Resume writing tips to help MBA school graduates thrive

Job applications are an opportunity to showcase professional and personal attributes, leveraging one’s qualifications toward an ideal position or title. Resumes are an essential part of this process, allowing candidates to stand out in the reported five to seven seconds some recruiters take to look over their qualifications. In a competitive market, resume-writing skills are not simply advantageous but necessary, helping top applicants land desirable jobs and further opportunities thereafter.

A strong resume is critically important for business students, with MBA recruiters often looking for particular skills and assets. While the application process might seem daunting, MBA candidates can help their chances with a few tried and tested resume strategies.

Are you hoping to build a resume that will help you thrive after your MBA? Keep reading for important information.

Strong resumes showcase qualifications and personal initiative

Top MBA resumes generally include one’s educational and professional background, as well as industry-specific skills and certifications. While listing these attributes, MBA applicants are advised to highlight not only the breadth of their qualifications, but also the extent of their personal initiative.

In addition to qualifications and official titles, applicants can include brief descriptions of past business opportunities, managerial experiences or personal projects – all of which help demonstrate industry passion to complement more formal business training.

A combination of qualifications and initiative helps signal not only a readiness to fill a position, but also an ability to thrive and succeed at a higher level within a business or organization. Applicants should order their resumes to demonstrate increasing responsibilities and personal initiatives – a trend they are ready to continue into their new position. Candidates are also advised to quantify these accomplishments, enumerating successes from sold units to years of service.

Employers look for extracurricular involvement and volunteering

Employers often recruit MBA school graduates to become valued members of business teams. Accordingly, candidates should note that they are not simply being assessed on their experience or credentials, but also on potential as future coworkers. Extracurricular involvement is an effective way of demonstrating the ‘soft-skills’ that benefit collaboration and office teamwork. Often highlighted through volunteer work, skills like leadership, communication, tenacity and patience are crucial assets for future employers.

While all volunteering and extracurricular activities may be nourishing, MBA graduates should highlight those experiences that are relevant to their application – drawing the clearest possible connection to a potential job title.

Resumes help MBA program grads showcase communication skills

Employers look to MBA program graduates to communicate their business acumen, often in high-pressure situations. Top candidates see their resumes as the first opportunity to convey their communication skills, with concise write-ups of often complex personal experiences. Bullet points, clear language and action verbs are an effective way of conveying these experiences. Naturally, job applicants should ensure that their resume contains no spelling or grammar mistakes, and may choose to print off a draft copy to do a final proofread.

While formatting their resumes, applicants should aim for maximal legibility. There might be a temptation toward eye-catching fonts, but personal style should be secondary to readable and clean formatting. Applicants can facilitate the task of reading their resumes with appropriate spacing, 1” margins and a combination of bold and italicized text. These stylistic touches might seem minor, but they help candidates make the best possible impression even at a glance.

Are you hoping to improve your resume with qualifications from a leading Masters in Business Admin?

Contact WU Executive Academy to find out more about our program!