Dear experts,
Please help evaluate my profile:
I also have a question: my 2 most recent work experience involve are:
1) coordinating between government and architects to generate and implement concepts to regenerate abandoned old parts of Beijing, getting the proposal granted by various government agencies and actually doing it
2) Opened a fine dining restaurant from scratch (we had funding and support, but we build everything ourselves)
I feel like the most important takeaways from these projects are not really something that can be "quantified" in revenue or volume, or amount of assets that are involved, both are very hands on jobs that can be tedious at times and involve a lot of problem solving. How can this be reflected in a good resume?
So I appreciate the work you've done and I can see that it is substantial in that- you can still quantify some things to give an idea of scope- so what kind of revenue do you do in the fine dining restaurant? If you feel the numbers are not impressive enough- are they 150% of your goal (whatever you decide that to be?), can you say that you were awarded best new restaurant in market? You can put a link to the website so people can more fully appreciate the culture of the place.
For the govt process- can you mention how many gov't agencies- how long might it normally take? 6 mos? did you do your project in 4 mos? you just have to be creative in thinking about how you may have done something better than expected or just measure anything against a goal that you originally set. Not every bullet needs a number but it is good for at least one per "job" to have some kind of quantification.Profile:
Nationality: Chinese
Age: 28 (10 years in Hong Kong , 8 years UK, 5 years Singapore, 5 years China)
Undergraduate Studies: London School of Economics- History and International Relations, upper second class honors (3.5 GPA?)
GMAT: 700 (Q49, V35) - although I would like to note that this score does not accurately reflect my quant and verbal skills, I avoided maths and engaged in literature subjects as much as I can since high school
I am also hoping the difference in nature of my profile compared to many other Chinese applicants may make up for the relatively low score.
I agree that you have a different perspective- but here is where it gets tricky....employment prospects for Chinese students in US are competitive. So you have to be sure to speak flawless English and also have a profile where it is pretty clear what the path is from point A (before B school) to point B (first job post MBA).
The fuzzier that line, the harder the admit decision. So I would emphasize more of the traditional work and less of the restaurant opening because there is no MBA recruiting for the latter...
Work Experience:
1. 2009-2014: 5 years at a large physical commodity trading company in Singapore
- 2 years in China market operation and logistics, handling over 300k tons of cargo per month
- 3 years managing FOB key accounts and East Asia market (accounting for 60% market share of all imported edible oil into Korea and Japan), daily production management and hedging
2. 2014-2016: Arts and design centre in Beijing
a) Assistant project manager for a government initiated urban regeneration program in the old town (Hutongs) of Beijing, facilitating between 9 large international architect firms and local government authorities
- 2014-15 large scale exhibition on concepts and theories for gentrification, exhibits coming from 9 top global architect firms
- 2015-16 translating the concepts and ideas into actionable proposals, getting the proposals granted and confirm government funding, implementing the proposals- complete makeover of a street in the old town of Beijing from infrastructural improvement, renovations and repairs, building complete new structures and attraction of businesses into area.
b) part of a 5-person team that set up a fine dining restaurant in Beijing that was subsequently ranked top 3 by food&wine magazine, and vote best new restaurant by several prestigious magazines. Responsibilities included everything from setting up kitchen and front of house to the hiring and training of staff.
Hobbies and extra-curricular
- High degree of interest in F&B and culinary culture, spent 4 months between Singapore and Beijing travelling and taking cooking courses. Volunteered to participate in the restaurant project and was able to put my passion to good use.
- Part time English editor for local magazines in Beijing, freelance translator (also why I’m appalled by my GMAT verbal score)
Target schools: (reach) Standard, Harvard, CBS, HAAS... and maybe some other?
Goals after MBA-
- engage in entrepreneurial projects related to the consumer sector, but working with a global mindset
- foster international collaborations and opportunities between China and the world
- continue to engage in meaningful and intellectually engaging contemporary issues
This all sounds a bit vague to me- can you be a little clearer on the companies you target for post MBA goal and why your background is a good fit- that will help a lot. HBS and GSB are stretches- maybe CBS - I would tighten the what's next and then look at the schools in the 15-30 range as your best bets. I do think there are some excellent programs here in that range- and depending on who is ranking- it could be a school is ranked 8 in one poll (like Rice) and then in twenties in another poll... the top 30 programs here are all good- so don't just look at H/S/W because you will be missing a lot of good if you are that narrow.
I think that having an hour or two with a counselor to drill down on your WHY and what's next could help you present in a more compelling way. Here's a link to find out how we could work with you even on just a few hours to help you narrow the schools and also better tell your story: https://stratusprep.com/admissions/busi ... b-visitor/thank you for your time
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01 Dec 2016, 03:09
