OC&C is a strategy consulting boutique known for sharp, practical thinking ("simple, uncommon sense™") and deep sector expertise rather than generic "do-everything" consulting. They operate globally with 15 offices and 900+ people across the firm.
They're also a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp), which signals a formal commitment to balancing profit with purpose.
If you're applying to OC&C, your CV needs to read like it was written by someone who: - Thinks clearly and commercially - Can do clean, error-free quant - Communicates simply - Enjoys fast, collaborative problem solving - Has real evidence of impact (not just "responsible for …")
This guide gives you a complete, OC&C-specific playbook: what OC&C actually does, a one-page CV structure that passes ATS + human screens, the keywords that fit OC&C's real work (retail/consumer/PE/TMT/analytics), before/after bullet examples you can copy and adapt, and a final checklist to submit with confidence.
OC&C in 60 Seconds (What the Firm Is Known For)
OC&C positions itself as a strategy specialist: solving complex business challenges with simple, practical recommendations ("uncommon sense™").
Where OC&C Is Especially Known
- Retail and consumer-facing businesses (customer-centric strategy, commercial decisions, channel shifts)
- Private Equity & M&A strategy work (commercial due diligence, value creation, post-acquisition strategy)
- TMT (analytical but pragmatic strategy in fast-changing markets)
- Advanced Analytics & AI as an accelerator to strategy work, with tools and capability transfer to clients
What This Means for Your CV
OC&C wants proof you can produce clean thinking + commercial insight + measurable impact, ideally in contexts that smell like their work: consumer/retail, growth, pricing, performance improvement, and deal-related strategy.
What OC&C Screens For in CVs
You're not just competing on grades. You're competing on signal quality. Here's what typically signals "OC&C-ready":
A) Structured Problem Solving (Simple, Uncommon Sense)
- Your bullets should show you can frame messy problems into clear drivers
- Work with data (and not make mistakes)
- Reach a recommendation that is actionable, not academic
- OC&C literally markets itself on being "relentless in pursuit of the right answer" and delivering "creative, practical, actionable strategies"
- CV signal examples: Built a driver tree / waterfall / sensitivity that changed a decision, reduced a complex analysis into 2–3 clear actions, found the "one insight that mattered" in messy data
B) Analytical Rigor (Especially Quant Accuracy)
- OC&C recruiting often includes online testing and case interviews with online tests and multiple case interviews as core stages
- Your CV must show you've handled: numbers under time pressure, real datasets, decisions with ambiguity
- CV signal examples: Pricing analysis, unit economics, cohort retention, A/B testing, forecasting, finance modeling, valuation, diligence-style market work, analytics tooling (Excel, SQL, Python/R) when relevant
C) Collaborative Working + Clear Communication
- OC&C explicitly emphasizes collaborative working and being a team player with strong communication skills
- They describe their analytics work as transparent and collaborative (tailored tools/processes that clients can use after handover)
- CV signal examples: Worked cross-functionally with stakeholders (sales/ops/product/finance), led workshops, aligned teams, handled disagreement constructively, presented to senior stakeholders, simplified complex content
D) Fit with OC&C's Sector Core
- OC&C highlights strength across consumer goods, retail, leisure, TMT, private equity, and B2B services
- Even if your background is different, you can translate your experience into: customer-centric thinking, commercial levers, market / competitor understanding, value creation
OC&C CV Format That Passes ATS + Partner Skim
OC&C applications typically start with CV + cover letter submission (varies by region/role), followed by tests and interviews. So you need a format that works for both: ATS parsing (no broken layouts) and human skim (10–30 seconds).
OC&C-Safe Formatting Rules
- 1 page (2 pages only if you have substantial full-time experience)
- Single-column layout
- Standard headings: Education, Experience, Leadership, Skills
- Bullet points: max 2 lines each (3 lines only if highly impactful)
- Dates aligned right, role/company aligned left
- No tables, no text boxes, no icons-as-text, no graphics
The Fastest "OC&C Skim" Structure
- 1. Top branding line (who you are + what you do)
- 2. Education (brand + grades)
- 3. Most recent role (impact bullets)
- 4. Leadership / extra-curricular (signals)
- 5. Skills (hard + relevant)
Top Branding Line Example
Economics MSc (Top 5%), ex-Strategy Intern, built pricing model improving margin +3.2pp, fluent German/English
Bullet Formula OC&C Candidates Should Use (With Examples)
If your bullets aren't quantified, they read like fluff. OC&C wants proof.
The OC&C Bullet Formula
Action + What you did + How you did it + Result (metric) + Why it mattered
“Supported a market analysis for a retail client”
“Built a market sizing and competitor benchmark for a specialty retailer (7 peers, 12 metrics) and identified 3 growth levers, supporting a store expansion plan targeting **€8–10m incremental revenue**”
Specific context, shows analytical work, clear commercial outcome
Retail / Consumer Bullet Examples (Classic OC&C Territory)
- Weak: Worked on improving store performance
- Strong: Analyzed store-level sales and traffic (52 locations) and identified 2 operational drivers behind underperformance; recommended assortment + staffing changes that lifted weekly revenue by +6.4% in a pilot region
- Weak: Did customer research
- Strong: Designed and ran customer survey (n=420) and segmented demand into 4 clusters; translated insights into a pricing/pack architecture that increased conversion by +3.1pp
Private Equity / Commercial DD Bullet Examples (Very OC&C-Relevant)
- Weak: Helped with a due diligence
- Strong: Built a demand model for a PE diligence (TAM/SAM/SOM + adoption curve) and stress-tested the investment thesis across 3 downside scenarios; findings informed IC decision and value creation priorities post-close
- Weak: Conducted competitor analysis
- Strong: Mapped competitive landscape (11 players), benchmarked product features and pricing, and highlighted 2 defensible wedges; output shaped the acquisition growth plan (focus segments + GTM)
TMT / Digital Bullet Examples (Analytical but Pragmatic)
- Weak: Supported strategy work for a tech company
- Strong: Modeled unit economics for a subscription product (CAC, payback, churn) and recommended 2 pricing changes that reduced payback period from 9.2 → 6.7 months
Advanced Analytics Bullet Examples (Credible "Rigor" Signal)
- Weak: Used Python to analyze data
- Strong: Built a Python pipeline to clean and merge 1.2m rows across 3 sources; automated weekly KPI reporting and reduced manual effort by ~6 hours/week
- Even better (adds decision impact): Built a Python demand forecasting model (rolling 12-week horizon) that improved forecast accuracy by +18% vs baseline and reduced stockouts by -9%
OC&C Keywords to Include (By Project Type)
OC&C's sector and offering mix is not generic. Your keyword strategy should match the work they advertise: retail, consumer goods, leisure/hospitality, TMT, private equity & M&A (diligence + value creation), and advanced analytics & AI.
Retail / Consumer Keywords
- Omnichannel, store economics, category management, assortment, basket, conversion
- Pricing, promo effectiveness, price elasticity
- Customer segmentation, loyalty, churn, CLV
- Commercial strategy, GTM, growth levers
Private Equity & M&A Keywords
- Commercial due diligence (CDD), market sizing, growth thesis
- Value creation plan, pricing levers, cross-sell, churn reduction
- Post-merger strategy, synergy hypotheses
- Investment memo / IC-ready storyline
TMT / Digital Keywords
- Product strategy, monetization, pricing packaging
- Unit economics, funnel, retention, cohorts
- Competitive dynamics, platform strategy
- Operating model (only if you've done it)
Analytics & AI Keywords
- SQL, Python/R, forecasting, optimization
- Experimentation / A/B testing
- Dashboarding, KPI systems, automation
- Data cleaning, feature engineering (if true)
Only use keywords you can defend in conversation. OC&C case interviews will probe the specifics of your experience.
Section-by-Section: What to Write (and What to Cut)
Education (High-Signal, Low-Noise)
- Include: Degree, university, graduation date; grade (and ranking if strong); 2–4 relevant courses (only if they add signal)
- Cut: Long course lists; high school (unless exceptional and early career)
- OC&C-friendly signals: Quantitative rigor (econ, engineering, math, stats); scholarships, Dean's list, top % ranking
Experience (Your Decision-Maker Proof)
- For each role, aim for 2–4 bullets: 1 bullet for scope/what the project was, 2–3 bullets for quantified impact + how you got there
- Best bullet themes for OC&C: Grew revenue / improved margin / reduced cost; improved conversion / retention / pricing; created a model that changed a decision; built a clean storyline for leadership
Leadership / Extracurricular (OC&C Fit + Ownership)
- Good content: Leading a student org, scaling membership, running events; competitive sport with measurable achievement; teaching / mentoring
- Avoid: Passive memberships; generic volunteering without results
Skills (Keep It Tight)
- Split into: Technical (Excel, PowerPoint, SQL, Python/R — only if true); Languages (be precise)
- Remove: Anything generic (e.g., "teamwork")
Common OC&C CV Mistakes (and Quick Fixes)
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Consulting cosplay" bullets (e.g., "Supported strategic initiatives") | Name the lever, show the analysis, quantify the result |
| No sector anchor (OC&C is proudly sector-focused) | Translate your experience into customer, commercial, growth, or diligence language |
| Overdesigned CV (ATS hates it, boutiques prefer clarity) | Simple, single-column, clean headings |
| Numbers without context (e.g., "Improved revenue by 10%") | Add base, scope, and lever: "+10% revenue in 1 region by repricing top 12 SKUs" |
| "Skills" that don't match the role (claiming Python/SQL you can't explain) | Only include skills you can defend with a concrete example |
Final OC&C CV Checklist
Format & ATS
- 1 page, single-column, no tables/graphics
- Standard headings (Education / Experience / Leadership / Skills)
- Dates aligned, consistent punctuation, no weird spacing
Impact
- Every role has at least 1–2 quantified bullets
- Bullets show what you did + how + result
- No vague filler like "supported" / "helped" without outcome
OC&C Fit
- At least 2 bullets reflect commercial thinking (growth, pricing, unit economics, market)
- At least 1 bullet shows collaboration/communication (stakeholders, alignment, leadership)
- Keywords match OC&C's work (retail/consumer/PE/TMT/analytics)
Proofreading (This Matters More Than You Think)
- Zero typos
- Numbers add up
- Dash style, capitalization, and spacing are consistent
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