A Master of Business Administration (MBA) resume is a lot like the document you’ve prepared for every job you’ve sought in your career but, as you’ll learn in an MBA program, if you haven’t already, it’s essential to tailor your message. Don’t submit a boilerplate document as part of your business school application. Each resume you submit should be crafted and pitched toward a specific opportunity, and MBA program admissions committees will want to see you represent yourself well in both professional and educational contexts.
Writing a resume, whether it’s for an MBA application or any other purpose, is a unique challenge. While it can be tricky to promote your accomplishments without sounding boastful, it’s important to give yourself the credit you deserve in a concise, compact, professional format. Read our ten MBA resume tips and consider how the right layout and content might improve your chances for admission to your target MBA program.
1. Choose the right MBA resume format.
You could use an MBA resume template—typically a one-size-fits-all solution—but your document will only have an impact if it stands out from the crowd. Make your first impression on your evaluators a powerful one with attention to visual detail.
A careless, overly busy, or bland design can be off-putting to your reader. A strong resume uses clean, modern fonts. Consistent spacing delineates clearly between sections and helps the reader focus on the important information.
Leave enough white space to keep your resume easy on the eyes. By creating a clean MBA resume format, you’ll help your readers understand your background and regard you as a highly professional, detail-focused candidate for their graduate program.
2. Highlight your academic achievements.
Your admissions committee will want to see that you not only have the drive to advance at work and in your career, but the aptitude and focus to succeed in the classroom. Be sure to include any academic honors you think may be most relevant in this context.
There are important differences between achievements and awards.
- Achievements are unofficial and they show how you have excelled, surpassed expectations, and added value beyond your formal responsibilities
- Awards are official, presented by academic institutions, businesses, or another organization, and they show third-party recognition of your value
On your business school resume, create an Awards and Achievements section if you:
- Were awarded for doing something above and beyond your responsibilities
- Were recognized by a notable, reputable school/company/entity
- Have three or more awards/achievements to highlight
- Just want to highlight this part of your background
To give it extra emphasis, place the Awards and Achievements section above the Work Experience section.
3. Showcase your professional experience.
Admissions committees are interested in who you are today, and how all your experiences and skills have helped you develop into an ideal MBA candidate. Emphasize your current role and go into the greatest depth when discussing your current responsibilities, as well as any achievements and advancement you may have enjoyed in your present job.
Some MBA programs, such as the Online MBA program at Chico State, do not require professional experience to apply. If this is the case for you—if you’re applying as you complete your undergraduate studies or shortly thereafter—be sure to highlight elements of your academic achievement and course of study that indicate your drive to succeed professionally.
4. Be aware of any gaps in your employment history.
Your resume reader will likely understand that, sometimes, life intervenes and creates some bumps in an otherwise smooth employment narrative. If this is the case, there’s no need to belabor it on your resume itself, but you should be ready to discuss any gaps in your experience clearly and confidently in another context. The most likely places in which this would occur during the MBA application process would be an admissions interview or in your personal statement.
5. Emphasize applicable outside interests.
Not every notable achievement occurs in the classroom or the workplace. If you take part in an activity that you believe is pertinent to your goals and emblematic of your character, don’t hesitate to include it. For example:
- Volunteering and community service demonstrate that you can see beyond your own ambitions
- Travel and efforts to learn other languages show your sense of curiosity and broadmindedness
- Artistic and athletic pursuits speak to your ability to work well with others
Any endeavor in which you have excelled or even improved can be valuable here. It might be just the detail your readers need to understand who you really are.
It’s important to consider that, in your MBA interview, you may be called upon to talk about any item on your resume. For that reason among others, it’s best to be truthful, and to list activities that genuinely interest you. Your honesty and enthusiasm—or lack thereof—will come through clearly.
6. Choose an appropriate length.
A one-page resume has long been the standard, and that generally is a good guide. However, if you have accrued enough relevant experience over the course of your academic and professional career, you can expand to two pages to paint a fuller picture on your MBA resume. Be honest, however, and don’t pad the content to expand your document’s length; your readers will see right through that.
7. Use strong action verbs and concise language.
To create a resume that really impresses, it’s essential that you use powerful, dynamic verbs. You want to present yourself as someone who takes strong action and accomplishes a great deal, so use language to get that message across. Words such as "orchestrated," "spearheaded," "pioneered," and "optimized" vividly convey leadership skills and initiative.
To keep things succinct, prioritize quantifiable achievements over duties, such as "increased sales by 30%" or "cut operational costs by 20%," rather than “managed daily activities of the sales team” or “tracked inventory of supplies, company-wide.” This strategy allows you to say more with fewer words, telling a compelling story of your accomplishments without going into unnecessary detail.
8. Highlight your leadership experience.
When noting leadership roles you’ve held and responsibilities you’ve carried out, put the emphasis on strategic decision-making, effective team management, and innovative problem-solving. Teamwork experiences should reflect:
- Collaboration
- Conflict resolution
- Collective goal achievement
These can include such accomplishments as leading a project team to success, navigating diverse group dynamics, or structurally improving a group's workflow. These examples show the admissions committee that you have the interpersonal skills and leadership qualities that are highly valued in advanced business education environments.
9. Proofread and format for legibility.
Appropriate grammar and error-free content go a long way toward framing you as a detail-oriented professional and prospective student. When you think your document is complete, read it over once again to catch any lingering issues and to ensure it is easy to read and follow. Work slowly and carefully. Reviewing your resume backwards, from the bottom up, can help you see things with a fresh perspective and catch mistakes you might otherwise miss.
10. Seek feedback. Revise.
It’s important to gain outside perspectives on your MBA resume. Fresh eyes can spot errors, suggest improvements, and ensure that your achievements resonate with admissions committees. Feedback from mentors, career services professionals, and MBA alumni can be especially enlightening. These seasoned individuals offer insights from their experiences, which can help you tailor your resume to showcase the competencies and accomplishments that MBA programs value most.
Make your resume stand out.
By following this guide, you should be well on your way to crafting a document that will wow the readers in the College of Business at Chico State when you apply to the Online MBA program. Your tailored, unique resume will be a true asset, particularly if you intend to pursue a specialization in Health Services Administration or Project Management.
Explore all of the admissions requirements for the Chico State Online MBA program and, for more insight into the application process, read these posts:
Our admissions outreach advisors are standing by to answer your questions. Schedule an appointment with one of them today.