How to demonstrate impact on a strategy mgmt. consulting resume?

Question

I wonder how to demonstrate the impact I've made with my work on my resume. I'm struggling a bit because I have no numbers that show that recommendation X increased sales/conversion etc., by X%.

In strategy, we usually don't deal with the implementation part and therefore don't have access to such numbers. But most people recommend including numbers.

My questions are:

Do other people have the same problem?
Did you find any workarounds?
Are recruiters aware of this?

Answer 1

Hi there,

This is difficult to answer specifically as it depends on what exactly you did. However in general terms you can use the following:

Intermediary results (eg “identified 3 key markets where to launch marketing campaign”)
Numbers unrelated to results (eg “led team of 5 people to..”) with qualitative impact (eg “client adopted recommendation and managed to achieve successful entry”)
Range/estimate/expected results instead of exact numbers (eg “led to expected increase in revenues of $10M+ in Q4”)

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

Yes, this is a very common issue. You have to work with what you have (expected results, estimated results, or size of the identified opportunity).

Also be aware that not everything is quantitative or needs to be a end result:

Being able to get buy in for a critical decision
Having a relevant responsibility (leading team, reporting directly to XYZ)
Delivering something critical in a very short time frame

Let's be honest, we all know it wasn't the really the analyst (alone) who was able to capture 2bn in cost savings opportunities ;) Be result driven, but don't fret about it.

Answer 3

Such a great question!

Impact comes in many shapes or forms. In fact, numbers often don’t get to the bottom of impact since they’re “merely” an output measure. Hence, having nice US$ in your resume doesn’t always mean much.

At its core, impact is all about affecting change for the better (assuming positive impact). It has to do with convincing people to act in a certain way, to take a certain decision, to change their mind, etc., which in return creates a certain output. However, it’s the part about affecting change that really matters, because that’s what consultants do!

Output measure could be US$ but also something like employee retention, customer satisfaction, etc. You can get creative here!

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Hi there,

Impact doesn't always have to be numbers! Here are some value excerpts from my resume:

“to provide detailed insights of factors affecting student recruiting and employment outcomes”
“allowed 40,000+ users to file development applications more efficiently”
"provided tailored advice, materials, and metrics to C-suite executives to improve firm's culture"