Resume Review and Chances?
Hello,
I am grappling with the decision of graduating a year early, and therefore am trying to figure out where I stand. Whether I should jump into the job market, delay by double majoring in Finance, or maybe quickly study for the GMAT and enter into a Masters in Finance program.
I realize I come from a non-target and I have little connections to the consulting business (so really no special in). I'm fairly confident my rank is number one in the Economics program at ASU, and possibly in my entire class. I didn't articulate this in my resume because ASU will not confirm it officially other than hinting that i'm the top. On the basis of my resume, do I stand a decent chance/will I get an interview? I'm told that once you get to the interviewing stage, if you can do the cases you stand a chance. Obviously i'd like the best (MBB) but I see how that could be difficult from a non-target. If MBB doesn't seem plausible, then what about PwC Consulting/Deloitte? I personally think PwC would be great because they are a fast growing firm that seems to be investing a lot of resources to growing their consulting arm.
See attached:
http://www.razume.com/documents/27561
Thanks ahead of time!
why do some people who read WSO still insist on using every damn format besides the M&I one. WHY.
F. Ro Jo - Thanks for the heads up! I actually have looked into reformatting my resume in that fashion. It's a fairly easy fix. I'm more looking for suggestions on substance rather than format, and advice on where to go from here/where I stand. Thanks for the input.
What is that GPA out of? A 4.19 doesn't mean anything to anyone reading your resume unless they know what it's out of.
jrt336 - Thanks for that. Clarifying would be a good idea. ASU has an internal GPA system with +/- grades in that SOME classes offer A+'s but it's not required (so about half of the classes offer only A's B's C's etc. with no +/-). So basically the best GPA you could get is a 4.33 (All A+'s). Realistically this is impossible as you run into classes that don't offer +'s. I've received an A+ in every conceivable class except for one.
Here's a basic scale: A+ = 4.33 GPA A = 4.0 GPA A- = 3.67 GPA B+ = 3.33 GPA B = 3.0 GPA and so forth.
Do you think it would be easier for those reading the resume for me to just put 4.0 or is it worth the trouble to place a 4.19/4.22? I place those because I think it's a huge differentiator from a large state school. I know GPA is not worth that much, but I hope to equalize the fact i'm from a non-target with that GPA. Out of 11,000+ kids that graduate a semester, only about 80 have a 4.0 or above at ASU across all majors.
Thanks again!
terrible idea to deviate from 4.0 system. kind of worrying that you couldn't figure that out yourself.
Don't worry about formatting exactly like M&I. That's moronic. But it is still better than yours so I guess it'd be a starting point..
Also please take out the scholarship amount....come on man
So basically your school does grade inflation...? Just renormalize it to a 4.0 scale. Writing 4.19/4.33 is confusing, and if you don't put anything, people will assume you're on a 5.0 system.
MBB with no relevant experience seems like a shot in the dark. Even PwC/Deloitte S&O seems a bit out there, although the former puts a greater emphasis on fit so if you network properly maybe you'll have a chance.
You can't "normalize" it and you aren't supposed to. Could cause issues when they do GPA checks. I know several target schools are on the 4.3 scale (e.g. Cornell, Columbia, Stanford).
Vectors225 - Thanks for the help. I'll switch the GPA to a 4.0. Do you think it's worth it to put 4.19 internal GPA at all or just leave it out entirely?
Noted on the formatting. Like I said, reformatting is pretty simple so i'll do that once I get all the input on the substance of the actual resume. This was a basic template suggested to me from awhile back and i've used it since then. I know it can use updating, but i'll do that once I'm happy with the substance.
Will take out the scholarship amount. In the past, I've been asked that question, so i've stuck it in there as instinct. If it's inappropriate for consulting/any other finance job, I have no reservations taking it out.
Thanks for the input. Do you or anyone else have any issues with the actual substance of the resume or have any idea of how I might stand for getting some interviews?
Thanks!
personally i'd do 4.19/4.00. A+'s are supernormal.... and a achievement over the typical 4.0. at least that's the way i view it, and the way i'd take it as if i saw something like that while reviewing resumes (actually did see a 4.03/4.00 or similar last year).
I think the 4.19/4.00 could you land you in some trouble...very odd scaling and a way to report that on your resume if you ask me
no way it lands you in trouble. obviously you're not saying the max your school gives is a 4.00 if you're saying you have a 4.19.
if you're right, will people who have a 3.65 at said school have to say 3.65/4.33?
the way i see it 4.00 is being perfect. anything above that is incredible and should definitely be noted. at least that was the case at my target (that i now recruit at).
Chicandtoughness - Thanks for the odds. At this point i'm trying to get a view of what to expect, so your post was helpful. Where do you suggest I go from here, then? I wrote a couple options in my original post that i'm grappling with. If my odds in MBB/Deloitte/PwC are minimal, should I stick around for another year in undergrad and seek consulting summer internships? I've read that those are even more difficult to get than a full-time position, though. If I did stick around in undergrad for another year and double majored, I could take a semester off from school (as in next semester, Spring) and try to get a consulting internship during the year. That might be pushing it, though, because there wouldn't be much time to figure that out. I know Deloitte offers a couple of these positions, but I assume they are competitive as well.
I could also take the GMAT and apply to some Masters in Finance programs. I'm thinking Vanderbilt/LSE. The problem with that is i'm not gaining any extra experience, just more education unless I get an internship before the summer of that year.
Thanks for the input!
Put 4.19 out 4.00 GPA is one of the thing that people actually pay attention to when looking at resumes. A lot of people know that some school give more than 4.0 and they will check on that.
I think your resume look good...even too good to be honest. You may get a lot of push back in interviews, you will need to come up with specific things that justify this lofty resume.
you can't put "out of 4.00" if the scale is 4.3........
jeremydos - That was encouraging. When you say specific things, what do you mean? As in have a story to prove that my resume isn't a lie going down the line? I want to make sure i'm prepared going into interviews, so what can I expect as "push back" as a result? Will people look past the fact that my experience hasn't necessarily been in Finance, but that i've been active nonetheless? Also, while at the Attorney General's Office I handled all the ordering for my Division. I excluded this for some odd reason, but it required me to work with Finance and handling our Division's budget, calling on sales, getting quotes, etc.. This was a small task for me (only about 20 minutes a day), but it did involve basic Finance. Is that worth adding at the cost of something else on my resume?
Thanks for all of the opinions/help thus far! I tend to agree with F. Ro Jo/jeremydos at this point, I think, regarding my GPA. I don't want to normalize the GPA to a 4.0 because I believe there's a huge difference between a 4.0 (which at a lot of schools is a 90+%) and an A+ that at ASU is a 97+% (and in some cases only a 100%). I would like to show that distinction in some capacity. I assume if the recruiter has any questions, he/she would just flat out ask me, and I'd easily explain. Any other opinions would be helpful.
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