SAIS MA Application Resume

[hgd12]

Hello everyone,

Sorry if this has already been asked in another thread. I tried searching the forums and came up empty-handed.

The SAIS Bologna admissions blog recommends we keep the resume to a single page: http://saisbolognaad...-main-dish.html

How are other applicants doing with the length? Anyone over a page? I'm having a hard time keeping it down to the limit, but fear being judged negatively for having a 2 pager.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Oh, and I'm not applying to Bologna, just DC. Which is why I ask.

Edited December 20, 2011 by hgd12

[mv0027]

I've meet CEOs and the like that manage to keep their resume to one page. If you are applying to masters program and presumably only have a bachelors and a couple years of work experience, there is no reason you can't keep it to one page. You are either being too wordy or trumping up experience that isn't that great. It is standard practice in all industries (outside academia) to keep resumes to one-page. Thinking you are different will, appropriately, illicit a negative response.

[greendiplomat]

I've meet CEOs and the like that manage to keep their resume to one page. If you are applying to masters program and presumably only have a bachelors and a couple years of work experience, there is no reason you can't keep it to one page. You are either being too wordy or trumping up experience that isn't that great. It is standard practice in all industries (outside academia) to keep resumes to one-page. Thinking you are different will, appropriately, illicit a negative response.

I tend to disagree. Yes, when applying to jobs, you only list the positions relevant to the posting, but when you're weaving together your various academic and professional experiences in a narrative about your career as a whole, I think it's better to exceed a page to give the admissions committee a more complete picture than to leave parts of your career out to fit an arbitrary standard.

Just to name a few programs to which I'm applying that echo this opinion:

Columbia SIPA:

Please note that readability is very important. We do no recommend using very small font and extended margins. When applying for a job many people feel compelled to use these tactics to keep their résumé to a page or two. This résumé is for graduate school consideration and the Committee encourages applicants to list all relevant information and to not use a small font or extended margins in an attempt to cram a great deal of information into a very small space. A résumé that is longer but easier to read is much preferred over a short résumé that is hard to read.

Put another way – we like white space. Committee members have to read several hundred applications and small fonts and cramped formats are very difficult on the eyes. When it doubt, use 12 point font and normal margins – the Committee will thank you for it.

Yale FES:

• resume/CV – Most people will submit a 2-paged resume, but you can submit something a little longer if necessary. However, I caution you against 5-paged CVs unless you have extensive research experience or publications, especially if you have not even graduated from college yet. Most faculty members will roll their eyes when they see a senior in college submit a 5-paged resume/CV!
  

In short, yes, keep it at a reasonable length, but it just seems unwise not to include relevant information because you're afraid of exceeding the 1-page tradition that's more applicable to job applications than to graduate school applications to begin with.

[hgd12]

Well, I'd tend to agree with mv0027, especially since the Bologna director of admissions specifies the preference for one pagers.

The only problem is that I went to 2 schools and have had 4 relevant jobs/5 relevant volunteer experiences, plus the languages/awards/honors heading. The resume I use professionally is one page, but it doesn't include my volunteer experiences.

I guess I should just cut down on the bullet points. I try not to go over four, if I reach four at all.

[mv0027]

Sure. Two schools (one of which is an entirely different discipline) mention that they are ok with more than one-page. There are exceptions to every rule. The point on resumes being different for grad school than they are for work is well taken. But again, "professional" schools tend to focus on being very career-focused. A good resume coming in means a good resume upon graduation (admissions know that).

More generally, congrats to hgd12. This was a weird moment in my life, but it sounds like you have gotten to that place in life when you have lots of experiences that make you a strong candidate for a variety of jobs. As such, you we need to learn how to highly-customize your resume accordingly. When I was in graduate school, I had different resumes for research jobs, consulting jobs, non-profit jobs, jobs-abroad, etc. Cutting things out feels weird at first, but learning to create a super-baller one-page resume is an important skill in life. A resume is like a first date in my opinion. First you have to get past the cheesy pickup line (i.e. elevator pitch). On the first date you want to give all the major highpoints, while still leaving them curious about all the details that fill in the cracks and make you awesome. In which case, they'll be dying to go out with you again (or call you for an interview).

Can't be too sure, but my guess is drop the volunteer work (unless is was something MAJOR like the peace corps, serious development project, etc). Everyone applying to SAIS has spent a week in Latin America building [insert any public good here]. Tighten up the education section. Only things worth mentioning are the institution, degree, honors, and anything DIRECTLY related to your interests in SAIS. Student council appointments, clubs, etc should be dropped. Jobs bullet points should only be about 2 lines per year of employment.

good luck!

[hgd12]

Thanks for the pointers to both posters. I'll probably just trim the explanations for volunteer work. It really is much harder to be short and crisp than anything else.

[ajl]

I'm facing a similar problem with my resume for SAIS. I'm applying to the DC campus for both years and haven't found anything recommending an appropriate CV/resume length. Since admissions are separate for these campuses, I'm wondering if anyone else has heard differently about SAIS DC's preference...?

And yes, of course my life will fit on a page as well as anyone else's. It's just that, barring Bologna admission blog, the top-tier programs all seem to prefer longer resumes to highlight details they would be interested in.

[piquant777]

FWIW, I'm in the 2-pager camp. All the other schools I'm applying to have specified the two page maximum, which I take to mean you won't be penalized for submitting within that. I'm applying to DC, not Bologna, so I'll just go with 2.

[Waffle]

I sent an e-mail to ask about the length for SAIS DC and they answered that:

There is no particular length we are looking for in your Resume/C

[ajl]

Excellent. Thanks for the input, y'all.

[hgd12]

Haha, yes, thank you for clearing that up, Waffle.

I don't know why I'm so averse to the idea of contacting the Admissions Office. They're there for a reason