In search of the perfect MBA application resume…
Tina: I have my interview in this highly reputed college tomorrow. It is my dream to study in such a prestigious institution. I want to ace the interview.
Riya: Have you prepared everything for it?
Tina: I have. But I am not really sure how good my MBA application resume is. I feel my content is not well written and I really want my resume to stand out among all the other applicants.
Riya: Your resume will be the most important part of your interview. In fact it will form the foundation for the interview.
Tina: That is why I am sceptical about its quality. I have included my background, academics and even internships. But it just doesn’t add up. I want to add some element that makes my resume appealing to the interviewers.
There are hundreds of MBA applicants out there, who are unsure
if they should be going in to their interviews with their current resumes or change it for better. Since resume is essentially the most critical component of your interview, it becomes mandatory for any applicant to have a high quality resume.
Confident businessman, ready with his resume
Why is your resume so important?
When you step into an interview, your resume is the first prerequisite and it also forms the first impression. For an MBA fresher, their resume becomes the most determining factor of their interview. Your resume is probably the only opportunity to capture the interviewer’s attention, before moving into the interview. Moreover, all interviewers generally spend few brief seconds to glance through the resume, so it is vital that your MBA resume format is appealing and eye-catching. When writing the MBA application resume, one should ensure that it isn’t too descriptive, yet at the same time it has to cover all the key elements of your professional and academic background that would contribute significantly to the job description for which you apply.
The quality of your resume can either become a benchmark or an example of what not to do. It is completely up to you as to how do you want your resume to be remembered. Your resume mentions your skills and competencies much before you step into the interview room. It is crucial that those competencies are enough to grab the interviewer’s attention. If it is an MBA fresher resume you might have to emphasise more on the academic strengths whereas for an executive MBA, how you portray your work profiles in the past, forms a significant component of your resume.
Praqtise fact file: Did you know that the average time a recruiter spends reviewing a resume or curriculum vitae is 6 seconds only!
Tips to make the perfect MBA application resume
Ensure that the interviewer gets as much information as possible in a glance. Create appropriate sections and title them accurately. Having a resume filled with too much information is a straightaway rejection, since the recruiter is unable to identify anything the applicant wants to emphasise.
- Lay emphasis on your role in the previous internships or your accomplishments rather than just mentioning the profile. Here, you must also be considerate of not describing too many details since that will make the resume appear cluttered. Being specific about your accomplishments gives the interviewer the impression that you have enough clarity in thought.
- If you are applying for a specific subject specialisation, mention maximum achievements and skills that are best suited to that stream. This is the best way to convince the admission committee members of our genuine interest in the field mentioned.
- Use action words to describe specific skills. Action words show a diverse sense of vocabulary and make the resume more appealing. There is a discernible difference in the intent of your statements when appropriate action words are used.
- Refrain from experimenting too much with your resume format. Most top MBA institutes prefer the traditional approach and do not encourage a whacky resume that an applicant uses to stand out from the crowd. This usually works against the applicant. You can experiment somewhere with the layout and colours and make the resume visually appealing.
- Avoid writing an essay length resume. A fresher would try to accommodate all their past achievements into an essay length resume, which no one would ideally read. An ideal MBA resume format, is margins of approximately an inch with properly spaced font, standard font type and size and clearly visible contact information with maximum two pages in length. It should have
- Finally, prioritise the information you want to include. If your prime foci are growth and learning in your MBA academic journey, you would want to include the internships or leadership skills that your interviewer can identify in you.
Sample CV Format
Some Praqtical Help
Are you still worrying about how your resume will shine among the thousands of other resumes? Or confused about what information to include in the resume? It is fine to be unsure about which achievements/roles to prioritise. Just visit our website and get information about all the do’s and don’ts of interviews.
Your resume for MBA is your stepping stone to achieving a managerial degree from the college of your dreams. A good resume can go a long way in assisting you in each of the steps you take towards this goal. Still unsure about your resume and feel the need to refine it? Connect with our experts at Praqtise and clear your doubts right away!
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