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• No outdated or irrelevant activities—unless it is a significant accomplishment, skills or unusual talking point.