A business consulting firm can be an excellent place to work, but you need to make sure that you’re on your A-game as you’re applying to positions there. This article provides an overview of how to best present yourself and how to successfully interview with business consulting firms. You’ll also learn about the typical duties of consultants and the benefits of working at a consulting firm versus other types of companies. These tips will help you land your ideal job at a business consulting firm, so keep reading:
- Learn About the Company
Before you even think about applying for a job at a business consulting firm, you need to understand what types of firms there are and what they do. Consulting firms are broken into two broad categories: management consulting firms and business consulting firms. The major difference between the two is their focus: Management consultants focus mostly on improving the operations and efficiency of large organizations like governments, nonprofits, hospitals and corporations. Business consultants, on the other hand, focus on helping businesses increase sales and profits. To learn more about different types of consulting firms, check out this infographic:
Both management consulting firms and business consulting firms typically provide in-depth information about their employees and the positions they’re hiring for on their websites. If you’re interested in working at a business consulting firm, then you should look to apply to one that specializes in helping businesses – not large organizations like hospitals or universities.
- Get a Good Resume
After learning about the type of consulting firm you want to work for, you need to decide what type of resume is best for you. Many consultants and business consultants prefer to use a combination of both traditional and digital resumes, but there are many other options available. Here is the information you need to know about the different types of resumes:
Traditional Resumes
Traditional resumes are created using a template that describes your skills and experience within specific categories like education, work experience, community involvement and awards/honors. These types of resumes are typically more time-consuming because they have specific formatting requirements that must be followed in order to meet the needs of hiring managers at prospective consulting firms.
Digital Resumes
Alternatively, digital resumes are created using a software called “resume builder” that creates a customized resume tailored to your specific experience and skills. These types of resumes take less time to create and are easy to update, but they tend to be slightly more expensive. Here is an example of what a digital resume might look like:
Finally, if you have a specific job in mind when you’re creating your resume, then you may want to create one specifically for that position. This type of resume contains the most relevant information for the position you’re applying for and will help casting managers find out about your skills and experience.
- Do Your Homework
Now that you’ve learned all about the types of resumes and resumes, you know what to do when you’re creating your resume (or preparing for an interview). Next, you need to research the specific job you want. Consulting firms are very different from other companies in the corporate world – so much so that job duties often depend on which business consulting firm you work for.
It’s important that you know the specific types of job you want prior to applying for one. That way, when you learn what type of business consulting firm matches your experience and skills, you can then narrow down the companies that will be a perfect fit.