i’ve applied to probably 15 consulting roles over the last couple months. got maybe two phone screens out of it. so clearly something’s fundamentally off with my resume, not just missing a referral or bad timing.
my background: 3 years in finance, mostly transaction analysis and some project management. solid school, decent gpa, no major red flags that i can see. but here’s the thing—i also have a gap in my work history (took 6 months off to travel), and my tech exposure is honestly pretty limited. i know a bit of excel, some SQL, but nothing that would make me stand out to a firm.
i’ve tried rewriting my bullets to be more impact-focused, but i’m wondering if the issue is deeper. like, maybe my background just doesn’t signal “consulting-ready.” or maybe i’m not translating my finance work into the language consulting firms actually care about.
i see people from tech backgrounds, startup founders, people with random side projects—and they seem to be getting meetings. so what am i actually missing? is it the gap, the lack of tech, or am i just not framing my experience in a way that makes them believe i can think like a consultant?
finance background is actually decent for consulting, so that’s not the blocker. it’s probably how you’re positioning it. “transaction analysis” means nothing—what did you figure out or improve? also 6 months off isn’t a killer but you need to own it, not hide it. tech exposure matters less than you think if you can show analytical thinking. your resume probably reads like a job description instead of a track record of solving problems.
also, those tech founder people who get meetings? they usually have a network. they’re not getting past screens on resume alone. you need a referral or you need a resume that’s genuinely unique. yours sounds middle of the road.
have u tried asking ppl at ur company who switched to consulting to look at ur resume? they know what consulting firms actually want to see
You’ve got solid finance foundation! Just reframe those bullets to show the thinking, not the tasks. You’re closer than you think. Keep pushing!
i had a similar problem—hr background, kept getting rejected for consulting. a friend in the industry told me i was burying the analytical stuff. i rewrote my resume to lead with problems i’d solved, not what my title was. suddenly got way more traction. the gap didn’t matter once they saw i could think past spreadsheets.
Resume screening at top firms uses keyword-based filtering for first pass. Keywords include: quantified impacts (percentages, dollars), analytical methods (data analysis, modeling, forecasting), scope (managed, led, built), and problem framing (identified, diagnosed, optimized). Your finance background likely fails on two counts: weak impact articulation and insufficient problem-framing language. Adding 2-3 quantified outcomes and reframing bullets around market/operational problems increases screening pass rates significantly. Tech gap is approximately 15% of screening criteria; analytical capability signals are 60-70%. Resume gap addressable with one-line context. Recommendation: audit bullets against above criteria, resubmit via referral pathway to maximize impact.