What kind of extracurriculars/volunteer work are valuable to have on a resume when applying for consulting positions?

Hi,

I will look at the following buckets sorted by priority:

1. Launching your own venture and entrepreneurial activities (even failing them is fine)
2. Grants / scholarships -  even better if related to some research or entrepreneurial projects
3. Projects for companies - you may consider doing a free project for the company or a startup or writing a case that future grads will use
4. Volunteer / social activities. I would aim at the activities where you can have a leadership role. Organizing some club may work as well.
5. Case Competitions-especially the ones organized by your target company
6. Researches / articles published in well-known sources

I would try to go deep rather than broad. It's good to have something that you can put as a part-time job in your resume rather than just a bullet point. It will also give you great stories for the FIT part of the interview.

Best,

Hi Ian,

I would stick to experiences that could provide evidence of one of the usual values consulting companies look for:

• Leadership
• Drive
• Impact
• Teamwork

Most if not all of the extracurricular activities you may do will involve at least one of these areas, thus as mentioned I would mainly concentrate on those you are actually passionate about.

Best,

Francesco

Hi Ian,

I agree with my colleagues that whatever activity you choose make sure it can show you have soft skills the targeted firms are looking for.

Leadership, adaptability, teamwork, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, conflict resolution, etc. are among them.

Best, André

Hey Ian,

Literally any activity (choose the ones that you actually like, don’t do it just because of the CV!) where you can boost (and then sow that you have done it) any important skill: leadership, team collaboration, creativity, entrepreneurial, etc

Some examples I see and like are student associations and clubs, charities/working with underprivileged, Boy Scouts (or similar), launch a start up.

Best

Bruno

Actually, any volunteer activities that are in line with developing these qualities are fine: leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, conflict management.

Also, you can try to find some internship, which might add good points to your CV.

Does it make sense to you?

GB