How to update my CV after consulting internships

Question

Hey all,

I'm currently revising my CV because I've done two consulting internships in the last six months but haven't included them in my CV yet. I will soon be applying for full-time positions in consulting and have two questions:

1. Can you tell me what work experience ( responsibilities/activities) the recruiters pay most attention to?I did many things in the two internships but don't know which work activities to highlight in my CV. My tasks ranged from data crunching to leading small individual workstreams including client interaction.
I also have problems formulating the specific activities concisely and clearly without writing too much or revealing too much sensitive data (e.g. how many cost savings I have achieved through the initiatives I have led/been involved in).

2. For both internships I could pretty much write my own description of job activities in the internship certificate. Is it a problem if the activities in the certificate and those in the CV are similar or even exactly the same?

I am looking forward to your answers. Many thanks!

Answer 1

Firstly, when it comes to highlighting work experience on your CV, recruiters typically pay close attention to your ability to demonstrate familiarity with consulting processes and your proactive approach in contributing to projects. While it's tempting to emphasize tangible outcomes like cost savings, it's more crucial to showcase how your work contributed to the overall case and made your team's job more effective. For instance, emphasizing traits like proactiveness, independence, and efficient execution without needing excessive review iterations are key. Remember, as a junior team member, your impact lies in supporting senior colleagues and enhancing project efficiency.

Regarding formulating specific activities concisely without divulging sensitive data, anonymity is key. Anonymizing client names and refraining from disclosing specific figures while using percentages instead can help maintain confidentiality. Focus on articulating your contribution to the case rather than the precise impact on the client. For instance, instead of detailing cost savings achieved, highlight your role in narrowing down potential targets or streamlining processes.

As for your second question, it's not problematic if the activities listed on your internship certificate align closely with those on your CV. However, the focus of your CV should be less on job descriptions and more on showcasing your individual contributions and skills. Your CV should highlight how you tackled specific challenges, demonstrated leadership, and added value to projects. For instance, rather than listing generic job responsibilities, emphasize tangible actions and outcomes like leading opportunity assessments or creating databases to inform strategic decisions.

Something also to note is that your consulting internships provide brand recognition on your CV which is really helpful when applying for a full time role as it will help you stand out from your peers

Please reach out if you want any help with your CV review, happy to coach you through this process as someone who applied to tons and tons of consulting roles before I got L.E.K- I have lots of experience with this!

Answer 2

Hey!

You would want to cover on your resume (w/o revealing confidential information):

a. Context of the internship

b. What did you do?

c. Your impact

What recruiters are looking for:

1. Is resume clearly / concisely written – proxy for whether you are a good verbal communicator

2. Are you impact oriented (i.e. do you mention the impact) and did you achieve impact

3. Relevant skills you have developed / demonstrated during that internship

A bit of an art to check these boxes well and w/o revealing confidential information.

Please let me know, if I can help …

Good luck!

-Andreas

Answer 3

It's great that you know you have these internships under your belt!

Basically, the CV should show the highlights of your impact.

That means that your bullet points should be about moments when you were at your absolute best and had a clearly defined contribution and thus impact to a specific piece of work.

Avoid anything that is too general / unspecific.

Focus instead on examples that show leadership, creativity / entrepreneurial spirit, ability to persuade and emotional intelligence.

If you developed any technical skills during the internship, also show those.

If you want more help, reach out for a full review. We can then do several iterations of the CV until we get to the version that is ready to be sent out.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 4

They don't care about specific analysis. They care about things that will point out to (non exhaustive list, no particular order)

Communication skills / ability to get “buy in” from clients or to present to large audiences
Problem / project Ownership
Ability to deal with high-stakes problems and senior people on the client side
Ability to work on a team or to lead a team
Analytical ability