marketing ourselves

Question

Hi guys,

I originally sent this question as a private message to Kryzak. I think however that it deserves to be discussed, because it may be something you too are thinking about. I will probably appear foolish or plain dumb, but here it is.

I worked in IT consulting, and recently I joined an IT leadership rotational program. I'll finish my rotational assignments right on time to start, hopefully, business school.

Here is the deal: my real short term goal is to more into management consulting (M/B/B).

Problem? This is an overused, boring story. The lad working in IT who wants to join a strategy firm. Gazillions of them.
Also, it's risky. Many people fail to make the switch, and the school find itself with an unemployed student.

How to "fix it"? I could tell a different story in my essays. I could tell that I plan to go back to my company but on the business side, maybe in business development, or something similar. I already have the contacts, I know the environment. Safer choice, more "realistic" and achievable objective, everyone happy?

Don't know. Stupidly enough, this thought is now constantly in my head, weighting what I want vs. what I think might make my application more appealing.

I'll probably hear: "idiot, be true to yourself and explain your goals - they'll understand".

Oh well - if any of this rings a bell, you are not alone.

Thoughts, insults, wake up calls are greatly appreciated.

Cheers

sm332 · Answer

PM .. we can discuss some of this offline since i am basically in the same exact situation.

MGOBLUE2 · Answer

I believe you should be honest and say you want to do mgmt consulting. The key is to make the connection strong. Maybe you want to serve pharma clients as a consultant? Why? Because you had experience working with pharma clients in your IT role, found the industry interesting, but want to learn more about other areas of the business.

I know there is a desire to do whatever it takes to get accepted. But if you showcase a compelling story that's believable, you are putting yourself in the best possible position. Saying you want to get a full-time mba and then return to your current IT organization is not believable. At least not to me.

dabots · Answer

m/b/b take any backgrounds, including tons of it consultants

i doubt schools would worry about you being unemployed

personally i wrote about going into MC short term as well

deckardbr · Answer

Hi MGOBLUE2 - I work for the IT dept of a big organisation. Saying that I'd like to go back there in a business function is not that unusual. I do appreciate your input though - the only reason why I'm giving this some serious thought is because it was advice from a columbia alumnus. The IT->MC story is so common it is like finding yourself in a large pool of applicants that all look the same. How do you distinguish yourself? How's your IT->MC any better/any more convincing than the other 1,000 out there? I guess it's similar to the Male/Engineer/Indian pool :-)

So it ain't easy. I'm not clear about what is best to do yet... but please, by all means, let me know what you think.

deckardbr · Answer

I guess that's my point - it is very very common.

Anyway, schools do worry about students employment post-MBA. That's why they ask you to set up realistic goals - the % employed post graduation is an important metric.

Dunno - I'll sleep over it, and hopefully it will clear my head.

Thanks for the input.

MGOBLUE2 · Answer

Agreed -- I misunderstood your role.

But I stick to the premise of my original post. Although you want to distinguish yourself, the place to do it is NOT in your post-graduation plans. I believe this notion is shared by most admission consultants as well.

Now you're right, you could make a compelling case on why you want to return to your current organization. I just think honesty is the best policy, especially with career goals.

riverripper · Answer

You just need to show that you have skills that are transferable. Schools value work experience in MBA students and so do companies that recruit MBAs. Find your strengths and play to them. I think outside of former bankers and consultants, most people are career changers. Yes some people do return to careers like marketing and tech stuff but they are a much smaller group than bankers and consultants. Its unusual for many engineers, IT folks, and the unique career people to return to their previous fields even if its in another roll. I mean if you look at almost every school, 60-80% of students go into IB or MC so there are plenty of career switchers going into those jobs.

kryzak · Answer

to add to my PM answer, if you can link your current skill set to what you want to do in the future, that will be more powerful than choosing a field that is less impacted. If you can tell an indisputable story about why your skill set leads you right into MC, then tell that story and don't worry about it. If it's more of a "stretch goal" to get into MC, then write about a secondary goal of yours that your current skill set will support better.

deckardbr · Answer

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I've decided to go with what I know is right - meaning, telling the truth. I believe I can build a compelling case for myself. And if I deserve a ding, I'd rather get it knowing it reflects who I am and what I want, rather than a story out of convenience. Thanks for keeping me straight :-D

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