What are the most important things you want the business schools you’re targeting to see about you? Applying to an MBA program is a competitive process, and your resume is one of the most essential pieces of your application. A well-written resume can help you stand out and increase your chances of acceptance. However, I usually see some common mistakes that can hurt a candidate’s chances for admission. Here are nine MBA resume missteps to avoid:
Multipage resumes.
You do not need to list every single thing that has happened in your career or education. Choose the highlights, and limit your resume to a one-pager. If an admissions committee member has only 60 seconds to review your resume and it’s more than one page, they might not ever make it to page two or three.
Unnecessary information.
You do not need to list every activity, award, or honor. You do not need an objective, given that your goal with this resume is to obtain admission to the school that is reviewing your resume (and the admissions committee already knows that). You do not need a personal summary. You do not need to list any research.
Highlighting responsibilities.
You want to highlight your achievements, not your duties, for MBA programs. Most MBA applications include a section in which you can describe your responsibilities, so let the resume serve as your key piece of advertising and demonstrate your impact.
Starting bullets with nouns, adverbs, or adjectives.
Each bullet point should begin with a verb so you can describe your impact. Rather than “responsible for,” consider “created,” “developed,” “led,” “initiated,” “negotiated,” “executed,” or “completed.”
Not including quantifiable results.
Admissions committees want to see what you’ve accomplished in your career. Include specific, measurable results in your resume to demonstrate your impact. For example, rather than saying, “increased sales,” say, “increased sales by 15%.”
Crowding the margins.
If you need to reduce your margin size from normal to narrow (or even smaller) to make everything fit, you are not leaving enough white space on your resume for it to be easily readable. Your resume should look clean and crisp, so edit, edit, edit so your words do not fall off the page.
Using jargon.
Avoid using jargon or technical terms that the admissions reader might not understand. Instead, use clear and concise language that anyone can follow.
Making grammar and spelling errors.
A resume with grammar and spelling errors will make you look careless. Be sure to proofread your resume carefully before submitting it.
Not getting feedback.
Once you’ve written your resume, getting input on it from a trusted friend, family member, or admissions consultant is a good idea. They can help you identify any areas that need improvement.
Following these tips, you can construct an MBA resume that will help you stand out from the competition.
Need help perfecting your MBA admissions resume? Check out Accepted’s Resume Services, and work one-on-one with an admissions expert to create a coherent, compelling resume that will convince your target school’s adcom that they should keep reading.
By Natalie Grinblatt, a former admissions dean/director at three top business schools. Natalie has reviewed more than 70,000 applications, interviewed more than 2,500 candidates, and trained nearly 700 admissions directors and alumni volunteers to select outstanding candidates for admission. Her clients gain admission to top programs, including those at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, and NYU. Natalie holds an MBA from Michigan Ross. Want Natalie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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