Where freelance artists and hip entrepreneurs can get

away with unusual and clever resume designs, a business

school applicant's resume should be clean, informative,
and more-or-less rigidly traditional. Top Admit editors are
expected to format all resumes using standard templates,
developed via case studies of successful Ivy League appli-
cant documentation.
Introduction to MBA Application Resume
A Guide to Effective MBA Resume Writing for TopAdmit Editors and Consultants
Please read through
this document to learn
more about:
Sample MBA
Application Resumes;
Formatting;
Parsing Content;
Using Effective
Business Language;
Targeting Specific
Programs;
Maximizing Applicant
Desirability.
A Guide to Effective MBA Resume Writing for TopAdmit
Editors and Consultants
Inside the Manual
Analysis: Formatting
The following section presents a close analysis of for-
matting resumes. Use these examples to gain an un-
derstanding of how and why successful MBA applica-
tion resumes tend to follow a standard format.
Standardization is Important!

All too often, we see incoming resumes that use sev-
eral different font sizes in the same document and in-
consistently or, just confusingly apply line breaks,
tabs, and font styles (bold, italics, all-caps, etc). Most
often, unusual layouts and fonts are used to manage
space to fill unused space in a document with too
little content, or to maximize available space in a very
content-heavy resume. These problems reduce clar-
ity, and rarely improve the aesthetic appeal of the
document; it is usually more fruitful to address space
issues via careful content selection and editing.
Education and Experience subsections
will be given precedence according to the
client's background.

For most resumes, and always for less ex-
perienced applicants, Education should be
the first section after the header and contact
info.
For applicants with extensive work experi-
ence, the order maybe reversed, with
Experience preceding Education.
Always present educational and professional
from most recent to least recent
experiences.
Font sizes and styles should be standard, us-
ing Times New Roman at 10-12pt size exclu-
sively.
One uniform font size should be selected for
the entire document. The only exception is
the applicants name, which may appear one
or two sizes larger.
Choose details carefully.
For clients with a long or impressive work his-
tory, very little space should be devoted to
educational history.
Company descriptions give important
detail.
Most likely, the information necessary to cre-
ate a good company description will not be in-
cluded in the client's original resume. Google
search.
Keep it specific.
Quantitative information and specific exam-
ples are extremely important. Avoid vague
Building Content In-Depth
Choosing Details

When working with resumes, the core
editing task is always parsing informa-
tion in the client's original to determine
what can or should be cut, what should
be highlighted or prioritized, and where
more detailed information is needed.

As a rule, clients tend to submit resumes
with too much vague description and too
little detailed information. This can be a
challenge to overcome, but by carefully
parsing the information provided, you
should at least be able to clearly identify
where more details are needed and mini-
mize superfluous or cliche'd descriptions.
Company Descriptions

Excepting the very largest and most
well-known international firms IBM,
Coca-Cola, or Goldman Sachs, for ex-
ample most companies will require a
concise, one line description of the
business. While these are less com-
mon in resumes for employment, such
descriptions are extremely helpful for
business school application resumes.
Even if a company is well known
within a specific market, the descrip-
tion helps ensure that the reader un-
derstands the scale, scope, and signifi-
cance of the enterprise's activity.

When possible, specific, quantitative
information should be included; the
goal is to make the company sound im-
pressive no matter the size, but infor-
mation should always be accurate and
verifiable.
Additional content should be limited.
Add points not directly related to academic or
professional experiences in their own section.
This should be very brief, dealing with only the
most important points.
Analysis: Building Content
The following section presents a close analysis of building content for
resumes. Use these examples to gain an understanding of how to select
and revise resume content for maximum effect..
Active Verbs

In an analysis of doz-
ens of successful Ivy
league application re-
sumes, we discovered
that the vast majority
of all work experience
bullet points begin
with one of these 16
verbs:
Analyzed
Designed
Managed
Developed
Researched
Recruited
Modeled
Led
Improved
Performed
Conducted
Established
Negotiated
Assessed
Authored
Supervised

Analysis: Business Language
The language used in business culture is as laden with jargon, esoteric acronyms,
and field-specific terms as any other area of professional or academic discourse.
It is very important that as an editor you take the time to accustom yourself
with the language and learn how to apply it effectively in an MBA resume.
Jargon and Acronyms:
Jargon and acronyms present a special problem, as clients will sometimes use
them inappropriately in a resume. Some acronyms (e.g., IPO, M&A) are univer-
sally understood in the business world, while others represent industry- or com-
pany-specific terms that the admissions committee is much less likely to under-
stand.
It is important to omit or revise unsuitable jargon and acronyms, for a hypotheti-
cal example, a client writes:
Acted as lead APRSA for three months, []
Of course, unless one works in the client's firm, there's no way to know what
APRSA means. After some communication with the client, we learn that a better
revision is:
Begin each point with an active verb.
Beginning experience points with verbs
lends not only a stronger sense of activ-
ity and accomplishment, but also helps
keep descriptions brief.
Use business-friendly language, but
avoid unknown acronyms or
company / industry specific jargon.
Keep it brief.
Try to maintain a maximum of 3-4
bullet points for each professional
position, and 2-3 for each educational
Targeting Specific Schools
Resumes tend to be generic, but there are effective ways to customize applicant resumes
to better match a specific school or program. Doing so requires conducting research into
the program, and understanding what kinds of applicants the school is looking for in any
given year. The school's website is obviously a fine starting place for your research, but it
is also wise to check MBA admissions counseling trade websites and publications; many
editing and consulting companies maintain blogs or other resources that relate informa-
tion about the admissions climate for any given year.
Example:
A recent graduate with an engineering background has decided to apply for some Top-20
schools, and has submitted a resume packed with superfluous extracurriculars. One of those
extracurriculars that the applicant was a member of her undergraduate biofuels club might
not be very significant to most schools, and will usually end up being cut in favor of more im-
pressive entries. However, if the applicant is applying to McCombs at UT - Austin, a school with
famous ties to the oil and gas industry, it would certainly be worth highlighting.
Constructing Effective MBA Application Re-
sumes : Key Points
Standard formatting
Consistent use of font and styles
Pay attention to section order
Most recent first, most distant last
Choose details carefully
Keep it consistent
Additional information should be minimal
Always include company / unit descrip-
tions
Always include quantitative information
Use executive summary writing style
Use business language
Avoid jargon or vague language
Begin every point with a strong, active
verb
Maximum 3-4 bullet points per profes-
sional experience
Maximum 2-3 bullet points for each edu-
cational experience (i.e., each degree)
Emphasize applicant strengths
Perform research to target specific
schools and programs