Dear all,
I took part in a presidential campaign (social media strategy) in a third world country. Although my involvement made me learn a lot in areas like marketing, analytics, PR and psychology and made me interact with different stakeholders, the candidate and his gov. are controversial.
Should I talk about this experience on my MBB resume? (I am applying to a European office)
Thanks!
Hey there,
I would definitely include it but leave out everything that could be traced back to the specific candidate and/ or party or that the person got elected. Then, there is 0 risk that it could backfire.
After all, this is not different from writing a resume entry for a previous consulting or contractor role that includes confidential clients or projects.
Cheers,
Florian
Yes, definitely worth including but leave out certain details as other coaches have suggested.
Hi there,
Easy fix - include the experience but leave out the details. You don't need to say who the leader was specifically (i.e. do not name-drop).
If your role was minor (i.e. analyst, data entry, etc), don't risk this at all. However, if you really demonstrated a high level of skills, responsibility, etc. that ties specifically to consulting, it's an experience worth adding!
Hello!
I would 100% include it, particularly if you are able to correctly quantify your impacts and contributions.
However, since you say it´s controversial, I would have a good answer ready in case they ask you why did you collaborate with them.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
This is indeed a very tricky decision...! If you have other experiences you can highlight, I would be tempted to exlcude the campaign, especially if you are applying to the local/regional office where most recruiters/interviewers would raise their eyebrow if they saw your involvement. The other option is to annonymise it but that could just come across a little strange...
MBBs, particularly McKinsey, have become extremely sensitive to public controversies and conflicts of interest where I would err on the side of caution.
Hi there!
Yes, you can include it because you developed there very crucial for the consulting role skills and knowledge. However, it also depends on if you have more valuable experience. If yes, its is better to highlight it.
Good luck,
GB
Hello,
I would definetely include it avoiding to mention the candidate. Those soft skills are very important for a consultant and it would be a waster to leave it out.
Feel free to pm me if you want a quick feedback on the CV.
Best,
Luca
Hi,
Absolutely, why not? Make sure you highlight the skills relevant for consulting:
best
I'd say it depends what you mean with "controversial". If the values the candidate stands for fly directly in the face of values that your target firms stand for (diversity, inclusion, equity, etc), I would not mention it in the CV. The risk of this coming up and causing very awkward situations in an interview. If "controversial" means within the value system of your target firms, you can mention it, but potentially just refrain from mentioning the party/name of the candidate.
Hi there,
If you can “sanitize” the experience (ie explain what you did without providing details on the candidate/party you supported) I would include it. Otherwise I believe it is risky and would avoid it. For most recruiters it may be fine, but why take the risk.
Best,
Francesco
Hi, I would talk about it without enter in details
Best
Anto
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