Consultant Resume Template, Samples, and Job Description

Consultant Resume Examples

Consultants get paid to look at other groups’ projects, organization, or presentations and determine what they can do to make it better. If you’ve been told that you’re great at leadership and attaining goals, then you might want to become a consultant. However, to get a consultant position, you need a resume that showcases why you’re the right person for the job. Here’s what you need to know to write the perfect consultant resume.

What Should I Highlight in a Consultant Resume?

From a business consultant to an IT consultant or even a salaried employee at a consulting firm, there are many ways for you to become a consultant. Typically, the best resume for a consultant will highlight your years of experience, have a broad skills section, and tell the hiring manager how you’ve contributed to business development in the past. You need to showcase your initiatives, discuss what you’ve done for companies’ profitability, and highlight your specific competencies, especially when it comes to a consulting firm position. Soft skills are also going to be hugely impactful in this field, as consulting positions regularly rely on communication and collaboration.

The Structure of a Consultant Resume

Resume writing is often about presenting your skill set in the right order, with the most relevant attributes and experiences that can really help a company brought to the forefront. Here’s how you can build your management consultant resume more effectively.

Header

Start with a resume header. The resume header includes your name, contact information, and job title. It also may have a resume headline, which is a one-sentence description of who you are and what you can provide to a job.

Resume summary/objective

A consultant resume summary or resume objective is a short description of your career history and best accomplishments, meant to entice the recruiter to keep reading. Highlight a few of your best skills that relate to what the job needs. You’ll typically write the resume summary or objective after you write the rest of your resume, so you’re able to pick out your best qualifications to showcase.

The difference between a summary and objective is that a resume summary is typically made for job seekers with more experience. It goes over your past achievements and experience and tells the manager how you can use that to help them. A resume objective is typically for job seekers with slightly less experience. It showcases what you’re hoping to do with your skills and education in the future.

Skills

Skills are an important part of any resume format, and you should typically include anywhere from five to ten skills on your resume. These are a few skills related to consulting you might want to add to your resume:

• Problem-solving
• Data analysis
• Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Presentation skills
• Communication skills
• Leadership 
• Project management
• People skills
• Time management
• General observation skills

Remember, you should focus on the top five to ten skills that you possess that also connect with the specific job you want. Feature only skills that you’re very confident in, as follow-up questions during a job interview will help an interviewer determine whether or not you’re really skilled in these areas.

Work History

The experience section is a key section, especially for consulting resumes. Companies want to know if you’ve had success in the industry, and including your experience helps them know they can trust you. For each position you’ve had, feature a few bullet points that describe your top responsibilities and best accomplishments.

Education

Last is the education section. List college experience first, with high school experience only if you lack college experience. You also can list college achievements, certifications, and academic awards, but don’t list your GPA, as hiring managers typically won’t care about it.