UoP resume help: no official "leadership role".

[mewbao]

I am filling out the resume for UoP and am stuck on the "Leadership Role" section and I have never held an official leadership position. I know UoP (amongst many other pharmacy schools) really care about leadership experience. Would it hurt my application if I don't include a leadership section, even though I have all my other sections (work, extracurricular, volunteer) filled out?

Would it be okay if I were to refer to a job where I demonstrated leadership skills without an offical leadership title? For example, as an assistant in a lab, the researcher I worked for gave me lots of responsibility that went beyond basic assistant duties. I managed the lab when he wasn't there and directed certain lab activities. Would this be a valid thing to put on the resume under the leadership section? If it is, how should I put it on the resume without being repetitive, since this activity is already listed under "work experience"?

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[kogekao]

Well, if you just don't have leadership experience, there's not much you can fill it. It shouldn't hurt your application if you leave one field blank, especially if you have other strong ECs.
I wouldn't list the same activity twice since it is repetitive. Just add those skills under your work experience section...

 

[Passion4Sci]

That's a tough one.

I don't think it's a problem to use your lab experience as both leadership and work. For example, I wrote about my time in Iraq as a squad leader and team point, and of course, the Army was my employer, hence I had it down twice. That's no big deal. However, since your title was "assistant", you'd be skating on thin ice... Although I don't think leaving it blank is preferable to explaining your leadership roles in the lab.

I'd include it.

 

[diastole]

Are you getting a LOR from the researcher? Will he talk about these extra duties that you did to the best of your knowledge? If the answer is yes to both questions, then I would list it in the leadership section. However, if there is a chance that you are going to look like you are seriously exaggerating, I would reconsider.

 

[Kaiter]

Didn't do anything in an organization (social or cs)?
Didn't have an event where you had to manage/take care of something?
You have a rank or anything in your ECs?

Try not to leave it blank...fill it with something...even if it sounds like something pretty absurd (but believable). Then be prepared to write about why you didn't hold so many leadership positions in your PS/interview...in case they bring it up. It won't hurt you terribly much as long as you are strong in other areas, have experience, and can explain why you weren't as big of a leader( ex. there were people who were really strong in certain things and you felt that it was better to follow them and input your ideas...show off that you're a contributor and not a blind follower)