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MBA Resume: What the Experts Suggest

When it comes to MBA resumes for B-school, experts say applicants should highlight personal strengths and achievements over technical skills.

“We’re not looking for the laundry list – the laundry list that you might have to put in your actual application,” Sue Oldham, associate dean of MBA operations at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, tells US News. “We’re looking for areas of interest and professional affiliations.”

HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLES OF LEADERSHIP

Business schools are looking for leaders, and the MBA resume is a perfect opportunity to showcase why you deserve a seat. Experts recommend highlighting experience that demonstrates strong leadership.

“If you formally manage one or more people, don’t leave that information out,” Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, says. “Even if you supervise and mentor someone informally, that should go on the resume as well. If you have played a role in training peers, subordinates, or even those senior to you (perhaps on a new type of software), include that on your resume. Anything that shows how you identified an opportunity and took the initiative is a great thing to have.”

Technical skills, while important, play less of a role on your application resume—especially when compared to examples of leadership.

“Business schools aren’t looking for coding prowess or investment knowledge,” according to Shemmassian Academic Consulting. “They’re looking for applicants who have the potential to make a lasting impact in the world through business. They’re looking for game changers, for innovators, for future CEOs. They don’t care if you can derive Black-Scholes with your eyes closed; they care about whether you can lead a team, think critically, collaborate with others, and achieve great feats of business that leave a legacy behind you.”

KEEP IT TO ONE PAGE

While it may be tempting to try and include everything on your MBA resume, experts stress the importance of keeping it to one page and one page only. If you do want to include additional information, such as passions or interests, adding a line or two at the bottom of your resume will suffice.

“A good test for what works for this section: does this added information separate you from the pack?” according to Shemmassian Academic Consulting. “Is it something you want to be asked about in your interview? Does it round out your resume in a way that paints a fuller picture of yourself?”

At the end of the day, your MBA resume is a summary of you, and keeping that summary concise is key.

“It’s a snapshot of who you are,” Oldham tells US News.

Sources: US News, Stacy Blackman Consulting, Shemmassian Academic Consulting

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