The MBA Marketing Program Strategy

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MBA Career Services Center Resume Tutorial

• This power point presentation will
• Define a MBA-competitive resume
• Describe good formatting
• Describe good content
• Provide additional resources
• Answer Frequently Asked Questions (this section
  will outline WHY and the rationalization for our
  recommendations)
• Updated Summer 2008

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Purpose of a Resume

• Your resume is
• a critical step at the beginning of a job search
  process
• an advertisement/marketing tool
• a written pitch
• a screening tool
• an assessment of your value
• a document that leads to an interview (not a job,
  yet!)
• a first impression
• a stand alone document

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Good Resume FORMATTING

• One full page (unless more than 10 years of work
  experience)
• Sections, in this order (heading names may vary)
• Name and Contact Information (top)
• 1. Education
• 2. Experience
• 3. Activities
• Easily scanned for skills, results, job titles
  and company names in 30 seconds.
• Organized in reverse chronological order (most
  recent experiences on top)
• Bullet points, not paragraphs
• Appropriate amount of white space Vs. text
• No graphics
• Standard fonts

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Good Resume CONTENT

• Current and previous job responsibilities
  represent your skills and results (in addition to
  general duties and responsibilities).
• Shows the impact your performance has/had on the
  department, project, organization or company.
• Quantify information/results, where possible. For
  example, Achieved 80 reduction of lost-time
  accidents, saving company 1.2 million.
• Prioritize bullet points beginning with the most
  relevant or most impactful on the top.
• Use action verbs descriptive of your skills to
  start each bullet point
• Show promotion or advancement (via titles, dates)
• No outdated or irrelevant activitiesunless it is
  a significant accomplishment, skills or unusual
  talking point.

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Helpful Resources

• Wetfeet.com http//www.mba.msu.edu/careers/stude
  nts/services.cfm
• Vault.com http//www.mba.msu.edu/careers/students
  /services.cfm
• List of action verbs http//www.mba.msu.edu/news
  letter/ActionVerbs.doc
• Your functional portfolio with keywords (and
  sample resumes) http//www.mba.msu.edu/careers/st
  udents/links.cfm?category165
• MS Office templates http//office.microsoft.com/
  en-us/templates/FX100595491033.aspx?pidCL10063298
  1033
• Resume Writing Worksheet http//www.mba.msu.edu/n
  ewsletter/restutorial/resumetutorialexercise.doc

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FAQs FORMAT-related questions

• Why should my resume be only one page?
• It is a highlight of your unique differentiators
  and does not list everything. In a tough job
  market when recruiters get 100s of resumes, a 2
  or larger-page resume might not be viewed.
  Exception Candidates with more than 10 years of
  experience.
• What are standard fonts and sizes?
• Times New Roman, Verdana, Ariel and between 10
  14 points
• Why is the section on education at the top of the
  resume?
• You are currently a student, so chronologically
  this fits at the top.
• What is the proper way to list the MSU MBA
  degree?
• Michigan State University, East Lansing,
  Michigan
• The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
• Master of Business Administration, Finance, May,
  2007
• OR
• The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
• Michigan State University, East Lansing,
  Michigan
• Master of Business Administration, Finance, May,
  2007
• OR
• The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
• Michigan State University, East Lansing,
  Michigan
• MBA, Finance, May, 2007
• Why use bullet points and not paragraph
  formatting?

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FAQs continued FORMAT-related questions

• What are some examples of succinct bullet points?
• Example A
• Provided direction for the Strategies for
  Advancing the Internationalization of Learning
  Program, (SAIL), a U.S. Department of Education
  grant-funded program which enhanced cultural
  sensitivity within all areas of the university
  and surrounding community assisted with
  monitoring budget expenditures.
• OR
• Directed a U.S. Department of Education funded
  program designed to enhance cultural sensitivity
  within the university and community.
• Example B
• Developed very strong presentation skills
  developing and implementing inter-cultural
  communication workshops for faculty and staff.
• OR
• Developed and implemented inter-cultural
  communication workshops for private industry and
  university staff.
• Why shouldnt I use shading and boxes on my
  resume?
• Boxes may be interpreted as graphic objects and
  not be converted by different systems. Shading
  will eventually obscure the text as the resume is
  photocopied and faxed from office to office
  within a company. Additionally, you dont want
  the reader caught up in graphics.
• Most of all of my work experience and/or
  education has been outside the U.S., but I am a
  U.S. citizen or have a green card. Im afraid
  that a potential employer might think I dont
  have automatic work authorization. Do I list it
  and where?
• YES, place the information at the top of your
  resume under your name or near your contact
  information.

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FAQs continued FORMAT-related questions

• How much white space is appropriate on my resume?
• The content of the resume is the real focus for
  the recruiter. Keeping the resume visually
  pleasing is important, but there are other ways
  than white space to achieve a pleasing look.
• Why should I not use tabs or spaces to line
  everything up?
• Various systems where you will upload your
  resume will interpret those differently. Use the
  ruler bar or tables to line things up. Tabs and
  spaces make your resume initially look like
  everything is linked up, but when sent
  electronically or when printed on a variety of
  printers, the alignment is lost.
• What is the proper way to abbreviate months?
• January Jan. July July (not Jul.)
• February Feb. August Aug.
• March Mar. September Sept. (not Sep.)
• April Apr. October Oct.
• May May November Nov.
• June June (not Jun.) December Dec.
• Where do I put my current Graduate Assistantship
  and how?
• If your GA assignment gives you relevant work
  experience in your desired field, it may be a
  good addition under your professional work
  experience section. If your GA assignment does
  not offer relevant work experience in your
  desired field, it may fit better under your
  educational section, since it is part of your MBA
  degree program. Listing it would typically not
  take up much space a line or two.

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FAQs CONTENT-related questions

• Why cant I put the word RESUME at the very
  top?
• Put your full name in larger size instead. It
  identifies the document as being about YOU. Save
  the document with your name in the filename.
• You should only use your msu email address. Why?
• Many yahoo or hotmail email accounts go to
  recruiters SPAM accounts. You will be working
  with MBA CSC and campus recruiters so there is an
  automatic affiliation with the campus.
• Why cant I use an objective statement or summary
  of qualifications at the top of my resume?
• Your resume IS your summary of qualifications
  and your career objective (a reader may not read
  down any farther). Also, your cover letter which
  often accompanies your resume will communicate
  your summary of qualifications for the specific
  job, as well as your objective.
• When should I include or not include past or
  current GPAs?
• Always include your GPA from the MBA degree when
  it is over a 3.0. Only include average or major
  GPAs from undergraduate or other graduate
  degrees if they are over at least a 3.3.
• I have academic grades reflecting a scale other
  than 4.0. Do I need to convert?
• Yes, especially if you have degrees from outside
  the U.S. and plan to work in the U.S., where most
  educational systems use a 4.0 scale.

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FAQs continued CONTENT-related questions

• Why is a skilled or functional-based resume not
  recommended?
• Recruiters are clear that they want to see where
  you worked and when in a reverse chronological
  order. A resume that is organized by skills or
  function make it harder for recruiters to find
  what they are looking for. Sometimes you might
  be encouraged to do a functional resume if you
  are making a drastic career change, but it is
  rare.
• Do I need to include months with the years of
  each employment experience?
• YES! Especially if you worked somewhere for
  less than a year. And, 12 months is much
  different than 20 months. Additionally,
  recruiters are likely to assume you are hiding
  something (i.e., gaps in employment)
• I know that it is important to be consistent with
  grammar and punctuation. What are examples of
  ways I can do this?
• ending all bullet points with a period
  (sentence) OR NOT
• either writing out one, two, three or 1,2, 3
• using and OR
• use past tense verbs when you have stopped
  working for an employer
• How do I list multiple positions with one
  employer?
• It dependsif the accomplishments and
  responsibilities varied greatly, if you want to
  show promotion quickly, or if you want to be
  accurate in your representation with the
  organization. Sometimes bullet points under each
  position work well, other times, listing all
  positions one after each other at the top of the
  section work well.
• Is there a difference between listing Broad
  Scholar and Broad Scholarship Recipient?
• If you are a Broad Scholar you are receiving
  almost a full-ride scholarship and were selected
  based on your leadership potential and academic
  and work success. A Broad Scholarship Recipient
  received some level of financial aid, often in
  the form of a Graduate Assistantship. Youll
  want to describe these briefly on your resume, as
  someone from outside MSU will not know this
  information.

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FAQs continued CONTENT-related questions

• Should I list military or missions experience?
• Most likely you should if you need to show
  skills representing leadership, global exposure,
  or languages other than English. Typically,
  recruiters like to see these types of
  experiences, if it fits well with where you are
  trying to go
• Which activities are considered out-of-date?
• Anything that is not relevant to what you want
  to do, or anything that is over 8 years ago.
  Often, most extra-curricular activities from
  undergraduate studies are not as relevant at this
  point in your career. You do not need to list
  undergraduate internships or part-time jobs while
  in school, unless they contribute something to
  your resume that other experiences do not.
• Why is it recommended that technical skills not
  be listed at the bottom of the resume?
• Readers want to see HOW you used the technical
  programsthe impact they had and how they helped
  you accomplish your responsibilities. So, note
  them within the bullet points of your
  experiences.
• How do I list language proficiency?
• Use the terms--Native, Fluent, Conversant or
  Basic, based on the level you think you are.
  Clarifying written, spoken or both.
• How often should I update my resume?
• As often is necessary, such as GA assignment
  details, placement at case competition, drop
  bullet points on former jobs that are not
  relevant, student organization involvement/leaders
  hip, GPA at end of fall semester

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FAQs continued CONTENT-related questions

• .
• Resumes are not written in first-person or the
  subjective voice. How do I write in the
  third-person or objective voice?
• Avoid sentences that have the pronouns I or
  we (i.e., Our team took first-place in the
  competition. Vs. Team placed first in the
  competition.
• Avoid items on your resume like
• Date of Birth
• Person Photos
• Place of Birth
• Current Age
• Nationality or Country of Origin
• Marital Status
• Visa Status
• Gender
• TOEFEL score
• individual company salaries or any salary
  history
• passport , I-20
• Reason for leaving the job
• Permanent address (parents, family overseas,
  etc.)
• signature
• high school education information or equivalent