DARLA MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (DMSB) OFFICE OF

Resume Instructions MBA Seeking FULL-TIME 2024-2025

DARLA MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (DMSB) OFFICE OF CAREER MANAGEMENT

Resume Instructions for MBA Students Seeking a FULL-TIME Position

 Expedite the resume approval process by carefully reviewing and following instructions below.

 Use the MBA FT Resume Template that is provided.

 Reference the Professional Summary attachment to develop your personal Professional Summary.

 Note: Even with initial “Approval” per below, your resume will always be a work in progress.

1. Guidelines for Content

a. A resume is not your biography. Employers want specifics on what you can do for them, not what you want from them.

b. Describe your accomplishments and quantify each. Employers want to know "what have you done lately" and “what value

do you bring to the position and company.”

c. Most employers scan resumes for key words and phrases, so do your research and include terminology used in the

employer’s job descriptions and specifically related to the type of work you are seeking.

d. Misspelled, misused words, inconsistencies, etc., demonstrate poor work habits. Carefully proofread your resume each

time you revise your document. Use spell check, but do not depend on it. Do your final check on hard copy, not the

computer. Read it aloud.

2. Guidelines for Format

a. Use the MBA FT Resume Template that is provided.

b. Follow all template format requirements, including font type and size. The approved Moore School font is Calibri, size 10.

c. Your resume should only be one page unless you have at least 10 years of professional work experience, not including

internships.

d. Italicize business descriptions, foreign words, and titles of publications only. Do not underline.

e. Use .5” margins for headings and .75” for body of information within each heading.

f. Begin sentences with a strong action verb like “planned,” “organized,” “directed.” Be positive and brief.

g. End all sentences, including accomplishment statements, with a period. If written correctly, they are complete sentences

with an “implied” pronoun “I.”

h. Use correct and consistent “hyphens” throughout your resume. There are differences between the use and size of a

“hyphen,” “em” dash and “en” dash. Reference link: http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html

i. Use a “comma” to separate items in a list.

j. Use the tabs that are built into the resume template.

k. Write out all numbers up to and including nine. Use numerals for 10 to 999,999 unless you are beginning a sentence.

l. Couple the words “proven” or “demonstrated” with “ability” or “capability.”

m. Do not use personal pronouns.

n. Do not use abbreviations. The only exceptions are state abbreviations and USA.

o. Do not use periods in abbreviations. Wrong = U.S.A. Correct = USA

p. Use US letter-size paper, 8 ½ x 11. Do not use A4 paper size format. A4 is typically used in countries outside of the USA.

q. Do not insert columns, tables or text boxes.

r. Do not exceed two lines for accomplishment statements. One line is preferred.

s. Do not use any discriminatory information for US job search resumes. It may, however, be appropriate to include some

personal information on the resume if you are seeking employment outside the US.

Resume Instructions MBA Seeking FULL-TIME 2024-2025

3. Description of each section of the resume

HEADER SECTION

This section is designed to give your reader quick, easy access to your name and contact information. Be accurate.

NAME Your name should be centered at the top of the page and should appear as it does on your passport.

Your email, phone, and Skype ID should be under your name as shown on the template.

Instructions for editing your LinkedIn name: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/87/customizing-your-public-

profile-url?lang=en.

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY STATEMENT FOR MBA STUDENTS SEEKING A FULL-TIME POSITION

The Professional Summary is a 2-3 sentence statement that summarizes your experience, areas of expertise, technical or

professional skills, traits, and distinctions. The summary emphasizes key information detailed in the body of the resume.

Since it includes the strongest arguments for hiring you, use buzzwords and key descriptors that match what your target

market desires. Bullets should read as an “Adjective noun skill-descriptor (skill, proficiency, expertise, knowledge, etc.)”

These are usually found in the job posting as requirements or qualifications.

Include 9 skills with relevant descriptors for which you are very strong. These should also include some skills found

commonly on the job descriptions that interest you. Examples:

 Deep data-analytics proficiency

 Adjective noun skill-descriptor

 Seasoned project management skills

 Adjective noun skill-descriptor

 Influential communication expertise

 Adjective noun skill-descriptor

 Adjective noun skill -descriptor

Examples of strong Professional Summary statements are included in the Professional Summary attachment.

EDUCATION

This section may vary depending on your graduate degree. So, ensure that you are using the MSB Graduate Student Seeking

Full-Time Resume Template specific to your degree.

List the Graduate Degree or Dual degree with your target graduation date. All other educational experience will follow in

reverse chronological order.

 Use all caps for “MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS” and use initial caps for “University of South Carolina.”

 Under your Graduate Degree include, if applicable:

Certificate: Business Analytics (Upon graduation in 20XX)

Certificate: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (Upon graduation in 20XX)

Certificate: Applied Statistics (Upon graduation in 20XX)

 Your “starting” GPA will be 4.0. Be certain to update it each semester, but do not include grade point averages

unless it is above a 3.2. If you graduated with honors, put the honor right after the degree, italicizing any Latin

words. For example: Bachelor of Arts, Summa cum laude.

 Courses: include relevant courses to boost your buzzwords and/or keywords. Do not exceed 2 lines.

 Indent education information for school where intensive training has been done abroad.

Resume Instructions MBA Seeking FULL-TIME 2024-2025

EXPERIENCE

This is where you sell your background as relevant to your full-time goals. This is also where you sell your skills and

competencies in various accomplishment statements. Do this by listing your previous work experience in reverse

chronological order, not going back more than 10 years. Each position will be formatted and the content crafted as follows:

Company Name Should be in all CAPS; not bolded, not underlined.

City, State and Country should be right justified using right end tabs.

Note: In this section, the country should be in all caps. Examples: USA, ITALY, FRANCE, etc.

Add a very brief description of your organization next to the company name and italicize it. For example:

COMPANY ABC – world’s largest provider of manufactured windows

Title of Position Should be bolded, but not italicized.

Job Dates

Job Scope

Statement

Should be formatted with Month Year and right justified. Do not abbreviate months. Examples:

March 2017 – May 2019 or January – August 2021.

Develop a Job Scope Statement for each position. This is placed directly under the title of the

position and not bulleted. This is not a list of duties. This is a general description of the role of the

position. Do not exceed 2 lines. The following are a few examples.

Regional Director

Directed a regional warehousing operation for a $650 million automotive products distributor. Managed

55 employees through 6 supervisors, and controlled a $6 million annual operating budget.

Assistant Project Manager

Assisted project manager by preparing survey-related documents, legal descriptions, construction

calculations, and exhibits for various presentations.

Marketing Associate

Reported directly to VP of Marketing. Managed and conducted market research for Access Network

Systems (ANS), a startup within Pirelli that provides fiber optic solutions for the “last mile.”

NOTE: Start with a strong action verb, use past tense unless presently employed, and end each statement with a period.

Accomplishment Under each Job Scope Statement, place 2-4 accomplishment statements per job. The more recent

Statements the job, the more bulleted statements you should craft (no more than 4 per job).

Here you will craft statements that highlight experiences and demonstrated skills.

 Statements should always include an “action” (what you did for the company),

 A “result” (how you positively impacted the company),

 And answer the question, “So what?”

 Be careful not to confuse more detail about the action with the result.

Ensure that statements are relevant to the criteria and qualifications listed in the job descriptions. These

statements will lead to “STAR” stories that you will develop and then tell in interviews to provide evidence

of skills and competencies required for the job you want.

The point here is to show how you made a positive difference to the organization.

 How did you make or save them money or time?

 What was the outcome of your project?

 Was the data used by upper management to make a major decision?

 Etc.…

Resume Instructions MBA Seeking FULL-TIME 2024-2025

Quantify as much as possible. If you cannot point to a specific quantifiable or qualifiable result, it does

not need to be a bullet point. Example: # of employees managed, supervised, or trained; % saved,

decreased; $$ increased, etc.

Note: These may change as your objective is fine-tuned or altered in the future.

Use a bit of humility in crafting your resume. Be specific about achievements, but avoid using highly

subjective adjectives or phrases. Over emphasizing your skills may be perceived as “boasting,”

particularly within some international cultures.

Well-crafted Examples

 Increased product turnover 15% and sales 25% in five months by collaborating with staff and vendors.

 Saved $550,000 annually after working with financial managers to restructure two subsidiaries.

 Reduced rework 20% after introducing continuous improvement and quality management programs.

 Developed and implemented a new process that improved department efficiency by 12%.

 Completed 6-month training program in two months, followed by rapid promotion to Assistant Manager.

Poor Examples

 Trained new employees, interfaced with subordinates and vendors, and took care of correspondence.

 Responsibilities included implementation of policies and procedures.

 Handled customer service issues. Various sales activities.

 Assisted the public with questions and concerns.

 Worked on consumer marketing surveys and input data.

Note: If you have written your bullets correctly, then they are complete sentences with an “implied” pronoun of “I.”

For example: “I increased product turnover... I saved $550,000… I reduced rework…, etc.” Therefore, end these bullets

with a period.

REMEMBER: Start with a strong action verb, use past tense unless presently employed, & end each statement with a period.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This is the final section. If relevant, add categories listed on the template and described below.

LANGUAGES Use the following definitions to specify fluency.

Native: Has been using the language since infancy. If fully bi-lingual from childhood, show

both native languages.

Fluent: Converses easily in the language using appropriate vocabulary and tenses. Can read,

write, and speak.

Verbally Fluent: Converses easily in the language using appropriate vocabulary and tenses, but

writing in the language presents a challenge.

Proficient: Can effectively communicate in the language, but makes some grammatical errors.

Advanced Beginner: Basic understanding of language and able to communicate using basic Beginner

phrases.

Example: giving directions, simple conversations in a store, restaurant or classroom.

You are not ready for a phone interview. This may be your track language and/or

you studied the language for several years but you have not used it in a long time,

you have forgotten a great deal.

Resume Instructions MBA Seeking FULL-TIME 2024-2025

CERTIFICATIONS List any formal certifications that you have earned, e.g., CPA, CFA, SPHR or recognized language

certifications as relevant to job search. Do not repeat certifications included under your IMBA education.

IT/ANALYTICAL Include the highest-level operating system you know and each type of software. For students with

extensive IT experience, you may wish to create several generic categories and group applications,

platforms, programming languages, etc. For example:

General Applications Excel (macros, modeling, pivot tables, Solver), Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Project

Finance-Research Bloomberg, Yield Book, Capital IQ, ThompsonONE, Gartner, LexisNexis, PrivCo, Hoover’s

Data Analysis SAS, Tableau, StatPro, Value Stream Mapping, SIPOC, Kano Analysis, DMAIC, ANOVA, R,

Hadoop, regression, mixed integer programming, process modeling, SPSS, Stata

Marketing-Design CAD, AutoCAD, Publisher, EventBrite, Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Digg,

Flickr, MailChimp, Web Analytics software (?), point-of-sale retail, Publisher, Photoshop

ESA-ERP-CRM-EPM SAP, Oracle, Hyperion, Salesforce, Sage, Peachtree Accounting [specify module(s)]

Database-Programming VBA, MySQL, C, C++, C#, Java, DOS, Basic, FORTRAN, COBOL

ACTIVITIES Current or very recent non-academic activities can be included as possible topics to generate discussions

(e.g., Piano Player, Golf). Include school activities under the relevant school (e.g., Soccer Team Captain).

AWARDS List non-academic awards here. List academic awards under the school where the reward was bestowed.

CITIZENSHIP This is optional. If non-USA citizen, include US WORK AUTHORIZATION.

US WORK AUTHORIZATION Can work in US up to 1 year following graduation on student visa with no sponsorship.

OR if you will earn the Certificate in Business Analytics or Applied Statistics

Can work in US up to three years on F1 student visa with STEM extension.

Other headings to consider: MEMBERSHIPS, TRAVEL, VOLUNTEER, etc. Ensure that information is current or recent

4. Complete draft resume, make recommended changes and receive preliminary “approval” of your resume

Once you have completed your resume draft using these instructions, & your degree specific template, –

1. Change all light grey words to black.

2. Ensure that spelling and grammar are correct. Proofread, make a visual check on hard copy, & read your resume aloud.

3. Save your resume as a Word document, re-naming the file using the following file name format:

(Your) FirstName LastName Degree FT Resume 20yy.mmdd (date emailed)

File name format example: Jane Doe MBA FT Resume 2021.0531

4. Email your draft to [email protected] with a cc to [email protected] as soon as possible, and

preferably by Thursday June 1

Use Subject: MBA FT Resume Draft – [Insert Your] FirstName LastName

For example: MBA FT Resume Draft – Jane Doe

5. The Office of Career Management will review your resume and provide feedback, responding as promptly as possible.

Continue working on feedback until you receive approval that it is final.

a. It is in your best interest to get your 1

-round approval done before orientation. So please respond to feedback

promptly.

b. Be sure to check your SPAM or JUNK folders to ensure that you do not miss an email.

6. Once your resume is approved, you will be provided with a copy of the approved document. You and your Career Advisor,

Doug Hanslip, will make additional resume refinements throughout the year and discuss next steps.