This blog post is part of our “Application Insider” blog post series that provides insider information, tips, and advice about applying to the UCLA Anderson MBA program.

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APPLICATION INSIDER TOPIC:

RESUME & WORK EXPERIENCE

How you craft your resumé and your pre-MBA work experience will be instrumental to your application. Understanding that 85% of our graduates pivot industry and/or function post-MBA, we want to be sure that you will be successful in meeting your professional goals. Remember that you are not applying for your next job or promotion within your same industry, so your resumé should read like highlights that will signal your post-MBA potential. Be sure to think about career progression, career impact, and transferable skills. Below are some items to consider when sharing with us your work history:

• Your resumé visually conveys a sense of professionalism, clarity and structure. The standard business formatting is best. Don’t try to surprise your reader with very cutting edge or innovative formats, (e.g. no colorful blocks or photographs).
• Check your use of white space, spelling and avoid redundancy and repetition of information.
• Reverse chronological resumés are the most common for a reason. They are simple to read and they tend to be the most clear and concise.
• Your resumé should work like your personal sales rep. It needs to showcase your value and your potential, highlighting expertise, accomplishments and transferable skills.
• Use the S-T-A-R framework to convey your accomplishments, leadership and progression:
  • SITUATION ― mention the challenge/obstacle you had to overcome
  • TASK ― describe the purpose and task at hand
  • ACTION ― list the concrete actions you took and the skills it required to solve the issue.
  • RESULTS ― summarize the outcome in a quantifiable manner to show your direct impact.
• Don’t forget to include newly received responsibilities or promotions so we are current with your most recent accomplishments.
• Make sure to include some quantifiable or measurable descriptions to help us put things into context (sales, volumes, growth rates, percentages of improvement or cost reductions, etc.)
• Your extracurricular involvement and leadership can help round out your professional profile and can signal how likely you are of being involved in the future. Make sure to list your most meaningful undergraduate and post-grad involvement in the relevant section of your resumé (You can include the name of the organization, your position or role and dates of involvement).
• Remember to be strategic about the information that you choose to share with the committee on your resumé. Everything you are listing should be with the express purpose of supporting your application and how you would like to be perceived.
• Try not to use industry-specific jargon. You want your reader — regardless of their background — to understand what you have done. 
• And once again, because it is that important: Don’t neglect the basics. Proofread and avoid careless typos or grammar mistakes.

Consider using the “Optional Essay” should you have one of these two instances in your work experience: 

• If there are big gaps of employment, you should probably think about explaining them in the appropriate essay available in the application.
• If your resumé shows multiple job hoping after very short stints, you may also want to address this to avoid confusion or incorrect assumptions.

We hope you find some value on these tried-and-tested tips. Let us know if you think we missed a good one. We would love to add them to our list

Check back for more “Application Insider” blog posts that will cover information and tips on the many aspects of applying to the UCLA Anderson MBA program!

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Questions? Contact us at: mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu