Author: trainer

Deciding whether or not to pursue an MBA is a tough decision. Picking the right MBA program to apply to is an even tougher one. There are over 6,000 business schools in the world – how do you select the one with the best “fit” for your career?

We talked a lot about how AdComs make admissions decisions (check out our earlier blog here), however the process of MBA application is a two-way street: you’re looking for the best MBA program, and business schools are looking for the best candidates.

If you know who the schools are looking for, you’ll have an upper hand in creating the best possible application and proving that you will be a really good fit with their MBA program(s).

How do you stand out?

Take a look at the common admissions criteria and understand how your candidacy stacks up against these criteria – this will help you come up with the winning application strategy:

• Work experience
• GMAT
• GPA
• Essays
• References
• Admissions Interview

 

As a candidate, your number one job is to realistically assess your profile! You want to apply to the best possible school; however, if your target school is very competitive, there may be thousands of other applicants vying for a limited number of spots in the program.

To stand out, you need a solid application strategy. Remember that MBA admissions is a holistic process; business schools look at many factors when determining your candidacy. Meeting all required admissions criteria doesn’t necessarily mean you will get in. Make sure you’re thinking through what schools you’re going to apply to (and when), and don’t put all your eggs into one basket. Moreover, getting an MBA degree at a particular school is such an important decision that working with a coach or a consultant will be a smart investment.

Let’s look at some admissions myths to get a reality check:

Myth: Having a 760 on the GMAT will make me an attractive candidate for almost any elite business school in the world.

Fact: For many business schools, a 700+ score on the GMAT is simply a necessary requirement to be considered for an application, and certainly doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get in! Once you get a competitive GMAT score, you need to prove that the rest of your application is equally competitive.

Myth: Business schools prefer candidates with investment banking or consulting experience.

Fact: This may have been the case in the past, but now many business schools are looking for diversity. If you have relevant work experience in any industry, have demonstrated good leadership skills, and have proven to be a well-rounded individual, you’ll have a good chance to stand out on your application. If your work experience is not that impressive, you can look for volunteer work or take a sabbatical and do something extraordinary that will stretch you out of your comfort zone and will impress the Admission Committees.

Myth: Being from an underrepresented part of the world will get you admitted because business schools need diversity.

Fact: Believe it or not, top tier MBA programs have seen it all! It may be to your advantage to rep-resent a unique background, but please don’t forget that you still need to prove that you are “good enough” for their programs.

Simply meeting admissions criteria “on paper” is not enough

A competitive application is all about being well-rounded as a person and having a balanced application. Most business schools have realized, by now, that soft skills are as important as technical skills. How well a candidate presents himself or herself goes a long way in the application process. You may have a great job and a fantastic GMAT score, but can you “sell yourself” to the business school?

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and devising your application strategy will save you a lot of time, money and energy in the admissions process.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: to come up with the best application strategy, you should evaluate your candidacy objectively. We meet with candidates every day who believe their 700+ GMAT scores will get them into the best MBA programs in the world… As you’ve already seen for yourself, a lot more is needed to get into the most competitive business schools.

Do a self-assessment or hire a career coach to help you (or sign up for a Free 1-on-1 consultation and one of our coaches can do a free assessment for you). Then come up with your list of dream business schools and compare yourself with their candidate profiles. Do you see yourself fitting in? If yes, go ahead and start your application. If not, move on to another business school.

It’s good to pick 1 or 2 schools in your “stretch zone”, however you need to think of a backup strategy in case you don’t get into your top choices. There is a big opportunity cost of delaying your MBA. If you wait another year, not only will you delay a potential $30,000 – $50,000+ salary increase, but also you could end up being overqualified for a full-time program and will need to look for alternative programs that could be less helpful for your career growth.

During such an important process of selecting and applying for MBA programs, don’t hesitate to ask for help and feedback. Both admissions teams at business schools and professional admissions consultants are there to help you. Draft a list of compelling questions and start knocking on doors!

Request a free profile evaluation, or schedule a consultation to get your questions answered.

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You’ve worked hard on your GMAT, submitted your application on time, and attended the MBA admissions interview. You’ve been advised to expect a final decision on your application within 2-3 weeks – sometimes even longer. Those few weeks seem to be the longest weeks of your life!

During this time, you keep re-evaluating your application – should have included this, could have said that at the interview… finally you receive an update and unfortunately the business school is asking you to wait a little more because you’ve been placed on the wait-list!

What could be more disappointing?

Many candidates think that being placed on the wait-list is almost as bad as getting a rejection letter. We beg to differ!

The Admissions Committee didn’t want to reject your application because it liked your profile, but nevertheless couldn’t offer you an admission right away. This can happen for 2 main reasons:

1. the school has already admitted enough candidates with a similar profile into the program and is looking for diversity, or
2. the school needs to see more applications in the pool to understand what the class composition will look like before deciding which candidates from the waiting list to admit.

 

You may feel like the ball’s in their court and other than waiting patiently there isn’t much you can do to change this situation. In fact, there are many things you can do to turn things around.

First of all, you should do some self-reflection. Now that enough time has passed since your admissions interview, you can take an objective look at your application and re-evaluate it. Ask for feedback from your contact on the Admissions Committee.

Pick up the phone and have a conversation! Don’t just email, show you are taking this application seriously. Always remain enthusiastic about the program and show your willingness to accept the admission, once it is offered.

What if the school doesn’t offer me any feedback?

Sometimes due to the heavy volume of applications, the school cannot provide feedback. If that is the case with you, you can create your own feedback mechanism by objectively answering these questions:

• Do you see any weaknesses in your profile?
• Are there any gaps you can address on your resume or in your application?
• Are there any accomplishments you accidentally forgot to include in your resume or essays?
• If you were to given another chance, what would you have done differently?

 

Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?

Once you had a chance to do self-reflection and gather all the new information, it’s time to devise a wait-list communication strategy. Here are a few tips:

• Keep in touch with the Admissions team but don’t bombard it with updates and questions.
• Continue to work hard at your job and try to get as many accomplishments as you can under your belt, then update your resume and send a revised copy to your admissions contact.
• Continue to attend school events and build your network with the school ambassadors and alumni. They may be able to provide an endorsement to the Admissions Committee.
• If there is a weakness in your application, address it promptly. For example, if your GMAT score is below the average, consider re-writing the test. Get into a good GMAT prep program and show that you’re serious. Book a date for your test and inform your contact at the admissions office of your exam date – this will show your solid commitment!
• If the weakness in your application is work related, you may try to get another reference highlighting a different set of skills, or obtain a volunteer position that will help you overcome your weaknesses and make your experience more diverse.
• Last but not least, don’t put all your eggs in one basket and consider applying to several schools. No matter what business schools you’re applying to, applicant pools change from year to year and your chances of admission can be hard to predict ahead of time. For this reason, many candidates decide to hedge their risk and apply to multiple programs. Time is your most valuable resource and doing your MBA sooner, rather than later may mean $30,000-$100,000 in foregone salary increase after graduation. Don’t wait another year just in case you can’t get into your top choice school!

As you can see, there are many things you can do to get yourself off that wait-list. There is no guarantee that you will still be able to get into your top choice school, but you’ll definitely have the peace of mind in knowing that you gave it your best shot.

Hopefully, the Admission Committee members will see your efforts and will offer you a spot because they’ll love your enthusiasm about the program! And even if they don’t, you could take your newly discovered experience and insights about yourself, and give it your best when applying to another school. Good luck!

Wait-listed and would like to get an opinion on your profile?

Been wait-listed and would like to get an opinion on your profile?

Better yet, want to know how to avoid being wait-listed altogether?

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Once you receive your offer of admission, you’re probably over the moon because you are only a few months away from embarking on a very exciting journey – and quite a memorable one! If you’ve been admitted to your dream business schools, celebrations are definitely in order!

After a week or so, reality will sink in! You will realize that there are many things you need to do before the start of the program. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Here are a few things that you should do in the few months between receiving your offer of admission and beginning your classes.

• Pay your deposit on time to secure your spot in the class. Keep an eye on offer expiration dates and definitely don’t miss them!
• Create your profile on the student portal. This is a major priority, as all the important deadlines and announcements (including additional scholarships) are posted regularly. You’ll receive communications from the student life center and possibly an introductory/courtesy call from a career coach to check in with you and learn more about you, as well as answer any questions you may have.
• There could be an on campus event for admitted students a few months before classes start; make sure to attend it if possible! You can meet your future professors, class mates and a career team, and get to know the school and its environment.
• Brush up on your math skills! You may be saying “Didn’t I do that for the GMAT already?” Yes, you did, but the math you’ll need in the MBA program will be quite different from the math on the GMAT. If you have a liberal arts background and have had no exposure to numbers or Excel, you may consider enrolling in a course or getting a good book to prepare. There are some great Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) available, so take advantage of them to prepare you for the mathematical rigors of business school.
• Join a Facebook group for the incoming class if one is available; it is a great venue to meet your future classmates and get advice on moving to a new city, if your business school is not in your home town. Virtually bonding with your future classmates is a good stepping stone to bonding in person!
• Most schools will have an MBA Orientation Camp; this is usually a fantastic team-bonding event! The orientation camp is usually run either by the school or by the second year students, depending on the program. You will stay somewhere out of campus for a couple of days and will have lots of team building activities and fun games. After the orientation camp, you will have made lots of new friends and will feel a lot more comfortable with many new faces in class!
• Remember to continue giving your best at work. Not only will you gain great references for your future internship and post-graduation career opportunities, but you will also keep earning much-needed cash for your education.
• Remember to also continue your volunteer and social activities, be it singing at the church, making crafts, watching movies or reading books. The MBA program will be intense and the course load will be heavy; you may not find enough time for your social life. If you do, most of your social activities will be school-related, such as networking, meet-ups, case competitions, student clubs etc.
• Follow the news; keep yourself informed about what is happening in the world: from politics to economics to social events. You’ll be meeting students from all over the world and wouldn’t want to be ill-informed about world events.
• Last but not least, spend lots of time with your friends, as you may only be able to connect with them on Facebook throughout your MBA!! Take a vacation before the start of the program if you can. Relax and feel refreshed when you start the program. A positive mind goes a long way during this tough journey. Once you start the program, you will be loaded with midterms, exams, endless assignments and extracurricular activities; you will need a lot of energy to “survive” and “thrive” in the program.

Congratulations again on your offer of admission! Prepare well and enjoy your MBA program!

Need advice on how to create a winning MBA application?

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An MBA program is all about stepping outside your comfort zone to acquire new skills, expanding your network of professional contacts and encountering career opportunities you may never previously have considered.

To maximize these benefits of the degree, there’s much to be said for studying at an international institution, especially if you’ve decided to put your current career on hold and undertake the qualification on a full-time basis.

An MBA in Europe and what schools seek from candidates

For those in North America who are considering the merits of taking a program outside the region, QS research tells us that Western Europe – and in particular, the UK, France and Spain – provides applicants’ most-favored destinations for MBA study. Luckily, the region is also home to a number of world-renowned business schools, such as London Business School, INSEAD and IE Business School. The question is, what are these schools looking for in an MBA candidate and what advice can they offer to those interested in joining their upcoming cohorts?

Here are a few highlights from a series of interviews with admissions directors on www.topmba.com, in which top business schools in Europe outline important aspects of their MBA application processes and tips for those applying:

“We are looking for candidates who are mature, who are going to teach as much as they learn through their own insights and who have strong communication and interpersonal skills – exchange and learning among the participants is as important as class instruction.” Pejay Belland, director of marketing, admissions and financial aid at INSEAD.

“We will ask the applicant to give examples from their past experience that indicate not only their management and leadership abilities, but also commitment, ambition, international exposure and teamwork skills.” Stephanie Kluth, head of admissions at ESMT European School of Management and Technology.

Understand which MBA is right for you before you apply

Of course, there’s no point in just applying to every reputable program you can find in your preferred countries of study with the aim of seeing where you wind up winning admission. That attitude isn’t likely to get you very far. As in the US and Canada, individual business schools in Europe offer differing emphases and experiences through their full-time MBAs – the program length can also vary between one and two years’ study. They will therefore expect you to have researched these distinctions thoroughly and to have identified why you believe their program is the perfect place for you to study:

“We want people to want us, to do their research. We want people who are not just looking to get into a top program, but who see us as the school of their dreams…I would like to see evidence that they understand the school, know what we do and that they have spoken to people and not just read the website.” David Simpson, admissions director at London Business School.

“A common pitfall for applicants is to blindly apply to a lot of top MBA programs, without giving enough consideration to their own suitability. We are looking for applicants for whom HEC Paris is an ideal fit, and who have made the conscious decision of choosing the school.” Philippe Oster, director of communications, development and admissions at HEC Paris.

“It is important to convey their motivation to study in Copenhagen as opposed to another city and the relevance of the Copenhagen MBA to their professional profile and post-MBA goals.” Thuli Skosana, admissions manager at Copenhagen Business School.

One way to get to know a specific MBA program better, and beyond the information you can find on a business school or third-party website, is to arrange a campus visit or attend an open day. The logistics here, however, aren’t always ideal, so a further possibility is to attend an event that showcases business schools and programs around the world under one roof. The QS World MBA Tour is one such event and it arrives in Toronto on May 8 2016. Those in attendance can meet and learn more about their options from representatives of leading business schools in Europe, including INSEAD, ESMT, HEC Paris and Copenhagen Business School, as well as those based in the US and Canada.

As a member of Admit Master you can receive free entry to this event, all you need to do is register in advance here:

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Reference letters are an important part of your MBA application. The admissions teams, just like hiring managers, would like to get second opinions about the candidates. Because your resume and your LinkedIn profile can tell mostly your side of the story, they turn to your recommenders for help.

Luckily, you get to choose who they should be contacting! Reference check is a very basic process; all schools look for very similar things. They would like to learn more about your professional accomplishments and gauge your leadership potential.

You might be thinking “How can you trust a stranger when it comes to my work?” While references do play a role in your application decision, always keep in mind that it is one of the requirements, not the requirement. Your MBA application has six components and all of them are important.

Is there a rule of thumb for selecting recommenders?

Yes, there is!

One of the most common questions we get asked is about academic references. If you’re not applying for a direct entry Master’s or a delayed entry 2+2 program, academic references shouldn’t be used. Since you’re hoping to enter into a business school to pursue a professional degree, admissions teams are more interested in your achievements at work not in your classroom accomplishments (your academic abilities are measured through your GMAT or GRE scores and your GPA).

MBA Admissions teams are seeking individuals with strong career aspirations, who are high achievers, who would like to contribute to the growth of their community, and who can work well with people from all walks of life. The MBA programs are becoming more diverse and admissions teams are looking for global citizens to be part of their incoming cohorts. These programs are heavily based on teamwork/group work, therefore they’re looking for strong interpersonal skills and team work. Thus, professional references provide a far better insight into the qualities business schools are looking for.

Whom should I choose as recommenders?

Your direct supervisor should definitely be on the list. Since this person has worked with you directly, he or she would have the best insights about your professional skills. However, if you’re keeping your MBA application hidden from your supervisor, you could choose another senior colleague to comment on your work. Here’s one important tip: Don’t simply go after big titles. A CEO or a Senior Vice-President might know you, but if that person cannot comment on specifics of your work, his or her reference will not be a good one.

What should the recommenders talk about?

While you should never write your own recommendation letters (and none of our consultants will write or edit one for you), you can still have an influence over what your recommenders might be talking about. Remember that they are likely busy people who may not be very familiar with the MBA application process and you may need to provide some guidance about the expectations for the reference letters.

Simply saying how great you are is helpful, but unfortunately not enough. The admissions teams would like to see specific examples. So feel free to give your recommenders a heads up to refrain from generic comments.

What if I’m an entrepreneur or self-employed?

If you are self-employed, you can choose a client, a supplier or a vendor that you work with closely. If you work in a family business, refrain from choosing family members as your recommenders. While we’re sure they have great things to say about you, they wouldn’t make the best references as they wouldn’t be completely objective!

When is it OK to use academic references?

If you would like to include an academic reference, you can do so if you worked with this person while you were at school. As mentioned before, the recommendation questions are directly related to your professional performance, so a professor who taught you a course would not be able to provide good answers for most of the questions. It would be to your advantage to choose someone you have worked with in a professional setting.

Traditional reference letters vs. electronic questionnaires…

Some business schools accept reference letters in the traditional letter format. While these letters do provide valuable insight into the application, sometimes schools do not find them to be a consistent tool. Every recommender takes the liberty to discuss a different quality. To be fair to all applicants, many schools created online questionnaires. Usually there are fewer than ten open-ended questions and one scoring matrix.

Since answering questions is easier than writing a letter, online questionnaires take less time to complete. Most of the recommenders would find this format more efficient. Furthermore, using online questionnaires is advantageous for you because if you have a good recommender who doesn’t like writing letters, filling an online questionnaire instead of writing a letter would be less stressful and may result in a better recommendation as a result! These questionnaires are a fair method as all applicants are rated based on the same criteria.

Submitting the electronic questionnaire is a simple process. When completing your application, you will be asked to provide the email contact information of the two recommenders. Once you submit their contact details, the system will send them the questionnaire instantly. As soon as the recommenders complete the form, you will be notified by email that your references are completed. Simple and easy!

Tip #2: Needless to say, you should always ask your recommenders if they’re OK to provide references before you give their contact information to the school. This simple courtesy will go a long way!

Tip #3: Whenever possible, use a work email address and not a personal one. Not only there is a greater chance that requests for references could end up in a personal spam folder of your recommender, but business schools prefer a work email address as it increases credibility of the recommender.

Need help selecting the best recommenders for your MBA Application?

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If you’re planning on pursuing your MBA anytime soon, you may have attended a number of fairs, spoken with dozens of schools, and sat in a few admissions panels. When it comes to MBA program selection, you must have heard many times about the right “fit”.

Despite its vague meaning, this “buzz word” does answer a lot of questions. I’ve been contemplating blogging about “fit” for some time and when I came across this great article in @Forbes I knew this was the right time! The article did an excellent job of exploring the concept of “fit”. What makes this article better than the others is that it encouraged me to look at “fit” from multiple angles.

Most candidates focus more on the “functional fit”

According to the author, there are two types of “fit” that employers are looking for: a cultural fit and functional fit. Although the article looks at the “fit” from the employers’ perspective, I truly believe the same applies to MBA candidates.

As an admissions professional who has been in this space for a long time, I tend to notice how some candidates are a better fit for some MBA programs than others. Some are great examples of a “functional fit”. They have high GMAT scores, excellent GPAs, and great technical skills that will allow them to succeed academically and in future careers that require technical skills.

Remember that an MBA degree is a professional development degree. As long as MBA students fulfill their career aspirations, they consider the program successful. Investing two years of your time in a graduate degree program to improve your skills and network should bring strong returns – whatever your understanding of the term “return” is. The return could be financial (higher salary) or more intangible (soft skills, the network you develop and the new concepts you learn in the program).

How does the “cultural fit” fit into the MBA journey?

As we’ve already mentioned, there are two types of fit: Cultural and Functional. While it is true that any business school will look for academically brilliant students, a good cultural fit is no less important. You’ll be spending a lot of time at the school with your peers, employers and various industry experts and thought leaders. If you’re not a good cultural fit with the program, you won’t enjoy your experience and your peers won’t benefit as much from your contribution either.

There are numerous studies and examples proving the significance of soft skills, especially for leadership roles. Your technical skills will get your foot in the door in a reputable company but eventually, if you want to lead other people, you have to fit well into the company culture.

How do I decide?

Before making a final decision to apply to a certain school, I recommend that you do some self-reflection, determine your values, beliefs and character traits, and select the business school that fits well with them. Don’t go after rankings only. Pursuing your MBA at a top school is always a bonus, but if the school is not equipped to provide you with what you are looking for, you will not get a good return on your investment.

When you consider a business school, ask these simple questions:

• What candidates does the business school admit? What type of experience do the students bring? Talk to current students, take advantage of the Social Media and ambassador programs. Find out more about the culture: is it more collaborative or more competitive (most importantly, decide which one works best for you)?
• What is the school’s teaching philosophy? What’s its competitive advantage over other business schools? What is it known for? Check out the curriculum; explore specializations and areas of focus. If you are interested in sustainability, pursuing an MBA at a school that churns out mostly investment bankers may not be the best choice.
• What’s the admissions process like? Is the school genuinely interested to learn more about you? Try to get some insight into the selection process and see if the school attracts the quality candidates that you want to see as your peers. It may be harder to read between the lines of the admission requirements, so please feel free to reach out to us if you need any help!
• Is there good student diversity? Surely, if you’re targeting schools like Insead, London Business School or IMD, you don’t need to worry about lack of diversity; these business schools do a phenomenal job of admitting the best candidates from all over the world – hence their excellent rankings and employment reports. However, if you’re exploring a school and find out that there’s no “balanced” approach to admitting candidates, steer clear of that school because it may be merely filling the seats.

 

Do your research!

The above key points and your findings will lead you in the right direction. Before you commit yourself to a program, make sure you feel comfortable with your decision and have no “what if” questions in mind. Good luck finding the best fit for your career!

Need help deciding what business school is a good fit for you?

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Is there such thing as “the best time to apply” to MBA programs?

With the third round application deadlines around the corner, we get more and more questions around the right timing of an MBA application. The short answer is, the right time to apply is when you are ready to apply and you’re 100% confident in your candidacy.

Here’s a quick test to figure out if your profile is competitive and if you’re ready for an MBA:

• • Do you have a strong work experience? Have you been working for a minimum of 2 years with a solid track record?
  • Are you ready to go back to school? When you graduated from university, you may have said to yourself “never again”, but now you’re imagining yourself at a graduate school convocation. Are you mentally ready for the new challenge?
  • Would you have better career opportunities if you had an MBA degree? Maybe your undergraduate degree is not exposing you to the leadership roles as you’d hoped; or maybe you don’t like the industry you are in and need a change.
  • Are you ready for a new challenge called the GMAT? Do you have the right attitude?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you’ve passed this quick test with flying colors, and are ready to go back to school!

If you’ve been doing your research, you may have realized, by now, that there are different rounds of applications. If you apply in the spring, you’ll hit the third round. What does this mean to you?

Is applying to Round 3 a good thing or a bad thing?

The answer to this great question is both yes and no! Applying in the earlier rounds has its merits: more scholarship money is available and more seats in the program remain. However, if you apply in a later round, this doesn’t mean that you have no chance of getting in. There is still hope!

Many schools have a third round because they need that round. They still have space available in the program, and the admissions teams are still looking for good candidates. They know that not everyone wants to wait till the next year, and not everyone plans well ahead to apply to a graduate school. Some candidates take their time to see where their career is going and want to get some experience to be able to make an informed decision. There are also candidates who realize that they should get their MBA as soon as possible because their careers are not going anywhere without it.

Depending on your target schools, you might have a very good chance of getting into a competitive school that is on your list. Poets and Quants recently published a great analysis of top tier American business schools that still offer great chances of getting in in later rounds.

While your chances would depend on how many seats are still left in the program and how competitive the application pool will be in that round, if this is the right time for you to get an MBA, you should definitely consider applying in the third round.

One recommendation we would make for candidates applying in later rounds is to have a realistic list of target schools. Some schools are more selective than others. Since putting together a competitive application requires a lot of time and energy, you don’t want to spend too much time on a school that is unlikely to admit you.

You may be wondering what schools are more “selective” than others. You could find out the “selectivity” score of a school by dividing the number of offers it extends by the number of applications it receives. You can check this selectivity analysis to see where you stand.

Are all schools very competitive in Round 3?

While the top US business schools enjoy a high competition for spots in the program and a very high volume of applications from all over the world, there are quite a few good business schools that are not full at this time and may even have up to five application rounds. They may not be in high demand due to many reasons, often because of their location, but if their programs appeal to you and have great career stats, they should definitely be on your radar.

Perhaps you tried applying to very competitive schools in the first or second round and didn’t get in. If this is the case, now may be the time to check out some of less competitive programs and see if they can provide you with solid academic content and student experience.

Word of caution: If you are in this situation, please make sure you don’t recycle your essays from your previous applications; you should always submit customized essays with school specific examples.

Should I still apply now?

An MBA is a journey that requires a lot of advance planning and preparation. Many candidates want to pursue an internationally renowned MBA; to get admitted to such a competitive program, you’ll need to spend a considerable amount of time before submitting your application.

You may have realized that you need to get an MBA later in the application cycle; there is still time to apply, but you will need to work strategically to maximize your chances of getting in. If you feel overwhelmed when looking at the application requirements, never hesitate to get help.

Professional admissions consultants have great expertise in the field and can answer any of your questions; getting expert help with your decision making and MBA application processes will be a small investment that will pay off many times over when you get admitted to your dream business school!

Schedule your free profile evaluation to see how you can maximize your career potential.

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Work experience is an integral part of any good MBA application. In most cases, your work experience determines your eligibility for an MBA program. The basic minimum is 2 years of full-time work experience prior to the start of your MBA. However, when you look at the average number of years of work experience published by business schools, you’ll see that 4 years is common.

An MBA is a Professional, rather than an Academic degree. Candidates pursue this degree to enhance their “employability”, primarily in two ways: to move up in their chosen industry (such candidates are commonly referred to as “career enhancers”) or to break the barriers and get their foot into a new industry (“career switchers”).

Regardless of the chosen career path, MBA candidates will need at least 2 years of full-time work experience to make themselves attractive not only to the business school, but also to future employers. The admissions professionals scrutinize a candidate’s resume closely because they want to understand the nature of the work experience the candidate is bringing to their program.

The main reason for the work experience requirement is to ensure that candidates have the foundation to build upon in the program, and are able to contribute to class and group discussions. As an MBA candidate, you’ll constantly be asked to provide examples from your work. Without any work experience, for example, you won’t be able to see how different functions in a company work together towards the common goal.

MBA is a demanding degree and there won’t be much time allocated for lectures or theories. You’ll be required to complete your reading assignments on your own time; time in class will be your opportunity to exchange opinions and learn from your professors and your peers.

What does “good work experience” mean?

Every business school is looking for ways to create a diverse class to attract more candidates to their program. While candidates with certain backgrounds make up the majority of MBA applicants (most specifically, Engineering and Commerce graduates), admissions teams are making a special effort to attract a wider pool of candidates, including candidates with not-for-profit background, women, LGBT, veterans, to name a few. When candidates come from very different professions, assessing their work experience becomes more of an art than science. As a candidate, you might be wondering if your work experience is good enough.

As a former admissions professional, my first advice would be not to dwell on quantity. It is really the quality of your experience that will make your application stronger. You don’t need to hold a very senior position (if you’ve graduated just 2-3 years ago, it’s quite expected that you may still be at a junior level), but you can still show that you make a difference.

“Making an impact on the organization” is a big plus; this impact could be anywhere from increasing the bottom line to bringing a great sense of humor to the team. That’s right, intangibles count, too! Most of the time, candidates overlook or underestimate these intangibles. You can have a great sense of humor, or you can be very approachable and available to help out – these are the “soft” qualities that could help you stand out.

But how do you show a good sense of humor that on your resume? You could still have good examples of how you demonstrated this quality of yours.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is an excellent personality trait. More and more books and articles are published on the importance of the EQ, especially from a leadership perspective.

As you may already know, by now, most MBA programs value leadership potential. As a young candidate, you can create your own opportunities to showcase your potential. One great way to prove it is through relationships and the initiatives you take. You can spearhead some cool team events during tough times to improve morale; become the “fun police” in your organization, and so on – these would be fabulous examples to include in your resume or on your essays.

As you can see, it’s not only about the number of years of experience under your belt. Increasingly, it’s more and more important to showcase your contributions throughout your time in the organization and the difference your presence makes in the office.

What about internship experience?

Smart undergraduate programs realize how important it is to have some practical experience prior to graduation in this competitive job market and have started incorporating excellent co-op programs and summer internships into their curricula.

Candidates who completed an undergraduate degree with an internship have a greater advantage than those without any co-op experience. Their “employability” post-graduation is higher since they’ve had the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in class and develop a more realistic sense of their new skills.

Many business schools have started recognizing some of the co-op work or summer internships. As a candidate, if you have such experience, you should definitely include it in your resume and make sure you have good references from your internships. The profile of companies where you interned is also important: if you have some multinational company names on your resume, your profile will be stronger.

What about volunteer work?

Volunteer work has become a mandatory requirement for MBA programs regardless of your full-time experience. Since entry into top MBA programs (and into desirable jobs after graduation) is very competitive, business schools’ admissions teams and career centres have a luxury of picking only the best well-rounded individuals.

In an MBA program, you’ll wear many hats. The course load is heavy; you’ll be interviewing constantly throughout the program for internships and full-time jobs; and on top of that you’ll be asked to participate in student clubs of your interest. Volunteer experience shows that you could juggle multiple responsibilities and could handle a busy lifestyle of an MBA student. It also shows that you are not self-centered and are willing to contribute beyond yourself.

What if I don’t have any full-time work experience?

Sometimes you may see a candidate without any full-time experience admitted to an MBA program. If you dig deeper, you’ll find out that the candidate has amazing volunteer work and that the admissions team was simply blown away by the work he or she has done in a developing country. If you are that sort of a candidate, you may be considered quite an exceptional candidate. If the rest of your application is equally competitive, you’ll have a great chance to get in!

To summarize, MBA is very practical degree. It is definitely in your best interest to have some work experience prior to the start of the program. There will be lots of class discussions and team discussions. Your professional experience will enhance your peers’ learning experience and you will build on your own one by putting ideas into context. Not to mention that it will increase your chances of landing a good internship and full-time employment.

Check out these school profiles at the Poets and Quants website to learn more about some of the top candidates admitted into various MBA programs.

If you need personal advice, as always, please feel free to book a FREE 1-on-1 Consultation.

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Good luck!

Claire Gumus,
Admit Master MBA Admissions Consultant.