MBA Resume Template for MS Word
CONTENTS
Introduction
People often fall into the trap of thinking that a resume only has value when searching for a job. In reality, your resume can be a useful tool in several different situations, particularly when applying to graduate school. Your graduate school resume will be slightly different than a traditional employment reference document, with an emphasis placed on your educational experience. Still, as the accompanying MBA resume template for Word shows, it should follow the same format of introducing yourself through a summary statement, then organizing your information into detailed skills, work experience, and education sections.
Writing Your Summary Statement
Your summary statement should be a general overview of who you are, your skills, and what relatable experience you have attained. You’ll notice in the MBA resume template for Word that details of the items introduced in the summary statement are provided in later sections. Keep these best practices in mind when crafting your statement:
Write from a first-person perspective, removing the pronouns from each sentence
Think of what an admissions officer would want to see here that would convince him or her to keep reading
Ideally, this portion of your resume should only be about three sentences or bullet points in length
Refer to the following examples when writing your statement:
Example 1
Recent graduate of sociology program interested in pursuing an MBA. Professional experience includes working as independent sales associate during the summers before junior and senior years. Studied consumer trends based on demographics for senior capstone project.
Example 2
Aspiring professional with two years of business experience seeking MBA
Bachelor of Arts in English
Work experience includes managing accounts receivable team for local commercial contractor
Example 3
Seasoned professional looking to further career opportunities by obtaining an advanced degree. Previous educational experience includes obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Fifteen years of experience in the workforce have included several supervisory positions.
Example 4
Undergraduate student nearing completion of degree seeking entrance into MBA program
Political Science major with a minor in Philosophy
Recently completed internship program with local urban development office
Writing Your Skills Section
Your skills section should include whatever knowledge and expertise you have acquired through both your schooling and your work experience. You can see in the MBA resume template for Word that certain “soft skills” are included in this section, as well. Only include such attributes in your resume if they will apply to your pursuit of an MBA.
You can optimize the skills you list in this section by remembering the following tips:
Rank your skills according to their relevance to your success in achieving your MBA
Keep your list of skills between six to eight bullet points
Do not list general knowledge, such as knowing how to use a computer, as a skill
Here is a list of skills you might expect to see on a graduate school entrance resume:
Proven leader amongst professional and scholastic peers
Understanding of workplace psychology concepts gained through undergraduate studies
Familiar with business-related best practices such as asset and resource management, budgeting and planning, recruiting, and corporate compliance
Excellent communication skills
Able to effectively receive and process instruction
Adept at multi-tasking while still dedicating equal amounts of attention to each project
Writing Your Work History Section
Often, entrance to an MBA program requires that you have some professional experience. Remember, however, that professional experience does not necessarily have to come from a job. It can be acquired through an internship or volunteer work. Whatever work experience you choose to include, remember to list whatever details of those positions that are relevant to the concepts you will cover in your MBA program, as shown in the MBA resume template for Word. Consider these tips when detailing your work history:
Include a mix of job responsibilities and accomplishments
Provide context to your achievements by using detailed metrics to describe them
Highlight any leadership roles you may have held
Use these examples as a reference when completing this section:
Selected for one of three roles in professional internship program from pool of over 200 applicants
Managed client relations department for over three years for waste management provider
Credited for having contributed to lean initiatives that produced a 25 percent reduction in corporate waste
Promoted to full-time position with organization based on performance during internship
Introduced new AR process to company as part of senior seminar project
Writing Your Education Section
Admission to a graduate program requires a certain level of scholastic achievement. Such accomplishments should be detailed in this portion of your resume. Here, you should list any schooling you have completed, with the highest level of degree you have achieved listed first. Look at our MBA resume template for Word, and remember the following advice when detailing your education:
If you are presently participating in a degree program, include it in this section while stating your current enrollment
Include information such as the courses you have studied, along with your graduating GPA
Do not include any details of your high school education
Review the following examples before completing this section of your resume:
Example 1
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies – 2011
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI
Graduating GPA: 3.6
Studied Quantitative Skills for Communication Studies, Advertising in New Media and Media and Globalization
Completed internship with local marketing firm
Example 2
Bachelor of Science in Business Economics – 2013
Northern Arizona University – Flagstaff, AZ
Coursework included Economic Development and Advanced Business Theory
Graduating GPA: 3.9
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