A great resume can boost your chance significantly in both business school application and job hunting. When you create your resume or modify your resume next time, you can trying to find out whether yours has these give elements.
1. Easy to read
Making sure your resume reader-friendly is your priority. Because more and more information is needed nowadays to enhance the possibility that your resume goes through the electronic screening process, you need to spend more time on formatting. Some recommendations include: space between different sections, a suitable front (do not be creative here), bullet points, appropriate bold or italic.
2. Including your accomplishment
Many applicants make their resume look like a list of responsibilities. Although such a list can be a good way for employers and business school admission to see what you have done, it cannot allow them to see what you have achieved. Therefore remember to write down your accomplishment. For instance: you should use something like “One of the top 3 salesmen in the department, realizing XXX sales last year.” rather than “Responsible for selling XXX and realized a great amount of sales last year.”
3. Showing progression
No matter it is about your professional career or about academic study, do not forget to ensure the resume reviewers see your progression. For instance, in the same position, you have demonstrated better and better performance and created more and more values throughout the years. The growth counts.
4. Containing leadership/extracurricular experience
Applicants, especially MBA applicants, focus their resume solely on professional experiences. Actually both business schools and employers expect their candidate/employee to have leadership potential and want to know your more as a person. Therefore, use one section of your resume to include your leadership role and experience in activities outside of your classroom or company. It does not even have to be volunteering experience; some fun part about you is also valuable.
5. Without grammatical or other silly errors
Basic mistakes, like grammatical error, spelling error, typo, wrong formatting, kill a good resume in a second. It is especially true if person who reviews your resume is very picky in detail. Review your resume again and again to eliminate all silly mistakes, or if possible ask your friend and family to proofread it before you send it off.
Remember, these elements are just basic ones.
