Dear All,I currently work as a senior health professional but I am very interested changing my career to management consultancy.I have previously obtained a BSc Hons in Biochemistry from Imperial College London (2.2) and an MSc from UCL (near distinction).I am due to start an online finance course and have a qualification in leadership in management. I am unsure how to make my application or CV worth reading, as I feel because of my 2.2, clinical science and non business background it is not very appealing.Is it worth completing modules, short courses or even degrees in business, finance or economics?Also at the moment I am sending my CV + covering letter to a number of consulting firms and recruitment companies advertising and not advertising roles - am I going about this the correct way? Are there any avenues or paths that I have not thought of that may be more beneficial?Please help! :)Thank you

Difficult to say without more information. If your CV as a senior health professional included operational management than this is likely to be of interest. The research area is also a good one to high light as a general background skill. You need to pull out any skills that would be transferable. There are several specialized consultancies for the health market. Your fist step could be moving to one of these and then moving to a more generic management consultancy. But with all the cuts now it will not be easy.

Unfortunately my current role does not involve operational management however I have experience in research which spans from my two degrees plus current role.Thank you for your reply, I was looking at healthcare consultancy however was unsure whether I would have a better chance in a smaller firm?What are your thoughts on increasing my business/finance knowledge with a short course or degree?Thanks

How many yrs of experience you have? If you have 1-2 yrs experience you could look into a graduate role in consultancies that specialise in pharma/healthcare. you can find the names of consultancies if you search on this forum.If however you have 3+ yrs experience an MBA will be the better route. I don't think there is any use doing online courses/modules/short courses. Send in applications where ever you can (big/small doesn't matter). Try networking- ask people for referrals as that's a good way to get an interview.Its not an easy market to break into but be positive. Good luck!

Thanks, I only have 1.5 years experience and unfortunately the majority (I think all now!) look for a 2.1 for their graduate programmes, which leaves me in a pickle despite having a high mark in my MSc.I will definetely take a look at the pharma/healthcare companies and network as much as possible.Thanks for your help! :)

Try networking, and apply around - it can't hurt. Your chances are rather slim however - the 2.2 means you won't get the graduate roles, and the limited experience means you don't have anything exciting to offer right now. Get more experience, possibly specialise, and if you are really sure go get an MBA.

[quote]Dear All,I currently work as a senior health professional but I am very interested changing my career to management consultancy.I have previously obtained a BSc Hons in Biochemistry from Imperial College London (2.2) and an MSc from UCL (near distinction).I am due to start an online finance course and have a qualification in leadership in management. I am unsure how to make my application or CV worth reading, as I feel because of my 2.2, clinical science and non business background it is not very appealing.Is it worth completing modules, short courses or even degrees in business, finance or economics?Also at the moment I am sending my CV + covering letter to a number of consulting firms and recruitment companies advertising and not advertising roles - am I going about this the correct way? Are there any avenues or paths that I have not thought of that may be more beneficial?Please help! :)Thank you [/quote]With the recession, making a career change takes being creative. I would suggest to keep trying by try to find something to keep an income coming into your life. And by something I mean that you already have experience in or may be qualified to do. It is okay to have a career dream, this is what keeps us going and looking forward to the next day. Also try to find people that are already doing what you are doing so that you can get some tips on how to get into this line of work. Who knows, they may even know of an entry level job.

If you are making a big career change, then it is advisable to read articles about resume or cv writing to help you in your job application. You can also seek the help of a jobhunter to make your resume interesting.