application vs. resume -- where to put info?

[speedyb09]

Is your resume supposed to be a reflection of your overall application, or an addendum? To be more specific:

1. Is your resume a highlight sheet of everything you have in your application? Meaning it has the same activities and jobs you mentioned in your application so that it can be a one-sheet summary of your application.

OR

2. Is your resume an additional resource in which you list other activities that you could not fit into your application? Instead of re-listing projects and activities already listed in your application, you use it as a supplementary resource and someone would have to see your entire application to get the full picture.

Any thoughts are appreciated!

[Sophia007]

1. Your resume is a summary/snapshot/highlight of what all you've done in the recent 5-7 yrs. Anything that is going beyond that is considered outdated or old information.

Think of it this way - its your sales pitch. You will not write everything, but you'll highlight different kinds of experiences and activities to give them a "Feeler" of who you are. If admissions committee is interested further, they have your essays to know you more in depth.

Hope this helps. Please "like" if the response was helpful as it gives me feedback. I'm not very active on forums so please feel free to directly email for a prompt reply.

[CriticalSquareMBA]

In almost every case, the first thing an admissions director looks at is your resume. It gives them a snapshot of your application but it gives them more than that too. It gives them a primer for your story. Obviously, it will have a lot of the content that was highlight in the rest of your application. If you're writing about a job in an essay, you wouldn't leave that off your resume. That wouldn't make much sense.

However, it's also a place where you can include activities that may not have a place elsewhere. For example, if you're only 3 or 4 years out of undergrad, you can include some of the more impactful and strategic involvements and activities in the resume that you wouldn't be able to put anywhere else. You wouldn't spend a lot of real estate on that but you could mention it (potentially - everyone's case is different).

Your resume, regardless of how much information is shared with the rest of your application, should be a supporting component of it, not merely a reiteration.

The resume is one of the most critical parts - it's the thing they see first and, because of that, has to really drive interest!

Bhavik

[tinarey12]

Sophia007 has nailed it - it's your sales pitch. It is not a highlight of everything and it's certainly not an 'additional resource'. As Bhlavik states, it is the first thing the adcoms look at, so list the chronological essentials and include the activities that call attention to your strengths and successes. It's not the place for elaboration but it is an opportunity to mention things that you might not have the chance to mention elsewhere in your application. Ideally, it should build interest in you by alluding to your goals, personal and professional, and elucidate your aptness for a great MBA experience. It is a critical element of your application.