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MBAGuide
Joined: 24 Jul 2019
Last visit: 11 Nov 2025
Posts: 2,282
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 28
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
23 Apr 2025, 04:39
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A stellar MBA resumé is important to get that much-needed edge when applying to the M7 MBA programs. However, with thousands of impressive applicants targeting top B School admits, it can be difficult to ensure your resume stands out.
If you are in the advanced stages of resume creation for upcoming application season, these tips can help you take your resume to the next level. However, if you have not yet started to work on crafting your MBA resume, you can come back to these advanced level tips later, once you have a basic resume in place.
1. Prioritize accomplishments over responsibilities
Unlike job resumes that require equal emphasis on responsibilities, an MBA application resume requires you to highlight your accomplishments, the impact of your contribution, or your measurable achievements that are tied to the company's overall goal.
Expert Tip- In the initial stages of resume writing, applicants find it difficult to identify the accomplishments or success metrics that properly represent the success of their contributions. To structure your project achievement bullet points properly, use the PAR (Problem Action Result) approach to verify that each of the bullet points highlights these three aspects. Anything less would be an inferior resume bullet point. This does not come easily and I have seen that most applicants struggle to put their experiences in the PAR structure in the initial iterations of the resume.
Here's a real example from our Booth admit- • Led analysis in an 8-member team with India and US offices to increase adoption of a new and efficacious lung cancer therapy in ABC market in reaction to competitor launch. Adoption doubled to 75% via impeccable metadata analysis and targeted marketing campaigns
Can you notice how this bullet covers
A)Problem - to increase adoption
B)Action - led analysis, data aggregation and marketing campaigns
C)Result- Doubling adoption
2. Avoid repeating action verbs
Applicants who want to highlight their leadership qualities tend to repeat the word "led" before other action verbs, which conveys desperation and carelessness. You can show confidence by using other action verbs such as "achieved," "introduced," "managed," "handled," "improved," "strengthened," and "designed etc." Make your resume an engaging read. Look for the right action verbs.
3. Do not overstate your impact
Most applicants find it difficult to convert accomplishments to numbers. Sometimes when they feel their contributions are inadequate, they exaggerate their role or impact. They may try to compensate by saying they had a “leadership role” or they “led teams” to illustrate their impact on the organization. This is not the right strategy.
I suggest that you break down your impact into tangible project deliverables and compare it to the revenue or size of the project. This would add a realistic perspective to your resume. This is important to convey authenticity.
Here are a few examples to give perspective
Mistake Type1
Here a poorly worded example, "Led the development of a simulation model for the $7 million Mergers and Acquisitions worst case scenario prediction project."
A better wording would be , "Developed a simulation tool that helped the M&A team predict worst-case scenarios for the $7 million projects the company was analysing."
Do you understand the difference? The second statement shows how you made yourself useful to the M&A team, allowing them to make better informed decision. The same meaning can hardly be understood clearly from the first statement.
Mistake type 2
A mistake that is often repeated concerns applicants who are a year or two younger than the average for the class.
To compensate for lack of experience, younger applicants emphasize, "Exceptional for my age" Overcompensating applicants overlook the real accomplishments when repeating “the youngest” phrase in more than one entry on the MBA resume or application. This makes you look less mature.
Mistake Type 3
While we recommend highlighting the "top X percent of the class" if the performance is authentic, applicants get carried away and start citing the top ten or 20 percent to stand out. Anything outside the top five percent is not really the best performance of anything.
4. Manipulating metrics
Applicants who have worked in startups generally tend to exaggerate metrics without providing a plausible explanation. They assume that the technical solution or growth they achieved is unique.
When you apply to the M7 Business schools, mentioning the scale of growth is as cliché as highlighting proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Novice applicants mention metrics such as "increased revenue by 700%," and others mention "leading a start-up that was acquired by the ABC brand." These are filler words and indicate that the applicant may be omitting something very important.
For example, "700% revenue growth" may indicate that the applicant is hiding actual revenue. "Bought out by a brand name" may hide that the exit was not that big. The admissions team is experienced enough to see through your exaggerations. Conservative estimates, even if they do or do not lead to an exit deal, come across as more authentic. Avoid basing the success of a project solely on your position. Instead, emphasize your contribution and collaboration with your team.
5. Taking credit for the wrong success metric
For startups, contributions to product development and revenue growth are important. But depending on the case, such as technology startups, the contributions of certain key functions like engineers and growth strategists may be more important than functions in sales and marketing. In such cases, sales and marketing professionals should not take credit for achievements that fall beyond their scope of responsibilities.
To increase profile credibility, it's important to avoid black-and-white terms and instead use words like "facilitated growth" and "contributed to X% increase in revenue."
First, assess how your role fits into your employer's overall business model. In a good example, a sales manager in an ed-tech mentioned that he worked strategically between the technology teams and the customers to enable the ed-tech product market fit fast.
For established companies, the opposite can be true.
It is easier to maintain technology than it is to find new markets or growth strategies, so sales and marketing professionals can highlight the meaningful contributions in their role. On the other hand, engineers at such a company can skip the growth metrics.
6. Simplify jargon
Applicants with technical, engineering, military backgrounds and IT audits generally have a hard time simplifying project- or company-specific jargon that they believe is extremely important to understand the context. Applicants from marketing and consulting backgrounds do not have this problem to the same degree.
Remember, it is much easier for the recruiter to absorb the information in your resume if you simplify the technical language so that anybody can understand it.
7. Highlight unexpected extracurricular activities
Focus on highlighting qualities that are unexpected for the type of applicant you are. Pleasantly surprise the adcom and break stereotypes.
Highlighting extracurricular activities that complement the personality traits required for your job role can be a great way to stand out from other applicants.
For example, a military applicant is generally expected to be disciplined and serious. Having a creative streak is unexpected for this type of applicant. So if we highlight an extracurricular involvement in projects like stand-up comedy or drama club, suddenly it's a big differentiator from competing military applicants.
8. Third-party validation
Awards and recognition within your organization are good, but any recognition from an industry association or mention in the media can further enhance your accomplishments. Look for mentions in the media for your projects and recognition from industry associations, unions, or non-profit organizations before highlighting internal awards.
For example,
Startup selected for Y Combinator’s 2022 winter cohort — one of only 10 Indian startups among 400+ global applications.
Policy recommendation co-authored with team cited in Ministry of Health’s 2022 public health initiative rollout. etc.
9. Combine multiple deliverables
Instead of splitting your accomplishments into multiple entries, consider combining multiple areas of responsibility into one meaningful resume entry. Say more in few words. This comes with practice. Take help of an expert to speed up the process.
10. Validate yet challenge the typecast
Your resume doesn’t just summarize achievements, rather it positions you in the minds of the admissions team relative to thousands of others with similar credentials. They're sizing up your story alongside your GMAT, GPA, and essays to see how you fit... or break the mold.
If you're an Indian engineer—an overrepresented profile—you might confirm your academic sharpness by highlighting a top 1% GMAT score. But the real edge comes when you disrupt expectations. For example, an Indian engineer applicant might highlight being in the top one percent on standardized tests but also demonstrate the potential to contribute to a quantitatively focused MBA program, despite a low GPA of under 3. This can be done through showcasing quant heavy skills, examples of working on finance or statistics focused projects.
Wondering how your profile stacks up? Get a free profile evaluation and discuss a tailored MBA plan that aligns with your goals.
Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com
If you are in the advanced stages of resume creation for upcoming application season, these tips can help you take your resume to the next level. However, if you have not yet started to work on crafting your MBA resume, you can come back to these advanced level tips later, once you have a basic resume in place.
1. Prioritize accomplishments over responsibilities
Unlike job resumes that require equal emphasis on responsibilities, an MBA application resume requires you to highlight your accomplishments, the impact of your contribution, or your measurable achievements that are tied to the company's overall goal.
Expert Tip- In the initial stages of resume writing, applicants find it difficult to identify the accomplishments or success metrics that properly represent the success of their contributions. To structure your project achievement bullet points properly, use the PAR (Problem Action Result) approach to verify that each of the bullet points highlights these three aspects. Anything less would be an inferior resume bullet point. This does not come easily and I have seen that most applicants struggle to put their experiences in the PAR structure in the initial iterations of the resume.
Here's a real example from our Booth admit- • Led analysis in an 8-member team with India and US offices to increase adoption of a new and efficacious lung cancer therapy in ABC market in reaction to competitor launch. Adoption doubled to 75% via impeccable metadata analysis and targeted marketing campaigns
Can you notice how this bullet covers
A)Problem - to increase adoption
B)Action - led analysis, data aggregation and marketing campaigns
C)Result- Doubling adoption
2. Avoid repeating action verbs
Applicants who want to highlight their leadership qualities tend to repeat the word "led" before other action verbs, which conveys desperation and carelessness. You can show confidence by using other action verbs such as "achieved," "introduced," "managed," "handled," "improved," "strengthened," and "designed etc." Make your resume an engaging read. Look for the right action verbs.
3. Do not overstate your impact
Most applicants find it difficult to convert accomplishments to numbers. Sometimes when they feel their contributions are inadequate, they exaggerate their role or impact. They may try to compensate by saying they had a “leadership role” or they “led teams” to illustrate their impact on the organization. This is not the right strategy.
I suggest that you break down your impact into tangible project deliverables and compare it to the revenue or size of the project. This would add a realistic perspective to your resume. This is important to convey authenticity.
Here are a few examples to give perspective
Mistake Type1
Here a poorly worded example, "Led the development of a simulation model for the $7 million Mergers and Acquisitions worst case scenario prediction project."
A better wording would be , "Developed a simulation tool that helped the M&A team predict worst-case scenarios for the $7 million projects the company was analysing."
Do you understand the difference? The second statement shows how you made yourself useful to the M&A team, allowing them to make better informed decision. The same meaning can hardly be understood clearly from the first statement.
Mistake type 2
A mistake that is often repeated concerns applicants who are a year or two younger than the average for the class.
To compensate for lack of experience, younger applicants emphasize, "Exceptional for my age" Overcompensating applicants overlook the real accomplishments when repeating “the youngest” phrase in more than one entry on the MBA resume or application. This makes you look less mature.
Mistake Type 3
While we recommend highlighting the "top X percent of the class" if the performance is authentic, applicants get carried away and start citing the top ten or 20 percent to stand out. Anything outside the top five percent is not really the best performance of anything.
4. Manipulating metrics
Applicants who have worked in startups generally tend to exaggerate metrics without providing a plausible explanation. They assume that the technical solution or growth they achieved is unique.
When you apply to the M7 Business schools, mentioning the scale of growth is as cliché as highlighting proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Novice applicants mention metrics such as "increased revenue by 700%," and others mention "leading a start-up that was acquired by the ABC brand." These are filler words and indicate that the applicant may be omitting something very important.
For example, "700% revenue growth" may indicate that the applicant is hiding actual revenue. "Bought out by a brand name" may hide that the exit was not that big. The admissions team is experienced enough to see through your exaggerations. Conservative estimates, even if they do or do not lead to an exit deal, come across as more authentic. Avoid basing the success of a project solely on your position. Instead, emphasize your contribution and collaboration with your team.
5. Taking credit for the wrong success metric
For startups, contributions to product development and revenue growth are important. But depending on the case, such as technology startups, the contributions of certain key functions like engineers and growth strategists may be more important than functions in sales and marketing. In such cases, sales and marketing professionals should not take credit for achievements that fall beyond their scope of responsibilities.
To increase profile credibility, it's important to avoid black-and-white terms and instead use words like "facilitated growth" and "contributed to X% increase in revenue."
First, assess how your role fits into your employer's overall business model. In a good example, a sales manager in an ed-tech mentioned that he worked strategically between the technology teams and the customers to enable the ed-tech product market fit fast.
For established companies, the opposite can be true.
It is easier to maintain technology than it is to find new markets or growth strategies, so sales and marketing professionals can highlight the meaningful contributions in their role. On the other hand, engineers at such a company can skip the growth metrics.
6. Simplify jargon
Applicants with technical, engineering, military backgrounds and IT audits generally have a hard time simplifying project- or company-specific jargon that they believe is extremely important to understand the context. Applicants from marketing and consulting backgrounds do not have this problem to the same degree.
Remember, it is much easier for the recruiter to absorb the information in your resume if you simplify the technical language so that anybody can understand it.
7. Highlight unexpected extracurricular activities
Focus on highlighting qualities that are unexpected for the type of applicant you are. Pleasantly surprise the adcom and break stereotypes.
Highlighting extracurricular activities that complement the personality traits required for your job role can be a great way to stand out from other applicants.
For example, a military applicant is generally expected to be disciplined and serious. Having a creative streak is unexpected for this type of applicant. So if we highlight an extracurricular involvement in projects like stand-up comedy or drama club, suddenly it's a big differentiator from competing military applicants.
8. Third-party validation
Awards and recognition within your organization are good, but any recognition from an industry association or mention in the media can further enhance your accomplishments. Look for mentions in the media for your projects and recognition from industry associations, unions, or non-profit organizations before highlighting internal awards.
For example,
Startup selected for Y Combinator’s 2022 winter cohort — one of only 10 Indian startups among 400+ global applications.
Policy recommendation co-authored with team cited in Ministry of Health’s 2022 public health initiative rollout. etc.
9. Combine multiple deliverables
Instead of splitting your accomplishments into multiple entries, consider combining multiple areas of responsibility into one meaningful resume entry. Say more in few words. This comes with practice. Take help of an expert to speed up the process.
10. Validate yet challenge the typecast
Your resume doesn’t just summarize achievements, rather it positions you in the minds of the admissions team relative to thousands of others with similar credentials. They're sizing up your story alongside your GMAT, GPA, and essays to see how you fit... or break the mold.
If you're an Indian engineer—an overrepresented profile—you might confirm your academic sharpness by highlighting a top 1% GMAT score. But the real edge comes when you disrupt expectations. For example, an Indian engineer applicant might highlight being in the top one percent on standardized tests but also demonstrate the potential to contribute to a quantitatively focused MBA program, despite a low GPA of under 3. This can be done through showcasing quant heavy skills, examples of working on finance or statistics focused projects.
Wondering how your profile stacks up? Get a free profile evaluation and discuss a tailored MBA plan that aligns with your goals.
Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com
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