Stern Stewart & Co. is a strategy boutique that positions itself as independent and strongly entrepreneurial, advising clients across strategy, transactions, performance, and transformation.
That combination leads to a very specific recruiting profile: people who can think like owners, argue clearly, and back opinions with finance-grade rigor.
Recruiters don't read your CV line-by-line. Eye-tracking research shows initial screens can be only a few seconds (e.g., ~7.4 seconds in one widely cited study). So your CV needs to land the right signals fast.
This guide will walk you through exactly what Stern Stewart looks for in CVs, how to structure your application, and how to make sure your CV survives any ATS screening before a human ever sees it.
What Stern Stewart & Co. Is (and How They're Different)
Stern Stewart describes itself as an independent strategy boutique working on core management questions across strategy, transaction, performance, and transformation. Their Munich entity is listed as Stern Stewart & Co. GmbH.
How Stern Stewart Positions Itself (Signals You Should Mirror)
- Independent thinking / entrepreneurial team (not "process consulting")
- A strong "open universe of know-how" / network angle (you'll see this language repeatedly)
- Beyond classic consulting: they highlight initiatives like Stern Stewart Institute and Stern Stewart Ventures
Implication for Your CV
They're not just hunting for "consulting generalists." Your CV should read like: structured thinker + finance-trained operator + owner mindset.
Stern Stewart's "Value" DNA (EVA, Shareholder Value, Finance Rigor)
Stern Stewart is strongly associated with Economic Value Added (EVA) and value-based management. Their materials reference being founded in 1982 by Joel M. Stern and G. Bennett Stewart III. Finance academics commonly reference Stern Stewart as a key promoter of EVA in the 1990s.
Context: EVA Origins
EVA's "economic profit" logic measures true profit after accounting for the cost of capital. The original "Stern Stewart & Co." in the US context later became Stern Value Management (rebrand). Don't confuse the two when researching.
Implication for Your CV
- Even if you're applying to a "strategy" role, Stern Stewart's brand cues are unusually finance-forward
- Show comfort with valuation / capital allocation / performance metrics
- Demonstrate ability to translate strategy into value creation mechanics
- Use clean quantitative communication throughout
What Stern Stewart Typically Screens For in CVs
Based on their own positioning (independent, entrepreneurial, broad management questions) and their recruiting messaging, these are the highest-signal dimensions your CV should demonstrate:
A) Independent Problem Solving (Not "Task Execution")
- They emphasize an entrepreneurial team of independent thinkers
- Show it: owning ambiguous workstreams, building your own model/approach, making decisions with incomplete data
B) Finance-Grade Analytical Rigor
- Their EVA/value-management heritage and transaction focus makes this more important than at many boutiques
- Show it: valuation, KPI trees, profitability bridges, ROIC logic, cost of capital thinking
C) Strategy + Implementation Bias
- They explicitly cover "performance" and "transformation," which usually means tangible operational outcomes
- Show it: implemented changes, realized savings, adoption metrics, operating cadence, governance
D) Communication Clarity (CEO-Ready)
- With fast CV screens, clarity is non-negotiable
- Show it: 1-line bullets with outcome + how + scale; minimal jargon
E) Commercial Instinct (Transactions, Portfolio Moves, Growth)
- They publicly reference "transaction" as a core area
- Show it: deal exposure, DD, synergy logic, carve-out/PMI, growth strategy
F) Team Maturity + Low-Ego Drive
- They position themselves around strong teams and mentoring culture on their career pages
- Show it: mentoring, leading small teams, stakeholder management, feedback loops
ATS Formatting Rules (So Your CV Is Readable)
If your CV is "beautiful" but not ATS-readable, you can lose before a human ever sees it. Many ATS struggle with tables/columns, which can scramble content.
Safe for ATS + Recruiters
- Single column, no tables, no text boxes
- Standard headings: Education, Experience, Leadership, Skills
- PDF generated from Word / text-based source (not scanned)
- Keep it simple: Stern Stewart isn't hiring your design skills
The Ideal Stern Stewart CV Structure (One Page)
Top Header (2 Lines Max)
- Name | City | Phone | Email | LinkedIn
- Optional: Work authorization
Section 1 — Education
- University, degree, GPA/grade if strong
- 2–4 "signal" courses if finance-heavy (Valuation, Corp Finance, Strategy, Accounting)
Section 2 — Experience (Most Important)
- Order by relevance:
- 1. Strategy / consulting / transactions
- 2. Corporate finance / strategy / PMO transformation
- 3. Anything else with strong impact
Section 3 — Leadership & Extracurricular
- Pick 1–3 items with real responsibility
Section 4 — Skills
- Finance: valuation, modeling, LBO/DCF (only if true)
- Tools: Excel, PowerPoint, SQL/Python (only if used)
- Languages
Golden Rule
Every bullet should communicate value created (not responsibilities).
Bullet Formulas + Real "Before/After" Examples
The bullet formula Stern Stewart tends to reward: Action + what you built/drove + metric + business meaning + scale/context
“Supported a cost reduction project.”
“Built cost-driver model across 6 cost categories; identified €2.4m savings potential and supported rollout of 3 initiatives, reducing run-rate spend by 6%.”
Shows methodology, scale, and quantified outcome with business context
“Analyzed profitability of products.”
“Created product EVA-style profitability bridge (margin – capital charge) for 12 SKUs; recommended portfolio shift that improved contribution by ~€0.9m p.a.”
Uses EVA language, shows analytical approach, and quantifies annual impact
“Worked on due diligence.”
“Owned market sizing + competitor benchmarking for commercial DD; translated insights into downside-case revenue model and key IC risks.”
Shows ownership, specific deliverables, and decision-relevant output
“Helped define a strategy.”
“Designed operating model (roles, KPIs, governance) for new unit; implemented weekly performance cadence and dashboards adopted by 18 stakeholders.”
Moves from strategy to implementation with concrete adoption metrics
Stern Stewart Keyword Bank (ATS-Friendly)
Use keywords only if they match your real experience. Sprinkle naturally across bullets + skills.
| Theme | Keywords You Can Use (Selectively) |
|---|---|
| Value & Performance | Value-based management, value creation, economic profit, EVA, ROIC, cost of capital, capital efficiency |
| Strategy | Corporate strategy, portfolio strategy, growth strategy, competitive analysis, market sizing |
| Transactions | M&A, commercial due diligence, synergy assessment, carve-out, PMI, valuation, deal thesis |
| Performance Improvement | Performance management, KPI framework, cost reduction, pricing, operating model, governance cadence |
| Transformation | Transformation program, PMO, target operating model, change management, implementation roadmap |
If you don't want to write "EVA" explicitly, you can express the idea with "economic profit", "capital charge", "value creation after cost of capital" — but only if you can defend it in interviews.
Cover Letter / Motivation Letter: What to Write
Stern Stewart's career FAQ and application pages indicate they commonly want a motivation letter + CV + references, and accept German or English.
A Tight Structure That Fits Their Brand
- 1. Why Stern Stewart (2–3 sentences): Independent boutique + entrepreneurial + strategy/transactions/performance mix
- 2. Why You (3 bullets): Finance rigor (valuation / performance metrics), Owner mindset (independent workstreams), Implementation bias (measurable outcomes)
- 3. Proof Story (mini-case, 5–7 lines): Situation → your approach → quantified outcome → what you learned
- 4. Closing (1 sentence): Role + start date + location preference
Interview Signals: What Your CV Should Pre-Sell
Even public prep resources describe Stern Stewart as using case-style assessments and give examples of cases associated with the firm (e.g., advanced/candidate-led style on prep platforms).
Your CV Should Make the Interviewer Think:
- "This person can structure a problem fast."
- "They can do numbers without drama."
- "They've driven outcomes, not just analyses."
Final Stern Stewart CV Checklist
Content
- Every bullet has a number (€, %, time, volume, N, scale)
- Your top 2 experiences scream strategy/finance/performance
- You show independent ownership (not "supported")
- Skills are real + defendable
Format / ATS
- One page, single column, no tables/graphics
- Clean headings + consistent dates
- Readable in 10 seconds (because that's often all you get)
📄 Free Stern Stewart CV Template
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