{"id":21016,"date":"2013-10-08T12:12:35","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T19:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=21016"},"modified":"2013-10-08T12:28:15","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T19:28:15","slug":"mba-resume-mistakes-you-can-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-resume-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA R\u00e9sum\u00e9- Mistakes You Can Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

R\u00e9sum\u00e9 is a critical part of the MBA applications, yet it is often the most neglected one. \u00a0Your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 demands as much of your attention as your essays do. \u00a0In fact, r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is your first introduction to the Ad Com, so it should be impactful enough to make them want to know more about you through your essays. \u00a0When working with applicants on their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, I often quote Ross Admission Director Soojin Kwon. \u00a0\u201cFor me, the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is just as important as your essays\u2026\u2026.How you describe your experience matters. \u00a0What you choose to highlight matters. \u00a0Think of it as trailer of the movie about you<\/span>. \u00a0It needs to show there is substance there. \u00a0I find that many applicants don\u2019t take enough care with their resumes,\u201d Kwon said.<\/p>\n

The analogy is so apt. \u00a0If your essays show a movie about you, your resume shows the trailer of that movie. \u00a0True!!\u00a0 Your resume is a trailer of your career progression, accomplishments, leadership and team working skills, your interests, and extra-curricular activities that will be shown in detail in the movie of your essays. \u00a0Therefore, in order to make a good \u2018first impression\u2019, you need to invest your time and effort to make your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 strong and impactful.<\/p>\n

You can build a strong r\u00e9sum\u00e9 by avoiding the following most common errors.<\/p>\n

1. Lengthy R\u00e9sum\u00e9: <\/strong>First, resist the temptation of writing a lengthy resume. \u00a0It\u2019s about quality, not quantity, so make sure not to go over one page limit. \u00a0<\/b>Most schools want to see only one page r\u00e9sum\u00e9s. \u00a0<\/b>Let your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 be short and sweet\u00a0 <\/b>The resume should be the shortest documentin your application but the most impactful one that provides an overview of not only your professional career and accomplishments, but also your interest and extra- curricular activities.<\/p>\n

Please use 10 or 11 font and do not try to squeeze in loads of information by using 8 font.<\/p>\n

2.<\/b> Omitting dates:<\/strong> When listing job positions, sometimes applicants forget to mention employment dates.\u00a0 Without specific dates, the Ad Com will not be able to garner your career progression and your promotions.<\/b><\/p>\n

3.<\/b> Writing Sentences\/ Paragraphs:<\/strong> Please do not write sentences or paragraphs even if you have a lot of information to convey. \u00a0Instead use bulleted points<\/b>. \u00a0Each bullet should be limited to two lines of text, and there should be no more than five bullets per job position. \u00a0You may use 2 bullet points for listing job responsibilities and 2-3 for job accomplishments.<\/p>\n

4. Use of Fancy Fonts: <\/strong>Typical fonts for a resume are Times New Roman, Verdana, Cambria and Arial, with Times New Roman being the most common. \u00a0The business r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is not the place to use fancy fonts. So don\u2019t use crazy fonts or intricate borders.<\/p>\n

5. Use of Jargon:<\/strong> One of the <\/b>most common mistakes applicants make is using technical terms of their industry. \u00a0Do not assume that Ad Com will understand your industry jargon. \u00a0This is not a job resume that you are writing for your prospective employer. This is your MBA resume that is scanned by the Ad Com of business schools for career progression, leadership qualities, team- working skills, initiative and other interests\/activities of future business leaders. So make sure to make your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 jargon free. The following example is jargon free:<\/p>\n

Example<\/i>:<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n