MBA Admissions Tip #2
Monday April 20, 2009
To help prepare About.com readers for the MBA admission process, Yael Redelman-Sidi has agreed to answer a series of questions about MBA admissions. Yael is an experienced MBA admissions consultant who worked at the NYU admissions office. She now provides customized guidance for prospective students about the application process. (Learn more about Yael)
Yael will be answering a new question each week, so be sure to check back frequently to increase your chances of getting accepted to your MBA program of choice. Without further ado, here is the question and Yael’s answer:
What are the most common mistakes MBA applicants make on their resume?
MBA applicants should remember that the resume is only one part of the overall application package. However, the resume has significant impact on the admission process as it gives Adcom an overview of the candidates’ background and skills.
Very often people use the same resume that they would use for a job application for their MBA. This rarely works, as we all use technical terms and industry jargon when we are communicating with colleagues. Adcom members do come from various backgrounds but are not necessarily experts of any given fields. Therefore using acronyms will not add value.
Also, if you have an extensive experience in specific technical fields, just show what you have done. For example - "expert in emerging markets" doesn’t mean much, however "Led team to recommend strategy for entering new markets in China, Brazil…" is stronger and demonstrates what you did.
Another common mistake is when people focus on the actions they did or their responsibility, rather than explaining the impact they have on the organization.
For example, instead of saying "responsible for the marketing plan," you should be more specific and write "created marketing plan that resulted in a 30% increase in sales". Also, if you have anything to do with finance and analytical skills make sure you have numbers and $$ on your resume – if you can’t quantify that, who can?
For more admissions tips and to learn how you can get a free resume/essay evaluation, visit Yael's blog, Admit 1 MBA.
Yael will be answering a new question each week, so be sure to check back frequently to increase your chances of getting accepted to your MBA program of choice. Without further ado, here is the question and Yael’s answer:
What are the most common mistakes MBA applicants make on their resume?
MBA applicants should remember that the resume is only one part of the overall application package. However, the resume has significant impact on the admission process as it gives Adcom an overview of the candidates’ background and skills.
Very often people use the same resume that they would use for a job application for their MBA. This rarely works, as we all use technical terms and industry jargon when we are communicating with colleagues. Adcom members do come from various backgrounds but are not necessarily experts of any given fields. Therefore using acronyms will not add value.
Also, if you have an extensive experience in specific technical fields, just show what you have done. For example - "expert in emerging markets" doesn’t mean much, however "Led team to recommend strategy for entering new markets in China, Brazil…" is stronger and demonstrates what you did.
Another common mistake is when people focus on the actions they did or their responsibility, rather than explaining the impact they have on the organization.
For example, instead of saying "responsible for the marketing plan," you should be more specific and write "created marketing plan that resulted in a 30% increase in sales". Also, if you have anything to do with finance and analytical skills make sure you have numbers and $$ on your resume – if you can’t quantify that, who can?
For more admissions tips and to learn how you can get a free resume/essay evaluation, visit Yael's blog, Admit 1 MBA.
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