5 Tips to Improve Your Resume for Your MBA Application

Pursue Hobbies

Not everything that makes you interesting and demonstrates that you are a viable candidate has to do with work. In fact, unique and interesting hobbies can be a fun and different way to demonstrate your skills. David Schein recommends that you choose hobbies that “demonstrate drive and ambition. Some examples might include white water rafting or learning a difficult foreign language like Chinese or Farsi.” An impressive resume is one that sets you apart as an MBA applicant. If you can show that you’re not like the hundreds of other applicants, it’s a good thing.

Make It Clear and Concise

Admissions’ committees only have a brief period to review your application, and your resume is only a small piece of your application. If you create a five-page opus in place of a resume, it might be skipped over, and then, no matter how great it was, it doesn’t do you any good. Instead, it’s critical to highlight your accomplishments clearly and concisely. A few recommendations for keeping you rrésumé reader-friendly:

• Keep it to one page. You can widen the margins and use a slightly smaller font, but try to keep your work history to a single page. Your interview, essay, and recommendation letters are all chances to expound on your resume.
• Don’t use jargon. Industry specific stories and language might make sense to you, but an admissions’ officer is not going to know what you mean.
• Find beta readers. It’s always a good idea to have someone on the outside review your résumé before you submit it. Choose a friend or family member that can objectively review your résumé and make sure it’s understandable.

Your resume may only be a small piece of your entire application, but it’s vital to demonstrate your skills, experience, and work ethic. Take the time to ensure that your resume best represents who you are and what you’ve accomplished. If you do it right, it should help you with the rest of your application.

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