This document provides guidance on creating an effective resume for applying to jobs at McKinsey, a large management consulting firm. It recommends including sections on personal information, education, professional experience, extracurricular activities, and additional skills. For each section, it provides examples of the type of information to include and how to structure it. It emphasizes highlighting achievements, results, and skills relevant to consulting like problem-solving and leadership. It also stresses using keywords from the job description that recruiters will be searching for. The goal is to concisely present your qualifications and fit for the role in the most effective way possible to get through the initial screening process.

1. McKinsey
Management
Resume
Consulting
Resume Sample
Sample

2. What McKinsey looks for in applicants
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Like most companies, McKinsey & Company base their preliminary screening on the information they
gather from the candidate’s resume. Hence, if you dream of breaking into this management
consulting giant, make sure your McKinsey resume reflects your consulting capabilities.
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It has been stated on their website that the firm opts to hire candidates who are problem solvers,
achievers, potential leaders, and capable of creating a personal impact on their clients.
Fortunately, these qualities are categorized as soft skills, which implies that non-experienced
applicants may actually have an edge as long as the four basic requirements are reflected in their
activities and accomplishments.
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In general, the information you provide in your McKinsey resume should be divided into several
sections. Determining what sections to include and how they should be arranged depends on your
current career status. Remember the end goal—presenting your relevant qualifications in the most
effective way.
In this presentation,
you will learn:
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How to craft a McKinsey
Parts of a McKinsey resume
Importance of keywords
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3. Personal information
In this section, include the basic details McKinsey is interested in. These often include your
name, complete home address, contact numbers, and email address. The tips below will help you exhibit
your professionalism more effectively:
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Add the URL to your portfolio or website if you think it will reinforce your qualifications.
Use a larger font for your name to facilitate the recruiter’s memory recall.
Don’t attach your headshot unless stated as one of the job application requirements.
Use a simple email address. Reserve your hilarious email addresses for your buddies.
Double check your contact numbers to ensure they are accurate and functional.
Check out these examples:
JANE MARSHALL
236 East Avenue, Miami, FL 23456 | (+145) 983-0980 | janemarshall@gmail.com
LILY NAYOR
56 Guava St., West Village, Toronto, ON 94034 | Mobile: +129-400-4560 | Home: +109-234-8709
lilynayor@yahoo.com | http://lilynayor.com
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4. Education
If you are a recent graduate, this section should follow your personal information. Your educational
training at school will help recruiters assess how prepared you are for the consulting role. The knowledge
you acquired from your professors and your involvement in various activities are the foundation of your
future career.
Below are some ideas on which information to include:
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State your highest level of education first.
Include the name of your university, your degree, the years you attended, and relevant
coursework.
Include your GPA; SAT, GMAT, or LSAT scores; and other standardized tests you’ve taken.
List the awards and honors you received for your academic excellence or social involvement.
If you have an impressive transcript, attach a copy so McKinsey may view it.
BS Business Administration, Oxford University, SYs 2008 – 2012
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Coursework included macroeconomics, professional writing, statistics, technological
transformations, organizational leadership, marketing principles, and business law.
Honors and Awards: Cum laude, Distinguished Achievement Undergraduate Award 2011
GPA: 3.7
Experienced candidates need not list educational details. You can simply include your degree and the
name of your university as your work history will have greater significance for the screening committee.
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5. Professional experience
This section contains your previous position titles, role descriptions, and work-related achievements. It
would be more effective if you emphasize the results and not the process in order to convey your
tangible contribution to your previous employers. Apart from this, you may also describe any experience
that will give the recruiter an idea of the value you can provide to the firm.
Here’s a good example:
Investment Analyst, Brick Financial Services, September 2007 to June 2012
Provided advisory services to companies and organizations to guide them in making decisions on
mergers and acquisitions, stocks and bonds, and other financial opportunities.
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Assessed business strategies of clients, including analysis of working capital, process workflows,
and financial inefficiency and new business opportunities.
Created an M&A model to analyze the best and worst case scenarios. This model was used by
senior bankers to negotiate a 5-10 % lower price for clients.
Headed the team in a $80M valuation of a company within airline services industry.
“Time is not the great teacher. Experience is.”
― Lynsay Sands, Love Bites
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6. Professional experience
Here’s another example for additional reference:
Area Sales Manager, Computer Corp., March 2002 to August 2007
Coordinated the sales forecasting, planning, and budgeting processes used by all computer stores in
the Baskerville area and ensured that quality and effective sales processes were implemented.
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Exceeded annual sales goals by 6% in 2004, 11% in 2005, and 13% in 2006.
Oriented approximately 500 store managers and supervisors with sales goals and processes.
Analyzed and discussed monthly sales reports and recommendations during the monthly Board of
Directors meeting.
If you have undergone an internship program, you can describe it in this section of your McKinsey resume.
Here’s an example:
Research Assistant, Internship Program, Gibb Research Center, January to March 2002
Assisted the research team by reviewing related literature, designing frameworks, and collecting and
analyzing data.
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Recommended suitable techniques and methods to analyze quantitative data.
Created the survey questionnaire for a textile company as part of a study on their target market
for their new product.
Wrote an article for publication in a national newspaper based on the research methods, results,
and analysis.
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7. Extracurricular activities
If you are a recent graduate, you can also add a section for your extracurricular activities, especially if
they indicate the qualities McKinsey looks for in applicants. However, if you already have professional
experience, this section is unnecessary.
Were you the secretary of the highlight any of a member of
In this section of your McKinsey resume, you can consulting club, the following:the student body
Leadership
organization, or the head of a school publication? Your leadership roles will prove you
experience
are capable of handling consulting responsibilities and managing people.
Writing skills
If you have written articles for your school magazine or publication, include this
experience as well. This will give you an edge over the other applicants as
management consultants write reports and recommendations for their clients.
Athletics
Everyone appreciates teamwork and self-discipline. These qualities are developed and
enhanced through participating in sports.
Volunteer
work
Your passion to help others without getting anything in return is an indicator of your
commitment. Those who succeed in management consulting must be committed and
dedicated in order to survive the long work hours.
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Associate Editor, Joy Publication, SY 2011 – 2012: Ensured that news and feature article writers
submitted high quality and original content; rewrote some articles to improve quality and style.
Soccer Team Player, SYs 2009 – 2010: Won 2nd prize in the regional soccer competition in 2009
and 1stprize in 2010.
Vice-president, Storytelling Circle, SYs 2010 – 2011: Organized five storytelling activities in
orphanages and children’s hospitals.
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8. Additional skills and interests
If you have other qualifications for the vacant position, include this section in your McKinsey resume.
Examples for this section include:
Programming
languages
Indicate the languages you have learned to build an app or website. This tells the
recruiters you have the ability to logically analyze a problem or an issue.
Foreign
languages
Enumerate the foreign languages you can use to communicate with overseas clients.
McKinsey consultants travel to various cities and countries, so speaking another
language will serve as an advantage.
Personal
interests
List three exciting hobbies or interests that relate to the consulting role. Reading
comic books may be fun, but it doesn’t significantly contribute to your career.
Involvement in
professional
groups
Being a member of an association of management consultants or other professional
groups implies you keep yourself abreast with the new trends and issues in the
industry.
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Programming languages: PHP, HTML, and CSS
Foreign languages: English (mother tongue), Spanish (conversational), and Chinese (conversational)
Personal interests: Mountain climbing, reading self-help books, and landscape photography
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9. Importance of keywords in resumes
Recruiters don’t always have much time to review your McKinsey resume. They receive so many
applications for a single vacancy that they speed-read your document. Despite the short time they spend
on your application, they still manage to shortlist applicants for testing or interviews. Those included on
the list almost always submit a McKinsey resume that contains critical keywords.
You must know some words or phrases
that will capture the attention of the
recruiters. For example, analysis,
business judgment, problem-solving, and
leadership are five of the terms recruiters
look for in your application. This,
however, isn’t enough as each position
requires a certain level of technical
expertise.
If you want to be a digital expert, include
some online marketing and social media
terms. If you aim to become a specialist
in lean construction, include words such
as contracting, procurement, design
optimization, and industrial engineering.
Read the job advertisement and research
the position carefully in order to identify
your own keywords.
Your choice of words matters!
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10. Free Guide: Learn How to Break Into Consulting
Do you want to break into consulting? Download our free PDF guide, which
will show you the necessary steps and best practices on how to prepare.
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Consulting Interview Process: Get an overview of the
application and interview process when applying to
management consulting firms. Receive tips on how to write
your cover letter and resume and get prepared for the
written tests and interviews once you get there.
Interview Preparation: Learn what you need to practice to
receive an offer from one of the top-tier consulting firms.
See our step-by-step framework to case study solving, learn
how to develop your own frameworks and get mental math
tips.
Case Study Example: Know what to expect from a case
study interview round. Read a real-life case study
interview, which includes a variety of topics. See the
practical application of the step-by-step framework to case
study solving.