Making the right resume can be a challenge with so many tips from professors, counselors, and also the internet. Your resume can really make or break your chances of getting into your dream MBA school.
About 75% of applicants are rejected in the first round on the basis of their resumes. To ensure, that you are not in the 75%, read this blog on the best MBA resume and samples for 2023.
Want to learn the basics of resume-building? Watch this resume-building workshop hosted by an expert.
What is the Importance of a Resume?
We cannot stress enough the importance of having a good resume especially if you want to crack the rigorous MBA applications. However, the following are the concrete reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on working hard on your resume.
- First Interaction with the Company – A resume is your first interaction with the company or any hiring manager. It is similar to a ‘first impression is the last impression scenario’, wherein the company’s first opinion of you is through this piece of paper or document. In the bulk of resumes, your resume should stand out so much that the company should pick yours.
- Summarizes your Skills – Through this document, you need to highlight all the skills you have accumulated over the years and really highlight how they would help the organization flourish. If your resume effectively communicates this then your purpose is served.
- Helps Highlight Your Achievements – Your achievements need to be mentioned in your resume. Back them with data and examples of where you have excelled in previous workplaces or during your MBA. You can also add a point about how you didn’t achieve a particular goal but how you would’ve done it differently now in hindsight.
- Throws Light On Your Aspirations – What are your short-term and long-term goals? What is it that you wish to achieve through the course of your time at the company? Make sure that your resume is strong enough to also summarize your entire career in short. This would enable the recruiter to gauge your chances as a candidate.
- Lasting Impression – Keep it simple, crisp, and impactful. A recruiter would most likely ignore resumes that are too long and text-heavy. Hence, always remember to keep your resume clutter-free for a good first impression.
MBA Resume Samples: Best Template
The answer to the best MBA resume lies in design sensibility. There needs to be negative space and the text needs to be clear, appealing, and should not come across as unprofessional. A recruiter scans a single resume in a span of 6-10 seconds. Hence, it needs to be easy to read and simple.
The resume needs to have a structure and a solid format. Before going through the resume text, the reader should be able to easily understand the resume by only a glance. It needs to be self-explanatory and have a defined flow.
There are many trends doing the rounds these days in terms of MBA resume templates, but we deem the two-column resume template is undoubtedly the best.
Two-column resume template: This template includes two main sections. One section includes text-heavy information which is usually bigger. The other one is smaller and generally includes pointers that summarize work experience, education, aspirations, skill sets, areas of specialization and contact details. This gives the recruiter all the essential information in one go.
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We recommend that you choose bullets or pointers in the detailed sections instead of big paragraphs. Big chunks of information are very difficult to read and bullets break down this information.
MBA resume samples make use of graphics such as personal photos. Your photo needs to look professional and sharp.
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Many years ago, chunking up information seemed okay like in the above example, but it is not the case now.
MBA Resume Samples: Standard Templates
It can be very confusing as to which template to use for your application. Don’t worry. Let us break it down for you.
- MBA Resume Samples Template for Experienced Candidates
Here’s a standard template you can refer to in case you have work experience –
- Name, Designation
- Contact Details
- Work Experience
- Education
- Awards and Achievements
- Relevant Skills
- Interests and Hobbies
- Languages
- Spoken Languages
Here’s an MBA resume sample you could refer to –
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In the sample above, Alya has mentioned her relevant work experience and education elaborately. She has started off well with a short bio and a professional photograph, giving a humanistic touch to the resume.
The right-hand side of the resume focuses on skills, interests, languages, and voluntary activities. She’s managed to make a clean representation of a lot of data with icons as well.
- MBA Resume Samples Template for Freshers
Applying for an MBA programme with no prior experience? There are many kinds of MBA programmes that are inclusive of freshers who wish to learn and absorb. In case you’re looking for such a programme, check out IIDE’s 11-month MBA-level postgraduate programme in digital marketing. It also offers assured placements and a capstone project.
Here’s a template you can follow –
- Name
- Contact Details
- Career Goals and Aspirations
- Educational Qualifications
- Honours and Awards
- Interests
- Spoken Languages
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As you can see this resume sample has no work experience. However, it is still well-structured highlighting all relevant points making it look quite impressive even without any kind of job experience. The two-column resume format has been used here and it highlights all the essential points on the left with elaboration on the right. The use of icons is a great way to avoid clutter and include relevant points. If you are just starting your career you need a really solid resume in order to enrol in an MBA course. Fortunately, there are professionals you can hire to provide resume writing services in order to build a great resume that will increase your chances of getting in.
Bonus Read: Essentials of a Good Resume
MBA Resume Samples: Which Fonts Should You Use?
Font plays a very important role when it comes to any kind of resume. It needs to look professional – avoid bolds, underlines, and italics unless absolutely necessary. The standard size for the font should not be more than 10-12. Try using Times New Roman, Calibri, Sans-serif, Serif, Cambria, or Helvetica.
Maintain this font throughout the resume and ideally write the cover letter using the same font. Your headings can be made more readable by using a bright colour or even by making it bold.
MBA Resume Samples: What Should the Formatting and Margin Be?
Margins and Sectioning
A one-inch margin on the sides of the document and a 1.15-inch space between the lines is recommended. To differentiate each section, add additional space or use lines.
Format
Every line in your MBA resume needs to be relevant. Since there are a lot of points to put forth and very little space, pick and choose what is absolutely required. A one-page MBA resume or a maximum of two-page resume (for experienced professionals only) is acceptable. Do not miss out on the important points and focussing on making the resume look pretty.
If you want to get past the resume selection process, read the keywords in the job description and accordingly customize your resume by making it keyword-rich. This will enable the bot to pick your resume.
A standard industry format for an MBA resume reads –
- Header – Name, Location, Designation / Education (for candidates with no prior experience)
- Objective – Outline why is it that you’re applying for the job
- Work Experience – Write about your career journey, briefly. Write about your latest work experience on top, always as it is more relevant than your first job or internship. This is called abiding by the reverse chronological resume format.
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- Include work projects relevant to the job description.
- Education – School, College, MBA course project details
- Skills – include soft skills and hard skills
- Awards, achievements, extra-curricular activities
- Hobbies and interests
To Conclude
So, you have all the information you need to start drafting your MBA resume. We wish you all the very best! Check out MBA Salaries 2023 for a better understanding of the salary trends in India.
In case you wish you wish to pursue an MBA in digital marketing, we recommend our 11-month MBA-level postgraduate program that’ll give you the expertise needed out there in the corporate world.
If this is too much of a commitment for you, we have a comprehensive 4-month online digital marketing course as well with 8 brand projects.
And if you wish to get some more knowledge in any particular area of digital marketing, IIDE’s online short certificate courses are worth checking out!
If you have some more resume-related queries, let us know in the comments below!
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