Hi Jennifer,

Yet another query on resume!!

I am in the process of applying to some of the US b-schools and was preparing a resume for submitting along with the applications. However I have a few doubts.

1. By Fall 08, I will be completing 3 yrs of work exp. Considering this, will a resume that spans 1.5 pages (font size 11) considered excessive? Should I restrict myself to a strict one page? Chicago GSB - the school that I am applying to doesnt explicitly mention the page limit for the resume.
   
2. At my workplace, I have got quite a few performance awards. Should I mention them in the resume, maybe under a section called 'Achievements'? I researched on the net and came across a few sample resumes. But none of them had any kind of award listed.
   
3. Also, should I talk about any academic achievement before my undergraduate degree (i.e., achievements in 10th and 12th std)? Again, no sample resume covered anything prior to the undergradauate degree.

Thanks,
~A

Hi Jeniffer,

I am planning to apply to the US schools such as UNC, Kelley, Emory and USC for their entrepreneurial focus. Please evaluate my profile and let me know if I can make a cut for these schools. Also, I hail from a very rural background, would highlighting that in my essays about how I have succeded against adversity project me better??

Following is my profile:


Academics and Test scores:
GMAT : 700, V 38 and Q 48
TOEFL:111
Undergraduation in Computers: 81%
Was the placement committe chairmain, won a scholarship and was consistently among the toppers.

Work ex:
4.5 years by the time I Join with a top tier IT services Firm. I have been leading a team of 9 for a period.

Active member of the Organizations R&D; team in emerging technologies and was instrumental in chalking out a stratergy for my organizations alignment with Microsoft. My reserach was also published.

Got 3-4 awards for the above work and also for initiating various Knowledge Management activities.

I was also involved in writing a proposal for a $200,000 project which my organization won and also got my clients a savings of 50,000$ for the work I did.

I am currently working in US for a leading Telecom service provider.

Entrepreneurial background:
I co-started a venture with my father to cater to the replacement market for earth moving equipments. I got good exposure to various OEM manufacturers and also developed IT applications to manage my fathers data.

I am currently working on a telecom business product and my venture was launched recently and I am in negotiations with potential investors for expanding it.

Community Service:
In my organization i spearheaded a rural developmental initiative and was instrumental in the women empowerment in a village.
I also worked with CRY for a Child rights campaign.
I am also currently working with a Netherlands based NGO for Youth empowerment in Soppo(Cameroon).

Post MBA goals:
I beleive that as an entrepreneur I need the various business fundamentals which I currently lack to become really successful. Post-MBA, I want to get into IT consulting and work in the telecom domain. Eventually, I want to expand my telecom start up in India to exploit the mobile boom in India.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Stereobag

Hi Jennifer,

A few more questions on Resume.
1. Should it be always one page?
2. Can I reduce the margins to fit everything in one page? What's the minimum font size I should use?
3. Don't we need to list down both responsibilities and accomplishments for each role? As per your suggestions, accomplishments are key, but how would anyone know what all I did? I want to emphasize that I do performance appraisals for 6-8 people every six months, that I do budgeting and forecasting for the project, that I am responsible for the entire team of 13 people, managing a revenue of more than a million dollars etc. These don't have measurable results or accomplishments associated with them, but these still are important activities and have helped me learn many things.

4. In my 6+ years of IT experience, I have played 4 different roles, mostly being associated with one client department, in the support team. But in between, I have also led other development projects. So while being project lead for the support team, I was also the leader for other project, my time being split 50:50. This happened for two projects (1.5 years). If I try to show all this, I can't fit everything into one page. How do I show this in the resume? Is it okay to divide into two columns the period where I was handling two projects?

Regards,
coolr

Hi, Coolr. Unless the program to which you are applying declares a one-page limit for your resume, you can use two pages. However, in my experience, unless you have multiple community activities and impacts there that you would like to convey in the resume, there is little need for the second page.
The first place to cut would be in the earliest positions - there is no reason why these should share equal billing with your most recent roles, where I assume you are having much larger impacts on the company.

Responsibilities can be a brief summary of your role and number of people you manage in paragraph form under the title, then you can save the more space-consuming bullets for accomplishments and impact.

In terms of font/margins, I would not go lower than 10 pt or less than .6 inch margins all around. Remember that this is a marketing document (where you are the product!); you dont want the reader to wonder if you know how to prioritize and recognize real value.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted Helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Yale with Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
London Business School with Acting Associate Dean David Simpson: Monday, Oct. 15, 5:00 PM GMT
CMU with Director of MBA Admissions Laurie Stewart: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 5:00 PM

Hi Jennifer,

A few more questions on Resume.
1. Should it be always one page?
2. Can I reduce the margins to fit everything in one page? What's the minimum font size I should use?
3. Don't we need to list down both responsibilities and accomplishments for each role? As per your suggestions, accomplishments are key, but how would anyone know what all I did? I want to emphasize that I do performance appraisals for 6-8 people every six months, that I do budgeting and forecasting for the project, that I am responsible for the entire team of 13 people, managing a revenue of more than a million dollars etc. These don't have measurable results or accomplishments associated with them, but these still are important activities and have helped me learn many things.

4. In my 6+ years of IT experience, I have played 4 different roles, mostly being associated with one client department, in the support team. But in between, I have also led other development projects. So while being project lead for the support team, I was also the leader for other project, my time being split 50:50. This happened for two projects (1.5 years). If I try to show all this, I can't fit everything into one page. How do I show this in the resume? Is it okay to divide into two columns the period where I was handling two projects?

Regards,
coolr

Hi Jennifer,
I would be thankful if you can have a look at my profile and give candid suggestions about +/- of it and how can I improve upon those. I intend to apply this year for Fall-2008 session

Here is my Profile:

GMAT: 740 (Q49,V41). AWA: 5/6

Undergrad: B.Tech (Computer Science), Class of 2003, REC/NIT Allahabd. 71%

Work-ex: 5 years by the time I join.

Currently working as Business Analyst in Investment Management domain for one of the Top 3 companies in the world in the area of Financial Reporting.(Every I-Banker uses their product for research)

Prior to that I was working in a small software company(1100 employees) in the Mortgage banking space for around 3.5 years.
Here, I was managing a team of 6 people(as Senior software engineer) in the role of Team Lead, with major job responsibilities including requirements analysis, preparing design of project, allocation of work to team members, writing appraisals of team members, looking after improving key metrices of the project.

Was given company wide award for Excellence in Team values.

Then, I moved to the Business Analyst Role(moving in business side of things in Mortgage Banking space), which is usually reserved for people with MBA degree. Here, my job profile was interacting with clients to elicit requirements, liasioning with the technical team and designing use cases.
I've done 3 certifications from National Stock exchange of India in Financial markets, F&O;, Debt instruments.
I'm also a CFA L-1 candidate and confident of clearing it.

Extracurriculars:
1) Was co-ordinator of College Technical Festival
2) Was involved in organizing pulse polio camp and motivating 200 children in Pulse polio campaign in a village and continued it for 3 years
3) Organizing Company wide Quiz Event which was well received by all and the CEO.
4) Founding an NGO in the field of education for children and hope to achieve the target of enrolling at least 20 children.


I want to switch to I-banking after MBA having worked in IT Fin industry.
What are my chances with repect to schools between 10-20 in US and INSEAD, IESE in europe?
The point which I'm contemplating at the moment is the lack of onsite/foreign work experience in my resume although I interact with US/ european clients on telecons. Would this be a considerable dis-advantage wrt B-Schools, and more specifically for LBS, London where they have one essay question devoted for experiences outside the home country?

Please give your candid feedback on the profile and suggest ways on improving upon it.


Thanks a ton for the patience!!!

You don't need to have been abroad to gain international experience. The interaction you have with international clients is also beneficial. We need to see some adaptation to different cultures and working styles in your application to demonstrate that you are a person who will succeed in the global economy in the long-term future. While this may be difficult to prove to the top 10, schools from 10 to 20 will probably be more receptive. Make sure you emphasize your strengths in the application - don't dwell on the negative or even waste space trying to fill in "almost good" international experience where you could have instead written about a business area in which you have excelled amazingly.

Good luck with the application!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Columbia with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
London Business School with Acting Associate Dean, David Simpson: Monday, Oct. 15, 5:00 PM GMT

Jennifer
Please advice me...


My profile:-

10th Std 90%
12th Std 96%
BTech Electrical Engg IIT Madras 8.38/10
CFA Level 3 Candidate
Registered for FRM in Nov
2.2 years of wrk ex as of now with leading consulting firm(ZS Associates) in India,got promoted once ahead of norm.Travelled to US to meet client.presently leading 4 member team.When I join in Aug07 I will have 3 years of wrk ex
Planning to take GMAT in Oct end...hoping 750+(I know its tuf)

I am only keen on applying to any 2 of top 5 B schools in finance. I want to save the three in case I dont get thru this time.I reasearched abt wharton and found that min wrk ex of there 2006 batch is 46 months.:sad: Is this tru?..Please suggest which top B -schools would be eager to take me given that I don't screws essays/GMAT and which have past history of taking ppl with 3 yrs of wrk ex

Thanks in advance

Hi, Nzomniac.

Three years of work experience is not unheard of, but you will need to prove to these top programs that you are an unparalleled leader . Most people just aren't able to do that in three years, but you could very well be the exception.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Columbia with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
London Business School with Acting Associate Dean, David Simpson: Monday, Oct. 15, 5:00 PM GMT

Thanks Jennifer...
But, one more query...there is 1 section where we need to upload resume, write details abt roles & responsibilities in company, evoolution within company etc, another 1 section to write details abt international exposure and one more to write things like community service, hobbies, extra curriculars, sports and stuff...

I feel that most of things from the other 2 sections wud be repeated in the resume....How do I make it different ?

Hello again, Sachin.
The resume is usually just one page, so can only detail your accomplishments in each role. The separate section sounds like it will offer you a greater opportunity to truly highlight the international nature of your work (go into detail about the countries involved, the backgrounds/ethnicities of the people your collaborated with, etc.), the challenges that you faced, the innovative solutions you devised, and more detail about your community service than the resume can usually include. I would thank them for their kindness in letting you elaborate!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Columbia with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
London Business School - with Acting Associate Dean, David Simpson: Monday, Oct. 15, 5:00 PM GMT

Hi Jennifer,
I would be thankful if you can have a look at my profile and give candid suggestions about +/- of it and how can I improve upon those. I intend to apply this year for Fall-2008 session

Here is my Profile:

GMAT: 740 (Q49,V41). AWA: 5/6

Undergrad: B.Tech (Computer Science), Class of 2003, REC/NIT Allahabd. 71%

Work-ex: 5 years by the time I join.

Currently working as Business Analyst in Investment Management domain for one of the Top 3 companies in the world in the area of Financial Reporting.(Every I-Banker uses their product for research)

Prior to that I was working in a small software company(1100 employees) in the Mortgage banking space for around 3.5 years.
Here, I was managing a team of 6 people(as Senior software engineer) in the role of Team Lead, with major job responsibilities including requirements analysis, preparing design of project, allocation of work to team members, writing appraisals of team members, looking after improving key metrices of the project.

Was given company wide award for Excellence in Team values.

Then, I moved to the Business Analyst Role(moving in business side of things in Mortgage Banking space), which is usually reserved for people with MBA degree. Here, my job profile was interacting with clients to elicit requirements, liasioning with the technical team and designing use cases.
I've done 3 certifications from National Stock exchange of India in Financial markets, F&O;, Debt instruments.
I'm also a CFA L-1 candidate and confident of clearing it.

Extracurriculars:
1) Was co-ordinator of College Technical Festival
2) Was involved in organizing pulse polio camp and motivating 200 children in Pulse polio campaign in a village and continued it for 3 years
3) Organizing Company wide Quiz Event which was well received by all and the CEO.
4) Founding an NGO in the field of education for children and hope to achieve the target of enrolling at least 20 children.


I want to switch to I-banking after MBA having worked in IT Fin industry.
What are my chances with repect to schools between 10-20 in US and INSEAD, IESE in europe?
The point which I'm contemplating at the moment is the lack of onsite/foreign work experience in my resume although I interact with US/ european clients on telecons. Would this be a considerable dis-advantage wrt B-Schools, and more specifically for LBS, London where they have one essay question devoted for experiences outside the home country?

Please give your candid feedback on the profile and suggest ways on improving upon it.


Thanks a ton for the patience!!!

Jennifer
Please advice me...


My profile:-

10th Std 90%
12th Std 96%
BTech Electrical Engg IIT Madras 8.38/10
CFA Level 3 Candidate
Registered for FRM in Nov
2.2 years of wrk ex as of now with leading consulting firm(ZS Associates) in India,got promoted once ahead of norm.Travelled to US to meet client.presently leading 4 member team.When I join in Aug07 I will have 3 years of wrk ex
Planning to take GMAT in Oct end...hoping 750+(I know its tuf)

I am only keen on applying to any 2 of top 5 B schools in finance. I want to save the three in case I dont get thru this time.I reasearched abt wharton and found that min wrk ex of there 2006 batch is 46 months.:sad: Is this tru?..Please suggest which top B -schools would be eager to take me given that I don't screws essays/GMAT and which have past history of taking ppl with 3 yrs of wrk ex

Thanks in advance

Hi, Sachin. I'm happy to help and glad you appreciate it!
The resume should most certainly not be about your technical skills. Instead, it should emphasize the leadership roles you have held, the impacts you have been able to make on the companies you've worked for, the promotions you have earned (with a brief explanation if these are in advance of the norm), and if possible, the community work you have done.
A professional resume starts with your name at the top, the first section may be a Qualifications Summary or may be a Core Competencies section where you give an overview of your profile. Then, unless you are a new graduate, the next section should be of your Professional Experience, then Community Service, and ending with Education. If you are a new graduate, Education can immediately follow Professional Experience on the resume, but most professionals prefer Eduation to be at the end.
Good luck with HEC's pre-screening, Sachin!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom
Accepted - Helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Don't miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Wharton - with Admissions Director, Thomas Caleel: Thursday September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
Columbia - with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale - with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT

Thanks Jennifer...
But, one more query...there is 1 section where we need to upload resume, write details abt roles & responsibilities in company, evoolution within company etc, another 1 section to write details abt international exposure and one more to write things like community service, hobbies, extra curriculars, sports and stuff...

I feel that most of things from the other 2 sections wud be repeated in the resume....How do I make it different ?

hi jennifer
thanx again
regret for not clarifying earlier.
My company is primarily an India public sector oil and gas company. Our marketing is mainly in India (and somewhat in South Africa). However our exploration activities(started only few years ago) are spread in different countries. I work in marketing arm of the corporation. Shifting to exploration would be a drastic one for me(and also of no help as it does not meet my career objectives at all).

I could not make out how extracurriculars would be helpful for demonstrating international adaptability?


Also as I had said before one of the reasons i wanted to do MBA from abroad is also to get that international exposure from B-school. I think MBA would give me an opportunity to interact with international faculty and students. Simultaneously I can learn a lot from staying abroad and observing the business practices there.

Also with MNCs entering into Indian market many small scale businesses are at threat. Considering a similar threat to occur in iron and steel industry(my family business which i intend to expand on) in near future(in another 6-7 years). I wanted to prepare myself for responding to this threat by observing international business practices, which an International MBA would enable me to.

This also brings me to another que that would an international MBA really enable me to face stiff international competition?

Regards,
Devesh

Devesh,
Sounds to me like you need a strategy-focused MBA not just international business. While your goal is admirable and I do believe the MBA education will help you, it is rare for someone whose experience is within his home country only (assuming that home country is not the US), and who does not interact with international parties, to earn admission to the top of the top MBA programs. Of course, once you look a bit lower on the rankings chart - say, from #15 and down, your chances do improve. You'll need to emphasize the impact you have had and convince the admissions committee (and yourself so it seems) that the MBA will prepare you for the challenges in your future.
Best of luck with the application!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Wharton with Admissions Director, Thomas Caleel: Thursday September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
Columbia with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT

Hi Jennifer,

It's really nice to see some1 guiding students for their apps....
I am planning for a 1 yr full time MBA course in Europe....

I have a question regarding the application resume....
HEC Paris has a student profile evaluation option. We need to upload our resume there. What shud be the format of this resume, the contents.
I am from IT..so shud the resume include my technical skillsets? Also, shud i include stuff like educational background in the resume....

Hi, Sachin. I'm happy to help and glad you appreciate it!
The resume should most certainly not be about your technical skills. Instead, it should emphasize the leadership roles you have held, the impacts you have been able to make on the companies you've worked for, the promotions you have earned (with a brief explanation if these are in advance of the norm), and if possible, the community work you have done.
A professional resume starts with your name at the top, the first section may be a Qualifications Summary or may be a Core Competencies section where you give an overview of your profile. Then, unless you are a new graduate, the next section should be of your Professional Experience, then Community Service, and ending with Education. If you are a new graduate, Education can immediately follow Professional Experience on the resume, but most professionals prefer Eduation to be at the end.
Good luck with HEC's pre-screening, Sachin!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom
Accepted - Helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Wharton with Admissions Director, Thomas Caleel: Thursday September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
Columbia with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT

Hi Jennifer,

It's really nice to see some1 guiding students for their apps....
I am planning for a 1 yr full time MBA course in Europe....

I have a question regarding the application resume....
HEC Paris has a student profile evaluation option. We need to upload our resume there. What shud be the format of this resume, the contents.
I am from IT..so shud the resume include my technical skillsets? Also, shud i include stuff like educational background in the resume....

hi jennifer
thanx again
regret for not clarifying earlier.
My company is primarily an India public sector oil and gas company. Our marketing is mainly in India (and somewhat in South Africa). However our exploration activities(started only few years ago) are spread in different countries. I work in marketing arm of the corporation. Shifting to exploration would be a drastic one for me(and also of no help as it does not meet my career objectives at all).

If your range of influence has only been in India, you may be able to show that international adaptability through the managers you have worked with or even through your extracurricular activities.

I could not make out how extracurriculars would be helpful for demonstrating international adaptability?

But you really must demonstrate that you have what it takes to thrive in an international business environment to prove that you need a US or European MBA (as opposed to an excellent MBA program within India).

Also as I had said before one of the reasons i wanted to do MBA from abroad is also to get that international exposure from B-school. I think MBA would give me an opportunity to interact with international faculty and students. Simultaneously I can learn a lot from staying abroad and observing the business practices there.

Also with MNCs entering into Indian market many small scale businesses are at threat. Considering a similar threat to occur in iron and steel industry(my family business which i intend to expand on) in near future(in another 6-7 years). I wanted to prepare myself for responding to this threat by observing international business practices, which an International MBA would enable me to.

This also brings me to another que that would an international MBA really enable me to face stiff international competition?

Regards,
Devesh

hi Jennifer
thanx a lot for your reply.

One more point in reply to your Question:
My current company has its operations only in India so i am really doubtful whether i would get some international exposure through it.
Also one of the reasons i wanted to do MBA from abroad is also to get that international exposure from B-school. I think MBA would give me an opportunity to interact with international faculty and students. Simultaneously I can learn a lot from staying abroad and observing the business practices there.

Your views on the same, please.

Hello again, deveshk84. Since you wrote that you worked for a Fortune 500 MNC, I am confused: MNC means that this company does business in more than one country (actually, multiple countries). I assume now that you mean that the company that you work for within the corporation only has operations in India, correct? If yes, then, I am suggesting that you put yourself forward in the corporation as a person who is seeking and will thrive in international assignments with other companies of the corporation.
To prove to the top MBA programs that you are worthy of admission and will have a significant amount of experience to share and contribute, you will need to demonstrate that your impact and range of influence has far exceeded the norm. If your range of influence has only been in India, you may be able to show that international adaptability through the managers you have worked with or even through your extracurricular activities. But you really must demonstrate that you have what it takes to thrive in an international business environment to prove that you need a US or European MBA (as opposed to an excellent MBA program within India).
The Catch 22 of this situation is a well recognized one. Basically, the top MBA programs are seeking those few candidates who have been able to break the national barrier on some level already.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Dont miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Wharton with Admissions Director, Thomas Caleel: Thursday September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT
Columbia with Admissions Director, Linda Meehan: Wednesday September 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM GMT
Yale with Admissions Director, Bruce DelMonico: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:00 PM GMT

Hi, Deveshk84.
The top B-schools are seeking applicants with international experience and impact. You definitely sound like you are on the right track, but you were a bit vague for me about the regions of your responsibility. Are they within India or have you broadened beyond that border? If you are leading marketing initiatives in, say, Europe, then, yes, you may have a shot at the top MBA programs. If you are still focused in India, then you should spend the next few years continuing to work your way up the corporate marketing ladder to a more international range of marketing experience and impact. Continue the community work and make sure you can point to leadership roles with impact in that sphere as well.
Best of luck in the future.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

hi Jennifer
thanx a lot for your reply.

One more point in reply to your Question:
My current company has its operations only in India so i am really doubtful whether i would get some international exposure through it.
Also one of the reasons i wanted to do MBA from abroad is also to get that international exposure from B-school. I think MBA would give me an opportunity to interact with international faculty and students. Simultaneously I can learn a lot from staying abroad and observing the business practices there.

Your views on the same, please.

Hi,

I have a question. My current job title is that of Senior Consultant. However my manager and my client both consider me a project manager which is the role i am playing.

the apps ask only for the job title. what should i do in such a case?

thanks in advance

Hi, mlapse.
There's not much you can do besides use the current title, but be sure to use all of the space allocated both in your resume and the work experience section of the application to show your range of initiative and impact on the client and team.
If you use a different title and then the admissions committee finds out that you misrepresented the truth, however slightly, they will immediately reject you. Always stick to the truth.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi Jennifer,

First of all accept my heartiest thanks on providing useful insights on various facets of application. I need your views on my profile and chances of admits in the schools that I will mention in the post. My profile is as follows:

* 5 Years in IT( A big name in Asia).
* 3.8 GPA
* GMAT(740/49/42)
* 2 years of work-ex in USA.
* Currently the team-lead of a 8 member team.
* Average community works( Volunteer community activities in US, India & Engineering College)
* Okie extra-curriculars( District Champion, University Team Captain, Club President)
* Short term career Goal : Strategy Consulting
* Schools shortlisted till now: Darden, Ross, Mccombs, Emory

Please give me your opinion about my profile and which area do you think could be a potential stopper. If you can also put some light on the the essays of Darden/Ross and their expectations, it will be a great help.

Thanks,
Amit

Hi, Amit.
You are up against stiff competition as an Indian with a background in IT. In order to gauge your competitiveness, I would need to know what types of things you are accomplishing as the team lead. Are you simply programming and guiding your team in programming or are you defining new markets and products to tap those markets? Certainly, Darden and Ross will only accept applicants doing the latter. For McCombs and Emory you may be able to get away with showing more leadership and impact in the extracurriculars so they can boost their average GMAT and GPA scores.
Best of luck with the applications.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi jennifer
Please look at my profile and assess my chances of getting into a top10 school.
Personal Background
Age 23, Male
Born in a business family and first in my family to graduate as an engineer.
Educational Background
I am a Mechanical Engineer.
I graduated in 2005 from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) GPA 3.15
Recipient of Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Award for B. Tech. Session
GMAT
720 (Q50-99%, V36-80%) Overall - 95%
Work Experience
2 yrs in Fortune 500 MNC in Oil and Gas Sector in India. Currently, I am a Marketing Executive looking after channel sales and marketing of lubricants.
Lots of initiatives taken at job to highlight leadership.
I supervise sales of 3 distributors and over 100 Dealers under me.
Two sales assistants and one trainee officer report directly to me.
I am in-charge of one operating storage location.
Given additional responsibility of one metro and one urban area thereby doubling the volume handled for FY 2007-08 as a result of excellent past performance(record double-digit sales growth for 2 consecutive years)
Extra-curricular
Represented my company at National Management Games-2007, a competition for young managers organized by All India Management Association.
Worked as Student Advisor of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) collegiate chapter at IIT.
I acted as Coordinator of Library Committee at IIT.
Community work
Worked as student ambassador for School of Deaf at Roorkee.
Member of Green Peace India.
Sports, Hobbies
I am a certified NCC and Karate Cadet.
Driving is one of my favorite hobbies.
Entrepreneurship Background.
Assisted my father in running family-owned small scale Iron & Steel business. Successfully managed the production and marketing of different iron and steel products.
Successfully implemented 3 projects in production to increase the productivity in plant and one project in marketing to liquidate excess inventory during slack season.
Career Goals
I want to shift my career from marketing to entrepreneurship. I have developed good networking with my current business partners (Dealers and Distributors), direct clients and colleagues at work. I have learned technical skills during my engineering, and marketing and man-management skills during my professional work experience. I am interested in learning more about entrepreneurship aspects such as opportunity recognition, risk taking, fund raising etc and about financial and HR perspective of business. These skills together will help me in expanding my family owned business. I also want to look at global business opportunities available(for diversification) and global networking through International MBA.
Target schools
Looking for Full time MBA from top 10 US B-Schools.
Primary concerns:
Low work experience(quality of WE has been very good and also entrepreneurship background has provided me good exposure ),
Low age (donno wat to do abt it, How can i convince Ad com on that )
and low GPA.
THANX

Hi, Deveshk84.
The top B-schools are seeking applicants with international experience and impact. You definitely sound like you are on the right track, but you were a bit vague for me about the regions of your responsibility. Are they within India or have you broadened beyond that border? If you are leading marketing initiatives in, say, Europe, then, yes, you may have a shot at the top MBA programs. If you are still focused in India, then you should spend the next few years continuing to work your way up the corporate marketing ladder to a more international range of marketing experience and impact. Continue the community work and make sure you can point to leadership roles with impact in that sphere as well.
Best of luck in the future.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted Helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi jennifer

Please look at my profile and assess my chances of getting into a top10 school.

Personal Background
Age 23, Male
Born in a business family and first in my family to graduate as an engineer.
Educational Background
I am a Mechanical Engineer.
I graduated in 2005 from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) GPA 3.15
Recipient of Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Award for B. Tech. Session

GMAT
720 (Q50-99%, V36-80%) Overall - 95%

Work Experience
2 yrs in Fortune 500 MNC in Oil and Gas Sector in India. Currently, I am a Marketing Executive looking after channel sales and marketing of lubricants.
Lots of initiatives taken at job to highlight leadership.
I supervise sales of 3 distributors and over 100 Dealers under me.
Two sales assistants and one trainee officer report directly to me.
I am in-charge of one operating storage location.
Given additional responsibility of one metro and one urban area thereby doubling the volume handled for FY 2007-08 as a result of excellent past performance(record double-digit sales growth for 2 consecutive years)

Extra-curricular
Represented my company at National Management Games-2007, a competition for young managers organized by All India Management Association.
Worked as Student Advisor of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) collegiate chapter at IIT.
I acted as Coordinator of Library Committee at IIT.
Community work
Worked as student ambassador for School of Deaf at Roorkee.
Member of Green Peace India.

Sports, Hobbies
I am a certified NCC and Karate Cadet.
Driving is one of my favorite hobbies.
Entrepreneurship Background.
Assisted my father in running family-owned small scale Iron & Steel business. Successfully managed the production and marketing of different iron and steel products.
Successfully implemented 3 projects in production to increase the productivity in plant and one project in marketing to liquidate excess inventory during slack season.
Career Goals
I want to shift my career from marketing to entrepreneurship. I have developed good networking with my current business partners (Dealers and Distributors), direct clients and colleagues at work. I have learned technical skills during my engineering, and marketing and man-management skills during my professional work experience. I am interested in learning more about entrepreneurship aspects such as opportunity recognition, risk taking, fund raising etc and about financial and HR perspective of business. These skills together will help me in expanding my family owned business. I also want to look at global business opportunities available(for diversification) and global networking through International MBA.
Target schools
Looking for Full time MBA from top 10 US B-Schools.
Primary concerns:
Low work experience(quality of WE has been very good and also entrepreneurship background has provided me good exposure ),
Low age (donno wat to do abt it, How can i convince Ad com on that )
and low GPA.


THANX

Hi,

I have a question. My current job title is that of Senior Consultant. However my manager and my client both consider me a project manager which is the role i am playing.

the apps ask only for the job title. what should i do in such a case?

thanks in advance

Hi Jennifer,

First of all accept my heartiest thanks on providing useful insights on various facets of application. I need your views on my profile and chances of admits in the schools that I will mention in the post. My profile is as follows:

* 5 Years in IT( A big name in Asia).
* 3.8 GPA
* GMAT(740/49/42)
* 2 years of work-ex in USA.
* Currently the team-lead of a 8 member team.
* Average community works( Volunteer community activities in US, India & Engineering College)
* Okie extra-curriculars( District Champion, University Team Captain, Club President)
* Short term career Goal : Strategy Consulting
* Schools shortlisted till now: Darden, Ross, Mccombs, Emory

Please give me your opinion about my profile and which area do you think could be a potential stopper. If you can also put some light on the the essays of Darden/Ross and their expectations, it will be a great help.

Thanks,
Amit

Hi,
I have three questions here....

1)I have heard from many of my friends that if we enroll for admission counselling in GMAT coaching centers, it will backfire rather than being an advantage. The essays they are preparing for all of their students will be more or less same and the colleges can easily find it. So the colleges usually dont prefer applications like that...and it is better to prepare everything by ourself....

Is it so guys? Is it better to go for admisssion counselling than doing all the application work by ourselves?

2)I have lot of extra curricular activies - like volunteering and organising various events in college and later in my office, handling some posts in student unions in college, playing in college volleyball team etc...But I cant show any proofs for none of these, as there are no certificates or so....

My question is that still I can quote all those in my applicaiton and will they give weightage to it?

3) Am planning to take GMAT on sept 26....but by Sept 15th, the first round of ISB Hyd admisssions will be over....and I am particular to get admitted in 2008 itself....I heard that chances are less in second round...

so my question is whether i can enhance my chances by a better GMAT score in the second round? or any thing i can do for improving my chances?

Thanks in advance...

Hi, valiant fighter,
1) You should definitely not work with an admissions counselor who writes the essays for you. Your voice, your experiences, and your insight need to come through clearly in those essays to help you stand out. But please do not lump all admissions counselors together in your assumption that the essays they prepare "will be more or less the same." Accepted prides itself on ensuring that each applicant differentiates himself and tells the story only he can tell.

2) The honor system applies for all portions of your application. You may only write the truth about what you did and in what activities you participated. You may even need to write the name of a reference for each of these activities so that if for some reason the admissions committee wants to confirm your participation, they can. Do not make the mistake of leaving something out because you feel you cannot prove it. By the same token, do not make the mistake of putting something false in because you feel the admissions committee cannot prove it.

3) If you have not yet taken the GMAT, I do not believe that you can submit your application until you do. If you have taken the GMAT already and are seeking to boost your score, you may wish to contact the admissions office to see if they will allow you to submit first round and then update them with your new score within two weeks. This may just work in your favor if you are able to boost your score significantly. If they do not allow you to update your score in this way, then, yes, you will have to submit second round.

Best of luck with the applications!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi,
I have three questions here....

1)I have heard from many of my friends that if we enroll for admission counselling in GMAT coaching centers, it will backfire rather than being an advantage. The essays they are preparing for all of their students will be more or less same and the colleges can easily find it. So the colleges usually dont prefer applications like that...and it is better to prepare everything by ourself....

Is it so guys? Is it better to go for admisssion counselling than doing all the application work by ourselves?

2)I have lot of extra curricular activies - like volunteering and organising various events in college and later in my office, handling some posts in student unions in college, playing in college volleyball team etc...But I cant show any proofs for none of these, as there are no certificates or so....

My question is that still I can quote all those in my applicaiton and will they give weightage to it?

3) Am planning to take GMAT on sept 26....but by Sept 15th, the first round of ISB Hyd admisssions will be over....and I am particular to get admitted in 2008 itself....I heard that chances are less in second round...

so my question is whether i can enhance my chances by a better GMAT score in the second round? or any thing i can do for improving my chances?

Thanks in advance...

Hi

My profile is IT( 3 yrs by the time I join school ), working for a top investment bank; hence exposure to a lot of domain knowledge. Also, I have picked up a lot of interest in the area of financial risk management and plan to do my Financial Risk Manager certification. I look at moving into this domain in the future.I have also had a lot of leadership & initiative taking experience back in college. Considering this, would my profile still be "traditional IT" or would there be another dimension to it, when looked upon by B-schools?

Also, how do recruiters view career shifters? Taking a concrete example, would an I-bank offer me an associate position(considering no previous work-ex in related domain)?

Yes, DerivativesGuy, you will be viewed primarily as an IT guy (from the financial sector). You will need to prove that you possess the leadership and decision making abilities that the top MBA programs are seeking.
Recruiters are very open to career shifters, as long as the applicant can demonstrate a fit with the new position - that the combination of your previous experience and your MBA make you the ideal candidate. The investment banking industry will certainly view your application positively because of your previous experience, but you will still need to demonstrate to them that you have the exceptional leadership, teamwork, and decision making abilities that they are seeking to earn that coveted associate position.
Best of luck with the application,
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!
From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi

My profile is IT( 3 yrs by the time I join school ), working for a top investment bank; hence exposure to a lot of domain knowledge. Also, I have picked up a lot of interest in the area of financial risk management and plan to do my Financial Risk Manager certification. I look at moving into this domain in the future.I have also had a lot of leadership & initiative taking experience back in college. Considering this, would my profile still be "traditional IT" or would there be another dimension to it, when looked upon by B-schools?

Also, how do recruiters view career shifters? Taking a concrete example, would an I-bank offer me an associate position(considering no previous work-ex in related domain)?

Hi Jennifer,

Glad to see you here!

Earlier this year, I got rejected by INSEAD in round 2 for the Jan 2008 session. They did not give me any specific feedback even though I asked for it a second time.

I have strong academics and GMAT (750), + 2 years of work experience in software development at a Fortune 50 in the US. I have some social work leadership and interests as well. I had strong recommendations too.

Did I get rejected just because of low work experience or is there something else I should work on for US business schools?

Thanks!

Hi, harshRambles,
Most MBA programs are targeting 28 year olds, and the INSEAD class does tend to be a bit older than that in my experience. While they may accept a few applicants younger than 26/27, those people would have to demonstrate exceptional leadership skills and impact in the workplace and the community.

I suspect that you fell into the "techie" trap and will need to demonstrate that you have had a significant impact in the company and not just on its code. I apologize for the brazen product plug here, but Linda Abraham and my book "The Techie's Guide to MBA Admission" explains this process in detail. You can read all about it at Techie's Guide to MBA Admission.

Good luck with the reapplication process!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Jennifer,

The length of Kellogg's application essays is not specific and open to interpretation. Do you have any recommendations on the font size, margin size, etc for the document containing your essays?

For the essays that say 2-3 double-spaced paragraphs, do you know what a good size (in terms of word limit or page length) might be for these essays?

Thanks,
Abhishek

Hi, Abhishek.
In the past, Kellogg was very specific about a 12-point font with 1 inch margins all around and double spacing. But I have not seen anyone punished for using 11-point font, playing with the margins (0.8?), and even using line spacing of 1.8 to keep the essays to the page requirements.

The 2-3 paragraph essays can exceed one page. The key to these is just to be concise: first paragraph shows the "before" picture, second paragraph tells your actions, and the third paragraph shows your impact (or the "after" picture).

Good luck with the application!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi Jennifer,

Glad to see you here!

Earlier this year, I got rejected by INSEAD in round 2 for the Jan 2008 session. They did not give me any specific feedback even though I asked for it a second time.

I have strong academics and GMAT (750), + 2 years of work experience in software development at a Fortune 50 in the US. I have some social work leadership and interests as well. I had strong recommendations too.

Did I get rejected just because of low work experience or is there something else I should work on for US business schools?

Thanks!

Gabriel666,

Every year prospective applicants ask me this, and I always marvel at the question. The letter of recommendation forms for most programs have a grid for the recommender to fill in describing exactly the qualities that the program is seeking. Some grids are longer than others, but most MBA programs ask for leadership, teamwork, initiative/creativity, analytical ability/intelligence, and communication. The top MBA programs are seeking individuals whom they will be proud of both while they are in school and for the many, many years that they will be alumni and these are the qualities that make them proud.

Luckily, most MBA applications pose several essay questions, so you dont need to demonstrate all of these skills in just one essay!

In contrast, Master of Finance programs are less focused on the personal qualities of leadership and teamwork and much more concerned by the applicants quantitative ability and reasoning. Solid test scores, academic performance, and a couple of examples of your ability to apply your fundamental intellect and quantitative ability in decision making generate an excellent MSc in Finance applications statement of purpose.

Good luck making your decision and with the applications!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Hi Jennifer,

..Welcome Aboard..

Good to have a expert on what is the most important part of a B school application ... the application stage itself :satisfie:.

Jennifer it would be great if you could start with a post on what you think are the essential qualities of a good SOP and Reco letter.

Also, I plan to apply for my masters in finance next year, would you recommend the same strategy for preparing a SOP for a course like Msc in Finance,compared to the strategy that would be applied for preparing a SOP for a MBA application.

Thanx and Regards

PS:- I have a feeling that this will soon turn out to be one of the most popular threads on PG .

Hi Jennifer,

..Welcome Aboard..

Good to have among us an expert on what is the most important part of a B school application ... the application stage itself :satisfie:.

Jennifer it would be great if you could start with a post on what you think are the essential qualities of a good SOP and Reco letter.

Also, I plan to apply for my masters in finance next year, would you recommend the same strategy for preparing a SOP for a course like Msc in Finance,compared to the strategy that would be applied for preparing a SOP for a MBA application.

Thanx and Regards

PS:- I have a feeling that this will soon turn out to be one of the most popular threads on PG .

Thank you for that warm welcome, Apurv.
I am excited by this opportunity to help a wide range of aspiring MBAs from throughout India. Please feel free to post your questions, everyone.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.