Tips to Make MBA Resume Layout

Visual Appeal
Employer only knows those things about you what you mention in your resume. That puts a heavy burden on the resume to visually communicate desired qualities. A resume expresses you quality , ability, personal profile. So the resume should be made in an organised manner. Because A neat, well-organized resume is the indication of a neat, well-organized candidate. A resume that is free of typographical and grammatical errors indicates a careful and competent person. A clear, concise resume indicates a clear thinker. Be careful when using your software's spell check program-you may misspell a word but the program accepts it as correct (e.g., "too" instead of "two"). Be aware that any error can land your resume in the wastebasket. Always have someone else read your resume before accepting it as the final version.

Guidlines to improve Visual apeal :

• Keep your resume to one page. Employers rarely have time to read more than one page per candidate.
• Use plenty of white space between sections of your resume.
• Try to keep one-inch margins around the page.
• Use indention to set off achievement statements.
• Use a 12-point, easy to read font such as Times Roman. Smaller font sizes may not be picked up in the scanning process. Sometimes it is necessary to use smaller font so that all information fits on one page. In this case, be sure to go no smaller than a10 point font.
  Italics and underlining may be used if necessary, but keep in mind that their overuse can make your resume difficult to read. It may also be difficult for scanners to pick up key words that are italicized or underlined.
• Put your section headings in all caps and bold type. You may either center or align section headings at the left margin. Whichever you choose, be consistent throughout the document.
• Use only a letter quality printer for your resume. Ideally, it should be laser printed on white or off-white, 25% cotton bond paper. Use the same paper for the cover letter when mailing your resume to an employer. Avoid using linen or parchment paper and colors other than white or off-white. It may be tempting to use colors or special paper to make your resume stand out from the crowd, but these can all interfere with the reading and scanning process.
• Use a chronological format rather than a skills or functional format. Functional formats lead the reader to suspect that you have something to hide.

Using Email to Send Resume :
A fast growing method of applying for jobs in this Internet economy is email. It is an almost instant means of communicating with an employer. For this reason, it appeals to applicants and hiring managers alike. The most important thing to remember is that not all email systems function the same. Of course this does not come as a surprise to you, but the implications for the job search are very important. First, since the messages you send will look very different to the recipient than they do to you, it is best to leave out the formatting used to make your paper resume visually appealing. Thus, before sending it, save a Word document as a plain text document and cut and paste it into the body of your email message. By not using an attachment, you avoid the risk of inadvertently infecting the recipient's computer with a virus. Write your email message as you would any cover letter. As a courtesy, send a hard copy of your resume to the recipient (don't forget the cover letter!) so they will have a nicely formatted version for their files. Include in your email message a statement to that effect.

Some Important Tips :

• Highlight your Skilled experience
• Explain you exact role to impact on your project in descriptive manner. Demonstrate that you identified a problem, analyzed the problem, found solutions, and implemented the solution successfully. Provide an example of results.
• Demonstrate technical knowledge and experience (even if it is only HTML, put it in).
• Explain extra activities other than profession experience. Employers like to see that you have a life outside the job. Charity and community work is a plus.
• Stress communication and interpersonal as well as analytical and research skills.
• Don’t blow anything up into more than it is. Says one veteran, “It will come out during the interview and misrepresentation will surely kill you.”
• Show that you can adapt quickly to new situations and are not afraid to change. Key words: analytical, managed, led, formulated, assessed
• Don’t succumb to the informality of e-mail. “If you send a cover letter by e-mail that started with “Hi”, it and your resume will probably end up in the trash,” says the assistant dean at the University of Buffalo’s School of Management.
• It’s true that recruiters sometimes use scanners to sort through resumes looking for certain keywords. But resumes appear contrived when candidates consciously try to include them. Assume that a person – not a computer – will be reading the resume. After all, fewer than 25 percent of recruiters even use scanners.
• “A recruiter who receives resumes in pretty plastic folders will likely toss them,” says Dave Opton, former VP of personnel for Sterling Drug International. Another faux pas: Folding a resume so that it fits into a standard business envelope. Says Opton, “They’re easier to store and photocopy if they’re flat.” Also, don’t try to differentiate your resume with boxes, bars, or ornate lettering. When recruiters see a resume that’s designed differently, they think the person is trying to hide something. Instead, focus on content and your resume will rise to the top of the pile.
  

Courtesy: AnswerResume