{"id":11080,"date":"2017-12-01T17:07:44","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T17:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/?p=11080"},"modified":"2019-08-30T16:40:25","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T16:40:25","slug":"freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/blog\/freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission Admission: How to Approach Freelance Work and Layoffs on Your MBA Resume"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11123\" src=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/11\/mission-admission-freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume-mbamission.png\" alt=\"Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - Mission Admission: How to Approach Freelance Work and Layoffs on Your MBA Resume by mbaMission\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/11\/mission-admission-freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume-mbamission.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/11\/mission-admission-freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume-mbamission-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/11\/mission-admission-freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume-mbamission-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/11\/mission-admission-freelance-work-layoffs-mba-resume-mbamission-1024x536.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Taking the GRE for your business school application? You\u2019re in luck. Each month, we are featuring a series of MBA admission tips from our exclusive admissions consulting partner,\u00a0<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>mbaMission<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do mostly short-term, project-based work, you might struggle with how to structure your MBA resume so that it does not give the impression that you switch jobs every few months. If you list each job separately, not only will your MBA resume be too long, but you also run the risk that your reader will think you have not had a stable career\u2014when in fact, if you are a successful freelancer or contractor, the opposite is the case. So, how can you organize your MBA resume so that it showcases the strength of your work and avoid having the variety and number of your work experiences come across as a weakness instead?<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key here is \u201cclustering.\u201d Rather than listing each short-term job separately, cluster them all under one heading on your MBA resume, such as \u201cindependent contractor\u201d or \u201cfreelance project manager.\u201d Next to this heading, note the time range (i.e., start and end dates) during which you have worked for yourself. Then, using bullet points, list the individual projects you completed as a freelancer, noting your primary accomplishments for each one, followed by the related company\/organization name and dates. The goal is to keep the focus on your accomplishments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, many business school applicants worry about the impact having been laid off might have on their candidacy. Do the admissions committees view a layoff as a sign of failure?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One thing to remember is that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> MBA candidates share this worry\u2014thousands of them worldwide, in fact. For the admissions committees to dismiss all such applicants outright would simply not be practical. Moreover, the admissions committees know that the global financial crisis and subsequent recession are at the root of the problem, not necessarily the individual candidate\u2019s performance. Indeed, layoffs and firings are not the same thing, so admissions committees will examine your application with that in mind, seeking your broader story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you find yourself in this situation, what is important is that you show that you have made good use of your time since the layoff by studying, volunteering, seeking work, enhancing your skills, etc. Each candidate will react differently, of course, but you need to have a story to tell of how you made the most of a difficult situation. ?<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-9899 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/01\/logo-150x150.png\" alt=\"Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - mbaMission Logo\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>mbaMission<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>\u00a0is the leader in MBA admissions consulting with a full-time and comprehensively trained staff of consultants<\/i><\/b><i>, all with profound communications and MBA experience. mbaMission has helped thousands of candidates fulfill their dream of attending prominent MBA programs around the world. Take your first step toward a more successful MBA application experience with a free 30-minute consultation with one of mbaMission\u2019s senior consultants.\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/mbamission.com\/consult\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Click here to sign up today.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taking the GRE for your business school application? You\u2019re in luck. Each month, we are featuring a series of MBA admission tips from our exclusive admissions consulting partner,\u00a0mbaMission. If you do mostly short-term, project-based work, you might struggle with how to structure your MBA resume so that it does not give the impression that you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[645523,645522,1362363,672694],"tags":[1362345,1362380],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-11080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apps-and-admissions-mba-2","category-mba-2","category-mbamission","category-partners","tag-gre-for-mba","tag-mba-resume"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11080"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11125,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11080\/revisions\/11125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11080"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=11080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}