Who screens your resume when you apply for consulting roles?

Hi there,

I try to address all your points below.

The general process

For most consulting firms, the first pass is done by the recruiting team. They check basic eligibility, role fit, seniority alignment, and obvious red flags. For Level 2 or experienced hire roles, resumes are often then reviewed by one or more consultants from the target practice or office, typically a Manager, Project Leader, or sometimes a Partner if the profile is senior or referred. In busy cycles, consultants may only see a short list rather than every application. 

AI filtering

Most large consulting firms use an Applicant Tracking System. These systems do not “judge” your profile like a human, but they do apply basic filters. Think eligibility checks, role location, work authorization, graduation date, seniority alignment, and sometimes keyword matching to route applications to the right bucket. This is closer to rule based automation than true AI decision making. At MBB and most Tier 2 firms, resumes are not rejected purely by an algorithm scoring your profile. Automated systems may flag or deprioritize profiles, but final rejection decisions are made by humans. Firms are very aware of the risk of missing strong candidates if they rely only on automation.

Referrals

If you have a referral, your resume is much more likely to be seen by consulting staff. In many firms, a referred CV bypasses part of the initial filter and is reviewed directly by someone on the consulting side.

Cover letters

Recruiters usually scan cover letters rather than read them word for word. They look for clear motivation, office or practice fit, and any explanation that helps interpret the CV, such as a career pivot or international move. Consultants tend to read cover letters only if something is unclear or particularly interesting.

What it means for you

Your CV does most of the work. The cover letter rarely saves a weak CV, but it can hurt you if it is generic or inconsistent. For experienced roles especially, clarity of positioning and seniority fit on the CV matters more than elegant writing. If you want to maximize odds, focus on a sharp CV, clear role targeting, and ideally a referral. The cover letter should support the story, not carry it.

Long time ago when I was in a smaller firm, I used to be the one screening the resumes. 

But once I joined MBB - MBB operates at a scale where frankly it is not worth the consultants time to review CVs.

Therefore whether you are generalist or expert hire, the recruiting (HR) team will do the screening. Even in expert roles or practice roles, very often recruiting will do 1 or 2 screening calls before passing your profile to the practice area for review.

If you are an experienced hire, you will find my articles helpful:

5 Reasons Why Experienced Hires Fail the Interview

Succeeding in Consulting as an Experienced Hire

All the best!

hey there :)

In most consulting firms the first screen is done by recruiting or HR to check basic fit and requirements, and for level 2 roles it is very common that one or two consultants or managers are also involved quite early to assess quality and potential; cover letters are usually read but more as a signal of motivation and clarity rather than line by line, so they matter most when they add something strong or explain a non standard profile, feel free to reach out if you want to dive deeper. best, Alessa :)