some feedback as to why you weren’t selected for a position, but it is usually pretty nonspecific like, “Lack of work experience”.
Here we will present some valuable information regarding the review process used by consultants to sort through resumes. Additionally, we will provide some insight into the difference between a finance review and a consulting review.
You may have questions regarding who is in charge of the process.
A team usually reviews resumes. This team is generally made up of managers, associates, and analysts. Here are a few parts of the process that are quite consistent:
First, there will be 3-5 people on the review team. Each person will review your resume alone, then the group will review it.
2. The team will mostly be made up of graduates from your school – be it MBA, graduate, or undergraduate.
Finally, the full committee will make the ultimate decisions.
At first, there will not be any senior members of the group or representatives from finance involved. Junior team members will manage the initial process in the interest of saving time and money. Higher-ups will join the process when the time comes to make decisions and propose offers.
Click here for more on differences between consulting and i-banking.
The most respected input regarding your resume will come from someone who has a background similar to yours. If you are an undergrad in engineering from Columbia, then a fellow engineering undergrad from Columbia who happens to be a member of the review team will answer questions about your student group involvement, GPA, and other matters of interest.
What happens in the process?
The members of the review team each get a packet of resumes. They may each get anywhere from fifty to three hundred resumes. Many times the consulting letters are removed from the packs. That’s another reason why you should put your greatest efforts into producing an excellent resume.
Consultants will spend a lot more time the resumes than bankers. Finance might give a resume thirty seconds, but consulting will give it at least a full minute.
After the initial review, the consultants will meet as a group to review the resumes, discuss them, compare notes, and make some decisions.
So what, exactly, are they looking for? What could be the reasons for not getting an interview?
As mentioned in the article on consulting resume tips, it may be a matter of qualities such as leadership, academic success or work experience.
Click here for more on how to make a management consulting resume.
- 0