The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (Photo: teofilo)
Among all the components that constitute your MBA application profile GMAT score, pre-MBA academic grades, admission essays, recommendations and the MBA resume most applicants tend to ignore the poor little resume. Why? Almost everyone who has got a job in the corporate world (or for that matter, hunting for one) has a version lying somewhere. So the common assumption is that its only a matter of pulling out the most recent copy of their CVs and putting in a few new updates. And voila, one component out of the way!
Whether you are applying for a job or a b-school seat, the basics of how to write a good resume dont change. However, when it comes to MBA applications, there are some specific aspects that you need to keep in mind.
Q1. A puy named ‘chance’ (who doesnt want to leave anything to chance) requested: A post for DO’s and DONTs in one’s resume will be very useful.
Its amazing how puys are able to frame questions (several weeks in advance) that come so close to the title of our posts. Or maybe it works the other way around. Anyway, here are a few things to keep in mind while working on your MBA application resume.
MBA Resume DOs
– Do be aware of what admission officers are looking for in your resume
A stellar track record of professional achievement, managerial abilities, leadership potential are some of the traits to focus on.
– Do give the resume a formal look
The conservative resume has refused (to a large extent) to keep pace with the changing times. Simplicity still scores over creative aesthetics. Ensure that your formatting doesnt distract the reader from the content.
– Do keep the language crisp and simple
Which means no business jargon, no technical acronyms and no bombastic words thatll require a thesaurus to comprehend.
– Do share specific data that offers greater insight into your accomplishments
Numbers are a great way to quantify accomplishments and put them in the right context. If this isnt possible, try to provide any other objective data.
MBA Resume DONTs
– Dont submit an epic
Generally a one-page CV works best. With a little bit of effort and desire, folks with the most impressive accomplishments can still fit everything into a single page. If you think thats impossible (and youd better have a convincing reason for that), then you could go into two pages.
– Dont try to exaggerate in the CV
Theres a thin line between self-promotion and showing off. Admission officers dont want you to tell them you are great. They want to show them why you are great. Share facts and demonstrated skills that can help ad-coms form a perception about you.
– Dont assume that Microsoft Word will catch all your typos
The spell-check feature isnt sophisticated enough to warn you if your resume says, Won the Most Impotent Contributor award for 3 subsequent years. The admission officer might give you full marks for transparency, but youll get very few points towards your post-MBA potential.
– Dont come across as an amateur in your resume
This ones a little more difficult to catch than the rest of the points mentioned in this post. Get a knowledgeable and trustworthy person (a colleague, a friend) to review your resume and provide feedback that isnt sugar-coated.
Unlike MBA essays, your resume will remain more or less the same, irrespective of the business school you are applying to. So start working on it right now. It might take a few iterations before you can get a version that works for you.
Your MBA resume will possibly get only a few seconds of attention as the Admissons Officer quickly browses it and then moves on to the other biggies (essays, recommendations). So create a resume that is simple to understand and yet impactful enough to form a great first impression on the reviewer. If you can do that, the Admissions Officer moves on to the rest of the application with a positive feeling and the scales tilt just a little more in your favour.
Are there any other burning questions in your mind that youd like us to address in subsequent posts? Paste them in the comments below. Also, check out the earlier posts in this FAQ series if you’ve missed any.
Author Sameer Kamat is the founder of MBA Crystal Ball, an admissions consulting venture and author of the bestselling MBA book Beyond The MBA Hype where he shares insights and pitfalls that aspirants should be aware of before they embark on their international MBA journey. He completed his MBA from the University of Cambridge in 2005. You can connect with him on Twitter @kamatsameer