How to Discuss Individual Work Experience in Your MBA Applications in 4 Steps

Accomplished individual contributors in highly specialized fields whether from finance, science, or technology fields often face the challenge of sharing the scale of their responsibilities and the impact of their accomplishments.  In this entry, Ill share four  tips on how MBA candidates  in these situations can maximize their backgrounds while writing their application essays: Pause†¦ Out of habit, your first essay draft will likely be  littered with jargons (industry terms that only few would actually understand). Often, the examples you choose to showcase whether it’s leveraging a sophisticated financial instrument or introducing an advanced manufacturing process are even more advanced and complicated than you realize, so that even those with a basic level of knowledge regarding  your work will probably not comprehend the scope of your activities. Thus, remind yourself that you are not writing a paper for peer review or for your immediate superior, but instead, you are communicating to people without your level of expertise. Share What Got You There How  can  you communicate your expert abilities  if the limited space you are given  for your essays does not allow you to take non-industry readers through the minute details of your work experience?  One way to do this is to  show how rare it is for someone to get to your role. Highlighting selectivity and how qualified you are is a  good way to show your career progress and accomplishments. In this way, your  story can  flow naturally from academic performance, to previous successes at work, and, finally, to why you were entrusted with such a challenging role saving on word space while still  tying in  the personal and professional  components of  your application profile at the same time. Use Analogies Often, I find that applicants attempt to answer essay prompts  that ask for  examples of accomplishments and failures with stories involving the most complex, technical issues they have dealt with. This is understandable, as these examples are probably the most memorable and impressive in the applicants  professional lives. However, the limited essay space also poses a problem, as as ones essay must then  be divided into setting up the situation, the action  the applicant  took, the results achieved, and the  lessons learned. One quick and effective way to handle this issue is to use analogies (quotations from leaders in your field could also be used) to describe the situation and demonstrate its  complexity, probability of success, or scale of impact. This will make it easier for the Admissions Committee to understand the challenges you faced  and  complement your general description think of this the same way you would make friends and family members at a dinner party  understand what you have been up to. Highlight the Impact Lastly, validate the importance of your work by relating it to impact, both at the qualitative  level, and in terms of quantifiable numbers (if possible). Use  examples of personal stories and paint vivid pictures to  touch the emotions of your audience (the Admissions Committee) and help them appreciate the impact of your work. Numbers such as profitability, processing time saved, or potential customers impacted are also helpful to substantiate the context of your role. Following these tips can  help you show yourself not only as just a  brilliant individual contributor, but as someone with the  ability to communicate like a future senior leader, making your unique profile stand out and be appreciated. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation  for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+  and Twitter. Written by Edison Cu, a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for  INSEAD.