It’s important though to be concise and efficient. No more than two or three lines per bullet point should suffice. Your resume generally should only be one page long so use that space wisely! It may be difficult to try to get all of a project’s experience down to one bullet, but remember that you’ll be able to talk about it more deeply during interviews. The resume should be a place to showcase the highlights first.

Lastly, formatting can be a game changer. Use the same font across the resume. Align things appropriately. Be consistent in your bullets, abbreviations, and dates. Spell check!

While by no means a requirement, additional information areas can provide companies with a deeper understanding of who you are. Consider using this to talk about your volunteer experiences, languages, technical skills, certifications, community involvement, and interests that you have outside of a business setting. This section is a wonderful opportunity to give companies a taste of your personality.

Part of applying for jobs is doing the research first. Read through the job descriptions and understand the skills that the companies are looking for in their hires. You can try to mirror some of those words that are applicable in your application. Make sure to insert them into your resume details in a natural way. In other words, it’s not the best idea to make a laundry list of random words: “Strategy. Operations. Cross-Functional. Technology.” This is meaningless! You’re probably wondering what that actually entailed; the hiring manager is questioning that as well. It’s better to say something like “Managed cross-functional teams across finance, strategy, and operations to accomplish a technology implementation project that drove $Y increase in year-over-year sales.”

Don’t underestimate your existing skills! Before moving on, revisit the job description and carefully understand the qualities the company seeks. Now, compare your current and past positions to those desired qualities. Even if the context differs, are there transferable skills or experiences you can leverage? By highlighting these relevant past experiences, you can effectively market your talents for the targeted role.

Here’s a breakdown of skills popular MBA functions often recruit:

• Marketers: Emphasize your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, analyze data to refine strategy or products, and prioritize the customer experience.
• Consultants: Consulting firms seek individuals with strong problem-solving skills, industry expertise (functional or technical), and excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
• Investment Bankers: Companies like Goldman Sachs value individuals who are comfortable with numbers, are analytical thinkers, and possess strong communication and interpersonal skills. Given the industry’s fast pace, time or project management skills are also highly desirable.
• Product Managers: If you have a technical background (web development, UX, writing requirements, market research, etc.), highlight it. Pivoters can emphasize their communication and teamwork skills. Additionally, demonstrating a customer-centric approach through relevant experiences will impress potential employers.
• Strategy: Skills in market research, data analysis, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving are essential. Highlighting projects where you analyzed trends to inform strategic decisions or showcased critical thinking will be beneficial.
• Operations: Bring attention to any experience you have with operations, supply chain, or logistics. Additionally, detailing your experience working across teams will be valuable.
• Corporate Finance: While comfort with numbers and financial analysis is crucial, also highlight your proficiency in financial modeling or tools, budgeting experience, and your ability to collaborate with cross-functional partners.