Many young people who are seeking jobs still struggle to make a good resume, especially in the education section of their resumes. It is critical to creating a good and impressive schedule to gain an advantage in the tough job market. Educational details in your resume, if well presented, help to establish credentials and prove your suitability for a job.
If you have a master’s degree like that of an MBA, this can get you even more benefits. The main thing you need to do is to know how you can list an MBA on your resume, and you are all set to go. This article will help you with how to list MBA on resume. Keep reading to learn more.
The Reason Why an MBA is Important to List on Your Resume
In your academic career, an MBA is a big achievement you get with a lot of hard work and dedication in your youth. Seeing an MBA on your resume will impress your employer as it indicates the amount of hard work and dedication you have already put into your career.
Including an MBA on your resume shows you are serious about the position as you are about your career. Your employer’s clear indication will be that you are interested in the job and want to learn more if the recruiter provides you with the opportunity.
When you know how to list MBA on resume, you not only get a good chance to attract the employer’s interest towards you easily, but also it helps to enhance your credibility. If anyone has ever advised you not to include an MBA in your resume, you should ignore such advice.
How is an MBA Resume Different From Other Resumes?
All the MBA programs require the applicants for the job to give a resume. Now the thing is that you can’t just make a random resume and submit it. You need to follow certain guidelines and specifications to make an MBA resume.
Remember, the resume you use to get a job as an investment banker is different from the one you will need to get into a top MBA program. Therefore, it would be best if you made the MBA resume different from other resumes with certain specifications.
For other jobs you have applied for, you have designed a resume to prove that you are capable of the job. For example, if you want a job as an engineer, you will write specifications of your coding skills and other such skills that help you prove that you are qualified for the job, but for an MBA resume, it is a bit different.
Business schools or jobs are not the ones that require you to have coding skills, but they do require you to have some business skills. In the business world, more than anything, leadership quality matters. Thus, when you design your MBA resume, ensure that you don’t focus on the job skills much, but the resume demonstrates your business leadership qualities more.
What is the Purpose of an MBA Resume?
The MBA resume you mention in your application becomes the centerpiece of your application. The resume you mention in the application forms the framework for your whole application.
The questions you get mainly about your resume will be more from your resume part of the application than any other component. If you get to accomplish in your resume what you are and what you have achieved, this will impact the recruiter.
A strong resume tells your story, charts your career trajectory, and acts as a base where you can show your past achievements to your future recruiters.
In the MBA resume you refer to, the recruiter should be able to see your professional experience, volunteer experience, educational background, and other additional information. Therefore, the resume you create should be flawless, displaying your talent and dedication and compelling the recruiter to learn more about you and hire you for the work.
What Are the Guidelines for Listing an MBA on a Resume?
There are some simple guidelines you can use while you list MBA on your resume, which will help you a lot in modifying your resume for the better. Let’s have a look at the guidelines.
Firstly, when listing an MBA in your resume, you could either list it in abbreviated form as M.B.A. or the full name as Masters of Business Administration. Listing both is usually preferable because the keyword variation in the resume will be obvious.
You should add the MBA specialization to your resume if it is relevant to the position for which you are applying. Depending on how you approached education, you may lose the details of your MBA on your resume.
For example, Suppose you have taken all the degrees, including an MBA, from the same college. You can write the name of the college and start writing the list of the degrees you have attained so far. But if you have obtained all the degrees from different colleges, you have to write the name of the college and then the degree you got from there – it gives a lot of clarity.
Adding a college’s business school is not necessary but may add flavor to the resume, enhancing it; and remember, recruiters prefer to check the background before hiring a person.
With all the details in the education section of the resume, you can mention MBA and separately highlight the degree. When listing your MBA degree on your resume, include any honors or awards you have received, as this can be a plus point.
How to List a Finished MBA Degree on The Resume?
If you have finished the MBA program, it will be easier for you to list the degree on your resume rather than the time when you have not finished your degree. Here are some tips advising you on listing a finished MBA degree on your resume and excel.
- Always try to add the degree or qualification in the education section, as that’s where most recruiters look first.
- You can include an MBA degree in the header section also, but only on the condition that you have completed the degree or it is at least relevant to the position.
- You can sometimes add an MBA degree to the achievement section of your resume, and it will prove to be a boon for your work.
- The MBA degree is not mandatory to mention in the cover letter, but you can also mention it for extra points.
How to Include an MBA in the Education Section of Resume?
The most general guidelines explained above are mainly for the MBA listing in resume in the education section. Most general guidelines you will come across on the internet usually apply to the listing of MBAs in the education section only.
How you write the list of qualifications in your resume depends mainly upon your circumstances. However, when adding or listing MBA on your resume, make sure to do so in reverse chronological order.
Generally, if all the qualifications are from the same school, then the name of the school and all degrees under it will be written under the same heading in the resume. But if not, different schools with different qualifications from where you studied will be listed.
Though there is usually no necessity for listing specialization, coursework, etc., in your resume, these details sometimes become important for certain jobs and must be considered.
You can add specialization, but if you do not, you can feel free to skip that part.
Lastly, your GPA is important to enlist in your resume if you scored well. Ensure it is more than 3.5 if you want to make a good impression on the employer. And if you are still confused about that, get help from a professional resume builder.
Example-How to List MBA in your Resume
Besides the basic guidelines, there are other simple rules you can follow while you list an MBA degree on your resume. Like writing the information in a reverse chronological manner.
For example:
ABC University, Anytown, Anystate
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing, 2020
Yourtown, your state, XYZ College
Business & Marketing, 2009
You can include your coursework in the resume while listing your MBA, but make sure to list only relevant courses for the job. Also, you should not include coursework and theses that are of no use or are not directly related to the job.
How to Include MBA Qualifications in Resume Header?
You can easily choose the option of adding an MBA qualification in the resume header. This means that after the name, you can add your qualification as that of an MBA.
So, for example, instead of writing a person’s name, say, Jose Clark, you can write Jose Clark, MBA.
Well, it is good for you to list MBA qualifications in the resume header also. Well, yes, in some cases, it’s good to list the qualification after the name if you hold a Ph.D. degree, but in some cases, it’s not considered okay.
Moreover, the qualification is necessary if you’re an MBA degree holder; list only the qualification with your name. Else you can go without mentioning the qualification with your name, as the recruiter will carefully notice the details of your resume.
Further, ensure that if you add the qualification to the resume header, only add the qualification like an MBA after your name. If you haven’t completed it, don’t add it in the resume header, as it may appear unprofessional and unpleasant to the manager during hiring.
How to List an MBA in Progress on the Resume?
If you are the one pursuing an MBA, it is obvious for you to ask if you can list it in your resume or not. You can list “MBA” in your resume if you are still pursuing your MBA degree, which will be a plus point.
Further, to list an MBA in progress in your resume, all the rules are the same. However, the only difference: instead of writing the actual completion date, you can mention the anticipated date of completion of an MBA degree.
Also, it is better to list down the expected completion date of your degree if you know about it. Besides, it is better to mention the month, say if you apply for a job in June 2022, and your MBA will be completed in July 2022, it will provide more clarity.
If you only list down the year, it will be like you have already received your degree, and to employers, it may be misleading, and it can put a bad impression on them.
If you don’t want to confuse the employer, you can write the word “expected” along with the completion year.
For Example,
ABC University, Anytown, Anystate
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing, Expected Completion: 2021
Additional Tips And Tricks to Design Your MBA Resume
Here are some additional tips and tricks that could work as guidelines for you to design your resume and help you land a decent job.
1. Don’t Exaggerate Anything
Many applicants always exaggerate a lot about themselves to get a good job or promotions. For example, suppose you get elected for the interview round. In that case, you will be asked questions about every word you mentioned in your resume, and the recruiters will check everything again to ensure that the person has done everything listed in the resume.
2. Focus on the Impact You can have by Your Resume on the Recruiter
Rather than exaggerating things, you can focus on the impact you can add to the company with your skills in the resume. In addition, you should know that the company is admitting you, so they want to focus on you and nothing else.
3. Double-Check Every Detail
The thing you should not forget is to double-check everything. For example, you should check your resume twice before submitting it for the application. First, check for any grammatical errors, spelling, punctuation, etc., that can lead to your bad impression on the recruiter.
4. Add a Human Touch
As you know, the recruiters need to check thousands of resumes for the job; adding a touch of humanity to the resume will give you a high chance of being in the job. This will bring a touch of humanity and fresh air, and you are all set to go. You should add all this detail in the last section to set you apart from the rest.
Conclusion
Including an MBA on a resume is not as tough as people think it to be usually. First, however, you need to know the purpose of making an MBA resume and prepare it accordingly.
Plus, you need to know that there is a certain difference between an MBA resume and other resumes, and there are certain things you need to consider while preparing it. The simple guidelines provided here will help you know what things you should mention in the MBA resume.
