Resume feedback - Non-target MBA, no experience - Consulting

ResetCurrent MBB 3rd year here. I have plenty of experience screening resumes for both post-undergrad and post-MBA hires. If I was screening your resume this is what I would think:

• Red flag #1: No GMAT score. I assume that your score is below 700, which means if I recommend you for an interview I am going to have to explain to my boss why I'm willing to take a chance on a sub-700 score. I really don't want to have to do that.

• Red flag #2: I'm more that half way down this resume and I haven't seen any work experience yet. I don't care what classes you took at business school. You're getting an MBA, not a PhD. Its all easy bullsh*t.

• Red flag 3#: You started your one full-time job in 2008 (3+ years ago). You've had no promotions. How good could you have been at it?

At this point I've already pushed your resume to the circular file. Sorry to be harsh, but that's about all the consideration your going to get with the current resume.

Here's what you need to do to at least make me read your bullet points:

1. Lose the objective. You applied to my company. I know that you want a job here. All the objective does is make me think that your don't have any accomplishments worth talking about, because why else would you waste three lines on this?

2. Put your GMAT score on here if its 690 or better. If its not 690 or better then take the GMAT again until it is. Then put your score on here.

3. Your education section takes up too much space. Drop the concentrations and minors. I don't care. Add scholarships, honors, awards, and achievements instead. Show me why I should be impressed, not what you studied.

4. Kill the relevant coursework section. You got an MBA. I know what that entails.

Now that those things are fixed, you might actually get someone to read the bullet points in your experience section. I did read some of them, and I can tell you that they need work too. Here's what you need to do:

1. These bullets need to show significant and quantifiable achievements. For example, your fourth bullet under "Video Services Coordinator" says that you worked on grant videos and donor videos. How much money did you raise? Did you win any awards? How am I supposed to know that these videos were any good? All of your bullets should basically tell me the same thing, that you crushed every task handed to you.

Finally, lets look at your skills, activities, etc:

1. Keep this to three lines max. Any more than that and your signaling to me that your just trying to fill space.

2. Kill anything related to software skills unless its specifically asked for in the job description. Double kill anything related to MS office products. You know how to use Excel? Congrats, so does my mom. Kill the quantitative analysis stuff. Regressions, NPV, etc are all very rudimentary. Might as well tell me you know how to read and write. Kill "Strong interest in industry analysis and strategic fit". Your applying for a consulting job, its assumed that your interested in these things.

3. Put the stuff about working on a live case team in your experience section. This is your only relevant experience. It should be near the top.

Again, sorry for being blunt. Hope some of this stuff helps you. Glad to take a look at another draft if you post it.

Dude, you should start charging for resume editing/feedback. It's not even my resume that's being critiqued but I really enjoyed your feedback.

No need to apologize whatsoever. That is what I was looking for and much more. Thank you. I will update and would love more feedback. I'm also trying to get a gauge on how attainable this is right now without having prior experience. I did not even have MC on my radar until about 8-9 months ago and it seems that most that break in right out of undergrad/MBA have targeted it since they stepped on a college campus.

I've posted some comments inside the quoted post (in bold) -- not for the sake of argument, merely for further clarification and suggestion/advice.

ResetCurrent MBB 3rd year here. I have plenty of experience screening resumes for both post-undergrad and post-MBA hires. If I was screening your resume this is what I would think:

• Red flag #1: No GMAT score. I assume that your score is below 700, which means if I recommend you for an interview I am going to have to explain to my boss why I'm willing to take a chance on a sub-700 score. I really don't want to have to do that.

Yes, below 700. Do all firms below MBB (big 4 through boutique) weigh this heavily? Long story short- again, MC was not on my radar at first and I rushed into the GMAT to get started on my MBA asap when the opportunity presented itself.

• Red flag #2: I'm more that half way down this resume and I haven't seen any work experience yet. I don't care what classes you took at business school. You're getting an MBA, not a PhD. Its all easy bullsh*t.

• Red flag 3#: You started your one full-time job in 2008 (3+ years ago). You've had no promotions. How good could you have been at it?

I should clarify that I work for the same University that I'm getting my MBA at (non profit to be clear). Small school (200 staff) = I am the department. No room to move up in my area, which is part of the reason I'm looking at something like MC. There also aren't really any measurables with my job, which I realize is a problem. Clients either are satisfied/like my work or I would hear about it; no other real measurables.

At this point I've already pushed your resume to the circular file. Sorry to be harsh, but that's about all the consideration your going to get with the current resume.

Here's what you need to do to at least make me read your bullet points:

1. Lose the objective. You applied to my company. I know that you want a job here. All the objective does is make me think that your don't have any accomplishments worth talking about, because why else would you waste three lines on this?

2. Put your GMAT score on here if its 690 or better. If its not 690 or better then take the GMAT again until it is. Then put your score on here.

3. Your education section takes up too much space. Drop the concentrations and minors. I don't care. Add scholarships, honors, awards, and achievements instead. Show me why I should be impressed, not what you studied.

Concentrations for mba are irrelevant?

1. Kill the relevant coursework section. You got an MBA. I know what that entails.

Now that those things are fixed, you might actually get someone to read the bullet points in your experience section. I did read some of them, and I can tell you that they need work too. Here's what you need to do:

1. These bullets need to show significant and quantifiable achievements. For example, your fourth bullet under "Video Services Coordinator" says that you worked on grant videos and donor videos. How much money did you raise? Did you win any awards? How am I supposed to know that these videos were any good? All of your bullets should basically tell me the same thing, that you crushed every task handed to you.

Again, no real measureless here to say that I crushed anything unfortunately. I have together a couple of videos that were part of grant proposals for departments in the university. I was not privy to the award amounts and the video itself is not what won the grants. This is why I say that I have no relevant experience - it's a stretch to apply this experience to business. That's why I had the coursework on top originally.

Finally, lets look at your skills, activities, etc:

1. Keep this to three lines max. Any more than that and your signaling to me that your just trying to fill space.

2. Kill anything related to software skills unless its specifically asked for in the job description. Double kill anything related to MS office products. You know how to use Excel? Congrats, so does my mom. Kill the quantitative analysis stuff. Regressions, NPV, etc are all very rudimentary. Might as well tell me you know how to read and write. Kill "Strong interest in industry analysis and strategic fit". Your applying for a consulting job, its assumed that your interested in these things.

3. Put the stuff about working on a live case team in your experience section. This is your only relevant experience. It should be near the top.

Ideas or links on how to format this? Should I just list it as another "job" but indicate that it was a course project?

Again, sorry for being blunt. Hope some of this stuff helps you. Glad to take a look at another draft if you post it.

Thank you again. Tremendous feedback.