How tailored should different CV versions be?

Hi,

Sharing my experience when I was trying to leave my first consulting firm. At that time, I too applied to consulting firms as well as corporate strategy.

• Generally, ~80% of the same CV can be used to apply to both firms, given the general traits and skills required are going to be similar
• In my experience, I did tailor my CV for corporate strategy roles for the following 2 reasons
  1. There was a clear JD/expectations of the role and i wanted to show that I had relevant experience 
     • E.g. I emphasized/put in more relevant projects
  2. There was an explicit ask from HR to highlight certain experiences
     • E.g. HR told me one time its important to highlight any experience with Financial Services 

All the best!

Hi there,

1) Should I have a separate CV for consulting vs. corporate strategy? In what way should the CV be different (ex: selection of project types, the way the experience is illustrated)

Unless the corporate strategy role is focusing on a specific sector more related to one of the three industries you covered, I would keep the same CV.

2) For corporate strategy roles, do I need to prepare a tailored CV for each industry? 

As reported in #1, I would just change it if they cover one of the specific industries where you worked. If that’s the case, I would emphasize more your experience in that particular industry.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

great question - thanks for sharing.

1. Should I have separate CVs? Suggest you think about what matters here - knowing your audience, i.e. you're trying to best match your profile with what a specific role description entails. To optimize that match, I strongly suggest that you at least slightly customize the versions you send out. This is particularly true for the Professional Experience part, while the other sections can usually stay same. 
2. For corp strat roles, do you need a CV tailored to the industry? Similar to above - you want to maximize the overlap of your profile with what the firms are looking for. For players in a specific industry, it will be helpful if you emphasize your experience in that specific industry. Hence, would customize a bit accordingly to highlight the critical things.

Feel free to reach out via DM, if you'd like me to have a quick look and see if your positioning is fit for purpose.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Hi there,

Personally, I would not have a different CV/Resume for strategy consulting and corporate strategy. The skills/experiences they want are essentially the same!

The different CV/Resume comes in if you are doing something completely different (like data analytics, IT/Tech, Banking, Education, etc.)

The time you save here can be re-purposed to networking which has a huge effect!

Hi there!

It's great that you're trying to be specific with your CV.

You always have to take a step back and think about the skills and experiences that recruiters are looking for in those specific industries that you're applying to.

Fortunately, there's actually a significant overlap between consulting and corporate strategy so you could also just have one version for both (I could only tell if I actually saw your CV). 

I'd recommend that you work with a coach on setting up the CV. It costs less than a session and it has a huge impact on your chances of passing screening. 

Feel free to reach out and I can help you with the materials you need to revise it. 

Best,
Cristian

Hello,

I think that corporate strategy and strategy consulting are similar enough that you should comfortably be able to keep the same resume for both. The only caveat would be if the corporate strategy role is specific to a given industry/sector, I would maybe focus on experience you have that is most relevant to that industry/sector, as Francesco mentioned.

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, to what degree the different versions of your application files (as this applies to both your resume and cover letter) should differ is completely dependent on the specific job roles and their requirements for which you are applying.
• As such, instead of mulling over the degree of difference, I would highly advise you to focus on tailoring your application files as much as possible to maximize your chances of passing the screening phase of the application process.
• Lastly, you should also consider securing referrals, both for the consulting and corporate strategy roles for which you are applying, since referrals can significantly enhance your chances of securing an interview.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi!

I believe this only makes sense for roles which are more different from each other than corporate strategy and strategy consulting. So maybe for a tech porduct owner role vs. an MBB role - there it might very well make sense to have different versions which emphasize different aspects.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Sidi

_______________________

Dr. Sidi Koné 

(Former Senior Engagement Manager and Interviewer at McKinsey | Former Senior Consultant and Interviewer at BCG)