ISB Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi Arvind,

Good profile. We especially like the fact the you have clarity on goals and also that your goals are linked to your current profile. These would make a great MBA story! Every year, the number of applicants with an operations background is increasing, therefore the pool is extremely competitive. While your academic background has been good this far, we would recommend that you aim for a high GMAT score as well, to make sure you're a cut above your competitors. A score of 710+ should be good here.
We think that your essays can make a lot of difference in your application. If you can translate the differentiation and the clarity of goals into a strong application, then combined with a good GMAT and your extracurriculars, you should be able to sail through.

Hi Zac,
You have a good profile in the making. Your three internships although very different from each other, are with good brand names. I'd like to understand how you came to the conclusion that real estate is your calling? You do not seem to have any work experience in the field. If you are very keen on working in this space only, you should try to get atleast 1-2 years work experience with a real estate company before you go on to do a masters in the field. If you just jump the gun now but don't enjoy the course later you are going to be extremely miserable.

To answer your second question- both IB and RE are entirely different industries. Conduct information interviews about both the industries to understand them better. Reach out to relevant college alumni and find out about their experiences. You have already been in IB so you have some idea about the work involved. RE can be a good place to join to test the waters and to validate your liking for the industry, but in my personal opinion its an unorganized market and growth aspects are always going to be better in IB.

Hi Souvik,

Your biggest drawback in my opinion is your career gap. How long has it been since you quit work?
In general business schools are unforgiving about career gaps unless they are backed by a strong reason. You must address why you had to quit, when you write the application. And also mention about the transport business and what you gained out of it (skills and knowledge).

I do find it concerning if you are not planning to get yourself a job now- its 11 months before the next ISB session starts, and if you are not working in full time capacity before that, then your career gap will only keep widening. B-schools will not be too happy with that scenario.

If the transport business is still on and you have scaled it up in some way, then it may offer as an explanation to the gap...but I will need to understand this better

Hi Sangram,

We need more information on your profile: current role, quality and depth of experience, and extracurriculars to make a deeper assessment of your profile. However, here are our initial thoughts:
- 7 years of experience pegs you at the higher end of the experience, therefore your application should focus more on the depth of your experience and your professional and personal achievements.
- Begin preparing for GMAT, if not already started. You can find a ton of resources on GMAT Club itself, that will help you set the ball rolling. Try and aim for a 680+ in GMAT, to keep your profile competitive.
- Dig deeper on extracurriculars to showcase that you are a holistic profile and have been able to make an impact beyond work.

A combination of all three of them should be able help you put up a good application. Feel free to reach out with specifics in your profile for a deeper evaluation.

Hi Sangram

Do you have a GMAT score yet? When are you planning to take the test in case you do not?

Hi Ashwin

Your professional profile is quite good but your CGPA is slightly low. Try to compensate with a strong GMAT score (700+ and if possible 720+). The UG program you are from is tier-2, but that should not deter you at all as there are plenty of ISB alumni from your school. In terms of the average GMAT score at ISB, it is currently 707 and is expected to rise slightly this year.

Hi,

Please review my application for ISB 2018 intake

Age - 27

Academics-
Xth - 65%
XIIth - 70%
Graduation - B. Com 62%
Diploma in Event Management
Diploma in Digital Marketing
Gmat - By July end

Work Ex - 5 years 3 months

I have full time work experience of 3 years in sales and marketing with top mobile phone manufacturer in India and more than 2 years of start-up experience in the social/Ngo sector and the healthcare sector. I was part of the core team in both startups and led the marketing and sales operations.

Extra Curriculars
- have received national level award for community service in school
- represented the school hockey team at state level tournaments
- organized many events at my school
- Worked part time on live events during my graduation

Please advise on my profile.

Thank you!!





Sent from my ONE A2003 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi Rishkum

- Which part of your experience comes first - the mobile sales one or the NGO one? Also, what are your post-MBA goals?
- Your academics are not stellar, so a strong GMAT score (700-720+ if possible) is advised.
- Your profile is otherwise decent - some differentiation by way of your background and work, good evidence of leadership and initiative, and some good extra-curriculars as well. This can shape up into an excellent application with some hard work.
- As of now, your job is cut out - do well on the GMAT first and then focus on building a strong app.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

Kindly evaluate my profile:

I am an architect by profession, 5+ years of work experience.
Spent 2.5 years working for a world renowned architect as an Architect designer and worked on quite a few large scale project, one of which was in collaboration with a renowned builder.
Later moved on to working for a reputed builder as an Architect manager- dealing with design as well as coordination, site supervision, vendor coordination, conflict resolution, etc. and in 2.5 years have successfully executed a 31 lakh sq.ft project, as a part of 2 member team.

B.arch from one of the top 5 Architecture colleges in India with 86% marks. 3rd rank in class.
12th grade: CBSE: 82%
10th grade: ICSE: 83%

Extra curricular:
Won several awards in competitions in fields of creativity, music and dance.
Member of organizing committee in college fest and tours.

I haven't given my GMAT yet.

I would like to know what are my chances of getting a interview call?
would i fall in the category of "diverse group" owing to my field?
What should my target GMAT score be, so i have a better shot at getting a call?

\

Hi Shreyashi

- Your professional background is certainly differentiated. However you will need to make a clear and cogent case for an MBA from where you are currently in your career.
- Your acads are quite good and your ECA are decent. With ISB's revamped application this year, the importance of ECA has come down a bit, but you are well placed anyway. Organizing college fests may not bring much credit.
- For the GMAT, aim for 700+, the higher the better. We can review again once you have a score.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

Hi Rishkum,

The good news is that a strong sales and marketing profile always stands out in the clutter of applications. We believe that you have all the right ingredients for a strong candidature and application. The start-up experience would be crucial here. If you can demonstrate impact and talk some calibrated achievements, you definitely have an edge! On the academics, the previous scores do seem average, so while you need not aim for too high a score, a 690-700 should keep you safe.

All in all, our advice is to tackle GMAT and get it out of the way, as for you essays will carry the weight of the application.

Feel free to reach out in case of queries.

Hi Shreyashi,

The answer is yes! Your profile does fall under the diverse group of students that all B-schools want to add to their class! You seem to be doing well professionally as well. Your academic background is strong and a GMAT score of 680-700 should peg you safe.
However, our experience of working with applicants with your background has taught us that the biggest challenge that you will face, would be articulation of post-MBA goals and career path. A lot would depend on showcasing how ISB can add value to your career trajectory. If you can clearly articulate these in your essays, then you have a great shot at ISB.

Our recommendation is that you complete your GMAT asap and then spend time working on your strengths and mapping them to your long-term goals, as this can make or break your application.

Hi I would love it if someone could basically do a profile evaluation of mine with respect to applying in ISB this year.

Full-Time Work experience - I have 8 years of work ex till date (June 2017) and all have been with Tata Steel and in manufacturing. I started out in mechanical maintenance where i was part of the team that commissioned and ramped up operations of a new plant.
Post that i had a brief 6 month stint in Business development where i was in a team with Mckinsey to improve our overall EBIDTA of our organisation.
Post this stint i joined production and was incharge of our main Auto-segment manufacturing line for 1yr.
After which i took over from the plant head and was heading the plant for 2years (about 300 people) till we decided to stop operations and relocate the plant to our central facility. My experience of shutting down that plant (dealing with government bodies, distraught workmen,employees and contract employees) and completing the task with absolutely no major events(strikes,newpaper coverage) etc was an achievement in itself.
Post this im now looking after engineering and projects for the past 2.5 years where i take projects right from its inception through the various capital and government approvals and till its site erection and commissioning and playing a key role in our division's plans to double its capacity in the next couple of years.

GMAT Score - Will be giving it by end of July.
College info - Mechanical Engineering from College of Engineering Pune(COEP). Passed out in 2009. Grades are CGPA - 7.85/10.
10th - 77.2 %
12th - 89.4%

Extracurricular -
College - Was part of the football and badminton teams. No major tournament victories but represented the college in national level tournaments in football.
Was Co-founder of the college entrepreneurship cell and hosted a lot of events / programs to facilitate a spirit of entrepreneurship in the college.
Was co-ordinator for the college sports festival and helped out as a volunteer in the technical festival for 3 of my 4 years in college.
Was part of the robotics club for the first 1.5years of college and came up with a mini - robot which won nothing basically, but participated in events with it.
At Work - Initiated an employee engagement wave/system in the first month of joining work(2009) which basically focused on daily employee appreciation and is now a part of our work system system (5years since).
Was employee engagement champion for the new joinee work group.
Organized company wide football tournaments for 2years for all employees and their families.(was never done before)
Personal - Have always been associated with orphanages since a very small age. I personally help out a orphanage in my hometown whenever i visit there. (Volunteer+ take the kids out for picnic etc spend time playing football with them. Help out with some difficulties in maths etc). Also i intend to start an orphanage sometime in the future. (I dont know if i should use this or not for my mba admission as its not something i do to grow professionally or benefit me professionally. Its something i do just out of my own desire)

Important certifications - Certified internal auditor for ISO 9001 and TS 16949. Also some certifications in plant safety programmes.
Certified accessor for TBEM (Tata Business Excellence Model) which is a business excellence award for companies based on the Malcom Baldrige award.
Target Programs - ISB India
When you plan to apply? - R1

Your post-MBA goal - My goal is just one - To become CxO and lead a top manufacturing firm. (This is a blunt goal - but that is what it is)

Hey, hope this helps. Compilation of essays by successful admits.

ISB Applications are now open!

Departing from tradition, this year ISB has announced only two essays, which means that it becomes even more important for applicants to identify their strengths and map them with accomplishments and goals succinctly.

Please see details of both essays here: https://www.apphelp.co.in/ISB-Essays.htm

Feel free to reach out in case of queries.

Hi Manofsteel,

Candidates with 8+ years of experience are considered as senior executives and often evaluated a bit differently from those with lower work experience. You've definitely done well, building a good profile for yourself, both on the extracurricular and the professional front. We think that a profile like yours would make a great fit for ISB! In terms of GMAT, a score of 680+ should be sufficient to see you through, given that it is balanced by a rich work experience.

The challenging part of your application would be in articulating your short-term and long-term goals and how ISB can help you achieve them. We like the confidence that you would like to lead a top manufacturing firm (and may the force be with you!), but a roadmap or structured thoughts on how you would get there, will boost your chances of getting through.

All in all, get GMAT out of the way and then work hard on putting together tightly knit essays that clearly articulate how you are different and how ISB can help you achieve your goal of being a CXO.

Feel free to get in touch in case of queries.