Resume for MBA application

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Resume for MBA application

by jorhul » Wed Oct 29, 2014 3:09 pm
is the resume for the MBA application the same as the one you'd use for a job application?

or does it have to look different?

And would it make sense to spin around your resume to your prospective schools to gauge the chances of getting accepted?
Source: — The Application Process |

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by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu Oct 30, 2014 5:53 am
Absolutely - your resume is definitely different. Your goal is different. So your resume should reflect that!

And no - you don't "send your resume around" - if you attend an event and have your resume with you, you can provide it to the adcom and they might provide directional feedback, but that's a part of that specific process only.

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by Michelle@ARINGO » Thu Nov 06, 2014 8:41 am
Most MBA programs require a 1-2 pages resume in their applications. Your MBA resume should focus on your professional and educational background, and highlight your achievements in these areas.

Work Experience
- Work experience is comprised of responsibilities (less important) and achievements (more important).
- The responsibilities and achievements usually start with a verb.
- Avoid using subjective terms such as "excellent" or "fast", use facts and objective terms only.
- If the numbers related to the responsibility/achievement are large/impressive, provide them. Otherwise, don't.
- If a person was only doing projects, one after the other, there may be no responsibilities, just achievements.
- Try to describe any position in laymen terms. Avoid technical/professional explanations.

Responsibilities
- Responsibility examples:
o "Manage a team of 4".
o Conduct development review meetings.
- Responsibilities in the current position start with verbs in the present simple tense ("manage").
- Responsibilities in past positions start with verbs in the past tense ("managed").

Achievements
- Achievements are a critical component in the CV. We need strong, impressive achievements.
- Achievement bullets usually start with verbs in the past tense.
- An achievement is often connected with a specific project.
- An achievement is comprised of "action" and "result".
- You may use sub-bullets, which are sub-components of the general action or of the result.

The result part of the achievement

- The result sentences are specific facts.
- The result should include numbers if possible.

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by Personal MBA Coach » Thu Nov 06, 2014 9:02 pm
Some key changes to make to your resume before applying to business school:

- Industry jargon: Ensure your bullet points are clear enough without a lot of industry jargon (admissions committee members are very familiar with most industries, but they may not be as familiar with all specific industry terms your boss / hiring manager would use

- Results: While all resumes in my opinion should show results, for some jobs you can get away without being as specific. For business schools, try to quantify everything as much as possible

- Leadership: It is important to show leadership experience as much as possible on your resume. Since you will be conveying a lot about your accomplishments throughout your application, the resume itself does not have to say everything about you like it does when you use it to apply for a job. That said, the resume should show leadership whenever possible. If you have to make the trade-off between describing a leadership experience and showcasing another skill-set or an interesting client project, go with the leadership experience.

Good luck!