Our friends at MBA Podcaster posted an extremely helpful piece today on the Do’s and Don’ts of crafting a successful resume for your executive MBA program application.

Jhaymee S. Wilson, a candidate for the W. Clifford Oxford Executive MBA at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, calls the resume the “centerpiece” to your application, based on her experience and in talking with fellow applicants over the past year.

After discussing this topic with Erica Ofenleger, assistant director for Executive MBA Admissions at Goizueta, Wilson shares many of the crucial lessons Ofenleger has gleaned from reviewing countless resumes.

In short, the three most important elements of a resume for an Executive MBA applicant are:

1. Clear representation of responsibilities and accomplishments
2. Professional progression that highlights the breadth and depth of responsibilities
3. A clear timeline with an explanation of any long periods between positions

Want to know what an executive MBA applicant should do when crafting his or her resume? And conversely, what should be avoided at all costs? Read Wilson’s original post on this topic and check out her helpful resources for drafting an executive MBA application that really knocks AdCom’s socks off.

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If you are feeling stumped by your application essays and need some additional guidance, check out our NEW series of essay guides for MBA applications. Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Stanford and Wharton available now. They are seriously terrific and we are proud to say that almost every person who has ordered one has come back for more!

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Whether you’re diving into the application process full-throttle, or just starting to test the waters, good advice is always welcome. Today’s tips come courtesy of the Career Insider blog at Bucknell University, which posted a comprehensive entry yesterday with pointers on the MBA application process supplied by panelists representing Harvard, Wharton and Dartmouth.

Here are some edited excerpts of the advice culled by Bucknell’s Jamie Leacock ’11; click on the link above for the original entry, which also covers selecting recommenders, taking the GMAT, the admissions process and what a typical schedule looks like during an MBA program.

What are MBA graduate programs looking for?

One myth surrounding the MBA admissions process is that applicants are accepted based on their credentials (e.g., what undergraduate school they attended, an internship they completed). However, schools are not looking for what you have done; they are looking for why you have done it and how well you did it!

The panelists urge prospective students to be able to explain the choices they made and why they excelled. Talking about the quality of your experience and why it was right for you is a surefire way to exude individuality. The best job is not what you think schools are looking for; it is what you are passionate about.

What qualities do admissions officers look for in an applicant?

When reviewing applications, the panel asserts that admissions officers are thinking about the long-term – what kind of alumni are you going to be?

One panelist who has worked at Bucknell, Dartmouth, and Wharton says he seeks the following when making decisions: applicant’s integrity, their risk-taking ability, their leadership as expressed in the context of their own life, and (his highest weighted criteria) their initiative.

One way to demonstrate these characteristics during an interview is by using the mirror technique. When asked to tell about a leadership experience, after answering, re-frame the question and ask the interviewer about opportunities for leadership at that school. Utilizing these tips can certainly be beneficial to your application process.

Should I re-apply if I don’t get in the first time?

One panelist said 10% of Wharton applicants were re-applying. He advises re-applicants to be very careful not to look like the main goal is to get into that particular school. At schools where the application can be re-activated, he was very impressed when applicants started over, treating the re-application process as a blank state instead of reusing old essays. It can be a good idea to paint a new self-portrait of yourself based on the new experiences you gained during the past year.

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If you are feeling stumped by your application essays and need some additional guidance, check out our NEW series of essay guides for MBA applications. Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Stanford and Wharton available now. They are seriously terrific and we are proud to say that almost every person who has ordered one has come back for more!

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In reaction to a recent BusinessWeek article that claims B-schools are having a hard time selling themselves to prospective students, The Vault‘s senior education editor Carolyn C. Wise identifies the real issue as schools having trouble finding the right kind of applicant.

The Wall Street fallout continues to stunt job openings in the traditional MBA areas of finance and consulting, so business schools need students who plan to enter other, nontraditional career paths, says Wise.

BW’s Francesca DiMelio concurs: “If grads are to compete in a global marketplace, they need to encounter it in the classroom, and that means recruiting students from a mix of industries, functions, countries, and genders—a mix that can be used as a selling point for the program.”

Elite schools wanting to attract applicants who can easily find a job once they’ve gotten their MBA need to lure in folks who may have never even considered pursuing a management degree. Engineers, scientists and social media gurus, therefore, are all desirable MBA students these days, says Wise. And having the option of submitting the GRE rather than GMAT may only sweeten the deal.

Administrators know they need to reshape the public’s view of business, and schools are doing just that by showing how an MBA program trains students—from those with public policy aspirations to engineers inventing products—to run any kind of organization, Robert Carraway, associate dean for degree programs at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, tells BW.

“It follows that business schools will want to (and have to) try new marketing tactics to reach these potential applicants in ‘healthy’ industries,” writes Wise. “Moreover, by attracting these students, B-schools position themselves to create contacts in nontraditional industries and help even more graduates get jobs. So it’s ultimately about selling themselves to employers.”
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If you are feeling stumped by your application essays and need some additional guidance, check out our NEW series of essay guides for MBA applications. Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Stanford and Wharton available now. They are seriously terrific and we are proud to say that almost every person who has ordered one has come back for more!

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Summer business programs  targeting college students and recent grads from non-business backgrounds, such as Dartmouth College’s Tuck Business Bridge Program and Chicago Booth School of Business‘ Summer Business Scholars program, are a win-win for both schools and students, according to a recent Financial Times article.

Whereas students benefit from having a top B-school on their resume, schools say luring in students early on is a great marketing tool to attract students who otherwise might not have considered an MBA. “Having a presence in that younger market is important, it’s a more diverse audience,” Tuck’s senior associate dean Robert Hansen tells FT.

Tuck does accept economics majors from liberal arts and sciences institutions, but Bridge students primarily are liberal arts and sciences majors at small colleges and large universities who want to gain the competitive edge in their career development by acquiring essential business fundamentals.

“Business schools say the success of such programs is due to the fact that they are an eye-opening experience; students learn the same relevant skills that feature in MBA programs, but are rarely taught to the average history major.”

The price tag for such programs vary from $6,000-$10,000, but most participants say their investment goes far beyond the classroom. School administrators acknowledge that seeing an MBA application from a previous summer program participant is bound to stand out, and employers believe they are getting a bargain when it comes to hiring someone who has made the extra investment, FT reveals.

Stanford Graduate School of Business, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management and Berkeley Haas School of Business also offer summer business programs, and in Europe, IE Business School will offer the Bridge program on its Madrid campus through a partnership with Tuck next year.

For more on summer programs that help students bridge the business gap, read the Financial Times article here.
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If you are feeling stumped by your application essays and need some additional guidance, check out our NEW series of essay guides for MBA applications. Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Stanford and Wharton available now. They are seriously terrific and we are proud to say that almost every person who has ordered one has come back for more!

We are on Facebook – join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman