How to Write a Business Consultant Resume (With Template)

Updated March 10, 2023

Business consultants advise businesses and individuals in a specific industry or field. The role requires knowledge of a particular business area and general business acumen. Regardless of your experience and background, knowing how to draft an effective resume for this role can enhance your chances of hiring managers inviting you to interviews. In this article, we discuss why having an effective business consultant resume is essential, provide actionable steps on how to write one, include a template you can use as guidance, and give tips on how to improve yours.

Why is a business consultant resume important?

Having an effective business consultant resume is important because it improves the chances that the hiring manager who reads it thinks that you may be appropriate for the role. An effective resume showcases your qualifications as a business consultant and helps the hiring manager identify you. Some specific reasons why having an effective resume when applying for business consultant roles is important are:

It helps you demonstrate that you have the education and experience for the role.
It helps you showcase the skills likely to help you succeed as a business consultant.
It makes it easier for the hiring manager to find your name and contact details if they want to contact you.

How to write a resume for a business consultant role

Consider following these steps when drafting your resume for business consultant position:

1. Analyze the job description and hiring organization

You can make your resume more relevant to the job you're applying for by identifying qualities that the employer expects from a job candidate. Analyze the job description to determine the skills and experiences that a candidate requires to succeed in the role, and use this information when creating your resume. Studying the company website and social media channels can assist you in understanding the company's culture.

2. Choose some basic formatting guidelines

You can make your resume visually attractive by applying some common formatting rules. This also makes it easier to read. Some formatting guidelines are:

Use a professional font, such as Helvetica, Arial, or Calibri, and select size 12.
Use the resume's header to include your name and contact details, saving page space and making it easier for the hiring manager to find this information.
Keep your resume as concise as possible without affecting its readability, ideally only one or two pages.
Bold specific parts of your resume, like your name, each section's heading, and your previous employers' name, to highlight them and make the document easier to read.
Save the resume as a PDF if you plan on sending it via the internet to keep its original formatting on any device.

3. Select an appropriate resume type

You can choose an effective resume type when applying for a business consultant role based on your experience and skills. If, after studying the job description, you think that you have enough experience and education for the role, consider using a chronological resume. This highlights your work experiences and educational milestones in reverse chronological order.

If you're missing some of the experience and educational requirements that the employer expects in a candidate, consider using a functional resume, such as a combination resume type. This format focuses on your relevant skills rather than your work history. It enables you to arrange each resume section in any order you consider effective in showcasing your suitability for the role.

4. Use the resume's header to include your name and contact details

You can save space by including your personal information in the header. Add your name to the first line and then include your phone number, e-mail address, city, and province or territory on the line below. This also makes it easier for the hiring manager to find the details if required.

5. Start with a professional summary

A professional summary is usually two or three sentences long and briefly summarizes your qualifications for the role. This can help introduce you to the reader and suggest that you may qualify for the vacant position. You can use the job description analysis you performed earlier to select a few relevant skills and experience milestones to include. A practical summary can make it more likely that the hiring manager remembers you after analyzing multiple resumes.

6. Include a work experience section

Your experience section summarizes your relevant career experiences. Since business consultants are experts in their fields, the job typically requires several years of experience in appropriate lower positions, such as that of a business analyst. Having experience working alongside other business consultants in a particular field may also be relevant. After determining which previous job experiences to include, add them in reverse chronological order.

Include relevant information for each previous role, such as the names of your previous employers, the time intervals in which you worked there, your former job titles, and some job duties and achievements. Include a maximum of five duties and achievements for more recent roles and up to three for older ones. When deciding which of your duties to mention, use the job description analysis to identify those that match the new role.

7. List your relevant skills for the role

Successful business consultants typically possess hard skills such as industry knowledge, business analysis, and marketing strategy and soft skills such as communication, problem solving, and time management. You can either make one list to include all skills or separate lists for soft and hard skills. Simply listing them is usually enough, as you can expand on each in your cover letter and potential interview. Again, you can use the job description analysis to determine which skills the employer is likely to look for in a candidate.

8. Add your educational milestones

Since business consultants are experts in their field, a bachelor's degree in a relevant field is usually a minimum educational requirement. Some common areas of specialization for aspiring business consultants are business administration and finance. Other certifications or courses in your field of expertise may help differentiate you from other job candidates. When listing your educational milestones, include the names of each degree and certification and the institutions that issued them.

Resume template for a business consultant role

Consider using this template to guide you when drafting your business consultant resume:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [E-mail address] | [City], [Province or Territory]

Professional Summary
[Two to three sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications, and achievements as a professional.]

Experience

(For the most recent role, list 5 experience items. For previous roles, list 3.)

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [Province or Territory]

(strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome, or quantified results
[job duty]
[job duty]
[job duty]
[job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [Province or Territory]

(strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome, or quantified results
[job duty]
[job duty]

Education
[Degree and Major] | [Name of School or University]

Certifications (optional)
[Certification Name], [Host Organization] - [Year completed or expiration date]

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Tips for improving your resume when applying for a business consultant role

Consider these tips to make your resume more effective:

Make it as simple as you can. Hiring managers usually read multiple resumes in a limited amount of time. Making it concise and omitting irrelevant parts can improve the likelihood that they read and remember it.
Proofread it repeatedly. Having an error-free resume can differentiate you from other job candidates. Reread it multiple times before sending it, and, if possible, ask someone else to read it.
Include quantifiable information. When mentioning your previous professional achievements, use relevant metrics. This can help show your proficiency in objective terms.