7 MBA Résumé Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs
July 28, 2016 :: Admissionado Team
What’s the most important component of your MBA application?
Some argue it’s your application essays; after all, your essays give you the opportunity to show MBA admissions committees at the business schools you’re applying to who you really are.
Others say it’s your GMAT score since it’s the most universal gauge of your abilities.
And then there’s the MBA interview, your one time to have a real interaction with the person who may decide your fate…
But what about your résumé?
You know, the place where you list… uh… Well, everything you’ve ever done? That single piece of paper that sums up your entire professional history? That document that you’ll use again and again, (obviously repurposed and tweaked depending on the program) for every single application you submit?
Yep, your MBA résumé is pretty darn important… and oftentimes people just sort of slap it together after burning themselves getting the rest of their application absolutely perfect. Or just as bad a scenario (maybe worse), some applicants just submit their most recent résumé from the last time they were on the hunt for a new job.
That’s a bad move, my friend. Don’t do that.
Your résumé is just as integral as essays, GMAT score, etc.
Your résumé deserves just as much attention as any other part of your MBA application – maybe even a little more. It’s the one place where the admissions committee has a chance to look at a single page and see the best summary of your history and accomplishments, amongst other things, like how they relate to your goals. Sure you could just whip something up, or recycle an old version, but think about it – do you really want some shoddy formatting or lack of a potentially small, yet extremely pertinent, detail to keep you from the B-School of your dreams?
Didn’t think so…
Give your résumé the TLC it deserves and make sure you’re not falling prey to one of these common MBA résumé mishaps.
> > > Download The Admissionado MBA Résumé Guide
1) “This isn’t really an MBA résumé…”
Look folks, it’s amazing that you have mastered six different programming languages, and can debug faster than Google’s AI. And it’s also fantastic that you can calculate the right amount of weight a bridge needs before it buckles, but all that stuff just isn’t that useful for your B-School resume. Why? Well, because it’s just that…a B-School resume, not a regular old professional work resume!
You know what’s great about MBA admissions committees? They are going to assume that you do your job well, technically. But what they want to know are things like this:
- Did you have impact on the company?
- Are you a leader?
- Are a real team player?
- Have you innovated anything?
- And what do you know about business?
THESE are the things that you should focus on in your MBA résumé. It doesn’t matter if 95% of the time you are hacking out algorithms, or hovering over your electron microscope. Those things are awesome, and kudos to you, friend. But when you’re considering things to mention and you’re not sure whether or not to include something, ask yourself this:
“What does this have to do with an MBA?”
Hone in on the business school-related stuff (leadership, mentoring, teamwork, negotiation, presentations, impact) and the rest will follow.
And for the love of Dog the Bounty Hunter, don’t just use the latest copy of your regular résumé in your MBA applications! Every single section needs to be revisited, folks.
Why?
Because we all know that MBA admissions committees are looking for leadership, problem solving, management… things that your last employer perhaps was NOT looking for.
And even more so, job-related résumés can be MUCH more laden with jargon, specific skills etc. MBA résumés will be read by liberal arts majors–people without great backgrounds in business. You need to explain your work to someone who isn’t “in the industry,” and you need to explain it in a way that proves you’ve got what it takes to be successful in B-School and beyond… not just in another job. If you are submitting your last work résumé to MBA programs…you’re doing it wrong.
2) Missing a clear career progression
This is perhaps the MAIN goal of a résumé: to show that you are IMPROVING, that you are PROGRESSING in your career. Have you ever been promoted? Show it nice and clearly. That is the most important thing that you do need to show.
Career progression is the name of the game in MBA applications. You can do so by emphasizing promotions, new responsibilities, raises, bonuses, awards, and so on.
And even if you haven’t been promoted, be sure to show that as you take on new jobs, you are taking on MORE responsibilities. Even if that isn’t the case, you must show that your most recent job is also your BEST job, where you have the most interesting work you’ve ever done.
3) Ignoring your goals
The best MBA résumés will take into consideration the endgame – the goals you are presenting to the B-School admissions committee. If you have done this right, they should be able to naturally read your goals through your résumé. Meaning, unless you are proposing a major career change, the experience you have presented in your résumé should obviously lead to the goals you are proposing. And even if you are proposing a major change, you do want to bring your résumé as close as possible to the new goals. That looks impressive.
4) Excessive use of jargon
We touched on jargon a bit earlier, but let’s dive in one more time to get specific. In MBA essays, there is simply NO room for jargon. In your résumé, however, there is room for JUST a bit of it. We all know that in some cases you have no choice. After all, if you explained everything you would surely be well over one page. But keep it to a bare minimum; too much jargon is a deal breaker. You need to write your resume in such a way that the reader understands:
- who you are.
- what you do.
- how you do it.
If those things are buried under all kinds of technical mumbo jumbo, you will lose your reader. Fast.
5) Leaving out the stuff that’s really interest-peaking
Too often, people write ONLY about work and school. How boring! All résumés should have an “Other Interests” section, where you talk about something… well, duh, interesting. Fun, even. Surprising. Do you love the Sopranos? Are you an avid white water rafter? Do you cook spicy Indian food? Have you ever sung at Carnegie Hall?
These are GREAT ways to break the ice; especially if you are an international candidate, these interests are a great way to show that you are well-rounded, and interesting.
Remember, B-Schools accept PEOPLE, not profiles. Show those admissions committee members what kind of PERSON you are, inside the office and out. Your résumé is not JUST to show how awesome you are, but also how unique you are.
6) No results for your achievements
This is by far the most common technical problem. We see sooooo many résumés where candidates just nonchalantly jotted down what they do. You lead presentations? Great! But do you lead them well? Do they get results? When you lead the presentation, do you land the clients? And how much are those clients worth? What?! You landed the largest contract in the last decade thanks to your presentation?! Holy cow!
Facts, figures, results. These are how you PROVE that not only have done these things, but that you have done them WELL.
7) Poor formatting
Often we will find applicants planning on using two, three, even four page résumés… Not for MBA apps, people! Keep it to one page, two MAX. And if you do require two pages, be sure that your background is SO impressive that you truly DO need more space than the guy next to you. 90% of all applicants will manage with one page. If you can’t, there better be a very good reason.
Beyond the page count, you need a PROFESSIONAL format. You don’t need to use the ones that B-Schools pass out. No need to use the Wharton format for Wharton, and the Harvard format for Harvard. But you DO need to make sure that your format is nice and professional. Neat, clean, and impressive.
And that’s not all, folks! There’s lots more digging you can do. So here is a link to our full-blown MBA Resume Guide, with tips, tricks, techniques and examples!
