Joining Strategy& — one of the top-tier strategy consultancies globally — begins long before case interviews: it starts with your CV. Many applicants never make it past the first screening. To land an interview, your application must reflect analytical excellence, structured thinking, and real-world impact.
In this post, you'll learn exactly how to craft a "Strategy&-ready" CV: what the firm values, how to present your background, what to avoid — and why running an ATS-optimized scan beforehand can be the difference between being read or ignored.
Know What Strategy& Looks For
Before you start writing, internalize this:
- Strong academic performance & quantitative capability — Strategy& usually recruits from top universities, business schools or equivalent high-performing academic backgrounds.
- Analytical & structured problem-solving skills — the core of any strategy consulting role. If you have data analysis, modelling, research, strategic projects, quantitative tasks — highlight them.
- Ability to manage complexity & deliver impact — the firm expects pragmatic thinking on real strategic problems.
- Diverse backgrounds accepted — but with excellence: non-traditional degrees (engineering, sciences, social sciences) are considered if the candidate shows strong analytical or specialised skills.
- Motivation & fit for Strategy& (not just any consulting firm) — because they often ask "why Strategy& vs Tier-1 firms or other Tier-2 firms." Generic applications are less likely to pass.
Structure & Formatting: Make it ATS- & Recruiter-Friendly
Your CV has to survive both automated parsing and human scrutiny:
- Use clean, standard formatting — no tables, images, text boxes or fancy layout. Many ATS tools (and corporate screening tools) reject non-standard formatting.
- Have clear, standard section headings: Education, Experience, Skills, Leadership / Activities, etc., in a conventional, easy-to-parse order.
- Prioritize conciseness & clarity: Use one or max two pages (if you have substantial experiences), but early-career candidates should stick to ~1 page.
- Ensure legible fonts, standard bullet formatting, no special characters — minimal styling helps ATS parse correctly and avoids layout issues.
A badly formatted CV may never reach a real pair of eyes — so format matters as much as content.
Content Strategy: Show Analytical Strength & Meaningful Impact
To resonate with Strategy&'s profile, your bullet points and overall CV narrative must show substance.
Tips
- Use action-oriented, result-focused bullet points: start with a strong verb, describe what you did, then quantify the outcome.
- Show problem solving, data analysis, research or strategy-related experience — even from university projects, internships or extracurriculars.
- Quantify your achievements: percentages, numbers, outcomes — "improved process efficiency by 25%", "conducted market sizing of 3 bn users", "led team of 5", etc.
- If your background is non-traditional (e.g. engineering, sciences, non-econ), highlight any analytical, modelling or research work. Strategy& welcomes diverse degrees if there's analytical strength.
- Keep a clear career narrative showing progression — from academic excellence to internships/projects to consulting-relevant work.
Tailor to Strategy&: Use Their Language & Show Fit
Generic consulting-CVs often get filtered out early. To stand out:
- Use keywords aligned with Strategy& values: strategic analysis, data-driven insights, problem solving, complex projects, impact, teamwork, leadership, structured thinking, client focus, results-oriented.
- If you have cover letter or short motivation summary: explicitly mention why Strategy& — e.g., interest in strategic transformation, desire for diverse projects across industries, attraction to PwC + Strategy& blend of resources & thought leadership.
- Show flexibility and openness: Strategy& works across many industries; highlight cross-industry experience or versatility if you have it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why It Hurts |
|---|---|
| Fancy formatting (tables, graphics, images) | Often breaks ATS parsing → CV might never be read |
| Vague bullet points without numbers | Recruiters can't see measurable impact → CV looks weak |
| Generic consulting-style CV | Hard to differentiate — firm may skip you if no unique strength |
| Irrelevant content / too long CV | Dilutes your core message; distracts from consulting-relevant skills |
| Typos, inconsistent formatting or grammar | Signals unprofessionalism — fatal in elite consulting apps |
Why You Should ATS-Check Your CV — Before Applying
Here's a critical insight: even a great CV may never be seen by human recruiters if ATS rejects or mis-parses it.
What Our Tool Does
- With a quick scan (free tier) you get a first impression.
- With the full scan, you receive a consulting-optimized report: scoring, category-by-category analysis, firm-specific feedback — basically a pre-submission QA for your CV.
Final Checklist: Your Strategy& CV Must Have
- Clean structure & ATS-friendly format (one page, standard fonts, no graphics)
- Impact-driven content & quantification in every bullet
- Strategy&-aligned language & keywords
- Evidence of analytical and problem-solving skills
- Clear career narrative showing progression
- Motivation for Strategy& specifically (not just "consulting")
- Proper proofreading with no typos or formatting errors
Then, run an ATS-optimized scan to make sure nothing fails before a recruiter even opens the file. With these steps, you significantly increase your odds of getting that coveted interview call from Strategy&. 💼✨
📄 Free Strategy& CV Template
Get our ATS-ready template tailored for Strategy&. Enter your email to receive it.
