So What Club
Start free

Foundation · Getting in

The consulting CV and cover letter

The application screen is where most candidates are filtered out. How to write impact bullets, keep to one page, follow the format your region expects, write a short cover letter, and tailor both to each firm.

21 min2 lessons Last reviewed
Start lesson 1 Impact bullets, one page, and regional formats

Key takeaways

  • Every CV line should show what you did and what changed because of it: strong action verb, the task, and a result with a number.
  • A cover letter, when a firm asks for one, is a short argument: why this firm, why consulting, and two or three proofs that you can do the job, all on less than one page.
  • Rewrite any CV line as an impact bullet: action, what you did, and a measurable result.
  • Follow one-page rules and the CV format your region expects.
  • Write a short, specific cover letter and tailor it to each firm.
By the end you will be able to
  • Rewrite any CV line as an impact bullet: action, what you did, and a measurable result
  • Follow one-page rules and the CV format your region expects
  • Write a short, specific cover letter and tailor it to each firm

Lessons

1

Impact bullets, one page, and regional formats

The bullet formula, five before-and-after rewrites, the one-page rules, and how formats differ by region.

12 min
2

The cover letter, and tailoring to each firm

A short structure, an annotated example, and how to make each application specific.

9 min

Worked cases in this module

Look it up

Key terms