Resume – Professional vs. College Info First?

Posted By SWatts on Nov 17, 2011 |


As a rule of thumb, by the time you apply to business school you should list your professional experience first, before you mention your education.

Under your education section, of course, you will list where you went to college/graduate school, and how you performed academically. Some MBA candidates have sterling academic credentials, such as a 3.9 GPA, First Class Honors, Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude honors, etc. Some candidates also attended a top college and want to show that off. But, as tempting as it may be to put strong academic credentials first, usually whatever you place first on your resume has implications. That is, when you put your education first, you are implying you should be defined by your education first. This can, in turn, subtly imply that your professional experience isn’t as strong as it should be, because years after finishing your schooling, you are seeking to be defined first and foremost by that education instead of by your work experience. Because professional experience is so important for MBA admissions, that is usually not a good message to send. While there are certainly some exceptions, most candidates should list their professional work experience first on their MBA application resumes, before any section focused on education.