Just like me, you’ve completed (or are in the process of completing) your field project, and you’re asking yourself a very important question – how can I best position my field project experience on my resume? To answer this question myself, I consulted with both Career Strategies and Engagement Center(CSE) and the CSE Resume Guide for my program. Here’s what I learned!
– Yuxuan Zhang, MSBA’24 and CSE Career Captain
Highlighting your field project experience on your resume – the right way!
Where your field project experience should live on your resume
Field project experiences should always be listed within the “Academic Projects” section (see that section of your program’s resume guide for formatting). After all, it is a project closely related to your academic pursuits, involving faculty and clients with specific learning outcomes.
It’s important that you don’t include your field project experience in the “Work Experience” section (where you would typically list an internship or past job) for a few major reasons.
- Employer background checks
- International student visa CPT requirements
- Honesty/Integrity
How you should list your field project on your resume
Similar to the standard practice of using the STAR format for describing your work and internships, emphasize how you achieved objectives and resolved challenges during your project. It’s essential to adopt an action and result-oriented approach.
If you have obtained consent from both your advisor and client and possess quantifiable results, it is highly recommended that you showcase them on your resume. Here’s an example for reference (but imagine within your resume template).
Brandeis International Business School
The ABC Field Project
- Analyzed diverse portfolio of 13 ventures, summarizing contracts and creating a valuation model in Excel/Python
- Forecasted portfolio exit timing and valuation using quantitative methods (such as..), leveraging industry comparables and data from Impact Seat
- Presented regular progress updates in team meetings, resulting in substantial partner investment
Remember to emphasize your personal contributions rather than merely “passively participating” – while also avoiding over-exaggerating your accomplishments. Check out this blog post by former field project participant Yilin Liu MSF’23 and her learning outcomes.
Collaborating on bullet points as a team is also a great idea, and you can always seek assistance from your project advisor and Career Coach.
Be careful when including “Quantitative Results”
As you may remember from the CSE Resume Review Process, quantitative details are an important part of the “Result” part of STAR. However, it’s important to keep the following in mind as you construct your bullet points.
First, make sure to consult the Non-Disclosure Agreement you were required to sign with the project client at the outset. Adhering to confidentiality is of utmost importance. If a client grants permission to disclose quantifiable results, then it would be appropriate to include them on your resume.
Second, honesty is the best policy. It is not uncommon to lack concrete quantifiable results after a brief field project. Meet with your Career Coach to discuss how to best represent your experience honestly, while also quantifying your contribution whenever possible.
When you can add your field project experience to your resume
Just like with your internship, it would be better to add it after completing the field project (when you can check-in with your supervisor and client partner for specific information).
Other ways to maximize your field project experience
According to Jennifer Voldins, Associate Director of Career Strategies and MSF Career Coach, field project employers can be great sources of recommendations and referrals for students who excel in their work. Therefore, it is crucial to stay connected with them, especially for students intent on pursuing careers in the same industry. These connections can potentially serve as support in securing an internship with the same company.
Please connect with your career coach if you have any questions and congratulations on completing a field project at Brandeis International Business School!
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to Jennifer Voldins, Associate Director of Career Strategies and MSF Career Coach, Kimberly Airasian, Associate Director, Event Strategy and External Relations, and Brittani Harris Asst. Director, Academic Experiential Programs for their valuable insights that enabled me to write this blog post.
