ISB Interview Update

Sorry. I've temporarily removed the post. Will send a request to ISB to ask if they are cool with me putting up my version of the interview proceedings.

Economist Online MBA Fair

For all those who are blisfully unaware, or who have forgotten, the Economist's Online MBA Fair is now live. Opened a good 8 hours ago, actually. Fret not, the fair will be open for two days (Nov 15 - 16) and during fixed time slots.

Login: http://ow.ly/3ajBb

Session Details:

• Session one – November 15^th, 2010
  • 7:00 PM-10:00 PM GMT (London time)
  • 2:00 PM- 5:00 PM EST (New York time)
  • 11:00 AM-2:00 PM PST (Los Angeles time)
  • 5:00 PM-8:00 PM BRT (San Paulo time)
  • 8:00 PM-11:00 PM CEST (Paris time)

• Session two – November 15^th, 2010
  • 1:00 AM-4:00 AM GMT (London time)
  • 8:00-11:00 PM EST (New York time)
  • 5:00-8:00 PM PST (Los Angeles time)
  • 9:00 AM-12:00 PM CST (Shanghai time)
  • 10:00 AM-1:00 PM JST (Tokyo time)

• Session three – November 16^th, 2010
  • 11:00 AM-2:00 PM GMT (London time)
  • 7:00 PM-10:00 PM CST (Shanghai time)
  • 3:00 PM-6:00 PM GST (Dubai time)
  • 12:00 PM-3:00 PM CEST (Paris time)
  • 8:00 AM-11:00 AM ART (Buenos Aires time)

• Session four – November 16^th, 2010
  • 3:00 AM-6:00 AM GMT (London time)
  • 10:00 PM-1:00 AM EST (New York time)
  • 7:00 PM-10:00 PM PST (Los Angeles time)
  • 8:30 AM-11:30 AM IST (Mumbai time)
  • 12:00 PM-3:00 PM JST (Tokyo time) 

MBA Applicant - And We're Off

I've decided to get serious about my MBA Apps. I'll start work on my app to Ivey this week and target the Round 3 (December 6) deadline. Time's running out.

Anyone else applying to Ivey?

MBA Applicant Calendar of Events

It's quite hard to keep track of all the relevant events. I've lost count of the number of events I wanted to attend, but forgot or learnt of only after the event was over. I was scouring the web for an ultimate, MBA -Applicant specific calendar of events when it hit me: Who knows more than most about the pertinent events? Yep, that's right: we, the applicants. So why don't we have an open source calendar where we can all take ownership and reap the rewards.

I've setup a public google calendar and referenced it in the 'events' page of this blog. I'll add a few events, and hope that we can take it from there. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be more than happy to accommodate them.

Which MBA?

With the MBA tour just round the corner, and deadlines fast approaching, i have really got to get a handle on things. I have to make the most of the MBA tour and use the event to learn more about the schools that i've shortlisted, and hopefully end up with an even shorter list :P

My 3 primary criteria for the MBA program:

1) Class Profile: Diverse and rich with experience
2) Professors: An eccentric and approachable assortment who make it all worth it
3) International Recognition: I don't want to be in a sitation where, when asked which school i got my MBA from, I have to repeat the name of my school, explain where it is located and why I chose it and ....

"I did my MBA from XYZ school" should be able to elicit any of the following responses:

• XYZ Schoool!!
• Wow!
• Awesome!
• I actually know a few alumni from XYZ"
• I actually applied to XYZ, but didn't get admitted
• My son wants to go there too

.. you get the jist...

With that in mind, here's the list of schools that i intend to meet up @ The MBA Tour in Bangalore:

• Cornell University
• EBS Business School
• ESMT European School of Management and Technology
• Georgetown University
• HEC Paris
• IE Business School
• Indiana University
• London Business School
• McGill University
• New York University
• Queen's University
• Rice University
• University of California Los Angeles
• University of North Carolina
• York University - Schulich School of Business

Schulich also has this India MBA program, which they will be showcasing from 1-3 PM on the day of the event. I am kinda intriguiged by this new program, so I will definitely attend the presentation.. hopefully they'll be bringing along a couple of current students.

A couple of people have come up to me and asked me to share my opinion on Hult Business School, which has been on a marketing rampage over the last 15 months... my opinion? Let me put it this way... I just received an email from Hult ... deleted it without opening.

Over & Out!

Resume on Track

Wow! I can't believe I actually did it. I spent 15 mins and tweaked my resume a bit. Obviously it's not done and dusted yet.

Any product is not ready for the market until is has been reviewed and sent out to a sample group i.e. beta tested. So, I have taken a leaf out of Amar Naik's book, and reached out to a couple of admissions consultants (only those that offer a free first session ;-)   ).  I hope that they will offer some constructive feedback with respect to my resume and target schools.

I was going through a couple of resume tips, and the most important ones are:

1. One Page. Nothing more, definitely not anything less. One page is key to make a good first impression.
2. Show Progress. Most people feel that they are better off showing only their high profile positions on their resumes. The truth is, the more progress you can show, the better. If you worked your way up from being an intern to head of sales marketing, that's fantastic. It's definitely much better than having just one post on your resume titled "Head of Sales Marketing".
3. Now that you have shown progress, show what you did in each post. It's not enough to say "Manager - HR". You have to show what you actually did:
• How many people did you manage
• How you revamped the organisational structure
• How you went about attracting the best talent
• How did the numbers change after you took the post e.g. a company survey showed that employee satisfaction jumped up by 15% to an all time high of 87%
4. Limit details about education. Only include the essentials: Degree, college, year of graduation.. w/honours, president of any associations/ clubs. Do not included any extra courses you took or clubs that you were JUST a part of
5. Hobbies/ Extracurrs: Do NOT post community service if you have not been involved any leadership position with that program. Do not include any hobbies that you do not know much about. "Listening to music" is NOT a hobby (at least NOT one that will get you admitted)
6. This one is scary: "Have different versions for different schools" - My first thought was "what???". Though i still have to confirm whether this is actually required, some people advise that you format your resume according to the class resume book for the school. I'm not sure if this is necessary, but i'll to check it out with a couple of people.

I also spent some time searching for decent resume templates, but couldn't find anything interesting.

Anyhoo... I'll wait for the feedback from the consultants, and once I'm done with all that, I'll refurbish my  resume, reach out to a couple of friends and then come up with a polished version (hopefully early next week)

If you have any interesting resume templates, or can shed some light on crazy resume tip # 6, please drop me an email.

Over & Out!

Resume!

Oh brother! I cannot believe I forgot one of the most important things wrt apps: My Resume. Most folks underestimate the importance of the resume. There are three things that need to be in order for anyone to stand a chance at receiving an internview invite:

1. Resume
2. GMAT Score
3. Essays

I have got to reformat my resume and have it ready in a couple of days. Why so early one might ask. EARLY! This is freaking late. The resume should be sent along with your introductory email to the school. Whatever you want from the school, they will reply back asking for your resume so that they can evaluate your profile and then help you out with whatever it is that you need.

So, i'm setting myself tomorrow as the deadline to finish off my resume. I tend to dilly dally when it comes to stuff like this, but once the juices get pumping, I am sure that I will have it finished off in a jiffy.

Over & Out!

Genesis

I've decided to pen down my thoughts as I slog it out over the next couple of months. 

Pending Items:

• Retake GMAT
• Shortlist Schools
• Network with Schools
• Write Essays
• Submit Apps

When you look at it this way, it seems kind of easy; it's just 5 bullet points. How much time can it take? LOL! If only i were that deluded. One thing is for certain: I've certainly got my work cut out for me.

What do i intend to post? Mostly ramblings, but hopefully shake it up with interesting news and reviews as well... but yeah, mostly just ramblings :)

Over & Out!