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CV tips for: consultants

It’s important that your CV states the industry-specific vertical or horizontal expertise you possess.

If you have strong qualifications, accreditations, certifications and formal training, emphasise them and place them near the beginning of the CV. If they are not so strong, leave them until the end.

Experience gained with high profile companies or on high profile client projects can add gravitas. Outline this on the first page of your CV, possibly in your profile.

A strong CV should show how a consultant has added value to a business, and you should substantiate or quantify this.

It’s important that you outline the scope and scale of consulting engagements, substantiating with facts and figures.

If you are applying for a position with a professional services company, where your role would be on a charge-out basis, showcase your billings, revenue, utilisation and profit contribution.

If your billings are impressive, shout about them! If not, you’ll need to consider how much weight they add.

Make use of words which are active and instil confidence, such as: influential, convincing, robust, dynamic, first-rate, goal-oriented…

If your application is for a role where you are well qualified, be very specific about your skills, experience and accomplishments. Conversely, if the match is loose, you would be wise to be more vague. It’s important to tailor CVs to individual applications.