If you're applying to L.E.K. Consulting, your CV has to do two things fast:
1. prove you can handle rigorous, data-heavy strategy work, and 2. show you'll thrive in a fast-paced, team-based environment where L.E.K. looks for a combination of attributes (not a rigid checklist).
Below is a complete, practical guide you can follow section-by-section—and then sanity-check with an ATS scan before you submit.
What L.E.K. Looks For
On L.E.K.'s own recruiting pages, the themes are consistent: teamwork, communication, flexibility, creative thinking, plus the ability to think through business problems with data and defend conclusions.
Translate That Into CV Evidence:
- Analytical horsepower (must-have): Show: modeling, sizing, pricing, market analysis, experiment design, dashboards, due diligence, structured problem solving. Best proof: quantified outcomes (revenue, margin, conversion, CAC/LTV, time saved) and the method (model built, analysis done, approach used)
- Clear communication (written + stakeholder): Show: concise writing, exec-ready outputs, presenting, aligning stakeholders. Best proof: "Presented recommendation to C-level / Steering Committee", "Wrote 10-page memo / built investor deck / created decision doc"
- Teamwork + ownership: Show: collaboration + being the person who drives workstreams. Best proof: "Led workstream of 3…", "Owned end-to-end analysis…", "Coordinated with X functions…"
- Integrity + collaborative culture fit: L.E.K. emphasizes integrity and collaboration in how it describes itself. You don't write "I have integrity." You show it through responsibility, trust, and real ownership (especially in internships/jobs).
The Ideal L.E.K. CV Structure (One Page)
Keep it one page unless you're a very experienced hire.
Recommended Order:
- Header: Name, city, phone, email, LinkedIn (clean, no icons needed)
- Education (top if student / recent grad)
- Experience (internships + roles)
- Leadership & extracurriculars
- Skills (tools + languages)
What "L.E.K.-Ready" Looks Like Visually:
1-column layout (ATS-safe), consistent dates (MMM YYYY – MMM YYYY), 2–4 bullets per role, max, lots of whitespace; no "design CV" styling.
The Bullet Formula That Wins at L.E.K.
Use this every time: Action + Scope + Method + Result (metric)
“Worked on market research for a healthcare company.”
“Built a market model for a healthcare client, sizing a €Xbn segment using claims data + competitor pricing; identified 3 growth levers projected to add +Y% revenue.”
Method + scope + business outcome
“Supported due diligence.”
“Ran commercial DD workstream: analyzed cohort retention and unit economics, identifying churn driver that reduced valuation case by €X (data-backed).”
Ownership + analytical rigor + impact
Rule: if the bullet has no number, you're likely leaving points on the table.
L.E.K. CV Keywords
Beyond formatting, the right vocabulary matters. Our full guide covers all [117 consulting resume keywords that pass ATS at L.E.K., McKinsey and BCG](/blog/consulting-resume-keywords) — organised by category with usage examples.
What to Emphasize (By Background)
If You're an Undergrad / Non-Target:
- 1–2 "spikes" that prove problem solving (case comp, data project, internship with metrics)
- Leadership with ownership (club role where you built something tangible)
- Quant signals (math, stats, econ, engineering, CS modules)
If You're an MBA / Experienced Hire:
- Business impact, scale, and stakeholder management
- Times you influenced decisions (not just executed tasks)
- Leadership + mentoring
If You're a PhD / MD / Advanced Degree (Esp. Life Sciences):
- L.E.K. explicitly has advanced-degree pathways and describes life sciences roles as hypothesis-driven, research/analysis heavy, and fact-based.
- Emphasize: hypothesis framing, messy data → structured insight, publications only if they signal impact (don't waste space)
ATS & Formatting Checklist (Non-Negotiables)
Many consulting CVs die because parsing breaks. Keep it boring.
Do:
- 1 column
- Standard headings: Education, Experience, Leadership, Skills
- Use normal bullets (•) and standard fonts
- Submit as PDF or DOCX (if a portal prefers one)
Avoid:
- Tables, text boxes, columns
- Icons and heavy graphics
- Headers/footers with important info
- "Skill bars" or charts
Common Reasons L.E.K. CVs Get Rejected
- No clear "strategy consulting signal": Fix: add 2–3 bullets that show structured analysis + business outcome.
- Responsibility bullets ("helped", "assisted", "worked on"): Fix: rewrite to ownership + method + metric.
- Too academic, not decision-oriented (common for advanced degrees): Fix: connect the work to what decision it changed (or what lever it proved).
- Too long / too dense: Fix: cut to your best 2–3 bullets per role. Make the page scannable in 15 seconds.
Final Checklist Before You Submit to L.E.K.
Content:
- One clear spike (the "wow" line)
- Metrics in most bullets
- Evidence of teamwork + communication
- Evidence you can think with data and defend conclusions
Formatting:
- 1 page, 1 column
- No tables/graphics
- Dates and titles consistent
- File name: Firstname_Lastname_LEK_CV.pdf
📄 Free LEK Consulting CV Template
Get our ATS-ready template tailored for LEK Consulting. Enter your email to receive it.
Frequently asked questions
How should a life sciences background be presented on an L.E.K. CV?
Lead with the commercial question your science answered, not the science itself. L.E.K. has a substantial life sciences and healthcare practice, so a PhD or clinical background is an asset — but the CV has to show you can turn technical depth into a business recommendation. One line of method, then the decision it informed, beats three lines of technique. Keep publications to a named line rather than a full list unless you are applying to a specialist track.
Does L.E.K. use an applicant tracking system?
Applications are submitted through an online portal, which means a parser reads your file before a person does. That makes layout a screening variable whether or not a formal ATS score exists: single column, standard section headings, real text, no tables or text boxes. Confirm what a parser extracts with a free ATS scan.
Should an L.E.K. CV be one page or two?
One page, including for most PhD applicants. The exception is a specialist life sciences hire where a publication list is expected, and even then the first page must stand alone.
Which keywords work on an L.E.K. CV?
Market sizing, due diligence, commercial diligence, growth strategy, data analysis, and your sector — L.E.K. does a large volume of transaction-related work, so diligence vocabulary is unusually well rewarded here. The 117 consulting resume keywords list has the set.
Can I apply to L.E.K. from a non-consulting background?
Yes, and the firm recruits deliberately from advanced degrees. The translation problem is the same as everywhere: state the problem, the approach and the measurable result in language a generalist reads without effort.
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