Expand on Job title/EC/Company in Essay?

Question

In my essays, I talk about my ECs and achievements in a professional setting. Am I okay to assume that the reader will look at my resume to gather more context about what I'm talking, or should I explain each reference I make?

For example, I write, "At company X, I achieved 10% increase in revenue", do I absolutely need to expand on what company X does?

I'm asking because I've shown the essay to a few friends of mine and they've asked me to elaborate and clarify. However, they haven't been through the MBA process and did not look at my resume.

Admissionado · Answer

If the company/organization is not a famous one (IBM or the like) it is a good idea to give a one-line company description as it will help put your work into context.

Best,
JF

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

It sounds like a great essay topic - I love to show leadership in this type of context, it is a real differentiator.

I agree with Jon - one line company description i.e., an organization devoted to...focusing on...or a $X charity that helps...it doesn't have to be long and complex.

Readers statistically spend 30-60 seconds reviewing your resume. It would be to your detriment to rely on them having fully absorbed and mastered all the information in your resume. There is also a good chance they aren't moving directly from your resume to the essays.

If you are not working with a consultant, I encourage you to run your resume past the same audience and make sure it is visually appealing and easy to digest. I very rarely run across a resume that is ready to present in the form it comes to me.

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Give context if you are in a role or company that most will not be familiar. This is a delicate balance here you don't want to be repetitive from your resume but keep in mind the better people understand what you are talking about the easier it is to read.

StratusDonna · Answer

As someone who has read thousands of essays for MBA admissions- it is true that the reader will have access to the resume but whatever is in the essay should stand alone- you don't want to make someone flip to a resume in the middle of reading an essay to get context. So while you don't have to elaborate, make sure the essay does make sense without having to get info from the resume. Otherwise you run the risk of annoying the reader who now has to take time to flip back and forth between those two files to understand your points. People who read these essays are all about time... they have a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time so anything you can do to be respectful of that is going to be appreciated.

Expand on Job title/EC/Company in Essay?

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