{"id":30552,"date":"2015-09-16T01:44:05","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T08:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=30552"},"modified":"2016-07-27T16:03:31","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T23:03:31","slug":"9-dos-and-donts-for-your-application-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/9-dos-and-donts-for-your-application-resume\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Do\u2019s And Don\u2019ts For Your Application Resume"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Get<\/a>Your resume is usually the first opportunity admissions readers have to get to know you, your experience, and your skills. Because of the number of other application components they need to review (both yours and those belonging to the thousands of other applicants), most adcom readers will only give your resume<\/a> a quick fifteen-second glance before moving on to the next thing on their checklist. Not only do you have to make a great first impression \u2013 you have to do it fast!<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are many ways to craft an application\u00a0resume that strategically highlights your skills and makes you and your qualifications stand out from the crowd. The following Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts will help you develop a dynamic, powerful resume that will enable you to sail through the adcom\u2019s initial fifteen-second screening process and earn your outstanding qualifications the closer look they deserve.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Do\u2019s:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Place your strongest material in the two-inch visual space that begins about 2 5\/8 inches from the top of your resume<\/strong>. Make sure you include your most impressive, impactful achievements and qualifications in this \"primetime\" space. It\u2019s where the reader\u2019s eyes will focus first.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Use a professional profile or qualifications section in your resume\u2019s primetime space<\/strong> to give the adcom reader a quick but concrete capsule of your achievements and skills. Write this section when the rest of your resume is complete and you\u2019ve already decided what your strongest qualifications are.<\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Give the most weight to your most recent professional position. <\/strong>The section of the resume for your most recent position should contain more bulleted accomplishments than your previous positions. For each position, rank the accomplishments in order of decreasing relevance to the employer you are targeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Quantify your impact on the organizations you have worked for. <\/strong>If you reduced expenses, say by how much or by what percentage. If you supervised a project, say how many were on your team. Always ask yourself how you helped the organization, and insert the numbers that demonstrate that impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Pay as much attention to your resume\u2019s design as you do to its content.<\/strong> Use bullets or other appropriate symbols, insert rules (horizontal lines) to separate major sections, and use a 10-to-12-point conservative typeface for the body text of the resume. Aim for 1-inch side margins and slightly smaller top and bottom margins. (If your target school specifies these guidelines, make sure you adhere to their specific requests.)<\/span><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Include publications, patents, presentations, honors, relevant volunteer experiences, and professional licenses or certifications in your resume.<\/strong> These \"extras\" can sometimes be the factor that piques their attention and makes them eager to read the other components of your application. (If you\u2019re applying for certain degrees \u2013 such as any research degree \u2013 your publications and research experiences are not \u201cextras\u201d at all, but a key part of the document.)<\/span><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Edit and proofread mercilessly.<\/strong> Edit your resume to reduce fluff and make every word count. Set your resume aside for a few days and then come back to it again with \"fresh eyes.\" Misspelled words and grammatical mistakes are the proverbial kiss of death in a resume. Eliminate them.<\/span><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Place your education after your experience<\/strong> if you\u2019ve been in the workforce for more than five years. If the degree you earned is the most relevant or impressive detail of your education section, highlight it. If the school you attended is the selling point, emphasize it.<\/span><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0Use a two-page resume if appropriate.<\/strong> Two-page resumes are fine (and in some cases, preferable) if you\u2019ve been in the workforce for about ten years or more or have particularly impressive work experience. Depending on your field and the degree you\u2019re targeting, you may have a longer CV with a detailed list of publications, etc. (Once again, if your target school puts a limit on the page count, go by their rules, not ours.)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Don\u2019ts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t make things up<\/strong> or inflate your accomplishments, level of responsibility, or skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t confuse your resume with your autobiography.<\/strong> While there are many pieces of information that your resume must have, its primary purpose is to focus on the aspects of your life and career that address the employer\u2019s needs. You\u2019ll have the rest of your application to highlight your life\u2019s most important stories. <\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Don\u2019t use pronouns (\"I\") or articles (\"a,\" \"the\").<\/strong> They detract from the force of your accomplishments<\/a>, slow down the reader, and take up precious space.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Don\u2019t provide personal data. <\/strong>Marital status, date of birth, height\/weight, and similar non-work-related information can be used to illegally discriminate against applicants, and they rarely add anything of value to your qualifications.<\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Don\u2019t repeat the same action words throughout the resume.<\/strong> Instead of using the verb <\/span>developed<\/span><\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>led<\/span><\/i>\u00a0over and over, pull out your thesaurus and mix in terms like\u00a0<\/span>accelerated<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>delivered<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>directed<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>established<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>initiated<\/span><\/i>, or\u00a0<\/span>reengineered<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Don\u2019t leave out dates.<\/strong> Even if you choose the functional resume format to minimize frequent job changes or lack of experience, include your dates of employment somewhere on your resume (usually at the end).<\/span><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Don\u2019t use more detail than you need to convey your accomplishments. <\/strong>Dense, paragraph-sized bullet points make for tough reading. A good rule of thumb is to limit each bullet to one to two lines of text with three to five accomplishments for each position.<\/span><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Don\u2019t use clich\u00e9d adjectives like\u00a0dynamic<\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0self-starting<\/i><\/strong>.<\/strong> Let the details of your resume convince the adcom reader that you have these qualities<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0Don\u2019t make your resume a list of your job duties <\/strong>\u2014 make it a list of your accomplishments! Weave your job responsibilities into your descriptions of your accomplishments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you need help putting together a stand-out resume? Or do you have a professional resume and need help transforming it into one suitable to send in with your application? Browse <\/span>our catalog of admissions resume services<\/span><\/a> and choose the one that meets your unique needs. For more tips on writing a compelling resume, please see our <\/span>Resume 101 resource page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Accepted:<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0From Example to Exemplary<\/a>\u00a0[Free Guide]
\n\u2022\u00a0Reminder for Your Resume<\/a>\u00a0[Short Video]
\n\u2022 4 Ways to Show the Adcom You'll Contribute in the Future<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article\u00a0<\/a>originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Accepted.com<\/a>'s\u00a0<\/em>experienced admissions consultants<\/a>\u00a0can help you create the most impressive application possible with\u00a0<\/em>comprehensive packages<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>or provide targeted assistance from\u00a0<\/em>picking perfect programs<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/em>designing a dazzling resume<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>constructing engaging essays<\/a>, or\u00a0<\/em>preparing for intense interview<\/a>s<\/a>\u2026and more!\u00a0<\/em>Accepted.com<\/a>\u00a0has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so\u00a0<\/em>contact us<\/a>\u00a0to get started now!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your resume is usually the first opportunity admissions readers have to get to know you, your experience, and your skills. Because of the number of other application components they need…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[184,1048,90,621,227,18,1046,262,1280,1896,39,784,1145,723,1736],"class_list":["post-30552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-admissions-consulting","tag-advice-for-mba-applicants","tag-application-essay","tag-application-essays","tag-application-tips","tag-b-school-application","tag-essay-advice","tag-essay-questions","tag-how-to-write-an-applications-essay","tag-mba","tag-mba-admissions","tag-mba-admissions-essay","tag-mba-essay-advice","tag-mba-resume","tag-mba-resume-help","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30552"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30554,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30552\/revisions\/30554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}