INSEAD PROFILE EVALUATION THREAD: Post all Profile Eval Requests Here!

Hi rahulskumar,

Apologies for the slight delay in responding to you.

While the international exposure will definitely get you some additional points at INSEAD, we will need greater information on how your career has progressed thus far (that is what the Admissions Committee essentially wants to know, as well).

Having said the above, yes, your work experience is on the lower side for INSEAD, hence, a couple of additional years on the professional front are recommended. Also, while 720 is a good score, in order to differentiate yourself from an overrepresented pool of applications (Indian IT Male), we suggest that you retake the GMAT and look upwards of a 740

Hope this helped.

Good luck!
_________________

Hello
I really appreciate if you can evaluate my profile for INSEAD.

Background:

From Bangalore, India
Male
Age 30
GMAT 720 (Q-48 V-41 IR-5, AWA-4.5)
GPA:3.5/4.0

Education:

Undergrad: Biotechnology engineering from a top university in India
(Never worked in the Biotech Industry as I started working in the family business after graduation)

Work Experience: Total 7 years

 Co-founded 3 companies since graduation. These companies are operational and doing well.
The companies founded belong to the following industries:
1. Event management Services (Co founded and headed the events division in this company for 3 years and My only international exposure is from this company. The exposure was for a brief period and involved working with International Artist managers and Artists)
2. Financial Services (I’m currently the managing director of this company and it’s a family owned business)
3. Construction and manufacturing of building materials (We worked with the government in building rural residential schools for the poor for 5 years and we currently work in the private sector)

MBA goal- To build skill sets necessary to grow current businesses.

Post MBA Goal –
1. Expand and grow existing businesses
2. Entrepreneurial- To build businesses that add value to the community


Thank you.

Hello ajlakshman

First impression is er.. impressive.
Your entrepreneurial background brings makes your profile diverse as well as strong. It will help further if you can also mention your key achievements in these ventures (I'm sure you have a lot of stories). International experience helps tremendously at INSEAD, you have mentioned that only in one role/venture.
GMAT is good (though not stellar) and if you combine it with a well written application you could stand a fighting chance. Though I will recommend a re-take if you are confident of taking it to 750.
Do mention about your extracurricular as well as that adds to the diversity of the profile and makes it easier to give a deeper feedback.
It is the post MBA goals which you may have to polish a bit. The direction is right (to gain more skills), but since you have been doing this for 7 years, what specific skills do you think you need that only an MBA from INSEAD can provide. The school will look for a well researched answer here.
Remember that INSEAD will ultimately evaluate your candidature holistically on a combination of Acads(Decent)+WorkEx(Good)+Diversity(Missing)+PosMBAgoals(Decent)
Final outcome will depend on how well you tie up these in your written application.

Should you feel the need to discuss this further, feel free to reach out.

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

Hello Varun Sharma, oneMBAcoach

I appreciate your taking the time to evaluate my profile and thank you for your inputs.
Cheers

Indian | Male | Age 30 | GMAT 720 | IELTS 8.0



2006-2011: Bachelors in Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from one of the top 10 private engineering colleges in India | CGPA 6.8/10 | Completed my 4 years degree in 5 years

2011-2012: Job experience in a manufacturing company in India

2012-2013: Project Associate in Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (Top most science college in India)

2013-2015: Masters in Climate Sciences with major in Energy at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore | CGPA 6.5 out of 8.0

2015-2017: Entrepreneur : Co-founded two startups one of which a paper company and the other is related to product development in solar energy domain.
-In paper company, I co-invented process layout for world's highest efficiency engine (thermal power plants). In the marketing phase for the patent.
-The product development company developed a hybrid solar electricity and hot water system. Made a compensation based partial exit after piloting the technology. The company is in the process of setting up the manufacturing facility now.

2017-present: Working in India in the new technologies division at a top most oil and gas company.


Academically, I've 2 patents and 4 research articles. Though I have been involved in research for quite some time, through my entrepreneurship journey and an year of job in corporate I've gained significant business experiences. My post MBA goal is to develop my profile for consulting job profiles (in energy domain). I am planning to apply at Insead for 2019 batch.

Please comment on my profile and chances of getting admission in INSEAD. I am worried about below average performance in undergrad degree.

Thanks a lot for really kind gesture of experts here!



Best regards
Pradip Kumar

Hi Kumar1127,

thanks for sharing your profile.

Rather than your performance in college, what concerns me the most about your profile is the lack of international experience. Perhaps you forgot to include this in your profile? Or you actually have no international experience?

Also, your 720 GMAT score might put you in a bit of a disadvantage given the competitiveness of the Indian applicant pool. If possible, I would suggest a retake and aim for +750. By the way, what are your Q/V/IR scores?

On the upside, I like your start-up experience, and in general, I can see career progression which is also very important from an admissions perspective.

Feel free to PM me or email me directly (alex@arleeconsulting.com) for a more detailed discussion.

Good luck!
Alex
_________________

Dear Alex



Thanks for evaluating my profile. Unfortunately, I miss on international experience in my profile. I'll see if I can gain 3 to 6 months of international experience thru the company I am presently working with. Would that help?

Retaking GMAT for a higher score would not be an issue - it is highly doable.

I really appreciate your help in this regard.



--
Best regards
Pradip Kumar


Hi Kumar1127,

thanks for sharing your profile.

Rather than your performance in college, what concerns me the most about your profile is the lack of international experience. Perhaps you forgot to include this in your profile? Or you actually have no international experience?

Also, your 720 GMAT score might put you in a bit of a disadvantage given the competitiveness of the Indian applicant pool. If possible, I would suggest a retake and aim for +750. By the way, what are your Q/V/IR scores?

On the upside, I like your start-up experience, and in general, I can see career progression which is also very important from an admissions perspective.

Feel free to PM me or email me directly for a more detailed discussion.

Good luck!
Alex
_________________

Hello Kumar1127

One facet that really stands out in your profile is how you have consistently improved over time. Not sure if that is actually the case or the way you have given the information, but it can be a good way to tell your story.
Let us start with the biggest concern- completing a 4 years degree in 5 years. Why is that? Poor academic performance or other personal reasons? If it is acads, it could stand out as a thorn, but nothing that can't be compensated with a compelling reason and displaying how you have professionally negated it in the last 7 years. (one easy could be showing the impact of your work, or academic improvement during your masters- where you have a better GPA). Your GMAT is good (though not stellar) and can also help if other areas on your profile are strong.
Moving on to work ex- You have not mentioned much about your first 2 jobs. It will be good to mention your contribution and achievements more than your role and industry.
At the same time, entrepreneurship experience looks strong, and the achievements look good. I'm sure you cal link the mentioned stores (and many more) to how you positively impacted the business (an not just your technical contributions).
Coming to your most recent employment, again you should mention career progression & key accomplishments more than the industry.
Patents really add to your profile. Kudos.
Post MBA goals look organic and INSEAD can be a good fit. Do make sure to mention in your essays why is an MBA and that too from INSEAD an absolute necessity to achieve these goals (especially with your strong work ex and entrepreneurial background)
One aspect I can't see is your extracurricular activities. These can help bring about diversity in your profile.
All in all- work ex looks good (with the exception of missing achievements/progress in your jobs), so does the GMAT. Glaring weakness is the undergrad degree in 5 years, need to offset it. Goals are organic, but extracurricular is missing.
INSEAD will look at your profile holistically on the factors mentioned here in more detail Acads+Quality of Work Ex+Career Goals+Diversity.
As mentioned above, some are strong and some have a few ifs and buts. If you can tie it well in your written application, you stand a fighting chance.

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

Hi Pradip ( Kumar1127 ),

yeah, adding a few months of international experience would def help. But keep in mind that you'll be competing against many Indians whose professional experiences have been entirely (or almost) outside of India.

The International Motivation admissions criteria also refers to being curious about other cultures and feeling comfortable adapting to them, and having a desire to pursue a global career. If you're able to convey this in your application (i.e. CV, Essays, LoRs, ...) then you might have a shot.

Increasing your GMAT score will also help in your candidacy, but please keep in mind that a high score does not guarantee admission.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
Alex
_________________

Hi Rahul,

There are some positives about your profile: an MS from the USA and international work experience in Australia. A lot of the INSEAD students have lived in more than one country and that's where I think this experience will be beneficial. Ofcourse, the adcom will be interested in knowing how the international exposure has benefitted you and how you are a better person/professional for it.

I am not really concerned with your GMAT score right now- I think a 720 is decent for INSEAD, especially if you meet their Q/V split criterion.
What will really weigh in is the quality of your work experience. From this perspective, 9 months post-MS work experience is a tad less to show impact. Moreover you have recently changed your job. If your new job will give you the opportunity to build some skills and experience in what you ultimately wish to do after INSEAD, then I think you should stick on for another year atleast- you will emerge a stronger candidate with more meaningful insights in an industry that matters to you. Also, the opportunity to gain this experience in Australia sounds unique to me for an Indian applicant.

Feel free to reach out should you wish to discuss further.

HI Lakshman,

INSEAD is big on entrepreneurship (see here) and will value your experience.
As you have already heard back from other consultants, so I will mention some points in addition to what they have advised:

1. your ventures are unrelated. So for the sake of storytelling, you will have to introspect and find common threads (skills maybe) that run between them.
2. As Varun pointed out, what extra skills will the MBA give you which will help you scale up the business exponentially? Go back to the link I posted above to see what INSEAD has to offer. As an application tip- you should explore whether its feasible to mention you will expand your business internationally to make an international MBA relevant to your goals.
3. Another tip- does your work experience in school building fit into the ambit of for-profit social impact? Projecting it as such can help you overcome -maybe a weakness- lack of volunteering experience.

Dear experts,

Can you please evaluate my profile for an MBA application to INSEAD? I am planning to apply in Round 4 for Jan'19 intake.

Age: 28 years
Sex: Male
Nationality: Indian
GMAT: 720 (Q:50, V:36, IR:7, AWA:6)
Years of work-ex: ~5 years
International exposure: India, Netherlands, Singapore, (Russia - only short business visit)

Education/ Academic achievements:
B.Tech & M.Tech with Major in Mechanical Engineering and Minor in Operations Research at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. Graduated in 2013 with a GPA of 8.93/10 and awards for best academic performance.

Work experience: All 5 years at Royal Dutch Shell

Functional Support Engineer - Capital Cost Estimating Tool Development and Implementation, Shell Projects & Technology - India / Netherlands - 2013-14
(The tool, the first of its kind, to be used for all kinds of capital expenditure project cost estimates within Shell globally)
- In collaboration with a Dutch contractor company, Ortec, I played multiple roles such as a modeler, tester, project engineer and user expert in development and global roll out of the tool
- Developed material sourcing profiles, price ratios and cost engineering models for the tool
*Awarded Special Recognition Award and Innovation prize for the contributions

Cost Estimating Engineer, Sakhalin LNG Expansion Project - Shell Projects & Technology - India / Russia - 2014-15
(A strategic multi-billion dollar Liquefied Natural Gas Expansion Project in Russia)
- Worked with joint venture, Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, to assess different options and scenarios for project development during front end phase with +/-20% capital cost estimates. In the process, developed a sourcing profile to manage local content requirements, analyzed currency fluctuation risks, assisted in probabilistic cost & schedule risk analysis and steered the project towards next phase of front end detailed design

Project Services Engineer, Shell Projects & Technology - India/ Netherlands - 2016-17
(A well rounded exposure to capital projects in shell across businesses - upstream, downstream, integrated gas & new technologies)
- Developed capital expenditure cost estimates for evaluations and investment decisions for multi-billion-dollar Integrated Gas projects in the Shell opportunity funnel; Cost estimated brownfield projects in existing plants such as refineries and chemical plants in Singapore for their economic evaluations and front-end concept decisions; Supported Volumes to Value studies for a number of global new business development projects in upstream exploration and integrated gas by providing cost estimates, schedule and risk engineering
- Supporting process evaluations of new technology based carbon capture projects in their path towards a demonstration plant. Adopted new methodologies for cost estimation of this novel process

Project Controls Engineer, Shell Eastern Petroleum Ltd. - Singapore - 2017 - current
- Leading project services activities encompassing planning, cost control, change management and document control for Bukom Crude Oil Tanks (BCOT) Project (worth ~100 million dollar) in Pulau Bukom Manufacturing Site (largest refinery of Shell); Set-up cost and schedule control framework for the project and leading the project towards top quartile cost and schedule performance

Internships:
- Internships at Shell Technology Centre Bangalore, The Timken Company, Energy Alternatives India, Bodhbridge Education Services, Lanco Kondapalli Power Pvt. Ltd.

Other Activities/ Extra-curricular:
- Volunteer at Shell Make the Future campaign for Eco-Marathon, Member of Future Energy Lions club at Shell, Safety focal point for Project Services group at Shell
- Head of Guidance and Counseling Unit during college, Core member of annual cultural festival during college, Green Ambassador of Sustainability Network during college

Certifications:
- APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (APM Level 1); Lean Practitioner

Career Goals after MBA:
Want to make a career shift towards Energy Consultancy

Hi karthik1809,

thank you for sharing your profile. I really like it.

I like your progression within Royal Dutch Shell, and your international experience fits very well into what INSEAD is looking for.

As you may know, your 720 GMAT score is really good and above INSEAD's average. However for an Indian male, it won't help you stand out much as +750 scores are quite common in that applicant pool.

May I ask why you're applying in Round 4? I believe your chances would increase significantly if you applied in Round 1 for the Sep 2019 intake instead.

In any case, please make sure you put together an outstanding application (i.e. resume, essays and LoRs) as competition is extremely high.

I hope this helps.

Feel free to PM me or email me directly (alex@arleeconsulting.com) for a more detailed discussion.

Good luck!
Alex
_________________

Hello karthik1809

You have a few things going for you.
Good past acads + GMAT (not stellar but good)
Work ex that is different from an average Indian applicant.
Many achievements (hence stories to write in essays)
International experience (INSEAD values this highly)- but not sure what the exact duration is- will add diversity
Extracurricular look a bit on the weak side (but you may not have mentioned them in detail)
Career goals which seem realistic and in sync with INSEAD.
However, do you really wish to apply in R4 and not for Sep 2019 intake. It may help your chances a bit (irrespective of what the website says). A bit.
Going by the information given I think you have a fighting chance if you put together a strong written application (that is a big if, but you have the stats so to say)

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

Coaches,

Can you please evaluate my profile for an MBA application to INSEAD? I am targetting for Fall 2019 Round 1 intake.

Age: 27
Sex: Male
Nationality: Canadian
Race: Chinese
GMAT: 710 (Q:50, V:37, IR:5)

Work experience
Senior Tech Consultant in for top consulting firm (not MBB) - 5 year at matriculation (Canada)
- 2 Promotion in 3 years
- Service Delivery Manager
- Project Manager for a team of 6, on a collaboration implementation project with 4 other organizations
- Subject Matter Expert on a project that has over 200 consultants from 3 countries
- Key achievement: Spearheaded initiative to streamline and automate business and IT processes ensuring system availability and reducing resource overhead
- Key achievement: Work in a 4 week 'response team' to determine critical reporting requirements for operations analysis by understanding major business process
Shell - 4 month internship (Canada)
Amazon - 4 month internship (United States)

Education
Undergrad school/major: Top 3 Canadian University; Combined Major in Business and Computer Science with Honours
Undergrad GPA: 85% in Canada (Around 3.72/4.00 with whatsmygpa.ca)
Undergrad International Exchange: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Undergrad International Exchange: 3.75/4.00
Awards: Major Canadian National Entrance Scholarship

Extracurriculars:
- Recruitment Interview Lead (Work) - Manage a cross firm team to ensure consistent interview criteria and experience, and to ensure
- Internship Program Lead (Work) - I lead a team of 5 - 10 every year to organize projects and growth opportunities in order to identify potential FT candidates and to increase retention
- WorldMUN Bid Committee (UGrad) - Worked on a bid to bring WorldMUN to Vancouver, which we ultimately won
- Rotaract Vice-President (UGrad) - Worked Rotary club on humanitarian projects; Hosted PACE roundtrip allowing international Rotaract members to experience Vnacouver
- Local Tech Conference Chair (UGrad) - Led a team of 10 people to organize a 1 day conference with industry speakers from major companies/organizations

Post MBA Goal:
While my current work includes operations that span many remote offices internationally, the work I do is mostly on IT Operations on local national clients. Through the MBA, I hope to build proficiency to apply my Business/IT (Combined Business and CompSci UGrad) knowledge in a Strategy role on international projects. The goal is to be able to work at an oversea/international office of a Consulting firm working on multinational IT strategy project. This is the opportunity to bridge my expertise with a strong business/technology consulting background in an international setting.

Why MBA:
Changing the focus from the micro operations to the big picture strategy, and an opportunity to hone in my skills to pull in skills from multiple area. Gain international exposure.

Other:
- English and Chinese fluent
- Japanese and Spanish beginner



From what I am reading from other replies, I believe these are the comments:
+ Few languages
+ International exchange experience
+ Worked abroad
+ Diverse EC
- GMAT is low for an over-represented demograhpic (Chinese IT) despite living in Canada most of my life
- 5 in IR
- Non work EC is a bit outdated (UGrad)
- Goal is typical

If my analysis is correct, my key goal should be to build a compelling story of why MBA/Insead (international experience) and to raise my GMAT. Hopefully I can bring my Verbal up.

Greatly appreciate your response.

Hi fusion327,

thank you for sharing your profile, and for the self-analysis.

Overall, I think your main conclusion is quite accurate.

On the positives, I would just add your fast career progression, which is tied to the Leadership Potential admissions criteria.

This is not necessarily a vulnerability but, although you do have some international experience and you are Canadian-born Chinese, I think you'll need to emphasize more on your international experiences and International Motivation. As you know, this is also another admissions criteria at INSEAD, and a very important one.

But yeah, building a compelling story of why MBA/INSEAD, retaking GMAT and aiming at +740 and even building on your Extra-Curriculars (non-work related) seems like the way to go.

I hope this helps.

For a more detailed discussion, feel free to PM me or email me directly at alex@arleeconsulting.com.

Good luck!
Alex
_________________

Hi! I would really like some insights about my profile and how to strengthen my profile further:

Age: 31
Sex: Male
Nationality: Malaysian (Grew up in Singapore)
Race: Chinese
GMAT: 720 (q50/v44)

Work experience
Account Manager for Enterprise accounts in Big Tech company (>100,000 employees WW) - Singapore
- 3 year tenure
- Main responsibilities include account management, business development in underpenetrated markets
- Orchestrate sales, include 6-figure deals to hit annual multi-million target by working across different teams.

Inside sales + pre-sales in US-based outsourcing company for IT industry - Singapore
- 2 year tenure
- 1 Promotion in 1 year
- Main responsibilities include account management, business development across APAC region (Japan, ANZ, GCR etc)
- 100% Quota attainment

Inside sales in US-based outsourcing company for IT industry - Singapore
- 1 year tenure
- Account management for Japanese Markets
- 100% Quota attainment

Sales in EU-based distribution company for steel industry - Singapore
- 1.5 year tenure
- Main responsibilities include account management, business development across Southeast Asia region
- 100% Quota attainment

Education
Undergrad school/major: National University of Singapore; Major in Chemical Engineering (2.1)
Undergrad GPA: 3.5/4

Extracurriculars:
- Several roles in Exco in Toastmasters club for more than 3 years to keep the club running and growing
- Some humanitarian volunteering in underdeveloped countries e.g. Myanmar

Post MBA Goal:
MBB consulting, preferably outside Asia

Why MBA:
An opportunity to hone in my skills to pull in skills from multiple area. Gain international exposure.

Other:
Fluent in 4 languages; 1 intermediate

Hi Reeve,

thank you for sharing your profile. Overall, it is quite strong.

I like your work experience in sales and your career progression. It would be great if you could get an additional promotion before you submit your application.

All your professional experience has been in Singapore, but you have always been working with international clients. Make sure you highlight all your international exposure (either at work or in your personal life) in the application.

Your GMAT score is above INSEAD's average, however for someone with Chinese background it might be worth increasing a bit your score.

When are you planning to apply? As you know, current age range for INSEAD is 26-32 (at the time of the start of the program) so given your age, I wouldn't wait much longer. If possible, apply in Round 1 for the Sept 2019 intake.

I hope this helps.

For a more detailed discussion, feel free to PM me or email me directly at alex@arleeconsulting.com.

Good luck!
Alex
_________________

Hello Reeve,

Thanks for writing in.

There is certainly a lot working for you in terms of decent undergrad GPA, career progress, as well as international exposure. Of course, the international experience does not stand out overtly and will need to be drawn out in your essays in an appropriate manner. The goals appear in logical sync with your existing experience as well and if you are able to thread your entire story in a set fo well-crafted set fo essays, you will have a fine chance.

Having said the above, while the GMAT score looks alright, a boost may definitely help your case and immensely so. Since Chinese are an over-represented nationality, a higher score may help differentiate your case. However, do not do so at the risk of applying in another season since you are in your thirties and you must not delay your application at INSEAD any further.

Hope this helped.

All the best!
_________________

As you rightly pointed out, your career goal is one of the most common: moving from IT consulting to management (strategy) consulting. I would urge you to think a little differently and consider a career goal to continue in the same industry but grow into a business leadership role. This could be engineered, for instance, by moving into business development role post MBA, eventually towards a position where you manage a P&L for the company.

Another potential career track is to consider a shift to a business-oriented role from an IT services (consulting) company into a software product company. Product companies have a lot more opportunities for business development/ marketing/ alliance management roles. These would help differentiate your story.

I would not bother too much about the IR, which is one point below their requirement. If you can present an otherwise strong story, and address INSEAD's other criteria- namely leadership and international work experience in an impressive way, you should be good.

For extra-curriculars- you are doing two activities at work. You can show your passion here for talent development and show that you have taken the initiative to work upon this.