Four things recruiters look for in a Consulting application

Recruiters are looking to see that you understand and can demonstrate the core consulting competencies.

These are the key skills they want to make sure you have:

Communication
Teamwork
Problem solving
Leadership
Critical thinking
Analytical skills

Making it very clear in your application that you have the right foundations for being an excellent consultant.

Strategic thinking

Consultants are advisors as well as doers. Recruiters want to make sure you approach engagements as a solutions-focused consultant rather than purely a task executor.

Demonstrating that you’re able to step back and look at the bigger picture by placing your work in its strategic context will make you stand out from thousands of other candidates.

Proactive self-starter

Consulting teams are very busy and Engagement Leads don’t have time to spoon feed anyone. Recruiters are therefore looking for people who can demonstrate that they are proactive self-starters who can take initiative.

If you have anything entrepreneurial whether that’s a side hustle or starting a sports team this is a great thing to mention.

Deliver in ambiguity

Consultants often start with vague requirements or problem statements. They have to find a way of refining and defining this, then solving the problem.

Often even clients don’t really understand what they want or what the issue is, consultants are expected to work that out for them. Therefore recruiters are looking to make sure that prospective consultants are comfortable delivering high quality work even when all the answers aren’t available upfront.

Again, entrepreneurial experience whether that’s your own side hustle or in a startup is great evidence of this.