3 things to know before applying to your next consulting job

During the job application process, many things are out of our control. We can’t, for example, do much about the consulting credentials of competing job candidates, which may be the deciding factor in some cases. But one thing we can control is our personal narrative that explains why we should be ultimately hired for a role, according to Roberto Amorosino, a former senior human resources specialist at the World Bank Group. The career coach shared proven strategies for an effective consulting career during a recent Devex digital event. The aim is to share stories that “are helping me to demonstrate the sophistication [and] the relevance of my work,” he said, and doing this properly can be the difference-maker in the final stages of hiring. But to get to that point, there are other things you should know that can help you through the earlier steps of the recruitment process. Make sure you keep the following points in mind when applying for your next consulting gig. When a CV is screened, time is limited Speaking from his extensive experience as a recruiter for the World Bank, Amorosino emphasized that when it comes to the initial screening process for consulting positions, time is of the essence. “The time of the reviewer, whoever it is going to be, in whatever capacity [or] whatever scenario, is limited,” Amorosino said, adding that this person will likely spend only 60 seconds, or less, reviewing a CV. This is why the length of your CV can make a difference during this crucial stage. Whatever the length of your CV, it will likely still only receive about a minute’s worth of a reviewer's time, which will only force a reviewer to skip large portions of a longer CV. They may miss relevant details, and instead, “land somewhere saying something that doesn't really help me — maybe the question is should it be there,” Amorosino said. These could be projects from several years ago or experiences not directly related to the position being applied for. Therefore, the CV should be concise and only include essential and timely details. Lead your CV with a summary Both CVs and cover letters are important to those hiring for a consulting role, but in the initial screening process, the CV will get looked at first in most cases and may be the only document reviewed at this stage, Amorosino said. For this reason, “it could be a good thing to have a summary on top of your CV, a short story introducing your experiences” that could be elaborated on more in a cover letter, he said, adding that he appreciated this as a recruiter “because it's a time saver and it's a way to understand if the person is on the right track.” It’s important that this summary is bespoke to each of the different positions being applied for. “This is the only part of the CV that I would strongly recommend reviewing every single time to be sure that we tackle the keywords or whatever could be of interest to help [the reviewer] understand that we are of interest,” he said. Your cover letter should tell a story The difference between a CV and a cover letter is that “the CV is about me,” giving the hiring manager an initial opportunity to “understand if I bring something that could be of interest,” Amorosino said. But a cover letter is “a different communication element,” one where you’re essentially “talking,” but “I'm not talking about me … I'm talking about me in the context of the position, in the context of the organization, so the more we make reference to the position, to the organization in the cover letter, the better,” he said. For both CVs and cover letters, the key is to identify what an organization is looking for in the role, and then provide clear examples of what you’ve done to show you are the best fit for the position, he said, adding that: “It is very important that we talk about what we achieved, the results, whatever we were able to deliver, [and] the outcome of our work and projects.” This approach can also be applied to other forms of communication with an organization or hiring manager, including an emailed statement of interest or an online candidate profile that will likely be seen by a recruiter on a platform such as Devex or LinkedIn. “I can guarantee you that everything counts,” Amorosino said. For a perfect companion to this conversation, make sure you read our Consulting 101 guide.