MBA Crystal Ball

Hello,
I am seeing some help in understanding my profile suitability for ISB.

Academic records - 10th - 92%, 12th 80%, Degree - 78%, PG - 85% - I am a non engineer.non techie - science background with a diploma in marketing
10 years of experience in presales, leading research projects, consulting, setting up teams, leading teams (20+ resources)
I have certifications in PMP, 6 sigma and various awards and certificates for performance at work. My extra curricular performance was only upto post graduation level - that is 10 years back. GMAT score in 720.

I had good career growth and onsite opportunities in leading multinational companies and is currently a senior manager with an IT MNC. But most of my peers in India and abroad are far more experienced (# years, versatility etc) and I think if I need to break into the league from here, my leadership skills & management skills need to be more sharp. The skills which took me till here, may not spearhead me further.

I would like to focus on IIMs or ISB. Do you think I can make it? I browsed through the profiles for many students and most are engineers who want to move to product management, general management, consulting, finance etc. But I am in a management role and my aim is to make myself ready for leadership positions. Is this a good choice and will I be considered?

anupa2015 wrote:Hello,
I am seeing some help in understanding my profile suitability for ISB.

Academic records - 10th - 92%, 12th 80%, Degree - 78%, PG - 85% - I am a non engineer.non techie - science background with a diploma in marketing
10 years of experience in presales, leading research projects, consulting, setting up teams, leading teams (20+ resources)

<<snip>>

to product management, general management, consulting, finance etc. But I am in a management role and my aim is to make myself ready for leadership positions. Is this a good choice and will I be considered?

Dear Anupa2015,

You are in a pretty good position and both IIMs as well as ISB should be within reach.

'Leadership Position' is pretty vague. You have those roles even within Product Management and Consulting for instance. So you need to get clarity on what you want to get out of the MBA. With that, and well written essays, you should have a decent shot.

Cheers,

Hi Team,
Just to introduce myself, I am Arpit Bhatnagar and based in Delhi.

I am Chartered Accountant and currently working with PwC in the Mergers and
Acquisition division.

I am applying to ISB under the early entry option.

I had a small query with respect to the application details and just wanted
a little advice from your end.

I completed my articleship (3 years) from in the Mergers and
Acquisition division. Post qualifying, I worked with KPMG as a Senior
Associate for 6 months. So cumulatively, I worked with KPMG for 3.6 years.

In the interim, I had secured campus placement in ITC as Assistant Manager
(Finance) and the CTC was ranked as the third highest in campus placement
across centers.

So post leaving KPMG , I joined ITC but because the profile did not suit my
expectation (ITC has a policy of disclosing the department and work profile
only after hiring- otherwise they just give a brief overview of the Finance
department during interview). Therefore,I left after 2 weeks.

Post leaving ITC , it took me a month to secure a job with PwC. This was
again at the Senior Associate level and half the CTC as compared to ITC.

I am just wondering if I should mention ITC as a reason for the break in
employment for 1 month because this might negatively impact my application
and overall profile (though reason is extremely genuine )

Would really appreciate if you could provide your view as well

Thanks.
Arpit

Hi,

It is mostly said and heard that with higher experience (8-9 years), the chances of admission into ISB get slimmer if a functional shift is seeked.

Is it a myth or there is some reality in this belief.

I have an experience of 8 years into IT industry with a functional expertise in QA and targeting ISB for the 2016-17 session. However, I seek a functional shift into consulting industry in the same vertical.

Will my higher experience be a blessing or a bottleneck in seeking admission to ISB with the aim of achieving a functional shift to consulting industry.

Thanks,
Abhishek

arpitb wrote:Hi Team,
Just to introduce myself, I am Arpit Bhatnagar and based in Delhi.

I am Chartered Accountant and currently working with PwC in the Mergers and

<<snip>>

Would really appreciate if you could provide your view as well

Thanks.
Arpit

Arpit,

We would never suggest faking or withholding any information in your applications. Honesty as they say is almost always the best policy.

Even so, a 1 month gap is not uncommon. But make sure you are able to justify the move clearly and vividly in your essays.

Abhishek_11 wrote:Hi,

It is mostly said and heard that with higher experience (8-9 years), the chances of admission into ISB get slimmer if a functional shift is seeked.

<<snip>>

Thanks,
Abhishek

Abhishek,

Your goal does not seem far fetched in that you are not seeking to move a lot of dimensions in your profile - only the function. If you said for instance I want to become an i-banker or a management consultant, that would have been difficult to justify. The reason ISB has lesser people in your age bracket is because of a slight dearth of opportunities befitting your years of experience. But provided you've done your research well and are not aiming for something impractical, you should have a fair shot.

I am also assuming you are applying to the IIM 1 year programs too?

Cheers,

mcb_mg wrote:

Abhishek_11 wrote:Hi,

It is mostly said and heard that with higher experience (8-9 years), the chances of admission into ISB get slimmer if a functional shift is seeked.

<<snip>>

Thanks,
Abhishek

Abhishek,

Your goal does not seem far fetched in that you are not seeking to move a lot of dimensions in your profile - only the function. If you said for instance I want to become an i-banker or a management consultant, that would have been difficult to justify. The reason ISB has lesser people in your age bracket is because of a slight dearth of opportunities befitting your years of experience. But provided you've done your research well and are not aiming for something impractical, you should have a fair shot.

I am also assuming you are applying to the IIM 1 year programs too?

Cheers,

Thanks Manish for your reply.

I will be applying to IIM 1 year programs also, they are equally prestigious.

Divulging into greater details, I would like to chart out a path towards risk consulting and strategic consulting while remaining in IT industry. I hope to leverage my exposure to various domains like e-commerce, payment solutions and geographical information systems. Being into QA profile has always made me develop an understanding of customer perspective.

Does ISB propagate such functional shifts.

Thanks,
Abhishek

Abhishek_11 wrote: Thanks Manish for your reply.

I will be applying to IIM 1 year programs also, they are equally prestigious.

Divulging into greater details, I would like to chart out a path towards risk consulting and strategic consulting while remaining in IT industry. I hope to leverage my exposure to various domains like e-commerce, payment solutions and geographical information systems. Being into QA profile has always made me develop an understanding of customer perspective.

Does ISB propagate such functional shifts.

Thanks,
Abhishek

Risk consulting can be really niche. In general, ISB is a VERY good place to get into the right 'type' of consulting. Which one makes sense for you is of course a matter of detailed assessment and discussion :)

I need an evaluation on my profile.

Thanks for help....

1) Class Xth: 88.33% (ICSE)

2) Class XIIth : 88.12% (CBSE)

3) B.Tech from NIT Durgapur in Mechanical Engineering with CGPA of 8.65

4) 2nd in Mechanical Engineering Deptt.

6) Well versed in C, C++ and AUTOCAD, CATIA (Although have No certificates to show)

7) 6 years work ex in NTPC:

a) Was selected in 1st batch of NTPC's Nuclear Programme (NTPC's endeavor in nuclear sector for the first time). Was sent to BARC for training in nuclear field and then posted in KKNPP

b) Was involved in major commissioning activities like hydrotest, commissioning of systems, DM plant in KKNPP

c) After successful criticality of KKNPP and thus gaining major experience, NTPC relocated to Thermal sector.

d) Currently working in Maintenance group of CHP equipments.

e) Have added responsibility of Operation and Maintenance of HMV vehicles where sole responsibility of contracts, indents and man power management (some 3 personnel work under me) is with me

8) Participate in puja committee for organization of various pujas in township and plant like Durga puja of township, Vishwakarma puja in CHP.

Awards and merits:

1) Was 3rd in GO Drafting event ( car design) organized by SAE India in College Tech fest.

2) Was awarded ED meritorious award to me and my maintenance team for maintenance work.

9) GMAT score: 700 (Q50 V34) ; AWA : 6.0

Kindly evaluate the profile

bestrahul123 wrote:I need an evaluation on my profile.

Thanks for help....

1) Class Xth: 88.33% (ICSE)

<<snip>>

2) Was awarded ED meritorious award to me and my maintenance team for maintenance work.

9) GMAT score: 700 (Q50 V34) ; AWA : 6.0

Kindly evaluate the profile

Consider the following Rahul:

1. The unconventional nature of your profile will grab instant attention. You do seem to have a good career arc and story to tell. All these will be areas of strengths. You have not mentioned any promotions though. I know its tough in PSU, but did you have any?
2. Your attempts to stay active on the non-work front will help you 'tick the box' but not beyond that much. That GMAT is just about at average though the good GPA will help you overcome that to a certain extent. So think and communicate these in conjunction.
3. You have not mentioned your post-MBA goal. That will be the most important thing to understand. From an overall profile perspective, at a high level, things look decently balanced and well worth a shot at ISB

Cheers,