Consultant CV—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

In a minute, you’ll see a rockstar consultant CV.

But hold up a second.

There’s a reason why writing a CV for consultant jobs is hard.

It’s because there are so many others like you struggling for the job.

How can you prove you’re different?

It’s all in how you tweak the sections of your consultant CV.

Mention the right skills and consulting “wins,” and they’ll know you’re best-of-breed.

In this guide:

• A consultant CV sample better than most.
• How to write a consultant CV that passes the smell test.
• How to target your consultant job description for CVs to the job.
• Why you can’t just list consultant skills (and what to do instead).

 Create a job-winning CV with little effort. Hack your way through ATS software with our 18 beautiful templates—give our builder a try!

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Most consultants have a full complement of management skills. If that’s you, don’t limit yourself to consultant jobs alone. See these guides:

• Manager CV Sample
• Project Manager CV Sample
• Operations Manager CV Sample
• Digital Marketing CV Sample

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV Samples.

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Consultant CV Sample You Can Copy and Use

Here’s how to write a consultant CV with bandwidth:

1. Select the Best Consultant CV Format

Let’s take a bottoms-up approach.

For the best chance they’ll notice you, use a professional CV format.

In most cases that’s the reverse-chronological CV type.

Use these tips to flesh it out:

Consultant CV Format

• Set 1-inch margins.
• Use a CV font like 10–12pt Times New Roman or Arial.
• Write these CV sections: Heading, Summary, History, Education, and Skills.
• Make it eye-friendly with added white space.
• Make a 1–2 page CV length depending on your experience level.
• Send a PDF CV. They travel better than Gary Hamel.

Expert Hint: According to The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, the first job of a consultant is to earn the trust of clients. Show feats of communication and persuasion in your business or leasing consultant CV.

2. Engage Employers with a Consultant CV Summary or Objective

The consulting world is dog-eat-dog.

How can you be dog #1?

By starting your consultant CV right.

That means writing a working CV profile (in the form of a CV summary or CV objective) up top.

Write it with:

1. An adjective (efficient, results-oriented)
2. “consultant”
3. Years of experience (2+, 7+)
4. Who/how you’ll help (raise earnings for clients at Scarecrow & Williams)
5. Best consultant moments (raised revenue £3M a year...)

Write it last to make it flow.

See these management consultant CV examples:

Consultant CV Summary—Example

Whoops.

The second of those business consultant CV samples says you can help raise revenue.

The first example shows you have.

“But I haven’t raised revenue by £3 million!”

In a CV for consultants with no experience, flaunt what you’ve got.

See this entry-level CV for consultants sample:

Entry-Level Consultant CV Objective

Hmm.

The second of those entry-level consultant CV examples isn’t actionable.

The first shows you’ve already got your feet wet in the job.

Expert Hint: A white paper by Robin Fincham of the University of Stirling argues that the client-consultant relationship should be equal and relaxed. Have you built great relationships with clients? List wins like that in your CV for consultant jobs.

3. Write a Compelling Consultant Job Description and Skills Section

What consultant skills work best on CVs?

Here’s a brief list:

Consultant Skills for CVs

But here’s the thing—

Your dream job may not want those. List too many and you’ll boil the ocean.

It may need specific CV skills and achievements we haven’t mentioned.

Those skills are your CV keywords. Find them in the job ad, then write a tailored CV.

See these sample consultant CV work experience sections below:

The ad lists these consultant job requirements: raising profitability, business strategy development, value stream mapping, developing CRM roadmaps, and training.

Consultant Job Description for a CV [Sample]

What’s the big difference?

Well, the first of those management consultant CV examples is buttoned down. It’s got all five skills from the posting.

But what if you’re not that legendary?

In entry-level CVs, circle back to your core competencies.

See these IT consulting CV examples with no experience:

The job needs consultant skills like developing IT strategies, presenting, streamlining processes, and needs analysis.

Entry-Level Consultant CV Job Description [Sample]

See that?

Both IT consultant CV examples come from an administrative assistant.

But the first gets buy-in with consulting accomplishments.

That’s critical path.

Expert Tip: In Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting, the author argues that the virtual world presents new challenges to today’s consultants. Certifications in virtual risk management or systems auditing look great in entry-level consultant CVs.

4. Gain Traction with Your Education Section

The best consultants know there’s more than one way to get clients.

Referrals, outreach, partnerships...

The same goes for CVs for consulting positions. The education section of your CV can be one more way to leverage your skills.

This marketing consultant CV sample shows how:

Consultant CV Example—Education

That’s no run-of-the-mill education section. It adds three skills your next employer has been looking for.

5. List Additional Activities in Your Consultant CV

You’re almost to the finish line.

But in the consulting world, races are won by fractions of a second.

Give your consulting CV a boost—with extra CV categories.

Try one of these:

• Associations (IMCUSA, SPC, AASBC...)
• Certifications (PMP, Six Sigma, CISSP...)
• Volunteer work
• Freelance work
• Publications
• Media Appearances
• Languages
• Additional activities
• Sports

See these sales consultant CV examples:

Consultant CV—Extra Sections

It’s all in picking the right details.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your sales or information technology consultant CV. Don’t make it about you, but about the business, it’s needs, and why your past wins will fulfil them.

Key Points

Here’s how to write a consultant CV:

• Start with our consultant CV template up top. Add value from your best consulting career moments.
• Include consultant skills like CRM or change management. Point out results you got with both.
• Create a consulting CV summary at the top. It’s your lift speech.
• Add “other” CV sections to show you’re the rockstar they need.
• Complement your CV with a matching Consulting Cover Letter.
   

Got questions on how to write great CVs for consultant jobs? Not sure how to put consultant on a CV? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!