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Joined: 24 Jul 2019
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Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
Compelling MBA Goals Strategy 101
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22 Apr 2022, 20:44
The inference that Business schools want to draw from the goals question is whether or not the applicant has deliberated on his career trajectory, reflecting on factors such as jobs, courses studied, supplementary projects undertaken, and vision of future self.
Although most applicants have a vague idea about what they would like to do, many are apprehensive that their choice of career goals may put their chances of succeeding at risk. Some applicants, through discussions with alumni and after going over placement statistics feel convinced to cite “safer” post-MBA goals such as consulting, product management, program management, VC, and PE, without much contemplation.
So in order to eliminate the confusion, how should one think about approaching the goals question?
• Evaluate your interests in light of your career path
Do your interests align with the current role/industry you are in? If not, would you be able to leverage any transferrable skills to the industry/role you wish to switch to?
As an example (a real-world case), Candidate A who comes from a banking background wishes to pursue product management post MBA. His long-term goal is to become a CTO of an NBFC.
The catch in the argument lies in whether or not the ad com would be convinced about the applicant being able to build substantial specific “engineering” knowledge over the coming years to command the tech execution and operations management as a CTO. Such an argument can become ground for rejection and therefore any room for skepticism must be avoided.
• Develop a long-term vision
Having aspirational and ambitious goals for the long term show your willingness to make a large-scale impact in society. Think of a problem you identified through observation and experience that you would like to solve for in the long term (~10-15 years).
Your job straight out of your MBA should give you the skills and learnings for your long-term plan and act as an opening wedge to the industry in which you wish to make a large-scale impact.
A good case example is - An applicant Mr. B who has a degree in Fashion technology and a long career in the international fashion in retail business sees himself working in Social Impact in the long term, helping Indigenous weavers in an emerging economy to position their premium products in international markets, thus providing a sustainable means of livelihood to the manufacturers. In the short, term he would like to expand his fashion retail experience into luxury management through an MBA at a prestigious European B School that is well-positioned in luxury business and entrepreneurship.
• Show conscientiousness and connect the dots
To make a compelling case for your immediate post-MBA goal, give examples of transferrable skills from prior experiences citing MBA and post MBA goals as the logical next step in your career path. Show that you took the initiative to connect with alumni who had similar backgrounds and career goals as you, and who made the switch to the role/industry of choice post MBA. An exceptional applicant would draw insights from interacting with relevant folks (even recruiters!) and in the essays demonstrate a strong drive for networking and hustling in order to understand the risks and rewards that lie ahead.
• Have a plan – B
The flexibility of goals gives some room to the ad com for considering your candidacy if they really like your profile but are not completely convinced about your Plan A.
If you set your mind to a goal, there is more than one way of achieving the same. MBB or consulting goals have been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful, therefore, show that you have deliberated well on your aspirational and inspirational goals and chalk out a plan B in order to reach the same destination. An ideal way to approach long-term goals would be to think about - what kind of problems that you have seen through your experiences would you like to solve? And, what do you really need to be able to make that impact?
Best wishes