You are going to a highly ranked business school which should give you a "Wow Factor". Will that strengthen your resume enough to land a top job after business school? It depends on what else you have on your resume. If you have minimal work experience before business school, Wow Factor alone may not be enough to land a top job. There is much more you can do while attending business school to strengthen your resume. Here are a few resume tips:
Start a company in your 'spare time': Sure, a top ranked business school will take a lot of time and finding spare time may seem impossible. But starting and running a successful company will show employers that you are entrepreneurial and highly motivated. It will give you some great experience and will even help to pay some bills. The best way to start a business during business school is to work with a few fellow students who share your interests and compliment your skills. Put together a business plan and some presentation materials. Then approach companies in your area as they will be most convenient to meet and work with. Be prepared to show what you can do so that they take you seriously. Approach the administration of your school with your plans. They may even offer you resources, such as an on-campus office space, business contacts or advice.
Create an industry specific network or club. Hold regular meetings and invite executives from your industry to attend and give speeches. Many top managers will be flattered that you chose them to advise your organization. At the same time, you will be creating a network that can be very helpful to you when you are job hunting.
Create an industry specific website, blog or forum. If your website becomes popular it will be a great resource for you when you are job hunting and will look great on your resume.
Land an international internship. International experience is becoming more and more important as the business world becomes more and more global. Having an international internship on your resume will show that you have a global mentality and experience. Even if you have no foreign language skills you may be able to work in a foreign company. Here are some suggestions which may improve your chances of landing an international internship:
- Apply to international headquarters of foreign companies. For example, if you are interested in the banking industry, contact UBS in Switzerland, Deutsche Bank in Germany, BNP Paribas in France, Bank of Tokyo in Japan. It is very likely that these groups may have positions in English as they are working world-wide. Do not apply to the domestic office of a US bank, for example, in Greece unless you are fluent in Greek. It is most likely that Greek is the company language as they are working primarily for the Greek market.
- Find the name of the line manager in the department you are most interested in and contact him or her directly. Start by sending a letter and following up with a phone call. Do NOT send your resume to the Human Resource department. Unless they are seeking a person with your exact qualifications (which is highly unlikely) your resume will likely be immediately rejected. Line managers may be become interested, because it is often difficult to attract highly-qualified, native English-speaking managers. "Wow Factor" could play a very important role here, particularly if your business school is well known in their country.
- Contact Alumni from your school who are working in your industry abroad. Ask them to circulate your resume within their company.

Look for any opportunity to separate yourself from the pack. "Wow Factor" alone may not be enough to make your resume stand-out in a competitive job market. Show yourself as a leader and innovator and recruiters will be coming to you.