What do I Highlight on my resume?

Hi there,

Do I include my contract and founding/advisory roles? 

- You include the roles that demonstrates transferrable skills

Should my resume be one page or two page to highlight the experience? 

- One page

I’ve also been promoted within a company multiple times - should I include all the roles or only the relevant ones? 

- If role has the same function and you've simply been promoted, you can state that you were promoted from XYZ role. If the role is a different function and you did something completely different, then it should be a separate section/row.
 

Any advice on including certifications? 

- Include certifications that are relevant to the position.

Hi there,

Great question — and congrats on having strong experience. The challenge now is focus, not volume.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

1. Do I include contract roles?

Yes — if they add value.

If they show relevant skills, strong impact, or fill gaps, include them. Just label them clearly as “Contract.” If some were short or less impactful, you can group them under:

Independent Consultant (Selected Engagements)

Impact matters more than contract vs. full-time.

2. What about founding / advisory roles?

Yes — especially if you had real responsibility.

They signal ownership and leadership. Just make sure you:

• Treat them like real roles (not hobbies)
• Focus on outcomes (revenue, users, funding, growth)

If advisory roles were light-touch, you can group them into one section.

3. One page or two?

With 8+ years, two pages is completely fine.

But:

• Keep it sharp.
• No fluff.
• Prioritize relevance.

If page two feels weak, cut it.

4. Promotions — list all roles?

Yes. Definitely.

Showing progression within a company is powerful. It signals strong performance.

You can stack them under one company with different titles and dates.

5. Certifications?

Include them if they are:

• Recognized
• Relevant
• Still meaningful

Skip low-signal online courses.

Final mindset

Your resume is not a timeline of everything you’ve done.

It’s a focused story that says:

“Here’s why I’m a strong fit for this specific role.”

Be selective. Quantify impact. Show progression. Keep it clean.

Think of your resume as a highlight reel, not a life story. Every line should be there for a reason.

One page or two. One page. Always. Eight years is perfectly manageable if you are selective. Two pages usually signals you have not figured out what matters most.

Contract roles. Include them only if they add something meaningful. If a contract role gave you a real achievement or relevant skill, put it in. If it was filler, leave it out. You do not need to label them as "contract" either.

Founding and advisory roles. Be careful here. For MBB and most corporate roles, founding experience is a double edged sword. Shows initiative, but makes recruiters wonder if you will stick around. Include it if relevant, but keep it to one or two lines. Do not make it the centerpiece.

Multiple promotions. This is a strength. List the company once, show the title progression, then focus your bullets on the most impactful work across those roles. That tells a growth story without eating up half your page.

Certifications. Only if directly relevant to the role or industry. A small line at the bottom is fine. Do not give it prime real estate.

The real test is simple. What story does your resume tell in 30 seconds? That is how long a screener spends on it. Every line should show impact, progression, or relevance. If it does not do one of those three, cut it.

Hi! happy to support you with a full CV review as it is important to contextualise all your experiences and achievements to identify what makes most sense - both from a content and length perspective. Please feel free to connect!

Get a professional CV review. 

It's the best ROI move you can make at this stage in the application.

<5% of the CVs I see are ready to be sent out, and that's also one of the core reasons why candidates fail at the screening phase. 

With a professional CV review, you'll get a proper, detailed analysis of what's working and what's not, and then how to bring forward the best of what you've done until now. If you're interested in this, reach out and I can walk you through how I work on this with my candidates. 

Best,
Cristian

This is a great question, and figuring out how to distill diverse experience onto a consulting resume is a challenge many face.

With 8+ years of experience across multiple sectors, your primary goal is to tell a concise, impact-driven story that resonates with what consulting firms look for: problem-solving, leadership, client-facing skills, and tangible results. For almost all consulting roles at the associate/consultant level, a one-page resume is non-negotiable. Recruiters spend mere seconds reviewing applications, and a second page often goes unread. This means every word counts.

Yes, absolutely include your contract, founding, and advisory roles. These experiences often showcase initiative, entrepreneurship, and diverse problem-solving abilities that are highly valued. Frame them with quantifiable achievements and highlight how you identified problems, developed strategies, and delivered outcomes. For your promotions within a company, group them under the company name, listing each role chronologically, but focus your bullet points on the most impactful achievements, particularly from your more senior positions, demonstrating progression and increasing responsibility. Unless a certification is directly relevant to a specific consulting role you're targeting (e.g., a PMP for implementation consulting), generally omit them to save space and keep the focus on your leadership and impact.

The key is to relentlessly edit for clarity and impact, prioritizing achievements that demonstrate your ability to drive change and solve complex business problems.

Hope this helps!

With 8 plus years across healthcare, healthtech, telecom, and finance, you should absolutely include contract roles and founding or advisory experience if they show impact, ownership, or leadership, just frame them around outcomes rather than titles. For most consulting or strategy roles, one page is still ideal unless your experience is very senior, so focus on the most relevant roles and quantify results clearly instead of listing everything. If you were promoted within a company, list the company once and show the progression underneath, as that signals strong performance. Certifications should only be included if they are relevant and recognizable, and they should sit in a short section at the bottom without taking too much space. If you tell me what roles you are targeting, I can give more tailored advice on what to emphasize and what to cut.

Alessa