2011 Application: Job Choice

Question

Background:

3.5 GPA from UCLA Class of 2008: Business Economics and Accounting

Currently 9 months experience (including summer internship) in a Fortune 100 Company as a budget and planning financial analyst.

GMAT: 690 (retaking in April, htting mid low 700's in practice CAT)

Target Schools: Columbia, NYU, Harvard, and Northwestern

I have a job offer to work in an mid-size (400-500 employees) international pharmaceutical (health food product) company. The company is based in Poland and is a household name in Poland (in EVERY supermarket/pharmacy). It has some brand power in Eastern Europe, but is unknown in Western Europe and in the States.

So my job will be to first live/work in Poland to get a grasp of the products they make (over 80) and began developing a marketing plan to bring the product into the States. I must tell this, the company is owned by my grandfather and I have been given this opportunity because i am his grandson.

So should i stick with my process driven finance job or take on the venture to introduce a great health food product to America? Which job would help me stand out for bschool applications in 2011?

Any advice would help. I'm at a stepping stone in my life and I want to make my decision with the upmost thought and consideration.

Thanks

DK · Answer

You may be wise to post this in the consultant's threads. I would say the combination of international exposure + entrepeneurial work environment would add more to your application than staying in your current job. On the flipside, you run the risk of not doing your current job enough justice (staying there < 1 year?).

Also, Northwestern is a school that generally likes more experienced candidates. If you plan to apply for entry in 2011, you may be wise to apply instead to a school like UCLA, Stanford, or Wharton which likes younger folks. Harvard, NYU, and Columbia all take younger folks in large numbers.

Rubashov1 · Answer

What do you see as the upward potential in your current role?

jmtomasz · Answer

My current job is entirely process driven. I focus on operations finance (for marketing), but at this moment basically do discretionary, salary, marketing planning/reporting .

I do not see any exciting potential in my job. Usually those positions are left for MBA grad's and is mostly strategy.

My target schools are not set in stone, so I will probably pick and choose the schools that cater toward younger applicants.

Rubashov1 · Answer

From what you've said, the Poland opportunity seems like a great one. I am not familiar with the pros and cons of working in a family business when it comes to business school admissions (other than the challenges of finding non-family recommenders), but the job itself definitely sounds like something that will provide more leadership experiences than your current position.

nink · Answer

Many people make the mistake of thinking that certain jobs should be written off or one should move on quickly because they are rather boring, not as important, or insignificant.

However, all experience (regardless of your current view) have value and this becomes clear once you begin your bschool application process. I've been tested by adcoms, interviewers, essay questions, and even by myself - about every aspect of my life in the last 10 years. After thorough analysis, I was able to piece together the puzzle and realized how much each moment of my life in the last 10 years helped me become who I am and it allowed me to succeed in current bschool application year.

There are many individuals in this forum with various backgrounds with amazing admit results. Some did it the traditional way (top scores, superb work experience etc), and others did it their own ways.

There's more than one way to get to where you want to go. Therefore, make the best of your current situation and don't write off a single experience. Because later on, every piece of your life puzzle will help and it will make sense to you.

domtri33 · Answer

I think perhaps you may be approaching this question a little bit backwards. Instead of making your job decision based on the perceived impact on a B-school application two years from now, I think you should look at it from the perspective of what would you enjoy doing more now. If you absolutely love your process driven job now, then there really is no need to change.

At the end of the day, when it is time for you to apply to B school, whenever that is, you are going to have to sell your story. It's a lot easier to sell a story that you believe in and are happy about, than, "I decided to go and work in Poland because I figured it would look better on a B school application". I completely agree with nink in that there is no one right way to get into a top B school. There is so much pure chance involved, that I wouldn't sacrifice my happiness today in hopes for getting into some top program two years from now.

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