MBA Career Services Resume Tutorial
Senior Professional / Executive
This presentation will:
•Define a competitive resume for candidates with more than 10 years of
professional experience, including 4+ years at a management level
•Describe good formatting for a seasoned professional resume
•Describe good content for a seasoned professional resume
•Provide additional resources
•Answer Frequently Asked Questions (this section will outline the
rationalization for our recommendations)
Updated March 2007
Purpose of a Resume
Your resume is…
a critical step at the beginning of a job search process
a personal marketing statement/advertisement
a written pitch
a screening tool
an assessment of your employment value
a document that leads to an interview (not a job, yet!)
a first impression
a stand alone document
“Senior Professional” and
“Executive” Resume
Who should use this resume format?
• In general, MBAs with 10+ years of professional work
experience, including at least 4 years in a direct line
management position (not project management)
• Candidates who are making a ‘career enhancing’
move, not changing or switching career paths
Good Resume FORMATTINGSenior Professional Resume
• One full page (unless 10+ years of professional work experience)
• Sections, in this order (heading names may vary):
Name and Contact Information (top)
1. Professional Summary
2. Professional Experience/Career Progression
3. Education
4. Leadership Activities & Awards
• Easily scanned for skills, results, job titles and company names in 30 seconds
• Usually 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 (i.e. Times New Roman, Ariel, Verdana)
Good Resume CONTENTSenior Professional Resume
• A “Professional Summary” must articulate your primary career
strengths-quantifiable within the resume, tie together any
functional career moves, and/or state what it is that uniquely
qualifies you for the position you are applying for. This is very
much like your “pitch”.
• Current and previous work accomplishments must convey your
management skills, specialized knowledge and results.
• Work accomplishments should also show the impact your
performance has/had on the department, project, organization or
company.
• Use “positional statements” to give a stronger picture of your
reason for coming into each particular job. These statements
highlight the reason(s) that you were hired, promoted, or
recruited to that specific company/role. Your resume should “tell
a story” about you.
Good Resume CONTENTSenior Professional (continued)
• Quantify information/results, wherever 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.
• Clearly show promotion or advancement (via titles,
dates).
• No outdated or irrelevant activities—unless it is a
significant accomplishment, skill or unusual talking
point.
Helpful Resources
• Wetfeet.com:
http://msumba.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp
• Vault.com:
http://msumba.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp
• List of action verbs:
http://www.mba.msu.edu/newsletter/ActionVerbs.doc
• Functional portfolios with keywords (and sample
resumes):
http://www.mba.msu.edu/careers/students/links.cfm?category
=163
FAQ’s: FORMAT-related questions
Why is it ideal to have at least one resume version that is only a single 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, and a professional summary that is easily scanned for key
skills/accomplishments.
What are standard fonts and sizes?
Times New Roman, Verdana, Ariel and between 10 – 14 points
Why is the section on education not at the top of the resume?
At the senior management level, your work experience and accomplishments
are what the employer is primarily looking for. Your MBA education enhances
your marketability, therefore it is found later in the resume.
What is a “positional statement” and what should it include?
A positional statement is a brief statement under each company you are listing as a
former/current employer on your resume, usually one or two sentences added just below
each company name. Include anything that would give potential employers a better
understanding of the scope of your role and the primary reason(s) you were hired into that
position. In addition, corporate revenue, industry, major products, and major customers
served are also acceptable to mention, particularly if the company is not well-known.
FAQ’s continued: FORMAT-related questions
Why use bullet points and not paragraph formatting?
It is easier to read and is more succinct.
What are some examples of succinct bullet points?
Example A Not Optimized
“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.”
Example A Optimized
“Directed a U.S. Department of Education funded program designed to enhance cultural
sensitivity within the university and community. Managed the program’s $200K budget.
Example B Not Optimized
“Developed very strong presentation skills developing and implementing multi-cultural
communication workshops for faculty and staff.”
Example B Optimized
“Developed and implemented multi-cultural communication workshops for private industry
and university staff. Achieved 95% participant satisfaction rate”.
FAQ’s 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 lined 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.
FAQ’s: CONTENT-related questions
Why shouldn’t 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 not use your current work email address. Why?
Besides advertising to your current employer your job change intentions, many yahoo or
hotmail email accounts go to recruiters SPAM accounts.
Why can’t I use an objective statement at the top of my resume?
Your resume itself should clearly communicate your unique qualifications, key
accomplishments, and special skills for the job. A separate objective statement is not
needed, and takes up space that could be better used to showcase specific skills.
Should I include or not include past or current GPA’s?
It is not recommended to include your GPA on your resume. Your MBA degree provides
sufficient confirmation of your accomplishments and commitment to your career growth.
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 programs—the impact they had and
how they helped you accomplish your responsibilities. So, note them within the bullet
points of your experiences.
FAQ’s continued: CONTENT-related questions
Why is a skilled or functional-based resume generally not recommended?
Recruiters are clear that they want to see where you worked and when, to get a
good feel for your overall career progression and responsibility levels. If you are
making a drastic career change, you may be encouraged to do a functional
resume. It is fine to use a functional resume format as long as you also include a
reverse-chronological list of your career history somewhere in the document.
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 depends on how you want to position or market yourself to the company. If the
accomplishments and responsibilities varied greatly, or if you want to show
promotion quickly, you may want to list them separately. 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.
FAQ’s 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 next in your career.
Which activities are considered out-of-date?
Anything that is not relevant to what you want to do or extends beyond
your pre-college career. Extra-curricular activities from undergraduate
studies were relevant when you obtained your first position following
college. At this point in your career they are irrelevant. 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.
How do I list language proficiency?
Use the terms--Native, Fluent, Conversant or Basic, based on the level
you think you are. Clarify written, spoken or both.
How often should I update my resume?
As often as necessary, such as: when you receive an award for work
achievement, complete a major project, move or change your
email/phone information, or graduate!
FAQ’s 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 pronoun’s “I” or “we” (i.e., “Our team took firstplace in the competition.” Use “Team placed first in the competition.”
Avoid items on your resume like:
Date of Birth, Age, or Place of Birth
Any Photos, Signature, Passport #, or I-20 #
Nationality or Country of Origin
Marital Status
Visa Status-however, it is ok to list if you are a permanent resident
TOEFEL score
Individual company salaries or any salary history
Reason for leaving a job
“Permanent” address (if it is a parent’s, family overseas, etc.)
High school education information or equivalent