Candidates sometimes ignore the importance of their resume while it is the most fundamental component of your application. McKinsey receives around one million applications every year, so you must ensure that your CV stands out from the crowd. To be successful you need to work both on its content and structure.
As for content, recruiters will mainly look at:
- Academic background
- McKinsey recruits from a great variety of schools and backgrounds (engineering, business, psychology, etc.). The Firm highly values above-average academic results (i.e., your GPA) and other relevant achievements (e.g., winner of Mathematical Olympiad).
- Relevant experience (professional and/or extracurricular)
- Previous work experience is usually not demanded, although it can significantly increase the chances to get through the screening stage. Recruiters also consider other relevant experience such as volunteering, involvement with student association, entrepreneurial activities, etc.
A key success factor here is that you can demonstrate impact on 4 key skills and traits that are essential to be successful at McKinsey:
Demonstrating impact means that you are able to quantify the results of your work (e.g., 15% increase in sales) in a clear and concise manner. I know what you are thinking: I cannot quantify the impact of my work as my tasks were mainly qualitative. My answer is that it might be complex, but you can definitely do it. Think about the results from a different perspective and you will find a way to show impact for every single task you have done.
Tip: structure the content of your CV thinking about these 4 pillars. Ideally, you should have at least one bullet point for each of them.
As for structure, think about these statistics: recruiters spend an average of six seconds reading a resume. While content is king, you must structure your CV to make it stand out. There are three general criteria to follow:
- Be clear: write about your impact in a clear and concise manner, using action verbs to highlight your achievements
- Be consistent: if you use italics to describe your job positions, stick to this format throughout the entire resume
- Be clean: let your content breathe. Use spaces and indentations smartly and do not make your CV overcrowded
Use our free CV templates to get noticed for your consulting job!