Professionally Formatting Your MBA Resume

A professionally-formatted resume is critical not only for B-school but for job applications as well.

Dr. Marlena Corcoran, founder of Athena Mentor: International University Admissions Counseling and contributor at Forbes, recently offered a few tips on how to create the perfect MBA-style resume.

KEEP IT CLEAN & SIMPLE

Your MBA-style resume should be easy to read and scan. Corcoran recommends sticking to a simple, professional font style and size.

“Recruiters sometimes have only six seconds to review a CV, so it better be clear and impactful,” Corcoran adds. “Unless you are applying for a job as a graphic designer, steer clear of colorful templates, cute sidebars, background shapes and attention-getting images.”

In terms of length, experts recommend limiting your resume to one to two pages.

“Applicants with less than 10 years of professional experience may opt for a one-page resume, and two pages if you have more than this,” according to mba.com.

CATEGORIZE BY EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

The first category on your resume should be your education, where you list your degrees and certifications in chronological order.

“Include important information about particularly relevant courses or academic honors,” Corcoran says. “For example, a younger candidate with outstanding grades in advanced mathematics courses might include that information in an application for a degree or internship in finance.”

The next category should be your business experience section, where you summarize your work and internship experiences. Corcoran stresses the importance of detailing your achievements in this section.

“The most common mistake here is listing job titles and tasks without indicating exactly what you accomplished in each position,” she says.

The last section of your resume can be used to highlight any unique or interesting traits you have.

“You can showcase leadership or professional skills by sharing the languages you know, any international experience you may have acquired, your volunteer activities and your special interests,” Corcoran says. “They can also lend credibility to your claims of being committed to certain causes or goals.”

Sources: Forbes, mba.com

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