What Consulting Resumes Should Look Like
At first glance, a consulting resume is just like any other resume. You have typical main sections: Personal Information, Education, Work Experience, Extra-Curricular Activities, etc.
But when looking closer, there is a world of difference. While a normal resume is a quick summary of your professional life, a consulting resume is a celebration of consulting skill sets and qualifications.
Most importantly,consulting resumesstrictly follows the consulting style, where every word, every bullet, every phrase must scream consulting. If you know the consulting industry along with its culture well, every detail of your resume will look consulting without you even thinking about it.
When You Start Off With A Generalized Summary
Unless a company specifically asks for a summary at the top of your resume , you really shouldn’t include one, says MacIntyre. They’re too easy to screw up — this is a place where candidates have put the name of the wrong company. Plus, they usually come off sounding stuffy and insincere.
Instead, lean in to a “Key Skills” section either at the top or bottom of your resume, in column format, that highlights the top six to nine skills applicable to the role youre applying for. Be sure to change these skills for each job — and remember, leave out Microsoft Office Suite unless you’re truly proficient.
Pro Tip: Although you should leave this section off your resume, you should write something in the “Summary” section of your . Use this section to write out specific skills and achievements, link to your portfolio or blog, and talk about awards you’ve won or projects you’ve worked on. The information and skills on here should be applicable to where youre headed in your career, not irrelevant past skills.
Why Is It Important To Create A Resume That Looks Good
Your resume is a representation of you and your abilities. It not only showcases your experience and skills but it also lets hiring managers see how you present yourself. For example, a clean and organized resume shows the effort you put into the design while also displaying your organizational skills. A well-designed resume with all the right elements can make it easier for hiring managers to determine who you are and what skills you can bring to their company.
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What About The Old School Way Of Submitting The Resume In Person Are People Still Doing This
Yeah, some people still do that. It’s funny but there’s no harm in it. If you’re a junior or if it’s a smaller company, you can take it there personally, if you get past the security. 😀 Small companies might even appreciate that. They’re probably not using any ATS, HR might not even exist, so there’s no harm in it.
But I’d still recommend to send it also via email, just in case. Then it’s not going to get lost, which is a risk if you have a paper copy of something. I shamefully remember when I was just starting out my career as an administrator at the recruitment company and sometimes, resumes didnt get where they should because there were so many of them. We had paper everywhere! Or we’d put them aside to give to the right person next time we saw them, and for whatever reason it got forgotten. Such things happen. So, be aware of this.
How To Write A Resume Objective
Just like a resume summary, your resume objective is also max 2-3 sentences. Rather than describing your work experience, the resume objective focuses more on your motivation for applying for a specific job.
If you’re a professional with several years worth of work experience, you should always stick to the resume summary. You’re much more likely to sell yourself with your experience, rather than motivation.
If you’re one of the following, though, you might want to use a resume objective:
- Professional with a career gap
. Looking to apply my at to help .
And heres how this looks like in practice:
Driven and meticulous recent graduate with a B.Sc. in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics with a 3.98 GPA. 6+ months of experience in forensic accounting and spreadsheet & data manipulation. Looking for an entry-level position as a forensic accountant at the XYZ Accounting Firm.
To make sure your resume summary is memorable, as with the resume objective, you want to make sure that its tailored for the position youre applying for.
In addition, make sure to mention:
- Your skills / experiences that are relevant to the job youre applying for
- Exact keywords from the listing to increase chances of passing through application tracking systems
- How youre going to help the company achieve its goals
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What Recruiters Are Looking For On A Resume
Workers need to be pliable these days, and so do their resumes.
Its nearly impossible to avoid change whether it be updates to technology, staffing, or workflow. Proving that you can adapt to constantly shifting situations is key to finding gainful employment.
This is especially important for older job seekers, who arent perceived to be as versatile as their younger counterparts when it comes to technology, Leavy-Detrick says.
If you fall into that category, she adds, emphasize the digital skills you have experience in, like email marketing, cybersecurity, or otherwise.
When You List Every Piece Of Technology You’ve Ever Touched Seen Heard Smelt
In the technology industry, it’s very common for recruiters to see candidates listing out experience with all the technology they’ve ever heard of. But unless you’ve cut and edited videos extensively, you can’t really put “Final Cut Pro” on your resume.
“Unless you’re confident in your skill set and experience in that area, don’t add technology just to add fodder,” says Marsters.
Same goes with languages you speak, or your college classes. “College students shouldn’t feel the need to list out every single class they took at school. In fact, you don’t need to add any classes — but it’s OK if you want to list a few important ones relevant to the job you’re applying for.”
Pro Tip: Unless you can hold your own in an interview on the subjects you’re listing, leave them out.
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What Does A Resume Look Like
Make sure your resume is attractive, make sure its relevant to the job, make sure you have traditional format and be sure to use terminology that paints you as a valuable contributor to the company. Because those are the things employers want to see in a resume.
Chris Fields is an HR professional and leadership guy who also helps job seekers write great resumes . Also Check out 4 Resume Red Flags.
SmartRecruiters is the hiring platform with everything you need to source talent, manage candidates, and make the right hires.
Leave A Judicious Amount Of White Space
White space is a term used to describe the parts of a page that contain nothing at all, and its vitally important to good design. Every once in a while, the eye and the brain need a break, and thats what white space is for.
Good page designers will tell you not to trap white space but to push it to the outside. This means you dont want big white holes in the middle of your document, but you do want them toward the outside. This is why you want to leave one space between resume sections, but not three because those three would create trapped white space.
So if your resume should end up being a little short, do not space it out internally by adding extra returns between sections. Youre better off putting an extra return or two at the top and bottom or using slightly larger margins.
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Things Recruiters Absolutely Hate About Your Resume
I’ll never forget one of my first job interviews out of college.
I was applying for a marketing position at a technology company. Because my college major had nothing to do with marketing or technology, I’d written “Relevant coursework: Statistics” in the education section of my resume in an effort to draw a connection.
When I came in to interview, everything was going great — until I met with one of the company’s VPs. He sat down, turned my resume over on the table in front of him, scribbled down an advanced statistics question, and pushed it across the table to me.
Crap.
Let’s just say it’d been a while since I brushed up on my statistics. I ended up reasoning my way through the problem, but it wasn’t a piece of cake — and I was stressed as heck. I learned an important lesson that day: Never put something on your resume you can’t back up 100%. That, my friends, is just one of the many things recruiters hate to see on resumes.
Every recruiter has their own list of things they don’t like to see on resumes, and you never know who’s going to see yours. That’s why it’s important to avoid all the most common resume mistakes.
I spoke with some of the top recruiters here at HubSpot to find out the top 21 things recruiters and hiring managers don’t want to see on your resume. Needless to say, you may want to bookmark this one …
What Is A Resume
First things first: lets define a resume. A resume is a summary of your work history, skills, and education. In this respect, a resume is different than a curriculum vitae more commonly called a CV. A CV is a complete look at your career, covering every aspect of your education, work and experience without the restriction of length. But a resume is a summary of those experiences and skills, and typically covers only 10 years worth of employment. Unlike a CV, a resume should be tweaked and edited for each specific job for which you apply, and it should be just one or two pages long.
A resume is the most requested document in any job search followed by the cover letter, of course. In fact, recruiters scrutinize job candidates resumes more closely than their cover letters. So lets move on to how to structure it right.
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What Does A Good Resume Look Like And How To Make One Now
A good resume needs to be compelling.
What Does a Good Resume Look Like? And How to Make One Now!
This post shows you what a good resume should look like the features it should have to make it good enough to be picked by prospective employers among hundreds of others and how to make one for your job hunting success.
It also provides direction to lots of resume examples that you can use as templates when making your own.
Now, lets get started by first looking at what a resume is:
When It Comes To Work Experience Sections Many Resources Say You Should Only Highlight Achievements And Omit Duties What’s Your Take On This
I usually say have both. I recommend putting a few most important duties first because that’s adding the context, and then the achievements. You can maybe get away just with the achievements if you’re in an achievement-focused role, for instance sales. But in general, I’d recommend having a mix context plus impact.
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Faq: What A Resume Should Look Like
It is a great idea to match your cover letter and resume templates. This is one of the best resume tips for job seekers because it creates a professional-looking job application quickly and easily. The ResumeNerd cover letter builder offers a wide range of attractive cover letter templates to choose from.
Your resume layout and design should be much the same whether you are applying for an entry-level role or a senior one. It is the content of your resume, and in some cases the length, that will change. For example, if you are applying for a very senior role such as CFO, then you might need a two-page resume to detail all your experiences.
Yes, using a resume builder can create a great, editable resume in just a few minutes. The ResumeNerd resume builder is a great tool that has a range of high-quality templates to choose from, and provides expert job-specific suggestions to create your resume.
What Is The Best Resume Layout
The first thing a job recruiter notices about any resume is the layout.
Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or does it scream out Read me!?
Here are some of the best practices when it comes to your resume layout:
1. One page in length. You should only go for 2 pages if you really, really believe that itll add significant value. HR managers in big firms get around 1,000+ resumes per month. Theyre not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
2. Clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers.
3. Ample white-space, especially around the margins.
4. Easy-to-read font. Wed recommend sticking to what stands out, but not too much. Do: Ubuntu, Roboto, Overpass, etc. Dont : Comic Sans
5. Pick the right font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11 – 12 pt for normal text, and 14 – 16 pt for section titles.
6. As a rule of thumb, save your resume as PDF. Word is a popular alternative, but it has a good chance of messing up your resume formatting.
One more thing you need to consider in terms of resume layout is whether youre going for a traditional-looking free resume template or something a bit more modern:
If youre pursuing a career in a more traditional industry – legal, banking, finance, etc. – you might want to stick to the first.
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Url To Your Personal Website/channels
Here are some typical examples of what you could include:
- Personal website – Include a link to your personal website if you have an established online presence. Dont include it if its just a literal HTML copy of your resume. No one will want to read the same content over again.
- Personal blog – Only include this if it is relevant to the job you are applying for. For example, if you have a blog that positions you as an expert in your field. A personal blog on meditation and unlocking the power within wont mean much when applying for an accounting position.
- URL to your personal portfolio – For web designers, illustrators, painters, photographers, etc…
- Youtube channel – A channel containing videos of you explaining quantum economics can be a great thing to put on a resume if you are applying for a job in the field of economics.
So in the end, your contact information section would look something like this:
This example was made with a Novorésumé template, and it took us less than 15 seconds! Give our online resume builder a try – well save you from the hassle of manually formatting your resume!
Use The Right Language To Stand Out
Trite, lackluster descriptions of your job duties and accomplishments wont do you any favors. Make sure youre using strong action words, such as achieved, designed, improved and established, to describe your roles and projects, said Sade. This will make you sound confident while imparting vital information. But be cautious about depending on action verbs make sure to include details about how you improved a process or achieved a goal.
Words such as professional, results-driven and detail-oriented provide very little helpful information, Sade said. Its better to use actual job titles than these words.
Did you know? You can use a combination of action words to highlight your experience and make your resume easier to read.
Diya Obeid, founder and CEO of ATS company JobDiva, said that you should remove words like go-getter, team player and go-to person from your resume. These come off as fluff and take up precious space on your resume.
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Customize Your Resume For Your Industry
People are often encouraged to include personality in their resume, but unless they are applying for a job in a creative industry, they may want to rethink that strategy. A lot of pictures and fonts and colors and a whole lot of personality just doesnt align with the jobs we have here, says Schweikert, whose team recruits for positions in sales, product and marketing. If I was in an organization that, for example, was in web design, then I would want to see those design elements in a resume.
Kim agrees that resume layout is wholly dependent on the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a designer role, I want to see something creative there. If youre applying for a finance role, I want to see numbers, she says.
Your Resume Should Use Headlines
Just like a marketing campaign, your resume should look like a brochure or flyer using space-saving headlines that quickly drive home your point.
This award-winning Chief Revenue Officer resume shows headlines that describe a record of growth and customer retention:
Shattered Growth Records at AT& T By Closing Gaps Between Vision & Execution
Generated #1 Revenue & Customer Churn Metrics for 16 Straight Quarters
What should YOUR resume contain? Accomplishments outlining what youve consistently delivered, summed up by headlines to help break up the text.
To do this, group achievements that represent a specific competency , then write a concise line that represents these wins. Youll have the right formula for a persuasive headline.
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