{"id":17999,"date":"2019-09-01T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-01T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=17999"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:41:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:41:05","slug":"how-to-fix-your-resume-for-grad-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/gre\/how-to-fix-your-resume-for-grad-school\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fix Your Resume for Grad School"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\">Graduate applications<\/a>\u00a0contain many parts and usually include a resume of some sort. You might find it easy to upload your current resume and focus more on other parts of the <a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\">application<\/a>. This is tempting, but your resume offers crucial insight into your background and experience to the <a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\">admissions team<\/a>. You want it to stand out just as much as the rest of your <a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\">application<\/a> does.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_iconlist  avia-builder-el-first  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >5 Tips for a Better Resume<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"the-content\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The good news is that with a few tweaks to your current resume, you\u2019ll have a wonderful addition to your <a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\">graduate application<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Change Your Focus<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p dir=\"ltr\">In most cases, your resume will be used for\u00a0<a title=\"5 Tips for a Successful Job Interview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/5-tips-for-a-successful-job-interview\/\">finding a job<\/a>\u00a0and not used for applying to schools. This means that the information on your resume is likely work-centric rather than education focused. However, when it comes to graduate resumes, you want your education to stand out. Make your education one of the first things listed on your resume.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">You need your school(s), major(s), minor(s), years, GPA, and even the GPA in your major if it\u2019s higher than the overall. Feel free to include standardized test scores if they help your case. Of course, do list relevant <a title=\"5 Tips for a Successful Job Interview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/5-tips-for-a-successful-job-interview\/\">job experience<\/a>, but you don\u2019t need a whole paragraph on the summer you worked at a pizza restaurant. Instead, make sure you\u2019re listing all your involvements with the university like student groups, awards, papers, and presentations. If you took any relevant or challenging courses, you may want to list those as well.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Brag a Little<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p dir=\"ltr\">When creating your resume, you want to show off your best self. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean you need to make up things to look impressive, but it does mean that you should include anything that may separate you from the rest of the candidates. This includes Dean\u2019s List achievements, departmental awards, any type of leadership position, assistantships, internships, and volunteer service.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On some <a title=\"5 Tips for a Successful Job Interview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/5-tips-for-a-successful-job-interview\/\">job applications<\/a> and resumes, these things may seem irrelevant and take up unnecessary space, but on a graduate school resume, they\u2019ll enhance your image as a student, leader, and person. It shows the school that you\u2019re likely to be active in their community which is something they\u2019re definitely looking for.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Utilize Space<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p dir=\"ltr\">Ultimately, you want to put as much useful information on your resume as possible. However, this doesn\u2019t mean you want your resume spanning three pages. Some schools will ask for a CV, or Curriculum Vitae, which is an education-centric type of resume that can take up more than one page. However, if the graduate admissions officer is sorting through loads of <a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\">applications<\/a>, the last thing they want is a long resume. In fact, they might even stop reading after the first page. This means that you should experiment with your resume and find ways to fit as much information onto one page as possible. Now, don\u2019t put everything in a tiny font to do this. Learn ways to minimize words and maximize effects. Write fragments instead of sentences and play with readable font sizes by making your headers a tad bigger and your descriptive texts smaller.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Use Design Techniques<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p dir=\"ltr\">Much of what the last paragraph talked about also filters in some design techniques. You might have gotten away with a bland-looking resume in the past, but now you really want it to stand out. Take a look at resume examples online to get an idea. Play around with different fonts that are stylish and readable. But above all, maintain consistency when creating your resume. It is a good idea to distinguish your headers (like Education, Work Experience) from the rest of your resume with a larger font, bold, italics or underlines. If you do this, just make sure everything stays consistent and easy to read. A resume that looks like it was made with care will stand out to any admissions team.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Be Honest<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p dir=\"ltr\">Of course, your resume definitely serves as a highlight reel of your professional life, but don\u2019t put something on there that didn\u2019t happen. Should you be successful in your application, you may be asked to interview with the school. It\u2019s likely that they will bring up certain aspects of your resume and ask you to talk about them. If you\u2019ve lied on your resume, it will come across quite clearly that you have no idea what you\u2019re doing. You absolutely don\u2019t want this to happen, so put your best foot forward and just make sure that it\u2019s your foot.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"row center-text\">\n<div id=\"sharethis\" class=\"center-text social-content\">\n<div>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_iconlist  el_before_av_sidebar  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >What to do if you lack job experience<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\nMany students contemplating\u00a0their grad school resume\u00a0right after undergrad worry about their lack of <a title=\"5 Tips for a Successful Job Interview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/5-tips-for-a-successful-job-interview\/\">work experience<\/a>\u2013 especially when competing with applicants with multiple years\u2019 worth of bullets on their resume.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"the-content\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lack of <a title=\"5 Tips for a Successful Job Interview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/5-tips-for-a-successful-job-interview\/\">work experience<\/a> is a legitimate concern, but it definitely shouldn\u2019t stop you from applying. In fact, as was recently\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bschooladmissionsformula.com\/why-average-mba-age-is-trending-down-for-hbs-and-stanford\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">observed by professors at Harvard Business School<\/a>, \u201cyounger students tend to be more open to learning compared with older students who tend to be more cynical or think that they\u2019re beyond academic environments since they\u2019ve already had substantial real world experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">What we\u2019re hearing from admissions departments of graduate programs across the country is that the average age of those applying\u2014and those accepted\u2014is trending younger. Top programs in <a title=\"What Business School Is Right For You\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gmat\/what-business-school-is-right-for-you\/\">business<\/a>,\u00a0education, engineering and public policy are seeing younger, less experienced applicant pools. Reasons include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">a soft job market<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">a high unemployment rate (especially for those ages 22-29)<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">a generation looking to spend their futures\u00a0working at something they genuinely care about\u00a0rather than what has traditionally been deemed \u201ca good choice\u201d by society.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">For younger, less experienced applicants who want to stand out, it\u2019s important to make sure you are highlighting your commitment to your chosen graduate discipline. Your story should communicate\u00a0why you need to study this, why you need to study it at this school, and why now.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Years of experience on your resume are not the only way to demonstrate those characteristics; you can also let them shine through qualitative admissions factors. Target areas you can demonstrate your passion and commitment, like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">your\u00a0<a title=\"How to Write a Graduate School Personal Statement\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/how-to-write-a-graduate-school-personal-statement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">personal statement<\/a><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><a title=\"7 Tips for a Perfect GRE Argument Essay\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/7-tips-for-a-perfect-gre-argument-essay\/\">essays<\/a><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">interviews where you can demonstrate your passion\u00a0and commitment<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">undergraduate coursework relevant to what you\u2019re planning to study<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><a title=\"How Networking Can Secure An Internship or Job\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/bar\/how-networking-can-secure-an-internship-or-job\/\">internships <\/a>and volunteer activities that showcase your leadership, research capabilities and dedication to your future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Your\u00a0resume will also benefit\u00a0from strong quantitative factors. \u00a0<a title=\"Average GRE Scores for Top Grad School Programs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/average-gre-scores-for-top-grad-school-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Top GRE scores<\/a>\u00a0are a key differentiator, as they are one of the few data points with which admissions departments can compare everyone who applies. Some key factors to consider:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">Studies show that the highest median <a title=\"Average GRE Scores for Top Grad School Programs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/average-gre-scores-for-top-grad-school-programs\/\">GRE scores<\/a> are achieved by those aged 22-23<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><a title=\"What\u2019s a good GRE score?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/whats-a-good-gre-score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GRE scores<\/a>\u00a0are good for 5 years<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">A strong GPA also proves you can excel in the classroom\u2014a great indicator of graduate school readiness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Finally, all<a title=\"Journey to Grad School: The Application Process\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/journey-to-grad-school-the-application-process\/\"> graduate school applicants<\/a>, no matter what kind of story your resume tells, should do the following for any programs that interest you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">get in contact with programs\u00a0early<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">attend open houses<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">tour the programs and sit in on classes<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">speak with all students, alumni and professors that you can<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Don\u2019t just focus on whether or not your credentials are enough for a program; also seek insight into\u00a0<a title=\"How to Choose Your Grad School\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/gre\/how-to-choose-your-grad-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">whether the program will be a good fit<\/a>\u00a0for you. And it always helps you if a program can associate your face with your application\u2013 it never hurts to be able to separate you from the pack.<br \/>\nAfter you\u2019ve finished these steps, you should be good to go! It may be in your best interest to proofread it one more time to make sure everything is spelled and written correctly. You could also have trusted friends and professors look over it as well to give you some advice.<br \/>\n<div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_heading  avia-builder-el-last '><div id=\"text-70\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"a78fe19e226d385662749ccaadcdccd7ecdcab651c77e3b874bfcb76a80605a7\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div id=\"text-71\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"185e834399a9fdd414ded52f3f51a4735f464b8c612f006f44ffba835a649b4f\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"yj6qo ajU\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graduate applications\u00a0contain many parts and usually include a resume of some sort. You might find it easy to upload your current resume and focus more on other parts of the application. This is tempting, but your resume offers crucial insight into your background and experience to the admissions team. You want it to stand out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[68],"tags":[335,69,265],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17999"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17999"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34589,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17999\/revisions\/34589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}