If you’re applying to top business schools, you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to figure out your career vision. But where does one start?
Well, I’m sure if you’re applying, there’s more to you than meets the eye so let’s take a look at some things you should be focusing on as you’re thinking about a grand career vision that admission officers are going to love.
For starter’s digest this list:
A) Your work experience
- Industry
- Function
B) Extra-curricular activities before and during college
C) Extra-curricular activities after college
D) Countries and cultures you’re native to
E) Your ethnicity
F) Your sexual orientation
G) Passions, Hobbies, & Quirks
H) Your life stories
- Your upbringing
- Family background
- Personal health issues
- Dead of a family member or friend
- Other struggles that have taught you something
There you have it! A nice list to spend a few hours digesting your past and also reflect the last several years of your life. What’s important about this list is to pick out stories that a have a lot in common with each other. For example, when I applied to business school, I wrote about my mom’s cancer diagnosis as well as my work experience in public health, hospital administration, and nonprofit management. All of this really helped tell my story about how I desired an executive position in the healthcare arena to really make an impact for uninsured families going through a similar situation to mine.
All of this gets very personal but this is exactly what you need to be doing while you’re writing your MBA applications. The most powerful stories usually come from a blend of career-oriented and personal aspects of your background. That is why you need to dig pretty deep. The more consistent you are, the better.
For brownie points, if you can achieve a powerful career vision and mention a few hot business issues going on in the world, then that adds a ton of credibility to you as an applicant. If you’re not up to date with global issues, go ahead and read an article or two in the Economist, Forbes, or Wall Street Journal. If you can find related to your career niche, then soak that knowledge and see how you can apply to your career vision. You don’t have to go for the overkill, just make sure you can mention a few things here and there to catch their attention. You can do this!! Onward!