What Resources Can I Use to Prepare My Resume For My Business School Application?
If you’re like many people who are opting to pursue a degree from a business school, you’ll know that making your application the best it can matters: Business, as a field, certainly has no shortage of competition — and to give yourself the edge you need, it’s important to know the ins and outs of the kind of resume that will make your application stand out. Here are just a few ideas that can help you decide how to prepare your resume for business school, and to make sure you’ve got what it takes to put your best foot forward.
1. Show Leadership Potential by Volunteering
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a manager will be bringing people over to your side on an issue. Good leadership is a bit like Winston Churchill’s “A riddle wrapped up in an enigma”: No one knows quite how to define it, but they know it when they see it. We’ve all experienced knowing someone who was able to show us the world as they see it. But developing such skills can be important for us also: And part of the way we can do that is through means such as volunteering within our community to gain leadership experience.
This shows the admissions committee two main things: One, you value using your work to better the lives of others; and two, you can use your skills to increase the life quality of those around you. Those are extremely desirable traits in a manager, and ones we’re seeing now when CEOs are judged more for how much they give away than how much they make — with industry titans like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates pledging vast sums of their fortunes to better the world.
2. Show Work Experience
One way in which a business school application can differ from other appeals to admissions committees in other fields is that work experience can truly help you succeed as a student. If you’ve already been out in the workforce, or have had experience as a manager, your application will appeal to what admissions committees are looking for — and this can pay large dividends in the admissions period.
3. See What the Best Schools Want, and Shoot for That
When applying to business schools, it’s sometimes important to see what the most difficult programs to be admitted to require — and then shoot for that. Business schools will often look to the very top programs to set the standard for their own applications — so if you’re gearing your application toward Harvard Business School, for example, other schools will see this and take note.
4. Practice Your Writing Skills!
Writing skills can help in business in a myriad of ways: For one thing, applications to business schools will often require an essay explaining how your experiences have led you to apply — and this can be one great way to make your application shine.
So if you’re applying to business school, know that you’ve already got half the battle down: It’s clear that you’re looking for a challenge and a way to make a difference. Putting that desire into words on a resume can be difficult, but with the right steps, the process can be enjoyable and rewarding.
