Many MBA candidates do not thoroughly consider and revise their resumes, often dismissing this simple page, due to the fact that an existing version may already be saved on their computers. We caution you not to underestimate the value of this document — the admissions committees review them carefully, as they serve as a road map to your career. In a past entry in our myths series, I Need to Tell it All! (Part I), we highlighted that the resume is not the place to “stuff” all of your life experiences. Somewhere in the middle of two extremes – stuffing and ignoring – lies an ideal: a clear, easily scanable, action/results-oriented resume – one which tells a story that captures the attention of an admissions officer who has reviewed hundreds of files.
One of the most common errors that candidates make is leaving their resume in an industry-specific format, filled with jargon and acronyms which are only known to an expert in their field. Remember, the admissions committee is not hiring you for a task, but is trying to understand your progress, accomplishments and even your character. Each bullet point needs to highlight achievement, less than positional expertise.
As you prepare your resume, think about your audience and recognize that you have a strategic tool to reinforce certain characteristics that are important to you — characteristics which may complement information provided in other places in your application. For example, if you aspire to a career that is international in nature, you may place more emphasis on your international experience in your resume. Or, if you come from a field that is not known for its management orientation – you were a teacher who administered a school’s $50,000 student activities budget – you may use your resume to emphasize disciplines that are important to an MBA admissions audience.
For some, it is a surprise to realize that one page can communicate so much and thus deserves so much attention, but it is definitely worth investing in this short, but crucial document.
Read the full article: Admissions Myths Destroyed: At Least I Don’t Have To Rework My Resume…