Applicants always know what to expect from the resume screening process - a “Yes or No” answer. You will either be hired or not. Once in a while, you may get some feedback as to why you weren’t selected for a position, but it is usually pretty nonspecific like, “Lack of work experience”.

We hope to be able to clarify, in this article, how resumes are read by consultants. Additionally, we want to point out some big differences between finance and consulting.

You may have questions regarding who is in charge of the process.

When it comes to resume review, there is a team of managers, associates and analysts. Here are some things you can count on:

First, there will be 3-5 people on the review team. Each person will review your resume alone, then the group will review it.

2. The team will mostly be made up of graduates from your school - be it MBA, graduate, or undergraduate.

Finally, the full committee will make the ultimate decisions.

At first, there will not be any senior members of the group or representatives from finance involved. Junior team members will manage the initial process in the interest of saving time and money. Higher-ups will join the process when the time comes to make decisions and propose offers.

Click here for more on differences between consulting and i-banking.

Someone who has a background similar to yours will be consulted regarding your resume. Say you are an engineering undergraduate at Columbia. An engineering undergraduate from Columbia will be asked about things like your involvement in student groups, your GPA, and so forth.

What is involved in the process?

The members of the review team each get a packet of resumes. They may each get anywhere from fifty to three hundred resumes. Many times the consulting letters are removed from the packs. That’s another reason why you should put your greatest efforts into producing an excellent resume.

Resumes will be reviewed for no more than thirty seconds each by finance and about a minute each by the consultants.

Following individual review, the consultants will get together as a group to look the resumes over. Then they will discuss the resumes, compare notes, and make decisions.

Here is what they are looking for and why you might not get an interview.

Solid work experience, strong leadership skills, and evidence of academic success.

Click here for more on how to write a management consulting resume.