Extracurricular and Awards

Hi there, 

That's a great question. 

As a rule, if you need to prioritize, I wouldn't put down anything that's older than five years. But that's a luxury and I'm assuming you've done sufficient things in the last few years to allow for that. 

If you feel like you've done thing seven years ago which could elevate your profile significantly (e.g., captain of the national basketball team), it's still good to use them, but I wouldn't focus too much on them. 

Hi there,

1) For an experienced hire (7 years work exp), how far in the past should 1 go on the resume to put down awards and extracurriculars that show leadership skills and community impact. 

There is no exact timeline. However, the older the achievement, the more relevant it should be. There is an “opportunity cost” in terms of what you put in the CV (you cannot put everything for a matter of space) so you should put the most important things only.

2) Is high school still relevant?

No, unless you have accomplished something truly exceptional then.

You can find some tips on the CV here:

▶ CV Checklist

Best,

Francesco

It is always important to convey a story. 
You should add extracurricular activities that may have some interest for the position you are applying for.

Everything that proves that you have a tendency for excellence, team building, competition, and personal development is absolutely relevant. 

Hi there,

The short answer is: Include what adds the most value!

As you go back in time, generally those experiences will be less impressive anyway. Cut experiences that are just “fluff”. Remember, things you add also “take away” from focusing the recruiter's eyes on things that matter.

So, there's not a hard and fast rule for # years. At some points in my life I only went back 4 years, in others I went back 8 or 10. It totally depends on your resume/experiences and role you're applying for!

Feel free to send your resume through and I can tell you what can be cut :)

Hi there,

Whatever you end up highlighting in your CV should tell the story of who you are and how you've become that person. Time isn't as important as relevance, which is why I would suggest the following:

• Exclude: If there's a lot of awards and extracurriculars that don't really fit the narrative, drop them - even if recent.
• Include: Conversely, if there's something that you did 10 years ago that had a major impact on your development, include it.

Story telling is hugely important when it comes to getting into consulting and becoming a successful consultant - and it starts with your resume.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Hi there,

I would focus on the impact of the achievements rather than when they have happened.

For instance, McKinsey DACH is very interested in the history of their consultants, hence they also have you send your high school grades with the application.

If you are able to demonstrate that you were already high-achieving during an earlier period in your life, do it! :-) Try to have a nicely spread out string of achievements to showcase that you performed consistently over the years.

Cheers,

Florian

Anything that's worth showing off and highlights your communication, leadership, people management, creative, problem solving etc skills must be on CV.