What are the MBA application readers looking for?
As MBA school deadlines are around the corner, one vital part to keep in mind is who is reading your application? Read further to get into the mind of how MBA application readers think.
One mistake MBA applicants make over and over again is misunderstanding their audience. There is so much to keep in mind when drafting up your winning MBA application package. But have you given a lot of thought as to who will actually be reading and analyzing your essays, short answers, resume and recommendation letters?
When you are writing your MBA application, you probably think that dictating the essay about going to a top MBA program, you should direct it to an MBA crowd. This is a big pitfall. Did you know that most MBA application readers do not have an MBA themselves or never attended an MBA program? Keeping this in mind can help you communicate your story to the admissions committee in a much more efficient and effective way. Here are some practical tips to help you keep this in mind…
Avoid too much jargon in your essays and resume
Adding too many fancy words, clichés, pontificate platitudes to impress the MBA application readers can make your application go south quickly. Un-tangling this mess of words can be burdensome. But when you put yourself in the shoes of the admissions committee, it becomes much clearer which is the right path.
Understand how the admissions committee is constructed
Tens of thousands of applicants apply to top MBA schools every round. There is no practical way for these schools to read every package in its entirety. Therefore, the schools hire seasonal MBA application readers to help them narrow the pool. Consequently, every MBA package must hurdle its way through the ranks to get to the final round. Finally, a ranking member of the admissions committee will then read these selected applications. Seasonal MBA application readers are not in the least “unqualified”. Quite the opposite actually. Top MBA schools carefully select excellent communicators for these reader roles, but they very rarely have an MBA degree.
You are applying to attend business school. You are not expected to write like you already have completed your business school degree.
So, MBA essay readers are looking for sincerity, honesty and insight into who you truly are. They are not impressed by clichéd business scenarios or an over-inflated resume. It’s definitely not required to dumb your application down. But the communication style of your story should rather be relatable to a layman. A person without a specialized knowledge of a particular industry or area. Even though, your MBA application reader could well have an MBA, they still might not have much information about your speciality.
Do NOT submit the same resume you would usually submit for a job opportunity
Hiring companies, who are obviously experts in their industry, are absolutely looking for evidence. Evidence of a deep understanding and detailed insight of your specialty. Whereas, the MBA application readers are the complete opposite. They will most likely not know the first thing about what you have done. Or for that matter, what would be important or impressive to your boss. And unfortunately, nor do they care. The MBA application readers hired by the admissions committee are looking for skills which are transferable to the classroom. They are looking to see if you demonstrate teamwork savviness. And most importantly, they want to see an indication of leadership potential. Here are some great pointers for resuming control of your resume.
Our team at Amerasia Consulting can help you work through the temptation to over-flourish your essays and resume. It might just be the thing to get your application through those initial MBA application readers hoops.
To find out more about your options and how we can help you with your business school application, email us at mba@amerasiaconsulting.com or contact us via http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/contact.