INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hello RachitMDS

Kudos to the detailed post. INSEAD will look at your profile in holistically on admission factors mentioned here.
While your work ex looks good & different, do you have any international work ex? Definitely not a deal breaker, but it can further enhance your profile at the likes of INSEAD. If not, make sure to bring out any cross cultural exposure that you have had. You have mentioned decent achievements and career progress and key will be to identify the right stories to tell to the AdCom.
Bachata & Novel as an EC could be interesting as long as you can show a serious involvement and a positive impact on your life.
Your industry and ECs will have to help you stand out in terms of diversity.
Career goals- make sure to hihglight how these goals are organic and link with your past experience and the transferable skills that you have gained in these 5 years. At the same time the goals are too different and disconnected, so you should choose the one that connects most with your past. Not sure how Brand Management plays into it. You could read more on career goals here.
Lastly, a critical piece is missing your academic background. What are your past grades and more importantly what score are you expecting in GMAT? I'd recommend a 730+ coming to stand out, as Indians are expected to score high (a competitive lot we are).
If you can get a high score, the key for your will be execution (identifying what and how to tell the AdCom)
Should you have further questions, let me know.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
Free Profile Review
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi

Need Profile evaluation for INSEAD Sept 2019 intake

Background
Indian, Male, 35

Education - B Tech Mechanical Engg from IIT Kanpur with GPA 7.5 (on a scale of 10)
GMAT - 760 Q51 V41 IR 8
Work Ex -
Never worked as a Mechanical Engineer.
Got selected for the leading FMCG Sales Company in a post MBA role (without a formal MBA)
Was sent to IIM Bangalore for an Executive Management prog from the company.
grew business in Northern India (inluding Himalayan States of Jammu-Kashmir and Himachal) and was awarded highest growing sales manager

took a sabbatical after 4 years to prepare for the Indian Administrative Services and got through with an under top 50 All India Rank
Worked extensively in rural and under developed areas (districts) of an Indian state.
Initiated a lot of projects in government schools and coached many tribal and rural students to reach to IIT.
Headed some large government organizations in CEO/MD/Director role
Presently heading an Examination Conducting body which conducts Computer based examinations for more than 3 million students annually

Language - Worked in English in the MNC. Working in Hindi in the government. Both Hindi and English are top level proficiency.

Extra - professional -
public speaker. Have won numerous inter school, inter college debates including one at the IAS academy
Have spoken for TEDx (the talk has 15k views on YouTube)
Have taught in an NGO School for 4 years during IIT days
Still go for motivational lectures and career counselling sessions to school children

Passionate about working in the area of Education Management especially for school children

Very limited International Exposure - worked for 4 weeks in Shanghai (China) for the FMCG firm doing market research for a dodorants brand, Trained at an Administration School in Singapore for 2 weeks, Spouse worked as a post doc researcher in Germany for 2 years so have stayed in Germany for long durations (8 weeks in total) on holidays. Have traveled around europe but mostly as a tourist. However, have picked up a lot of ideas of governance from European countries and tried implementing in the Indian State government

Hi CMT,

thank you for sharing your profile. It is indeed a quite interesting one.

I really like your professional experience, and your achievements. I also like very much extra-professional activities.

As you may know, just by looking at the details on your post, your two main vulnerabilities are your age and your limited international experience.

Current INSEAD's age range goes from 26 to 32 years old, so you would be on the older side. This is not necessarily a deal breaker though, but this means that INSEAD will expect more from you in terms of career progression. Make sure in your application you're able to show solid career progress with leadership experience. Also, make sure you're able to articulate in a compelling way the "Why an MBA Now".

You do have some international exposure, so make sure you leverage it well. One of INSEAD's admissions criteria is International Motivation, so also try to show yourself as someone internationally motivated (e.g. want to work outside of India post-MBA, curious about other cultures, etc...).

By the way, what are your career goals?

I hope this helps.

For a more detailed discussion, feel free to PM me or email me directly at alex@arleeconsulting.com.

Good luck!
Alex

thanks a ton for the quick response

I totally understand my limitations of age and limited international exposure. Post MBA goals are to work in an international environment, preferably consulting and preferably in Education Sector and bring back that learning to India to revamp the Indian School Education System. I want an international exposure at this juncture of my career as I have hit a glass ceiling in my exposure to Indian setup (worked with both private and public sector). Your feedback is valuable and I will incorporate them in my application. Thanks

Hello CMT

Wow. You are an achiever. Is there something that you have not done?
You score very high on all admission factors (which you can read about here)
Academics, Work Ex, Extracurricular are all off the charts.
Honestly, for you only 2 things will matter-
1. Execution of the application
2. Showcasing a compelling need for an MBA. (not sure after all you've done and where you're at, you need an MBA). You may wish to read here to add to your research on career goals.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
Free Profile Review
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi all,

Requesting a profile evaluation for the Sept 19 intake. Looking to apply in R1

Nationality: Indian
Age as on 2018 Sept: 30
GMAT: 750 (Q50, V40; IR 8; AWA 5.5)

Education
Graduation (2007-11): Bachelor in Engineering from top 10 non-IIT university in India. GPA 8.63/10 (First class hons.)
Post-graduation (2014-16): Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM. GPA 3.2/4.33 (top 30% of batch)

Work experience
Total work-experience during matriculation: 6 years
1. 2011-2014: Technology consultant at a big4 firm. Based in India. Includes an 8-month stint in the Middle East. Though there was no promotion, I was made the team lead after a year.
2. 2016-current: Strategy consultant at a boutique international consulting firm. Focused on aerospace industry. Based out of Malaysia. Worked on projects in Thailand and South Korea too. Have been working as the lead consultant from my second project onwards, leading a team of 2-3 individuals.

International experience: Worked in India (26 months), Saudi Arabia (8 months), Malaysia (6 months) and Thailand (9 months), South Korea (2 months).

Work Achievements:
1. 2011-14: Received highest performance rating for 2 consecutive years in the big4 firm. Also received awards for client appreciation and team work.
2. 2016-17: Helped the firm in developing proposals in bidding for consulting projects. Contributed to winning projects worth USD 1 million.
Delivered aerospace industry briefings in Malaysia and Thailand.
Leading the firm's media engagements for aerospace industry. Quoted by several leading media houses in the region and in US.

Extra-curricular activities/achievements
1. Elected member of sports committee during PGDM.
2. Campus champions and national finalists at several case study competitions during PGDM organised by corporate such as Deloitte, Panasonic, etc.
3. Member of the IIM sports team for three different sports.
4. Worked as an online columnist at 2 leading sports websites in India. Authored 120+ articles. Still engaged with one of them, but not very frequent.
5. Former columnist at one of India's leading satire and humour websites.

Community Service
1. Was part of the corporate social responsibility team of the big4 firm. Worked with several local NGOs. Awarded a certificate of appreciation by the firm
2. Have been involved as a volunteer with a few other NGOs. Currently involved with a Malaysian NGO as a weekend tutor to refugee children.

Post-MBA goals
Short-term: Move to a corporate role within the aerospace industry for 2-3 yrs.
Medium to Long term: Start-up on my own in the aerospace domain

Would welcome any sort of feedback.
I have a specific question about the goals I have set. Are they goals too specific? Considering not too many aerospace companies will come for campus recruitment. However, there are INSEAD grads in the industry and I have been able to connect with a couple of them. Also, both France and Singapore are aerospace hubs and I can look to network with industry practitioners while pursuing the MBA.

Hello reddevils88

Many positives in your profile. Acads, work ex, achievements, extracurricular (adds to diversity) and international experience will all help.
If you have done your research well and can showcase that you are not a recruitment risk (with examples from ground zero) then you should be fine.
Honestly, it is just the execution of application that is key for you. Goals otherwise seem pretty organic. It will now simply depend on how you weave the story, seamlessly linking your past, present, MBA and future.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
Free Profile Review
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi Rachit,

at a personal level, I am always impressed with applicants working in defence or aerospace - I hope the same extends for the adcoms as well. These sectors typically make up a very small percentage of the class, so the adcom should find some diversity in your profile. Your job ofcourse will be to communicate this diversity through the resume, essays and recos and also demonstrate how you will contribute to the class- a key admission criterion.

INSEAD has three other criteria on which they evaluate applicants-
1. your academic capability - you've not mentioned your undergrad scores here and we are yet to know the GMAT score. I will root for a 720+ GMAT score.
2. International exposure- you have worked with clients from various countries. Make sure to get this element out amply in the application as INSEAD really cares about this.
3. Leadership- although your profile has been technical, emphasize on the softer side of your experience- when you made an impact on your organization/ client/ teams because of your leadership skills. This is gonna be tres important (I am brushing up some French for you )

Another requirement at INSEAD: they do care about a well-rounded profile and ask a question on your ECA and how your extracurricular pursuits have enriched you- you seem to have little dope here (Bachata and paper saving). mentioning how these activities have enriched you will provide some meaningful insights as well as show what you are passionate about and how you can contribute to business school.

REgarding the career goals, I am unable to see a direct connection with what you have done so far and your plan b- brand management. I'd spend some time researching this before putting it down in the application - specifically if you want to hang around in France for a couple of years after MBA. Brand management roles typically require a thorough understanding of the market pulse, which may be hard to acquire as an international student.

Reach out if you wish to discuss your profile.

Hello everyone!

I am planning to apply for INSEAD's September 2019 intake, and would be grateful if someone could evaluate my profile.

Bio
Age: 31 years
Sex: Male
Nationality: Indian
Languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali
GMAT: Scheduled in 2 weeks (760 per latest official practice exam)
Work experience: 9 years

Academics
Qualification: B.Tech from an Indian Institute of Technology
CGPA: 6.8/10

Work experience
Company: Major governmental oil and gas company of India

Key Role 1 (field posting)

• Assigned the key responsibility of monitoring every producing oil and gas well of the company and preempt problems
• Positively impacted company bottomline by picking out problem wells and helping to stem their decline

Key Role 2 (field posting)

• Hand-picked by management to act as a single-person node between the geoscience and production groups - the two departments that are most crucial to any oil and gas company but are often in disagreement with the best way forward
• Contribution to company bottomline was more direct as I worked in close co-ordination with the production group to increase the production in a number of wells

Key Role 3 (corporate posting)

• Based on performance in previous role and on my assertiveness and leadership, hand-picked by one of the Directors to advise him on all geoscientific matters pertaining to the company's in-country operations
• Was the first contact of the mostly overseas service providers desirous of selling us their solutions
• Had to work in close liaison with not only most operations departments of the company, but governmental agencies and regulators as well
• Out of curiosity, got involved with the business development group of the company and got exposure to its renewable energy ventures

Current role (semi-leadership field posting:

• Given first-person responsibility for wells amounting to 7.5% of the company's total oil production and 20% of its gas production - a crucial role considering that oil and gas production generate a lion's share of company revenue

International exposure
While I have not been posted outside India throughout my tenure, during my corporate stint I was often closely associated with international service providers on a regular basis. I also familiarized myself with business modalities of a major overseas venture of my company during my association with the business development wing. Presently I am working in close coordination with the team of a US University which is executing a project on one of the fields under my purview.

Extra-curricular activities
Quizzing tops the list: regular quizzer since childhood; recently won a national-level corporate quiz competition broadcast on television
Writing: occasional blogger and poet; wrote most of the text of a book on strategic change management - only made it to the acknowledgements page, though (which incidentally was also written by me)
Music: singer and guitarist, teaching myself the latter on a whim
Public speaking: have had a love affair with the microphone since school

Why MBA
In my 9 years at an oil and gas major, I've gained deep insights into how a company functions. I've had the privilege of being privy to confidential discussions between the board and the government. At the same time, having worked in the oilfield, I am aware of the delicate and unpredictable nature of petroleum as a resource. Put bluntly, the world's dependence on rapidly-shrinking oil and gas risks global energy security, but at the same time opens up immense business potential for vertically integrated energy companies combining their traditional oil and gas businesses with forays into renewable energy (a sector I have also familiarized myself with). Many companies and governments have already realized this, and are taking steps to phase out oil and gas as fuel sources (they will continue to be very much in demand nevertheless, especially in the chemical industry). I wish to do an MBA in order to learn the myriad nitty-gritties of big business which would enable me to play a role in effecting and managing a vertically integrated business at an energy major.

Short term goal
To build upon my previous experiences to land a role with a traditional oil and gas major making forays into renewable energy.

Long term goal
To learn from my experiences at vertically integrated oil and gas majors and start a consulting firm of my own to assist other smaller companies and governments (with extremely limited petroleum resources and ample renewable energy potential) make the changes required to make energy security a realistic possibility for the world.

I understand that I do not have the international exposure that is deemed to be essential by INSEAD, but I would be thankful if the rest of my profile is given a consideration.

Best,
IB

Hi CMT,

Your IIT degree and GMAT score are definite point earners.
Your work experience at the FMCG company sounds to be pretty solid. The fact that you went for civil services shows grit and a sense of purpose in quitting a well paying job to achieve your goals.

Now an MBA application involves storytelling, and INSEAD by way of its numerous essays, gives you a great chance to really open up your experiences. It will be your responsibility to educate the adcom what getting into civil services means, what was the passion that drove you to do it and what have you achieved in this role. The next big thing will be to tie this down to 1. what large plans you have for the future (career goals); 2. why do those plans require an MBA; 3. why an international MBA from INSEAD.

I am wondering whether you have access to Government funding for the MBA? I know IPS/IAS services give both scholarships or/and leave with pay to study further, so you should try to utilize this option. This will make you more attractive to business schools.

On the whole, I am optimistic about your chances at business school because of the diversity you bring. Needless to say, your storytelling has to be top-notch. Also, select more business schools where you have a fit given your more senior age.

Feel free to reach out

Hi

Can you please help me with a profile evaluation?

GMAT Score - 730 (Q49,V41) IR 7

Age 27

Education
Class 10 - 88% (CBSE)
Class 12 - 92% (CBSE)
BCOM - St. Xavier's college, Calcutta (62%)

I'm a chartered accountant and cleared all the exams on my first attempt.

I have also completed all the 3 levels of CFA and currently working to receive my charter.

Work Experience
I have been working with Bank of America in the investment banking division for 3 years now.
I also had the opportunity to travel to New York and work there for a month.

Unfortunately, I do not have anything of substance with regards to extra curricular activities or volunteer work.

My target is to get into a consulting role.

Please let me know in case you need anything further.

Thank you for the help !

Posted from my mobile device

Hello ravi725

i replied to your post on the ISB thread.
The only thing I'd like to highlight here is that for INSEAD you will need to show even more qualitative information that helps you stand out.
Most of the info shared is on the quantitative side which does not help measure your profile's depth.
Write around career progress, achievements at work, careers goals (how they tie with your past and an absolute need of an MBA)
Should you have further questions, let me know.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
Free Profile Review
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi there IB,

Be sure to come back and let us know how the GMAT went, and good luck to you! Overall you have some solid ingredients to your profile, including the professional progression and impact and results made, and a good ability to reflect upon your industry and the future vision you have for both your industry and your own part of it. Continue to dig deeper with regard to your goals, making them even more specific and connecting exactly why you NEED the MBA to reach them (and/or what MBA skills do you think will most help you in your future career?), particularly given that you have a lot of experience already. Community involvement would be a plus (?) but not always something you can change if you're applying soon. RE: the international experience, at least aim to play up the exposure you do have and experience working with people from different countries, and why that global element is interesting to you and appealing to you at INSEAD.

Good luck to you!

Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology
Work Experience:
Have been working in the US for the past 6 Years in a Fortune 100 company

- My role is a unique blend of business and technology. I've tried to focus on solving complex business problems using my technical abilities, part of the reason for quick promotions. So even though the profile looks technical, my role does require a deep understanding of business operations and strategy.
- Managed off shore teams in India (5 people) and Australia for product development and was a a product manager for over a year for a product that is widely used by over 10K people all over the world.
- Strong experience working with and training teams located in Australia, India, and Germany.
- My current team has folks from 10+ nationalities (therefore, very strong experience working in a diverse group of people)


Extracurriculars
Post-MBA Goal
I plan to transition from a data science/analytics role to a corporate strategy/consulting role. I have gained a lot of technical experience working with the data to solve complex business problems. Now I wish to be on the other side and use the power of data to create business strategy. My short term plan is to get into a top tier consulting firm and the long term vision is to open up a management consulting firm tailored towards helping local businesses, using the power of data science and artificial intelligence.

Hello sdlife

You have a lot going for you. Your work ex, international ex, decent past acads, strong extracurricular activities all help. you can read more on that here.
Just see if it is a possibility to improve your score to a 730+. Your current score is not a deal breaker at all, but considering your Indian IT Male background, a higher score will strengthen your chances tremendously as that look the only 'iffy' factor in your profile. But as I said, not a deal breaker, if you put together a strong application, you stand a good chance.
Another thing I'm a bit worried about it your career goals. You wish to move into consulting and INSEAD is a great school for that. But how does you past tie in with that. What transferable skills do you have to make this a successful transition. Consulting is competitive and you mus t show that you have worked towards it and will be able to make this transition.
If you can tie this well, you have a decent shot.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hello,

Would be great if my profile can be reviewed for INSEAD.

Male, Indian.

-Graduated with a B.Com in 2014 with a GPA of 3/4

- India Based: Worked for 4.5 years for a global not for profit and progressed from team member to national head of a certain department (3 years was a voluntary role with the local chapter whilst in college and 1.5 years was a full time paid role). Performed various roles during this period such as stakeholder mgmt, account mgmt, leadership, business development, coaching, etc. Participated and contributed in global conferences to help shape the global and national strategies Reason for leaving: End of contract. Leadership rotates hence have to move on.

- India based: Worked for a year for an outsourcing form as part of the global expansions team to create go to market strategy for the firm. Involved competition benchmarking, labor, real estate, business, political, etc assessment. Reason for leaving: Leadership issues. Most of the team quit.

London based: Worked for a year for a US investment bank in a project mgmt team working with different businesses in the bank to help them spread their workforce across the globe (branch locations and vendors) to cut cost, spread risk, etc. Reason for leaving: End of contract. Couldn't go back to London as internal headcount/budget wasn't approved.

So, I have about 3.5 years of post college experience and about 7 years in total (if you count the experience whilst in college)

Currently, about to join a national company in India in a strategy based role. Hoping to work there for atleast a year and then apply to INSEAD

GMAT: Yet to take. Expecting around 720.
Post MBA goal: management consulting
A rough explanation of why MBA/INSEAD: formalize my education about the corporate world and build on the consulting relevant skills.

Thanks in advance
Sid