There are two kinds of MBA aspirants – those who have recently graduated, and those who have a few years of work experience after graduating. For admissions, fresh graduates are evaluated on the basis of their academic performance in 10th, 12th, and Graduation, along with extra-curricular interests and achievements. One of the most common questions that most MBA aspirants ponder over is, “What do B-schools look for in an experienced professional?”
Work experience matters
Simply put, work experience indeed sets a candidate apart. Management programs essentially are more holistic and involve development of management skills, along with skills in an array of other areas. These skills are actually picked up through practice, while working and interacting with others on a regular basis. Therefore, having a minimum exposure to these skills before joining a business school only makes the learning process more efficient.
Business schools in India typically assign a 5 to 10% weightage to work experience. This is especially true for the two-year post graduate programs offered by the IIMs. But one must remember that these are programs for which work experience is not a mandatory component of the eligibility criteria. There are, however, qualitative aspects of work experience which are evaluated during selection, apart from the duration.
There are also programs that require an aspirant to have a minimum work experience of 2 years or more. These programs naturally place a higher emphasis on the work experience in greater depth. We will discuss such programs in another dedicated section.
Regardless of the weightage, it is really important to spare ample time to retrospect and note down every single milestone of your career. You have to make sure you leverage every aspect of your application to build your case and help you grab the MBA offer you desire.
MBA programs for experienced professionals
A number of one-year MBA programs and Executive MBA programs require applicants to have at least two years of work experience. Some of them are:
- Post Graduate Program (PGP) by Indian School of Business (ISB)
- Post Graduate Program in Management (PGPM) by Great Lakes Institute of Management
- Post Graduate Program for Executives (PGPX) by Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad
Some of them may even demand higher – 3, 5 or even 8 years.
The goal of these programs is to have a cohort of students who are on par in their careers, looking forward to use their experience as a starting point of their education and build on it. The programs are also designed to leverage the professional maturity of these candidates and achieve career outcomes ideal for that demographic.
Many of these programs could be for team members who have done more than mundane activities, team leads, and junior management executives, aspiring to fast-track their careers or explore new career pathways. The executive programs are offered to mid/senior level executives who would require formal management education to take up senior leadership roles.
These programs are much more rigorous. It implies that the work experience requirement is not restricted to the duration of work experience alone. Applicants are required to have a certain level of general and corporate awareness, with skills in task prioritization, multi-tasking, people management and so on. All these come with work experience.
Advantage of having work experience
Management programs are not just about learning management concepts. They are also about the holistic development of individuals. The idea is to imbibe management skills, along with skills in managing people, a highly-demanding work environment, contingencies, while remaining pragmatic throughout.
Work experience gives a candidate the basic groundwork for these skills. This creates the difference in the way experienced MBA students approach a problem and the way the others do. Yes, the fresh minds of those who have recently graduated bring in ample creativity. However, all the years of experience working in a corporate setup give a sense of direction to ideas.
Quick Example!
Imagine a group of 6 students working on a project together. Three of them have worked for over 2 years in different industries and functions, while the other three have no work experience. The diverse work experience helps the group see the problem through different perspectives, identify potential challenges, and understand the feasibility of the solution. Together, the six of them can deliver an innovative solution with a higher probability of success.
What really counts under work experience?
There are many skills that one picks up while working for an organization, running a business or running their own professional practice. Some of these are hard to miss, such as:
- Communication skills
- General awareness of the business and the industry
- Dealing with people – colleagues, partners, suppliers and customers
- Undertaking professional initiatives on a personal level to grow and sustain
Some skills require additional efforts and constant practice, such as:
- Prioritizing tasks
- Following ethical practices
- Leading a team
- Being a liaison between multiple teams
- Setting and achieving long term objectives for the team and the organization
Therefore, the preparation for an MBA actually begins the moment you start your first job. The list is not exhaustive. Applicants who have taken up initiatives, overcome challenges, and ultimately made a difference, stand a much better chance of making it to reputed business schools.
Portraying your work experience
When you begin your applications, take some time out to list down every little detail of your career. These could be:
- Responsibilities you have been in charge of, collectively or exclusively
- Additional responsibilities you’ve taken up
- New initiatives you have proposed
- Challenges you have faced
- How you have overcome those challenges
- The leadership responsibilities you have assumed and how you managed a team in accomplishing various goals
- How the organization and your team have benefited in terms of profitability, ease of working, and efficiency
- The accolades you have earned
- The training and certifications you have undertaken for your professional growth
This is not a task that you can accomplish in a day’s time. You must revisit your list and add points as you recall them. Ultimately, you prioritize the ones that have made the most impact on you and the organization. This enables you to talk about them in depth.
It is not mandatory to check all the boxes. But if you have done some of the things listed above really well, you have improved your chances. Some B-school applications may involve an Essay or a Statement of Purpose (SoP). In that case, you have more freedom to structure and present your story in your own way.
To sum it up
You could be applying for a program that gives a 10% to 20% weightage to work experience. You also could be applying for a program that largely relies on your work experience if you qualify for it. But if you have prior work experience, the interviewers would be keenly interested in knowing more about how you’ve performed. Hence, it is absolutely essential to know your career journey so far and present it at the right place, in the right manner. We wish you all the best for your applications!
Gautam Lakhamraju is the Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Director, Admissions, Great Lakes Institute of Management. Views expressed are personal.
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