MBA Resume & Cover Letter
Purpose of a Resume
- a critical step at the beginning of a job search process
- an advertisement/marketing tool
- a written pitch
- a screening tool
- an assessment of your value
- a document that leads to an interview (not a job, yet!)
- a first impression
- a stand alone document
Good Resume FORMATTING
- One full page (unless more than 10 years of work experience) Sections, in this order (heading names may vary):
Name and Contact Information (top)
1. Education
2. Experience
3. Activities - Easily scanned for skills, results, job titles and company names in 30 seconds.
- Organized in reverse chronological order (most recent experiences on top)
- Bullet points, not paragraphs
- Appropriate amount of white space Vs. text
- No graphics
- Standard fonts
Good Resume CONTENT
- Current and previous job responsibilities represent your skills and results (in addition to general duties and responsibilities).
- Shows the impact your performance has/had on the department, project, organization or company.
Quantify information/results, where possible. For example, “Achieved 80% reduction of lost-time accidents, saving company $1.2 million….” - Prioritize bullet points beginning with the most relevant or most impactful on the top.
- Use action verbs descriptive of your skills to start each bullet point
- Show promotion or advancement (via titles, dates)
- No outdated or irrelevant activities—unless it is a significant accomplishment, skills or unusual talking point.