Top 10 Tips to Make Your MBA Application Stand Out
An applicant’s MBA resume is usually the first component of the application read by the reviewing committee. It provides context to your professional achievements and, thus, must reflect both the quality of your professional experience as well as your leadership skills. Here are ten tips that will help you enhance your MBA application:
1) Start early
From essays to the interview, the MBA application process is full of imposing topics designed to surface your unique traits, values, career aspirations, and motivation. Applications, research, preparation, and studying take nearly a year. Hence, if you plan to apply to an MBA course, give yourself sufficient time to thoroughly approach each step.
2) Highlight your professional achievements.
The admission committee looks for evidence of your leadership potential like the size of the budgets that you manage, the number of direct reports, etc., in your current professional role through your resume. Your MBA resume is a way to showcase your remarkable achievements in your professional career and emphasize your leadership and interpersonal skills. It should also help you distinguish yourself from the other candidates.
3) Provide facts and figures.
Your MBA resume is the best place to provide evidence of your professional impact on the organizations in which you have previously worked. Hence, provide quantifiable metrics that you have positively affected wherever possible. Offering specific numbers and figures, such as successfully managing a large team to execute projects or increased revenue, demonstrates an understanding of the larger picture. It also shows that you can comfortably transition into a management position post-MBA.
4) Avoid technical jargon.
MBA candidates come from varied walks of life, such as engineering, medicine, finance, etc. However, the reviewers may not have experience in your field or understand industry-specific acronyms. Therefore, it is essential to avoid such jargon and convert it into easily understandable business language.
5) Make it clear and concise.
It would help the reviewers big time if you made your resume easy to read. Use margins and spacing between bullet points to make reading easy for the reviewers. Ensure you stack your job titles if you’ve held multiple roles or have been promoted at the organizations you work in. This clearly illustrates your career progression.
6) Don’t forget to mention extracurriculars.
Institutions look for candidates who have demonstrated leadership skills in their professional or extracurricular activities. Thus, rather than emphasizing your professional role’s responsibilities, provide evidence of how you brought people together, solved a problem in the company, etc. If you formally manage people within the organization, make sure to provide figures such as the team’s size or the size of the budget you manage. In general, highlight those instances that show how you identified an opportunity and took the initiative.
7) Align your interests to the organization.
A personal interest section is where you can set yourself apart, and even one outstanding achievement is better than a mere list of interests. You can also highlight any academic honors or your leadership positions based on selectivity.
8) Do your prior research.
One of the main things institutions are looking for among the numerous impressive applications is knowledge about the institution and the program. Aim to know as much as you can about each business school you apply for. Ponder on why you want to study there, what the school offers, and what you can bring to the student body. An excellent way to show that you’ve considered these things is to connect with the school’s alumni. This will give you valuable insights into the program, so you can think about how you’ll fit in. If you give this considerable thought, it will come across in your interview and application, giving you that edge over the other candidates.
9) Get good recommendation letters.
Professional approvals increase the credibility of your MBA application. At the same time, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to reflect on yourself as a working professional. Ensure that the person who is recommending you is familiar with your achievements. Connect with these people well in advance to leave them time to write their input. Make sure to give them at least 4–6 weeks to reply to your request. Moreover, check if the school needs these recommendations in a specific format. Adapt to and address the recommendation to the institution you plan to approach. Consider the language used and the criteria the business school values most.
10) Stay up to date
Once we settle into a job routine, focusing on academia isn’t always a part of our day-to-day life. When it comes to writing an MBA essay, or having an interview, neglecting to brush up on current global affairs could hinder your selection. Even casual conversation starters could end up catching you off-guard if you haven’t taken time to update your business acumen. Set time aside to deep dive into current events so that you can refresh your perspective. Besides, business news can help you succeed once you’ve gotten into an MBA program where you’ll immediately be reading, writing, and digesting information rapidly every day.
Participating in an MBA program is a rewarding opportunity, and most programs employ a diverse set of mentors who will guide and grow your business knowledge along with your network.
