Hi :-)
I wanted to share my preferred resume template that I have used throughout my life, and which I got
to know during my time at MIT Sloan School of Management. It’s not fancy, there are no colours,
graphs or pictures, but instead it keeps the reader 100% focused on the content, providing him or her
with a clear reading direction.
Before you start filling out the template and making it your own, there are a few tips and tricks that
will make you even more likely to succeed, and get the job that you want (at least in the job areas we
usually see people apply for).
Use the words your target company is looking for
When applying for a job, identify the 3-5 key skills or talents the company is looking for in a
candidate, and show how you’ve used these skills/talents throughout your career.
For example, management consulting firms usually look for people who can analyze,
communicate/present, execute and lead. If you are applying for a job where these skills are desired,
then have every bullet point start with either Analyzed, Communicated, Executed or Led. This
means “active in the finance student association” becomes “led project x in the finance association".
Show specific numbers and/or results
Share concrete data and timelines of what you have done, instead of just saying e.g. “I increased
sales”. This makes it more real, and shows the reader that you are thinking about the impact of your
work. An example of this could be “Grew sales 22% in 12 months”.
Don't underestimate the small stories
When I was so fortunate to get into MIT’s School of Management’s full-time MBA program at 21, I
thought it was because of all the things I had done during my time at university. When I asked the
Director of admissions, to my surprise he told me that what really made me stand out was the fact
that I co-hosted a tv-program on the biggest danish channel as a kid.
Similarly, we recently hired a very smart guy, not because of his grades (which were good) or his job
experience besides his studies (which were impressive), but because on top of all this, he also had
the surplus energy and intensity to sit on the board of the NGO that owns the cantines at his
university (I mean, who has so much energy that they can be bothered to do this). We only learned
about this by chance and my point is that you should make sure to share stories like these.
Show that other people think you are great
Don’t underestimate the herd mentality of people and the short cuts that recruiters try to make (with
good reason). For example, when I got into MIT, I was already more desired by companies the next
day, even before I had learned anything. Why? Because someone else selected me. You won an
award? You were selected? Got top 10% grades? Share it.
And the final thoughts
● No more than a page(!) if you are early in your career
● Only include data that is relevant or show that you are amazing
● Show the clear red thread that exists (at least in rearview) throughout your career/studies
● Don't be afraid to show if others have recognised you through e.g. awards & scholarships
Those are my quick tips and tricks for your resume. If you have any further questions, thoughts on
what I should add to this guide, or if I can be helpful in any way, please just send me an email at the
address below. Best of luck!
Yours,
Mads Faurholt
mf@faurholt.com
NAME (TEMPLATE)
You address – phone number with country code – your email
EDUCATION
­
UNIVERSITY NAME
WHAT YOU STUDY
●
Location
YEAR STARTED – YEAR ENDED
1-3 bullets of what you are proud of during your studies
EXPERIENCE
­
COMPANY NAME
Industry/what the company does/its position in the market
Your role/title
●
0-3 bullets of what you are proud of during your work
PERSONAL INFORMATION
­
●
1-3 bullets of what you do during your non work and study time
Location
YEAR STARTED – YEAR ENDED
MADS FAURHOLT (EXAMPLE)
21 Buckingham Gate, SW1E 6LB London – +44 7480 XXXXXX – mf@faurholt.com
EDUCATION
­
MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
MBA
Cambridge, MA, USA
2006 - 2008
●
Taught Finance to MBA, undergrad, and grad students from MIT and Harvard, with class sizes of up to 350
●
Awarded 9 scholarships totaling more than $40,000
●
Etc…
COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics
●
Finished bachelor in 1 year and 9 months
●
Etc…
Copenhagen, Denmark
2003 - 2005
EXPERIENCE
­
MCKINSEY
Leading management consulting firm
Associate
●
Developed revenue and costs initiatives for <REMOVED> across Europe
●
Etc..
Zurich, Switzerland
2008-2009
Summer Associate
2007
●
Created <REMOVED> NPV market entry strategy for one of the biggest banks in the Middle East
●
Etc..
COMPANY NAME
Industry/what the company does/its position in the market
Your role/title
●
Location
YEAR STARTED – YEAR ENDED
0-3 bullets of what you are proud of during your work
PERSONAL INFORMATION
­
●
Deep interest in NLP, communication and human psychology, and extensive traveling (visited +40 countries)
●
Really enjoy playing soccer, and honestly any other kind of sports
●
Etc...