INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi MBAkarma,

Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated. I understand that I have put much emphasis on responsibilities and less on career progression. My motivation for career choices goes like this. Early on in my career I had a very macro view of retail financial business. Since I wanted to learn about all aspects of running a retail business (and thus have a wholesome view of same), I worked in various domains such as Operations and Product. The overarching theme is to get the relevant skills so that I can start a fintech startup and scale it successfully. Post MBA I would like to work on starting a venture and an MBA from a recognized institute would give me the necessary skills and networking opportunities to jumpstart my entrepreneurial dreams

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Hi melsains,

thank you for sharing your profile.

I think it has all the elements to make you a good candidate for INSEAD.

I specially like your career progression with 3 promotions in 4 years (congratulations).

Your undergrad GPA is def low, but if you do score 710-720 at GMAT you should be good. And you can always use the Optional Essay to explain the extenuating circumstances.

Regarding your questions:

1. If possible, apply in Round 2. A retake in Oct would still allow you to submit a strong application in Nov. What you could also do is start working on your application (i.e. resume, essays and LoRs) as early as possible, i.e. you don't need to wait to have your GMAT score.

2. Interviewers choose the language they want to conduct the interview in. In case of not being English, INSEAD requires at least one question to be in English. What are you bilingual in? I would assume that if you are interviewed in UK, you'll most likely be interviewed in English.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
Alex

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Hi melsains,

yeah, that's a very good question, and unfortunately a hard one to answer.

I'm not surprised you didn't get a straight answer during the Open Day, as there is really no exact formula for how INSEAD configures the class.

In principle, I would say that you would be considered a UK applicant when it comes to the nationality quotas. However, when it comes to stats (e.g. GMAT) you might be compared with Chinese applicants.

But again, it is hard to tell.

Were you born and raised in UK to Chinese parents?

Feel free to move this conversation off to PM or email (alex@arleeconsulting.com).

Thank you
Alex

Hi Experts ,
Request you to help evaluate my profile for Sept 2019 intake for INSEAD.

- Age : 33 years.
- Gender : Male
- Nationality : indian.

Work Experience : 11 years.

Industry : Retail.

Bach. Degree : from National Institute of Fashion Technology , India.
GPA : 3.35.

GMAT : Yet to take the exam , targeting Oct '18 end.

Professional Experience :
1. Job 1 ( 18 Months ) : started with India's then biggest retailer as management trainee mainly into product and vendor management for Women's western wear. Key takeaways were Industry experience and vendor management .

2. Job 2 ( 17 months ) : Started Working with a global Sportswear brand as Asst. Product Buyer , got introduced to dynamics of an international brand environment , used my previous learning to improve Product and processes for the brand.

3.Job 3 ( 36 Months ) : Started working as Manager - Merchandising for a Global Fashion retailer, which had just entered the Indian market space then , spearheading the merchandising and product department . With previous exposure of International brand dynamics , was able to set a up the merchandising dept from scratch to multiple retail stores in India.

4. Job 4 ( 60 Months ) : Joined the current biggest retailer in India started working with yet another international and Global sportswear brand. Currently heading their Merchandising/ product / sales Departments . Have seen through the brand journey from 2 points of sale to 60 points of sale and big ECOM portfolio considering the current ECOM boom in India. The job gave the much required International exposure considering multiple trips to Brand headquarters based in France and working with the French Brand team for almost 5 years now.

Extra Curricular :
Have won multiple awards in School time for various GK Quiz.
Have also been involved in various activities like choreographing a complete Fashion show during college festivals.
Unfortunately , No Volunteer work as of now.

Target Colleges :
INSEAD.

Hi Arpit,
That sounds like great work experience. Although you are on the higher side of age, I'd still encourage you to apply without waiting another year.
In your work experience, I'd ask you to focus upon the quantitative achievement you have made (specially through the resume). Applicants tend to miss that out without realizing it gives a clearer picture of their
Your international work experience will be well appreciated by INSEAD. I am not quite happy about the lack of extra-curricular activities.

Now go ahead and get a solid GMAT score.

melsains given that you have a Chinese background even though you are a UK citizen, still somewhat overrepresented category (even if just based on you competing with other Chinese in the UK.) All the more reason to make sure you get your application in by round 2 at the latest. On a nighly basis diminishing marginal returns with GMAT so it might be kind of welcomed left brain exercise for you to work on the application simultaneously. Also it provides momentum and it's something you feel you have a little more control over. Good luck on the GMAT.

https://mbaprepcoach.com

Hi Experts,

It would be great if you could evaluate my profile for admission to INSEAD

Nationality: Indian
Gender: Male
GMAT: 740

Education:
Undergrad: Electronics engineering from a well-known but Non IIT College. CGPA(3.82/4)
Post Grad: PGDM in Marketing and Communications with Digital Marketing Specialization from MICA, Ahmedabad (one of the Premium Marketing Schools in India) CGPA (3.7/4)

Work Experience: Around 5+ years

Pre-Masters Work Ex:
6 Months with India's top Automotive company Tata Motors Limited as Assistant Manager (Maintenance):Lead a team of 4 technicians in Tata Nano Retro-fitment drive to upgrade 2000 cars in record time.

14 months with a Fortune 500 MNC Bombardier Transportation as Application Engineer. Worked on product Firmware Application development, automation and testing for Delhi metro and Manhiem based German train projects. Interacted and dealt with cross-country and cross-functional stake holders with a lot of International exposure.

1 year in Business development for an Educational Start-up: Lead end to end customer acquisition initiatives for the company - right from events, liaison to institutional tie-ups and brand marketing.

Post Masters Work-ex:

1 year as Marketing Manager for an FMCG Start-up belonging to Dishman group of companies: Post my PGDM, I was inclined to a start-up role which would provide me with cross-functional role exposure with steep learning curve. As a Marketing Manager with the FMCG Start up, I led a team of 4 people and coordinated cross-functional team within the organization. Played a pivotal role in on-boarding the brand with major e-commerce portals and putting in place the digital marketing strategy for the start-up. Guided the brand’s e-commerce sales from scratch to Rs 0.6 million in year 1. Was promoted from Assistant Manager to Manager in 10 months.

2.5 years with Amazon India as Marketing Manager: Currently leading Category Marketing for 4 categories with business of Rs 40 crore per annum. Driving key projects pertaining to new customer acquisition and repeat purchases.
My experience has been good mix of technical aspects of digital analytics as well as strategic aspects of online and offline marketing projects relating to customer acquisition and cost optimization.

International Exposure: No International work travel per se but have worked with Germany based and US based teams to deliver on multiple projects while working at Bombardier and Amazon. At a personal level have traveled to Europe.

Extra-Curricular:
1. Half marathon Runner and fitness blogger.
2. I've won many school level and University level Debate competitions.
3. I have been part of multiple student organizations at both undergrad and Post grad level including Entrepreneurship cell.
4. I've won university and District level science/GK quiz competitions.

Community Service:
1. Co-founder of an NGO working for rural and tribal employment.
2. Have been a regular part of company based CSR initiatives including community teaching, cleanliness drives and hygiene awareness campaigns

Post MBA Goals:
I want to leverage my Marketing and Digital Analytics to work in a Strategy consulting role or a Product Management role of a big company to get exposure and eventually start my own venture.

Thanks:)

Hello all,

Hope everyone is doing good. I would love to know your opinion about my profile for INSEAD

Country: India
Gender: Male
GMAT Score: 740 (Q:50, V:40, IR:8, AWA:4)
Total Work Experience (in years): 6
Undergraduate Institution: IIT Kanpur (India)
Undergraduate GPA: 3.1/4
Post Grad GPA: 3.4/4

Other Qualification: Post Graduate Certificate in Liberal Arts (Young India Fellowship)

Awards: Mother Theresa Fellow ( Awarded to work in the social development sector), Special appreciation (IIT Kanpur) - (Given to best outgoing sportsperson)

I am an engineer from IIT Kanpur, did Dual Degree in Civil Engineering and graduated in 2012. Post which, I did a one year liberal arts fellowship and started working in development sector.

Work Experience:

Job 1:
I worked for 2 years in sports for Development with Indian Football Foundation where I was responsible for developing the technical capabilities of 120 football coaches. Wrote coaching manuals for educating 5000 coaches across India. Consulted for the governing body of football in India and assisted in developing a 5 year strategy and budgets.

Job 2:
I transitioned into a social business with Bengaluru Football Club (top football club in India) where I was given the task of starting the soccer schools and was head of the vertical, managing 15 coaches and 3 support staff. Incubated and set up 7 centers across the city of Bangalore. Enrolled 600 students and earned a total revenue of $100,000 in the first year of Operations, with a net profit margin of 40%

I was really excited about the impact I had created but was not satisfied with the scale. I realized that using Technology can help me amplify impact. So I quit my job at Bengaluru FC, learnt coding and started up twice and failed.

Job 3:
After this stint I joined Digital Green ( a non-profit solving agriculture marketing problem for farmers) as a Product Manager. I have been working here for the past 1.5 years and was promoted to Senior Manager, Business Operations and Strategy six months back.

Extra-curriculars: Led University football team to win District Championship and got selected to play in the state team. Bridge club Secretary, IIT Kanpur,

Post MBA: I plan to start my own Tech based social enterprise. I am working on a few solutions which are based on using blockchain to help solve fund management problems in the sports development sector.



Thank You!

Hello melbin101

Pretty interesting profile. You are strong on almost all the admission factors required for INSEAD (you can read more on that here)
Showcase an international outlook for INSEAD (don't confuse this with international experience)
Now you have entrepreneurial goals- this can at times be a double edged sword if not presented or thought well. If you build a clear narrative in your essays towards a need of an MBA for your long terms goals (and fit INSEAD in those goals) you have a fighting chance at INSEAD.

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

Please evaluate my Profile and let me know what score should i use to fill the IIM Indore form

Age/gender - 32/male
1)7.5 + years experience in It Industry as Senior Developer. (IBM 3.5 years , Infosys 3 years , Tech M - 1.5 yrs)
2)610 GMAT score (28 Verbal,45 Quant)
3)10th - 84.6% marks
4)12th - 61.67% marks
5)BTech - IT - 81.1 % marks
6)CEO/Director of Zionix solutions Pvt ltd - a software services & Product company.
7)CEO/Director of Swachh Wash LLP - a Company for Industrial Laundry Business.
8)Extra - curricular - 3 years has been working for NGO involved in agriculture, awareness for right to education for girl child, awareness for equal pay and status for women.

Please also let me know how much minimum GMAT score i require with my Profile to get a call

Thanks
Gaurav

Hi,

I am an Indian male , age 29 with below background.

Bsc:- 67 %- completed in 2010. 3rd tier city college. SCM as optional subjects.
12th:- 58%
10:- 76 %

Exp:- 8 months As warehouse supervisor.
5 Years as purchase executive in TTSL
1 Year in Vodafone.
3 Years and still working in Sophos Tech as Sr Procurement specialist handling international Purc. operations.
IN extracurricular activities, have been awarded CFO campaign award and many awards in college and company level.

I am preparing for Gmat with a score in mind of around 730 ( i got 670 in Prep - test) and want to apply for MBA in international business management course in any suitable MBA college and instead as first priority.

please help with a suitable score i should archive or any other part to add in my Resume to get admission in 1 of the top 30 MBA colleges.

Best,
Nitin

Hey Nitin,

I think you are targeting the right GMAT score ~730. The average of INSEAD is 709 and usually, for Indian candidates (depending on the profile of course) the GMAT score is a little bit higher. As for other school suggestions I recommend we have a call to discuss your post-MBA goals further, your geography preference, etc.

Best,

kumargauravtiwary This thread is for INSEAD profile evaluation. Please post in the appropriate thread to get a response

melbin101
INSEAD looks for the following 4 factors in prospective candidates-
1. Ability to Contribute
2. Academic Capability
3. International Motivation
4. Leadership Potential

Your GMAT score and past academic record along with work experience speak good about your academic capability and leadership potential. You should use your liberal arts background and engineering education to demonstrate the ability to contribute. Please make sure to emphasize on your Internation Motivation. For INSEAD international motivation is as important as any other factor on your application.

Please make sure to read the below blog by an INSEAD admit to understand what INSEAD looks for in MBA applicants-
https://aidmit.com/index.php/2018/09/12/ ... xperience/

Hi Experts,

It would be great if you could evaluate my profile for admission to INSEAD
Nationality: Indian
Gender: Male
GMAT: 740

Education:
Undergrad: Electronics engineering from a well-known but Non IIT College. CGPA(3.82/4)
Post Grad: PGDM in Marketing and Communications with Digital Marketing Specialization from MICA, Ahmedabad (one of the Premium Marketing Schools in India) CGPA (3.7/4)

Work Experience: Around 5+ years

Pre-Masters Work Ex:
6 Months with India's top Automotive company Tata Motors Limited as Assistant Manager (Maintenance):Lead a team of 4 technicians in Tata Nano Retro-fitment drive to upgrade 2000 cars in record time.

14 months with a Fortune 500 MNC Bombardier Transportation as Application Engineer. Worked on product Firmware Application development, automation and testing for Delhi metro and Manhiem based German train projects. Interacted and dealt with cross-country and cross-functional stake holders with a lot of International exposure.

1 year in Business development for an Educational Start-up: Lead end to end customer acquisition initiatives for the company - right from events, liaison to institutional tie-ups and brand marketing.

Post Masters Work-ex:

1 year as Marketing Manager for an FMCG Start-up belonging to Dishman group of companies: Post my PGDM, I was inclined to a start-up role which would provide me with cross-functional role exposure with steep learning curve. As a Marketing Manager with the FMCG Start up, I led a team of 4 people and coordinated cross-functional team within the organization. Played a pivotal role in on-boarding the brand with major e-commerce portals and putting in place the digital marketing strategy for the start-up. Guided the brand’s e-commerce sales from scratch to Rs 0.6 million in year 1. Was promoted from Assistant Manager to Manager in 10 months.

2.5 years with Amazon India as Marketing Manager: Currently leading Category Marketing categories with business of Rs 40 crore per annum. Driving key projects pertaining to new customer acquisition and repeat purchases.
My experience has been good mix of technical aspects of digital analytics as well as strategic aspects of online and offline marketing projects relating to customer acquisition and cost optimization.

International Exposure: No International work travel per se but have worked with Germany based and US based teams to deliver on multiple projects while working at Bombardier and Amazon. At a personal level have traveled to Europe.

Extra-Curricular:
1. Half marathon Runner and fitness blogger.
2. I've won many school level and University level Debate competitions.
3. I have been part of multiple student organizations at both undergrad and Post grad level including Entrepreneurship cell.
4. I've won university and District level science/GK quiz competitions.

Community Service:
1. Co-founder of an NGO working for rural and tribal employment.
2. Have been a regular part of company based CSR initiatives including community teaching, cleanliness drives and hygiene awareness campaigns

Post MBA Goals:
I want to leverage my Marketing and Digital Analytics to work in a Strategy consulting role or a Product Management role of a big company to get exposure and eventually start my own venture.