Consulting CV example and writing guide

Use a clear, reverse-chronological format and aim for no more than two pages. Put your contact details first, followed by a short personal statement, core skills, professional experience, education and a brief section for relevant extras.

Research the role and likely client work before tailoring your consulting CV. Move the most relevant specialisms and outcomes towards the top, borrow wording from the vacancy only when it accurately describes your experience, and replace internal project labels with plain business language. Show analytical thinking, structured problem solving and delivery through evidence rather than adjectives.

Keep the layout restrained. Use consistent headings, dates and spacing, then proofread every line. A clear, error-free document gives the reader an immediate example of your written communication.

Treat each experience bullet as a compact piece of evidence. Start with the action, establish the scope and finish with the result. A useful pattern is: action + work performed + scale or context + measured outcome. This keeps attention on what changed because of your work, whether that was lower cost, faster delivery, stronger adoption or a better customer outcome.

The figures above are illustrative. Use records you can verify, and separate your contribution from the wider team's result. If a commercial figure is confidential, give defensible scale another way: processes reviewed, stakeholders interviewed, locations covered, users supported or time saved.

Choose verbs that name the work precisely: analysed, structured, modelled, interviewed, synthesised, recommended, presented, facilitated, implemented, coordinated, evaluated and improved. Junior applicants can draw on university projects, placements and part-time work for evidence of research, teamwork and structured problem solving. Senior candidates should show how they designed the approach, coordinated workstreams, managed risks and resources, reviewed outputs, influenced client decisions and maintained delivery quality.

Do not cram unrelated claims into one bullet. One result per bullet is easier to scan and leaves room to explain the method and scope. Across the section, vary the evidence: include analysis, communication, implementation and evaluation where those activities reflect your actual work.

List education in reverse-chronological order, giving the qualification, institution and completion year. Recent graduates can add relevant detail, such as an analytical project, dissertation topic or strong module result. Experienced applicants should usually keep this section shorter and give more space to project outcomes.

For some consulting graduate schemes, an Undergraduate degree at 2:1 level is conditionally required, but this is not a profession-wide rule. Other schemes accept different classifications or subjects. Check the exact vacancy and reproduce its criteria accurately rather than assuming that one academic route applies everywhere.

The Certificate in Business Accounting, issued by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, is an optional course of study within some graduate programmes. Include it only if you have completed it or are genuinely studying towards it. Give the exact title, issuer and status, plus an expected completion date where applicable. Do not present the availability of this course as a general requirement for consulting work.

Where a vacancy does not name a credential, concentrate on clear, honest presentation. Put the most relevant qualification first, use consistent dates and explain unfamiliar course titles in plain language. Relevant short courses can sit under a separate professional development heading. Leave out attendance certificates that add little evidence, and describe incomplete study accurately rather than using vague wording.