business school resume template

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How to Write an MBA Resume That Stands Out

Writing a winning MBA application resume is your ticket to getting accepted to your dream MBA program.

Your resume is a chance to showcase your business acumen, education, and professional experience, as well as your soft skills.

One thing’s for sure: Putting in the time and effort to craft a strong MBA resume will stand you in good stead for competitive programs at top business schools like Harvard and Stanford.

But figuring out what to include in your MBA resume can sometimes feel overwhelming.

You’re probably wondering how long your resume should be, what you should include, and/or whether you need a different resume than the kind you’ve used for a job application.

This article will explain how to showcase your skills and create a competitive advantage that sets you apart from your peers and gives you the best chance of becoming a successful MBA applicant.

Read on to learn about the best MBA resume format and how to make your MBA application resume stand out, including:

• What to include in your MBA application resume
• How to structure your MBA resume
• How to craft an MBA resume objective
• How to best highlight your work experience, education, and skills
• Real MBA resume example

How an MBA resume differs from a job resume

The first thing you might be wondering is if a resume for an MBA application is the same resume that you use to apply for a job.

The short answer is no.

While a career resume seeks to inform how you can meet a job description or fulfill certain roles and responsibilities, an MBA resume should communicate your value and impact on the business world, today and in the future.

An admissions committee wants to see that you’re a way-shower. They want to see your capacity for leadership and innovation, that you can work well with teams, and that you can use critical-thinking skills to achieve success.

Understanding this goal will not only help inform how you will structure your resume but also what to include and how much time to spend on it.

Why spend time on your MBA resume

Among MBA programs from across the globe, the MBA resume is second only to academic transcripts and entrance exams when it comes to the MBA interview process.

What to include in your MBA resume

When it comes to your MBA application, the MBA resume is your time to shine. You’ll want to focus on including the most relevant information about your past education and professional experience.

Xavier Arola Perez, head of career services and entrepreneurship at GBSB Global Business School, recommends including six basic components in your MBA resume:

1. Contact information

2. Objective/summary

3. Work experience

4. Education

5. Technical skills

6. Achievement/awards

Although you may have worked in a variety of jobs and volunteering roles before applying for your MBA degree, in this short document you’ll want to only select examples that highlight your business leadership, impact, and skills.

“Include specific accomplishments and achievements that set you apart and that are transferrable to the MBA program for which you are applying,” says Jerry Wang, associate director of career and leadership for MBA programs at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Concentrate on examples where you can demonstrate business leadership and growth to help admissions committees see the value you offer their MBA program and easily determine your aptitude for business school.

Get started with GradSelect Elevate - a free tool to practice for future video interviews. Quickly get unbiased feedback on your skills, and confidently stand out to your target programs.

How to structure your MBA application resume

You want your MBA resume to be clear, simple, and easy to read for admissions committees.

It’s best to structure your MBA resume with your contact information and objective at the top, followed by your education and most recent work experiences, and concluding with a desirable skills and accolades section.

List your education and work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent accomplishments first.

Use bullet points, lines, and headers to clearly identify the different sections and articulate your applicable experience.

You can use lines and headers to break up your resume and bullet points can be used to summarize key points and stress important information as well as increase readability.

For example, you may use a bullet point for each of the schools in your education section, or a list of bullet points to highlight business achievements or technical skills.

How to write an eye-catching MBA resume objective

Think of your resume objective as your elevator pitch.

It’s a succinct paragraph (2-4 sentences) at the top of your resume that briefly describes your career history and what differentiates you from your peers.

Essentially a resume summary, your objective should describe the value you bring to an MBA cohort and how your experience will best serve the programs you’re applying for.

Consider adapting your objective for each application you’re submitting and be sure to use any applicable keywords that align with the program.

Overall, see this section as a way to differentiate yourself from the masses and stand out during the application process.

MBA candidate and driven finance professional with over six years of experience designing successful investment portfolios for top-tier clients. Honored as top account executive for last three years based on an average return of 17 percent and a 100 percent client retention rate. Team lead, member of the negotiations committee, and founded sustainability initiative aimed at reducing waste and offsetting carbon footprint.

How to describe work experience on an MBA resume

The bulk of your MBA resume should be reserved to showcase your work experience and the growth of your career.

Start by listing the name of the organization, your job title, and how long you worked there.

Then, for each position, create a bullet point (2-6 bullet points) for each of your achievements in that role. Avoid making your list sound like a job description­—this is your chance to tell your story about the impact you’ve made and share important moments in your career.

“It's not your life story, but a summary of the key, relevant achievements,” notes Margaret O’Neill, head of careers at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Use key metrics and numbers that quantify what you’ve accomplished with the company, voluntary organization, or college society.

Focus on leadership, business administration, and how you contributed to the overall growth and success of the organization and use positive, action-oriented language to describe your outcomes.

“Try to clearly state the action you took, and the results achieved. Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb and be sure to highlight transferable skills and feature relevant keywords,” advises Beth Briggs, associate dean of career services at New York University (NYU) Stern School of Business.

A tried and tested MBA resume strategy is the PAR method , which involves stating the ‘Project’, ‘Action’, and ‘Result’ of each example you include as this can help to quantify your accomplishments.

Try to avoid these common MBA resume mistakes  like including vague descriptions of your experiences that don’t present your talents in the best light.

Oracle – Austin, TX | Product Marketing Manager | January 2018-Present

Increased annual product sales by 10% by designing, executing, and measuring integrated, multichannel marketing strategies that increase awareness, generate new leads, and nurture existing relationships.

How to write an education section of an MBA resume

If you feel that your work experience is less robust than you want, be sure to put your education section at the forefront of your MBA application resume. To start, include the following details:

• Major/concentration
• Any minors (if applicable)
• Graduation date
• Awards/honors (if applicable)

In addition, share any extracurricular activities, college societies, or study abroad opportunities that demonstrate your interests and business leaderships skills.

Discuss your studies and how your experience has prepared you for leadership in the business world.

University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | Graduated May 2015

B.A. Economics, GPA: 4.0, summa cum laude

Study abroad: London, United Kingdom, January-May 2014

How to showcase your skills and awards

The final piece of your MBA resume is your opportunity to share the special skills and accolades that make you a desirable MBA applicant.

Discuss any awards you’ve received and how you earned this recognition.

List out any relevant certifications and your mastery level of the systems you utilize.

Make note of any publications that have published your work or quoted you for expertise.

This section can include highlights from either your education or work experience.

Use this section as a place to share the skills and accomplishments that make you unique and help distinguish your application from the pack.

Finally, make sure this section includes details that you’ll want to discuss more during your MBA interview.

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Fluent in English, Spanish, and French
• Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

How to best format your MBA resume

Once you’ve added your information, it’s time to format your resume.

Since the average hiring manager spends just 7.4 seconds reviewing a resume, MBA admissions committees with stacks of MBA resumes to review are likely to take a similar approach.

The best way to ensure whoever is reviewing your MBA resume catches the most important details about you is to limit your resume to 1-2 pages.

Applicants with less than 10 years of professional experience may opt for a one-page resume, and two pages if you have more than this.

When considering your MBA resume format, remember that clean and concise is always best.

• Font : Choose a legible font like Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial in 11 or 12 point size
• Margins : One-inch margins
• Line height : Approximately 1.0 line spacing
• Details : Avoid complex charts or graphics that divert attention

This approach will stand you in good stead if the business school you’re applying for uses Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) systems or other software tools.

“You don't want the recruiter to spend time trying to orient themselves to your formatting. Boring is generally better unless you're applying for something in design or art,” says Jerry from UNC Kenan-Flagler.

If you want to add a pop of color at the top of your MBA application resume, then choose something that allows for a good level of contrast between the text and the page. Otherwise, a black and white MBA resume works perfectly well.

Differentiating your MBA resume for each business school

An MBA resume should always be specific and tailored to the program you’re applying for, so avoid handing in the same one you’ve used for jobs or other MBA applications.

Every business school has different values and specialties, so weave these elements into each resume to stand a good chance of impressing the MBA admissions committee.

For instance, if you’re applying for a business school that’s known for its strength in marketing, you might want to outline the targeted advertising projects you’ve worked on during your professional career as a marketing manager or how you oversaw a college society’s annual marketing budget.

Meanwhile, if you’re applying for one of the best MBA programs renowned for entrepreneurship, you’d want to focus more on the ways you’ve engaged with entrepreneurship or worked on a business idea with a colleague or classmate.

Tailor your resume to each application and highlight the experience and skills that prove that you’re one of the talented professionals that deserves a seat in this specific MBA program.

To get more top MBA resume tips and access MBA resume examples and templates, download the free BusinessBecause Resume Guide: 10 Steps To A Winning Resume .

Your MBA resume is a key component of the admissions process and is an opportunity to set yourself apart from the crowd.

See this as a chance to convince admissions committees that you’re the best candidate for their program by carefully crafting a story that shares your exceptional skills and experiences.

Ready to dive into the other components of your MBA application? Use this interactive tool  to find out which aspects of your application carry the most weight when it comes to admissions decisions so you can focus your time and attention on the sections that matter most.

Get started with  GradSelect Elevate  - a free tool to practice for future video interviews. Quickly get unbiased feedback on your skills, and confidently stand out to your target programs.

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MBA Résumé Templates

How to start.

Read the CRC Résumé Writing Guide and all the instructions below before you begin.

Preferred Résumé Template

Tips on Formatting Your Résumé Using Word Using the CRC template is important, but you may still want to watch this quick video to learn the MS Word hacks necessary to format your résumé professionally.

Sample Résumés

The following samples show a variety of acceptable formats, which can be used by students in any concentration area:

Save your résumé using your Last Name_First Name as the file name. Example: Smith_John

Click on shaded areas in templates and appropriately enter your demographic, academic and employment information.

When applying online for jobs (not uploading documents), the CRC highly recommends students follow the guidelines for applying online with electronic résumés .

Why use the template?

Recruiters spend seconds deciding whether to place a résumé in the trash pile or interview pile. To increase your chances of securing an interview, you want create a résumé that effectively markets your qualifications in an error-free and easy-to-read format. By reducing the time and energy spent on formatting your résumé, the CRC résumé template helps you focus your attention on developing the résumé content that markets your unique experience and skills. Many other top management programs require students use a résumé template and recruiters are accustomed to screening candidates’ skills and experience via a résumé template. Customized for UB School of Management students, the CRC résumé template guides students in writing a résumé but also offers the flexibility to make any adjustments if necessary. The CRC résumé template is a traditional style résumé that lists your professional experience chronologically, starting with your most recent position. The majority of résumés are written in this format, and this is also the format most employers are accustomed to seeing.

Adding STEM designation

If you are completing the STEM MBA be sure to add the STEM designation to your résumé. 

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York MBA, Management Science, STEM, June 20XX

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York MBA, Management Science, STEM Designated, June 20XX

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Master of Business Administration, Management Science, STEM, June 20XX

Adding LeaderCORE™

If you have been accepted into the  LeaderCORE™  program then add it to your résumé. The LeaderCORE™  application process happens in early fall. There are several ways for you to present  LeaderCORE™  to employers in your résumé format. Any of the following sections would be appropriate: Education, Honors, Leadership, and Certifications.

Limited Space Option LeaderCORE™, UB School of Management LeaderCORE™: Two-year leadership development program focusing on core management competencies (As a bullet under the Education section)

Additional Résumé Options Selected for UB School of Management’s LeaderCORE™ program, 2018-present LeaderCORE™, UB School of Management, 2018-present

• Selected to participate in two-year leadership development program, focusing on core management competencies such as communication and strategic thinking. [Note: you can highlight the specific competencies on which you are focusing.]

LeaderCORE™, UB School of Management

• Selective program to enhance core leadership competencies, with expected certification in spring 2020

Expanding Your Bullets

If you are having trouble expanding your bullet statements, ask yourself the following questions:

• What relevant, transferable skills did I use or develop? 
• What results can I quantify and/or highlight?
• What was the purpose of my efforts?
• What effect did I have on my team, organization, or client?
• Did I collaborate with cross-functional teams and did I work with senior level staff?
• Did senior level staff use the work I produced, and if so, for what purpose?
• Was my work complex? How can I show this complexity with clarity?
• What would a future employer find valuable and relevant about the work that I did?
• Was I an outstanding performer? How would the recruiter know?

Technical to “Management-Focused” Bullet Points

Some of our incoming MBA students have previous technical experience and the first drafts of those résumés tend to focus on tasks instead of results or accomplishments. Consider what your potential employers in your future industries would want to know about your experiences and not just what your past employer would find interesting. Always have the reader in mind. Here is a before and after example that shows how to turn technical job description into more management-focused bullet points.

Before - needs improvement:

Infosys Technologies Ltd , Bangalore, India Software Engineer, 11/2014 – 05/2018

• Worked on applications for a European-based telecom company – platforms: Unix, Sybase, VMS and Oracle
• Provided technical support for these applications
• Noticed bottlenecks in the process
• Worked with others migrate of the application to the next generation software
• Conducted solution testing and maintained the solution testing environment of the application
• Ensured integrity of the applications by following change management procedures
• Proactively identified problems by installing checks early in the process

After - with enhancements:

• Managed applications on Unix, Sybase, VMS and Oracle platforms, which calculated commissions paid by a European-based telecom company to thousands of its dealers
• Provided technical support to users, appropriately selling additional services and applications
• Identified and resolved bottlenecks in the process and reduced the monthly batch processing time by 23%
• Coordinated with global team members to ensure the successful migration of the application to the next generation software
• Conducted solution testing and maintained the testing environment of the application, ensuring software released into production did not hinder with business continuity
• Ensured integrity of the applications by following change management procedures and identified problems by installing checks early in the process
• Accurately documented all processes, created progress and final reports for senior management and clients

Notice that the after version shows results with actual percentages and describes the value that the employee brought to the company. Take the time to think about the skills you developed that would be transferable to your future jobs and also try to show you were successful at the tasks you performed by using those skills. Our recommendation is to research job openings for positions you would plan to apply for in the future and see what skills and qualities the companies are requesting for those jobs. How can you show that you have developed those skills in your past positions already?

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See an Example of a Successful MBA Resume

This resume from an MBA applicant who got into B-school highlights her versatility and creativity.

See an Accepted MBA Applicant's Resume

Getty Images

A strong MBA resume tells a story, experts say.

A common misconception about applying to business school , experts say, is the idea that you need to have a certain type of work experience on your resume to get accepted.

Although MBA students often have a finance or consulting background and some work for well-known companies, experts say an elite pedigree is not a requirement for admission to a competitive MBA program.

"Every work experience you have can be extremely valuable," says Barbara Coward, founder of the MBA 360° Admissions Consulting company, adding that a key factor is the level of insight you can share with future classmates based on your professional background – regardless of which business function you specialize in or what industry you work in.

"You don't need to be a product manager at SpaceX to get admissions committees excited about your background," says Coward, a former assistant director of recruitment at the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola University Maryland. "Even regulatory trends in tax accounting are important for your classmates to know about."

Tips for Constructing a Quality Resume

There is no rigid template for creating a compelling MBA resume, although some MBA programs prefer one-page resumes and a particular format. But it is vital that the resume conveys the impact of an applicant's work, Coward emphasizes.

"A resume inherently is all about me, but in business school today, they’re looking for students who will be team players and contribute to the growth and learning of others," she says. "So make sure that on your resume, you’ve shown it’s not just all about me and what I’ve achieved but how I have helped my group and my community.”

MBA hopefuls should design their resume to clarify their identity and achievements, she adds.

"I always say that resumes should not be a scavenger hunt for the reader," Coward adds. "Make it easy for them to make sense of your career so they can advocate for you. Be clear about your value proposition."

Experts say that MBA hopefuls should identify their greatest selling points as candidates and use that information to decide which aspects of their work experience to emphasize.

J. Absinthia Vermut, a 2018 graduate of the Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College in Massachusetts, says when she crafted her MBA application resume, she chose to highlight her accomplishments as a business owner.

Vermut, the founder and CEO of Absinthia's Bottled Spirits, a liquor company, tailored her resume to her audience at Babson, a top-ranked business school in the U.S. News Best Entrepreneurship Program ranking.

Vermut adds that when she arrived at B-school, it was rare for her to encounter a classmate who had experience in her industry. "Having a consumer product goods company ... was definitely a unique perspective, and it really helped me," she says.

The expertise Vermut gained before B-school as a liquor company founder was especially beneficial when she took courses on supply chain and venture capital issues, she says.

Because Vermut was running a company while at an entrepreneurially oriented B-school, she was able to grasp the concepts taught in her classes faster than someone without that experience and could immediately apply the lessons learned in her courses, she says.

The key to writing a strong MBA resume is telling a compelling story, says Judith Hodara, co-founder of the Fortuna Admissions consulting group.

"I would say it is not necessary to be an entrepreneur to do an MBA focused on entrepreneurship, but you need to have a story that really shows why this makes sense for you as a next step," explains Hodara, a former acting co-director of MBA admissions at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School .

Experts note that an MBA application resume needs to align with what is written in other application materials and said during the admissions interview . Such a resume must also be entirely truthful, without exaggerations or fabrications, experts warn, adding that dishonesty on a resume can have serious negative repercussions.

A Look at a Real MBA Resume That Worked

Below is the two-page resume Vermut used in her successful application to Babson. It is annotated with comments by Vermut about why she structured the resume as it appears, and it also includes expert critiques from Hodara and Coward.

Searching for a business school? Get our complete rankings of Best Business Schools .

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Tags: business school , MBAs , education , graduate schools , students

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Are you ready to create or update your resume? Our undergraduate resume template is Applicant Tracking System friendly and recruiter approved! Click the “View Resource” button to download the template!

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Tips to get you started on creating a resume, detailed information regarding experience and major, and sample resumes to model yours after!

Check out the General Resume Tips for more detailed information & samples. For a Microsoft Word document version click here .

• Include your GPA
• List your experiences in terms of “power”
• Communicate key skills in every bullet point
• Start every bullet point with a strong action word (supervised, trained, organized, etc.)
• List skills, such as computer software, that are relevant to the position you are applying to.
• Keep your formatting consistent
• Use the same size font [10-12″] for everything but your name
• Do NOT use a Microsoft or web-based resume template as they are challenging to edit. Click here to view the downloadable Smeal resume format. Updated Smeal Format 2024: https://pennstateoffice365-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/tmr24_psu_edu/EUHvq1SZG8ZPinUzdR2_910BurAWxOEiS_sb1GdQ5d12Hw?rtime=lLxgFVBd3Eg
• Check & Recheck spelling and grammar

Ethical Considerations:

• Don’t exaggerate your GPA. You will be found out, especially when many employers will ask for your transcript as part of the hiring process. Don’t round up! Always give your GPA to the hundreth.  
• Do list your cumulative GPA, not just your major GPA. Your cumulative GPA tells the whole story while your major GPA does not.  
• Be honest about the college you are currently  enrolled in. If you are in DUS, write Division of Undergraduate Studies. You can change this information once you are accepted into Smeal.   
• Don’t overestimate or exaggerate your title at an organization and/or work experience.  
• Don’t  try to use  “ fancy ”  language in your bullet points to sound  more  professional  if you  don’t  fully understand the definitions and how it ties into your task   – use key industry buzzwords when   appropriate  and when you are able to  explain your role and task.   
• Don’t exaggerate the duration of your involvement; if you volunteered for Relay for Life on one day, don’t state you volunteered for a month or until “Present” if your involvement is not ongoing.  
• Don’t try to trick Applicant Tracking Systems with hidden keywords typed in white in the margins of your resume.  
• Don’t exaggerate your language and/or technical proficienc i es. Be honest! It’s very easy to  test on these competencies.  
• Don’t  include experiences that you  can’t  speak to. Any experience on your resume is fair game for employers to discuss during an interview  
• Keep  experiences  on  your resume  even  if they are not relevant to your major or career interest. You gain key skills that are  transferable   into  various industries and job functions (ex.  c ustomer service,  communication, organization, etc.)  

Additional resume resources:

• Powerful Action Words to Use on Your Resume
• How to Create a Master Federal Resume
• Tips for creating targeted resumes

• Undergraduate
• Master of Accounting
• Full Time MBA
• Evening Executive MBA
• Weekend Executive MBA
• Charlotte Executive MBA

Your resume is your key branding document. Don’t just document your work history, promote it! Your resume is your sales brochure – for you. Follow the same guidelines that make for a good ad: directly address readers’ needs, present key selling points first to keep the reader’s interest, and use strong, promotional language that is concise and easy to read.

Think strategically.

As you work on your resume, think strategically. Consider what your pitch is to the employers you are targeting and craft a message that conveys that clearly, quickly and thoroughly. Does each item on your resume help sell you to future employers?

Make it easy for employers to see the value-add you would bring to their team by keeping your message in mind as you craft each section of the resume. Don’t simply recount projects, duties and tasks. Instead, consider what you want each item to convey about you and be sure to state that directly.

Identify your target audience.

Before writing or revising your resume, consider your goals. The resume should directly address the needs of employers in your market, meaning your target industry, function, and level. If you are not sure what you want to do next, it will be time well spent to work on gaining some clarity in that area first. It will be that much more challenging to craft an effective message if you do not know your target audience!

It is possible to write a reasonably good general resume simply based on your experience. After all, the key themes of your professional life are what they are. However, a targeted resume will involve consciously considering which of those themes to highlight for a particular market and which to de-emphasize.

Assess employers’ needs.

Gain insights into what employers in your target markets are looking for.

• Read jobs ads: Review those that match your goals to note key themes that emerge. What skills, industry experience, knowledge areas, or even personal traits seem to be appearing again and again in the ads?
• Create a word cloud : Use a free online word-cloud tool, such as  tagcrowd.com , to determine which words appear most frequently in the ads, and then create a word cloud of your resume to see if the themes match.
• Use your network: Ask a few trusted contacts in your target field/industry for their insights on the skills and experience they think are critical in today’s market.
• Leverage recruiters: If you will be working with headhunters or recruiters, seek their opinions on what employers are currently seeking.

Resume Tips

• Length: Though there are exceptions, resumes should be a maximum of two pages. If you are a recent graduate, you might be able to present your message on one page. Your first task is to determine what you need to share that will compel the reader to contact you, and then figure out how to make it fit comfortably on one or two pages.
• Break up text: Even if they are the same number of words, bullet points are easier to read than paragraphs. While short paragraphs are often used in the summary or to give an overview of your scope of responsibilities, use bullets to present your achievements.
• Keep sentences relatively short: If you run out of breath before completing a sentence, it’s too long. Try breaking long sentences into multiples statements or eliminate words and phrases that don’t add value to the message.
• Be judicious with dates: Unless you are a recent grad with short-term jobs/internships, delete the months in your job dates. They represent an unnecessary detail and alert employers to gaps in your work history.
• Vary your wording: Keep the message fresh and varied by avoiding stock phrases or using the same word repeatedly.
• Create visual consistency: Craft an attractive, seamless design by using the same font treatments for your name and section headings. Use the same bullet characters throughout to keep the look clean and simple.
• Promote readability: Start with an 11-point font. You can always increase or reduce the size to facilitate a good layout. Add white space between items and use margins of no less than .5 inches.
• Ensure perfection: Errors are not an option since this is an example or your work. Run spellcheck but be sure to proofread slowly and carefully.

Include your name, address, phone and email. Some people eliminate their mailing address f they are looking regionally, nationally or internationally.

You could include to your LinkedIn profile if it is market ready. If you do include it, edit the URL to eliminate extraneous characters.

Check the accuracy of this information carefully. If your phone number is wrong or you’ve transposed letters in your email, you might never be contacted.

Do not use your work email for job searches. Current and future employers will not appreciate you using your company’s resources to job hunt. You could create an email exclusively for your job search. Keep it simple with some version of your name as part of the address. This will make it easier for employers to send a message without looking up your email and will ensure important job-search correspondence does not get lost among messages from friends, family and advertisers.

A summary statement or profile is an important and effective section of your resume. If well written, it can engage them immediately and make them want to read further.

It should crystallize your personal sales pitch or business case and engage the reader in your brand by immediately highlighting your top selling points. Don’t simply present the facts about your background and hope that employers derive the right message about what you can do for them. Shape their thinking right from the start so they see your background the way you want it to be seen.

The best summaries also differentiate you from your competitors, many of whom have some of the same credentials you do.

To build an effective summary:

• Brainstorm what you enjoy most about your work– this is often where you excel and will differentiate you.
• Condense the list to key points, eliminating repetition and weaker items that are not central to your message.
• Consider what items naturally go with other items. For example, perhaps you enjoy using certain skills which also happen to help you conduct certain kinds of task/projects or achieve particular kinds of results.
• Build these ideas out into sentences.
• Be sure every point is central to your message. If not, it might belong on the resume but work better somewhere else.

This is typically the most important part of your resume to employers. Share your work history with an eye toward highlighting the skills, tasks and achievements of the most interest to future employers.

Start each job with a heading that includes the job title, employer, dates of employment and location (city and state or city and country).

Consider adding brief company descriptions if they are informative or impressive, such as products and services, industries served, size (sales and/or employees) and market standing.

You might add job overviews/scope statements highlighting your key responsibilities, budget/staff size and to whom you reported. This puts your work into context and helps an employer qualify you. Companies often use different job titles in different ways, so this information helps employers assess how much responsibility you have had.

Two keys to a stronger resume

• Results: The most important way to make your resume stronger is to redirect your thinking from a duty or task to accomplishments. It’s fine to start by listing your key actions and responsibilities. Revisit job descriptions or performance evaluations might help jog your memory and build out your list. Then, redirect your focus to the results of your actions. Ask yourself “so what?” How did that action help someone or something: a product, process or project? The answer is your result.
• Numbers: Use numbers to quantify your results but also the extent of your efforts. Consider how much work you completed, the size of the project, how big an account, how large a facility and how valuable a product line.

Writing accomplishment statements

Most people think of the “experience” section as a place to document their duties and tasks, move beyond this thinking. You can include bullets that discuss responsibilities and daily tasks, but highlight your accomplishments.  Regardless of your level or scope of responsibility, there are likely distinct ways you have made an impact on your employer or things you do particularly well or better than other people – these are your accomplishments.

• Start with the result: Put the results first. They are the most important parts of the message, so you want the reader to see that first and keep reading. This ensures that during a quick scan of your resume, they see the primary impacts of your efforts.
• Call out what’s important: Consider what may have been noteworthy or unique about what you did, how you did it or faced what challenges to put items into meaningful context.
• Best information first: Like any good ad, put your best selling points first or risk losing the reader.
• Be descriptive: Don’t be afraid to use descriptive words to more fully present your message.   A few well-placed adverbs can convey how or how well you performed or completed a project.
• Use active verbs: Use “active voice,” meaning present or past tense, to portray you as the action-taker in each sentence.
• Focus on you: While there are times you will describe a role, project or product, keep the focus on you and what you did. Future employers are not hiring your past projects, they are hiring you.

How much experience to include

Consider how much of your work history to include. If you are a more experienced professional you could be concerned that a lengthy work history will highlight your age. But just as important is the question of relevancy. If your older jobs do not add anything both new and meaningful to your message, you might not want to include them at all.

If earlier jobs do offer meaningful content, there are several ways to present them. One is to include them with the same level of detail as more recent jobs because they do have worthwhile details to share. Another approach is to include them but with much reduced detail. Finally, you can summarize your previous experience in a footnote of sorts that includes whatever key pieces of information you want to share, whether that be industries, well-known company names or functional expertise.

The section is fairly straightforward. You typically includes institutions, degrees, majors or concentrations and graduation dates. If you completed your degree a while ago, feel free to eliminate the dates. What is important is that you have the credential.

Be strategic about additional academic information such as activities and honors. These are quite important while you are a student and for several years after graduation. But the more time that passes since you were in school, the more your professional experience will eclipse this information and most items will drop off of the resume.

Additional information

For recent grads who might want to keep their resumes to one page, additional details like personal interests and achievements, international experience and languages could be combined under a single broad heading. For experienced people, these might be broken into multiple sections to highlight each category separately.

Be judicious about mentioning politics or religion unless there is an overarching and relevant reason to do so.

• Training/Professional Development: Include training you completed outside of your degree programs that have advanced your professional knowledge and skill. Keep the focus on training that will interest future employers.
• Affiliations: Highlight the professional and trade associations to which you belong to convey your commitment to your field/industry and to your professional currency and growth.
• Board/Volunteer Service: Serving on a board, particularly of a company or large organization, can be a great addition to the resume. More day-to-day volunteer work also rounds out your skill set and demonstrates your commitment to giving back. But it’s entirely optional, especially if you are tight on space.
• Computer/Technology Skills: Depending on your level and the nature of your work, you might not need this section since a certain level of computer proficiency will be assumed. If  you are in a technology-focused field or you have expertise in an application that is unique and important to your line of work or industry, this additional information an be useful.

Personal interests, while often encouraged on student resumes, are seldom included by experienced professionals. The resume is focused on your credentials and suitability for a specific kind of work. You could include personal interests on your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your background in a more personal and conversational way.

VMock is an online instant resume feedback tool that provides a great first step towards strengthening your resume. And UNC Kenan-Flagler alumni have free access!

You can submit your resume to VMock up to 10 times and with each run-through you’ll receive a score and suggestions for improvement. Our recommendation is that you upload one version, make improvements, and then re-submit as needed to see how your score has changed.

VMock will:

• Calculate a score for your resume based on common standards for MBA-level resumes. However, other business alumni will find it useful as well.
• Offer targeted suggestions for improvements to your accomplishment bullets.
• Provide the opportunity to improve your score on aspects like presentation, language, and highlighted skills.

To access Vmock, contact Alumni Career Management .

Related Resources

• Building a Better Resume (Video)
• Resume Checklist (PDF)
• Summary Samples (PDF)
• Resume Samples (PDF)

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Creating the perfect CV: What we’re looking for

by  Peter Johnson , Senior Recruitment and Admissions Manager, MiF

Creating an impactful CV adds weight to your application – and helps us to understand your profile better. We encourage applicants to submit a one-page achievement based CV. See the template attached which also has some useful guidance notes. It has been created by our Career Centre team after extensive research and with input from top recruiters.

If you join one of our programmes, the Career Centre will work with you to further refine your CV, as it’s one of your key tools in selling yourself in the job search process.

You can download a  CV template here .

The importance of your CV

When applying to business school, you have to submit a CV. How much effort are you expected to put into this relative to your application essays? Think about what other applicants might have on their CVs – think about how you can stand out from the crowd. Your CV is often your first opportunity to sell yourself to the Admissions Committee!

• Highlights your achievements
• Identifies what you excel at
• Creates excitement and differentiates you from others

Before starting your CV, think about yourself as a person:

• Who you are
• What drives you
• Your personal achievements

And then think about:

• What you have done
• Which skills are relevant
• Your professional achievements

Writing a CV using the LBS format

If you are selected to join the Programme, the LBS format CV is the CV you will be using when you arrive on campus. All students use the same format. This helps recruiters identify the students they want to meet from the hundreds of applications they receive. Once you’ve compiled one, you will be ready to talk to prospective employers as soon as you arrive in London!

The LBS format CV is designed to highlight your experience, your achievements and your skills in an easy to read layout. Irrespective of how long you have been working, the information you provide should not exceed one page and should be broken down into ‘Education’, ‘Work Experience’ and ‘Additional Information’.

Recruiters have very little time to look at CVs for their first cut, sometimes no more than 6 seconds. Therefore, your CV must have immediate impact, describing your attributes in as succinct a way as possible.

• Make sure you fill the whole page, but avoid using too much information.
• Company descriptions should be short and not exceed one line.
• Aim to have between 12 and 15 bullet points to describe your achievements.
• Ideally, bullet points should be one-and-a-half to two full lines long and one continuous sentence.
• Your bullet points should be achievement based backed by skills or competencies.
• Use impact verbs to start each bullet point – examples include: accomplished, achieved, advised, analysed, assessed, coached, communicated, compiled, completed, convinced, demonstrated, developed, enhanced, evaluated, executed, expanded, generated, identified, implemented, improved, increased, initiated, invested, mentored, motivated, negotiated, organised, participated, persuaded, presented, produced, proposed, recommended, recruited, revised, shaped, solved, succeeded, transformed, won!
• Try to demonstrate competencies that recruiters look for throughout your CV – examples include: accountability, analytical thinking, client focus, commercial acumen, commitment, communication, creativity, decisiveness, endurance, entrepreneurship, independence, influence, initiative, innovation, leadership, modelling, motivation, negotiation, networking, people management, persuasion, project management,quantitative ability, risk management, stakeholder management, strategic thinking, transaction experience, valuation.

Additional information should, where applicable, demonstrate that you are a rounded person with outside interests, mentorship and leadership skills (e.g. captaining a sports team), compassion (e.g. charitable work) as well as work-related information that is related to the role you are applying for (e.g. own portfolio, knowledge of Bloomberg, regular contributor to finance blogs).

We look forward to receiving your CV, along with your application!

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Templates & Examples

Our templates will make sure that your resume is polished, professional and Applicant Tracking System (ATS)-friendly.

General Resume Template

Use this template   for jobs, internships, research, grad school, med school and more:

• Word:  access the template here .
• Google Docs : access the template here . Create a copy to create an editable document.

Technical Resume Template

Use this template   for computer science-related or data science-related internships and jobs:

Examples by Major and Industry

Below you’ll find industry-specific or major-specific resume examples. Use these as inspiration for what your resume could look like, how you can organize it, and what strong, descriptive bullets look like.

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