ISB PROFILE EVALUATION THREAD - Post all Profile Eval Requests Here!

Background and nationality: 32,Male, Indian, currently working in UK

Undergrad Information: BE Computer Science from a state university with a private engineering college in 2007 with 64%.
GMAT: Yet to take

Work experience and leadership - 10 years of work experience into IT Industry, worked for Big international clients while working with TOP IT service providers.
10 years of work experience expands across domains like Life Sciences, CRM and Oil and Gas. Worked into technologies like Java, iOS Applications. Currently into Project Management with responsibilities like vendor management, stakeholder management, resource and budgets. Managed teams of size 20+ in a multi application environment. Currently deployed with a Oil Major in London looking after their trading needs.

Community and others:

Post MBA goals: Always having this urge to do an MBA as I always wanted to contribute more towards the leadership of an organization. To lead the information technology business to new heights.

Anything else?

Hi anubhav Chakravartty,

Though you haven’t written too much about your accomplishments, your work experience does look quite sound and that should help, when you get down to writing your essays.

However, our primary suggestion at this point is that you retake the GMAT and aim at scoring upwards of 700. Once you have a good GMAT score, you may focus on preparing a strong application.

All the best!
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Hi ashishmathur14,

Thanks for your query.

You do have extensive experience, which will help you include a number of talking points with regard to your leadership responsibilities, accomplishments, cross-national exposure, and strong technical acumen. It almost goes without saying that an amalgamation of all these factors will certainly help you! ☺

Having said the above, a large part of your success changes will also depend on your GMAT score. At this point, we recommend that you focus all your energies in aiming for a score above the 700 mark. Once the GMAT is taken care of, you could work towards creating a stellar application that is representative of your strengths, your distinctive attributes, and aptly showcases your need for an MBA. Do remember that your career goals and professional experience should be well knit into a compelling story ☺

If you are able to achieve the above, you will stand a strong chance at making it to ISB!

We take this opportunity to offer you a free detailed profile evaluation. Should you feel the need for the same, please do not hesitate to reach out to us ☺

Good Luck with everything! ☺
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Hi Ashish

Though you are on the higher side of the work experience spectrum, the breadth of your experience across IT applications sets you apart. That and your international experience is what you should focus on. You missed our listing your community achievements.

In terms of your goals, leadership of an organization may not be specific enough. You may like to get into further detail there.

With a 680+ on the GMAT, you will have a good chance at ISB.

Hi,

Please Find below my profile for Evaluation.

Age: 27
Nationality: Indian

Academics:
1. Class X (CBSE Board) – 90.00%
2. Class XII (CBSE Board) – 83.33%
3. B.E.(Hons.), Civil Engineering (BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus), Class of 2014 – 6.47/10.0 CGPA

Work Experience:
35 months of Full Time experience (as of today, 08.08.17) as an Engineer in Nippon Koei India Consulting Engineers, Indian Subsidiary of the largest Construction consultancy of Japan. I have worked on 02 projects
1. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, Phase 1(Project Value: 6626 Cr. INR) as a Project Management Consultant in the Field Execution Team.
2. MLIT Study of Indian Railway Level Crossings. Study Project, mostly Data Collection and concluding with a report on generic installations/mechanisms by Ministry of Railways.

Achievements and Extra-Curriculars:
Was associated with an NGO Nirmaan while in graduation i.e. 4yrs.. Worked in various capacities such as :
1. Project Leader, Gyan Bodh
One of the Education Initiatives project where we used to teach underprivileged kids in a nearby Village. Led a team of 24 volunteers. Implemented Activity based learning approach.
2. Event Coordinator, Apogee and Daan Utsav(erstwhile Joy Of Giving Week)
Conducted 3 main events of the Tech Fest, Apogee. Coordinated with Ramon Magsaysay Award Winner Dr. Rajendra Singh, The Water Man of India to deliver a talk and judge the Event.
Coordinated events for Daan Utsav at BITS PILANI. Managed a team of 30 Volunteers and conducted numerous events throughout the week.
3. Conducted various Fund Raising Events for Nirmaan.
4. Coordinated with the Alumni Association and set up Pilani Resource Centre which now houses various NGOs such as Pratham, HARVA, Nabard, Helpage India and Nirmaan.
5. School Captain

Projects:
1. 2 Technical Projects, namely Depletion of Groundwater Table in the Tribal and Industrial Areas Of Andhra Pradesh and Reduction of Power Consumption through Energy Efficient buildings.
2. Commercially practiced Cultural Sexual Exploitation.
A study project on two communities if India who practice Cultural Sexual Exploitation. Also reviewed two related books.

I plan to give my GMAT in early September and targeting ISB( with scholarship).
I am looking at the Consulting Industry Post MBA. Which other schools should I target?
What should my target score be with respect to ISB and also for other schools.

Thanks In Advance!

Please evaluate my profile:
X-77.80%(2004)
XII-73.25%(2006)
B.Tech-63%(2006-2010) from a so so engineering college.
PGDM-5.8(2013-2015) from International Management Institute(IMI)-Kolkata. Low GPA reason- I was interested in Operations Management, but didn't get the opportunity to select more than 4 Operations Management subjects in second year. Had to study Finance as a major. Tried my best, but just couldn't score well. Had a more practical approach towards those subjects. Hence, even after getting a placement in Yes bank, I decided to go for Swiggy and work in Operations field. My live project & internship is also in Operations. Don't know how this would sound during interview, but it's the truth.


Some info:
a) Current work exp.-3.5 yrs(including pre-MBA and excluding retail family business+live projects till August 2017). 
b) Family business-1.5 yrs(Sept. 2011-April 2013) 
c) Live project+internship-6 months in ACC Limited & Schneider Electric(during PGDM). 
d) Current organization & designation- Swiggy(food delivery start-up), Area Manager(field operations).
e) Work exp. till march 2019 will be 5.2 yrs(including pre-MBA and excluding retail family business+live projects). 
f) Also, currently working as a core team member with CRY(Child Rights & You) and as a volunteer with GiveIndia.
g) I am already 30 yrs right now.

My questions: 
1) Can I show my family business(not a company, but it's an enterprise where the sole proprietor is my father) as work experience while applying? If yes, then what documents could be needed and how can I show it? My business is mostly retail, consisting of a chain of stores in the city. We grew it from a single store to multiple stores and went to online platforms too.
2) Considering my low GPA during PGDM, will it be wise to apply to ISB, even if I get 700+ in GMAT?
3) I am planning to go for 2019-2020 session. I will be 32 yrs when I join in April 2019. I know age will be a drawback, but will it be that big that I don't stand a chance? 
4) Should I go for 2020-2021 session?
5) Can I add summer internship(paid) & live project as a work experience? 

P.S: My biggest headache is whether to show/not show my family business, because if added, this might increase my experience level. Any guidance would be very helpful.

Hi justnishu4u,

- While your achievements and work experience are decent, you will need to explain the need for a second MBA. The part around the low GPA in the MBA is not going to be a huge issue, but the explanation you have may not fly. Top schools expect applicants to have been disciplined enough to achieve a decent if not a strong GPA irrespective of what subjects they could take up, as the choice of subjects or courses is known to you at the time you opt for the program. You can offset this with a strong GMAT (720 and above) though.

On your questions:
1. Yes, of course, if you worked there, you can show employment there. You will need to show salary earned as proof, though that is the easier part. The harder part is to show strong contribution through the essays.
2. Yes, score high on the GMAT, and you should be ok. Use your Master's and your experience as an asset in the application.
3. It is experience and not age that is the bigger factor here. Would recommend you target 2018 (start) though if you can.
4. No.
5. You can, if they were post-qualification (i.e. post earning your degree).

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

Hi Rumanshu1990,

You have an excellent profile for ISB. Work experience is solid, with some good contributions in the infra space (including the Western DFC project) and very strong ECA. You could hope to get through to ISB even with a GMAT of say 680+ (of course higher is better if you can achieve it). Your slight weakness is that your undergrad CGPA is around average. If you are aiming for schools abroad, aim 720+ definitely on the GMAT.

Overall, with a decent GMAT, bright chances to make it to ISB with a scholarship.

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

Hi i needed some quick help with my profile evaluation for ISB.

I am a masters in economics from Delhi University and have worked with Big 4s and international banks for 9 years, involved in the advisory practice. Have experience of setting up practices of the firm outside the country. I shall be appearing for my GMAT soon and intend to apply to ISB in R2. Based on my work ex etc, any help on what would be a decent score in GMAT?

My biggest headache is my masters score which is around a 50-55%. Wondering what kind of a weightage that will have.

Any help is welcomed!

Regards

As a general target, aim for a 700+. Please also note that having a Master's by itself is a plus, and with 9 years of experience, you will not be judged by your GMAT score predominantly. With a decent app and a 700+ score, you should have a good chance at ISB.

Thanks a lot. Do i need to really worry about my grad/masters average score?

If you can get your target GMAT score, this should not be a point of worry.

Hi Rumanshu1990, CGPA in undergrad is right now sticking out like a sore thumb in your profile.

Hence, it becomes imperative that you score extremely well in GMAT (720+) to compensate for this. Considering your academic background, it seems doable, as long as you do justice to your prep.
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Hi All,

I recently gave GMAT after 1 and a half month of prep and scored 700. This was my first attempt, and I relied mostly on OG only (No test series, etc). Now, there are two things I need help with: Overall Profile Evaluation and If I should try for a higher score.

This would be a brief of my profile:
10th: 89 CBSE
12th: 81 CBSE
Graduation: 2014 graduate in IT stream from one of the NITs with 6.97 CPI (Pointers are on the lower side)
Work-ex: 1 year as Business Analyst with one of the Indian E-Com Major.
2 years with one of the Hospitality startup, was part of the team which built an entire state's business from scratch. I was promoted twice, started as a City Head and went on to become Business Development Head for the state. Worked on both the fronts: Business Development and Sales.
Currently ( from last 6 months): Part of expansion team of a startup in Fintech domain, its still in stealth mode and we're setting up the ground work.

EC:- Badminton Player: Represented my school at zonal Level and college at national Level (University Tournaments) as captain
Marathon Runner: Had picked up this hobby recently only, over the years of Job Life, I transformed from physical fit to obese. So, I researched and planned my own fitness plan(was able to shred 1/5th of body fat). Marathons were small milestones of the plan, and I've already successfully done 2 half marathons and a full marathon. Currently I'm mentoring 3 more people on Nutrition and Exercise for weight loss and overall fitness.
Maths Teacher: taught Maths at an NGO for underprivileged kids for 3 months.
Head Coordinator, Sports Committee(College): I was part of the initial team who had set up this committee, and in the final year as a Head Coordinator we organised college's sports fest as well in which 1K+ students participated.

I'd really appreciate any sort of advice/help

Thanks!

Hi anubhav Chakravartty,

Consulting pre-MBA is great and E&Y is a good brand name. Your GMAT score pulls you down and you should definitely think about a retake. A score of 680+ will make you extremely competitive.

Hi ashishmathur14,

Good profile with good professional accomplishments. Couple of thoughts:
- A GMAT of 680+ should be fine to keep your profile in the race.
- Since your work-ex is on the higher side, the focus of your application will be less on GMAT and more on the essays. Showcasing your strengths and linking them logically to your goals will see you through. We'd like you to think a little more on Why MBA. Try narrowing it down to industry, domain and role, this will help build your application well.

Hi RajatSinghR,

Couple of questions: What are your goals and what is your current role?
Business Development profiles are valued at B-schools, because they're in great demand by recruiters. We think you have a good profile and a 700 should be enough to see you through.
As next steps, it will be good to build strong answers to your goals and link them to your accomplishments and your profile. Well-written essays (you can also talk about your personal struggle with obesity) will definitely get you to the finish line.

Feel free to reach out for a discussion.

Hi Fearose,

From the list you have presented here, I'd say you apply to IIMA and I will add ISB. I'd like to know your reasons for applying to NUS/ NAnyang and HKUST and also know your career goals. Getting a job in these countries is not very easy and it might be more challenging for you considering your higher work experience. You should do some research on this by talking to recent alumni and students.

Otherwise your international work experience sounds interesting and valuable to MBA programs. The other key criteria to a successful application will be the quality of your work- your career trajectory and impact made.

Thanks for the quick reply.
With respect to point 1, PFB my comments.
1)"Yes, of course, if you worked there, you can show employment there. You will need to show salary earned as proof, though that is the easier part. The harder part is to show strong contribution through the essays."
-It's a family business. There is nothing sort of salary slips/salary earned for me personally, since my father is the sole proprietor. Basically, pure brick n mortar scenario(if you can imagine). We deal in car accessories(seat covers, audio systems, etc), have a set of suppliers and entered into online mode viz.-our website, google+, Linkedin, FB, etc. We now have three stores in different areas of Kolkata. Used to look after the store operations(during the timeline mentioned above), along with my father viz.- sales, staff supervision(2-3 per store), stock management, expansion in different prospective areas for business growth, helped my father with few marketing ideas. Now my younger brother is helping my father in the business. The scale of business is small(an average sale of 30k per day), but at least it's the basics of pure business.

In such a scenario, how to prove(in terms of documents or whatever) that I worked(still look after the business when I get time) and gained some real knowledge of pure business sense(not in a private limited company) in real ground conditions. The biggest question, how to prove it as a real work experience, so that I can add it in my application.