How to Write an MBA Resume Section by Section

But an MBA resume also has a key function aside from the everyday resume you undergo get a job: it’s designed to get you a spot in an MBA program. If writing an MBA resume seems intimidating, knowing what to jot down on it and using a number of other design tactics will help calm your nerves.

MBA resume vs. a job resume

As mentioned above, an MBA resume will feel familiar to many aspiring business school students.

“An MBA resume is very similar to a job resume,” says Kaneisha Grayson, founder and CEO of The art of application, an MBA admissions consultancy. She adds that each sorts of resumes are a single page, contain clear, skilled formatting, and description an applicant’s educational and skilled achievements.

“I would say one difference between the two is that I advise our clients to put their education at the top – whereas on a resume you would see education at the bottom,” says Grayson. She recommends this feature because the particular goal of an MBA resume is to get an applicant into an academic institution.

In this sense, there is probably not much difference between an MBA resume and a job resume, but there may be an added give attention to certain facets of your background, all in an effort to impress an MBA program’s choice of admissions committees.

How to Write an MBA Resume

Again, writing an MBA resume should not be much different than writing a conventional resume, but you need to try to maintain your end goal in mind, which is to land a spot in an MBA program. When writing your MBA resume, it’s going to be helpful to maintain this goal in mind because it may assist you work out what information you desire to include and what you do not.

“An MBA resume is very focused on the application cycle,” says Ellin Lolis, president and founding father of Ellin Lolis MBA Consulting. So keep the tip goal in mind here too. “Your educational background will be important,” says Lolis, “but most importantly, we want to see your career focus.”

As for the nuts and bolts of writing an MBA resume? Keep it easy by deciding what to incorporate, what to depart out, and tips on how to structure every thing so it is easy to read.

What to Include on Your MBA Resume

The primary elements your MBA resume should include are an education section, a piece experience or experience section, and a bit that describes slightly more about you personally, comparable to your hobbies and interests.

You can omit photos, details about your highschool and even most of your contact information — these will likely be included in your program application, the experts say.

Again, do your best to maintain what you include on one page. The only case where you might be prone to receive permission to make use of multiple page is that if you’ve got extensive work experience and are applying to an Executive MBA program. An excellent rule of thumb is? “If you have more than seven years of full-time work experience post-graduation,” says Grayson.

How to structure an MBA resume

When structuring an MBA resume, aim to incorporate many of the elements of the sections above: education, skilled background and experience, in addition to a bit dedicated to your personal hobbies, interests, skills and certifications, in addition to your community service work.

Training

In the Education section, list the faculties you attended and the degrees you earned, perhaps with relevant coursework and grade point averages. Your profession stage may vary depending in your specific experiences and industries wherein you’ve got worked. But try to border it as a type of skilled “story” that may show how an MBA can assist you take the following step.

Professional background

“In general, the MBA is not a purely academic degree, as most people get one to get a better job,” says Lolis. “They’re doing it to advance their careers – and at that point, your current job and professional track record is what’s most important,” she says.

Also discover about your successes. “Don’t just emphasize your job duties,” Grayson says. “Communicate the results of your efforts. Quantifying the results is much more meaningful and meaningful – describe the impact,” she says.

Hobbies, interests and more

As for the more personal part? “One of the key differences with a resume is that you want to reveal some of your hobbies and interests,” says Lolis. “Be very specific,” Grayson adds, “because 90% of people list “traveling” as a hobby. “But that’s not interesting – maybe something like ‘slow travel to find the best street food.’ That’s interesting.” This, she says, will help spark a conversation or help your resume stand out to face out from the group.

In addition to specific hobbies or interests, you may also add volunteer or community service work and possibly relevant technical or language skills. This may tip the scales in your favor because it shows that you’ve got specific know-how related to a specific industry or task. Any relevant awards you’ve got received may additionally be useful as they show that you could excel in a specific area.

Should you customize your resume for every business school?

Experts generally advise against changing your MBA resume when applying to a different school. Instead, search for specific instructions from the college, if any, and make appropriate changes if obligatory. So unless you’ve got a extremely compelling reason, you’ll be able to probably use the identical resume for quite a few applications.

Also, don’t overdo the design to make your resume stand out. “Just stick with traditional formatting,” says Lolis, since that’s what most admissions teams are used to and usually search for. Let the content of the resume speak for itself – not the design.

Where to go if you happen to need assistance

For many aspiring MBA students, putting together a resume should not be too difficult because it’s largely the identical process as writing a conventional resume. However, if you happen to need assistance, you’ll be able to reach out to counselors or take a look at a number of the resources schools have available to assist you through this process.

• Advisor: There are many MBA consulting firms, including the firms that Lolis and Grayson founded. They will help create, review and critique an MBA resume and get it into shape.

Taking that away

Overall, you need to write an MBA resume in the identical way you’ll a conventional resume, with a number of minor differences. The resume should give attention to your skilled background and former education, but additionally detail a few of your personal interests. Also, keep on with the classic formatting of your resume and keep it to at least one page if possible.

Experts also say it is important to make use of some basic formatting and styles – use an 11 or 12 point font, an everyday font style (Arial, Times New Roman, etc.), and overall skilled. And remember: Don’t overdo it to attain style points together with your resume design or other elements.