Strategy& CV and Resume Template 2026 | PwC's Strategy Arm

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.

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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.

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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.

Strategy& CV Keywords

Beyond formatting, the right vocabulary matters. Our full guide covers all [117 consulting resume keywords that pass ATS at Strategy&, McKinsey and BCG](/blog/consulting-resume-keywords) — organised by category with usage examples.

Want to see how your CV stacks up for Strategy&?

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

Using our tool before you submit to Strategy& (or any top consulting firm) gives you a real shot at making it through. Try a free Quick Scan now — check if your CV is interview-ready.

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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.

Check Your Strategy& CV for ATS

Don't let your Strategy& application fail at the first hurdle. Get instant ATS analysis and actionable feedback to make your consulting resume stand out.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a Strategy& CV the same as a PwC CV?

The document is the same shape, but the emphasis differs. Strategy& is PwC's strategy consulting business, and applications usually run through PwC's recruiting infrastructure, so the parsing and process requirements are PwC's. What you put on the page should be weighted toward strategy work — market sizing, growth, due diligence, corporate strategy — rather than the assurance and delivery vocabulary that suits the wider firm. If you are also considering the broader practice, see the PwC Consulting CV guide.

Should a Strategy& CV be one page or two?

One page. Strategy& screens at strategy-firm length regardless of the parent firm's conventions elsewhere.

Which keywords matter most for Strategy&?

Corporate strategy, market sizing, due diligence, growth strategy, operating model and capabilities — the last of these being unusually load-bearing given how the firm positions its work. Every one should attach to something you measurably did. The 117 consulting resume keywords list has the strategy subset.

Should I include a photo, and does the language depend on the office?

Both follow local convention. German-speaking offices commonly see photos and often post roles in German; apply in the language of the posting. UK and US offices expect neither a photo nor anything other than English.

Do I need a cover letter for Strategy&?

Write one where the application form asks for it, which it often does. Use it for the thing the CV cannot carry: why this firm rather than a generalist competitor, and how a non-obvious background connects to strategy work.