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”.

Here we will present some valuable information regarding the review process used by consultants to sort through resumes. Additionally, we will provide some insight into the difference between a finance review and a consulting review.

Who, exactly, is in charge?

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

First of all, the team will be made up of three to five people. Each one will have a look at your resume individually and then they will review it as a group.

Second, undergraduates, graduates, and MBAs from your school will comprise the team.

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 investment banking.

The most respected input regarding your resume will come from someone who has a background similar to yours. If you are an undergrad in engineering from Columbia, then a fellow engineering undergrad from Columbia who happens to be a member of the review team will answer questions about your student group involvement, GPA, and other matters of interest.

What happens in the process?

Each team member will receive a packet that could contain as few as fifty or as many as three hundred resumes each. The consulting letters will probably have been removed, so applicants who have taken care to present the best resume possible will have that much more edge.

Finance may spend about 30 seconds reviewing each resume. The consultants will spend twice that amount of time.

After the consultants have reviewed the resumes individually, the team will look at each resume as a group. The will compare notes and insights. This is the decision-making time.

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 make a management consulting resume.

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