Welcome to F1GMAT’s #askAtulJose series. I am Atul Jose. Today’s question is something that you should consider when you start the MBA Application for the 2022 entering class. The question is:
Q) Which COVID volunteering engagement should I highlight for the 2022 Entering MBA admissions season?
When the global lockdown began in March 2020, the initial worry was about the impact such large-scale disruption in mobility would have on access to food and healthcare. The financial strain that small businesses in the Tourism and Restaurant industry would face was another worry. In the developing economy, the negative impact was proportionally higher for those who depended on daily wages. The equivalent stress faced in the US was for essential workers like the delivery person or taxi drivers.
Fortunately, governments stepped up and could manage a large catastrophe from occurring by streamlining the supply chain of essential items and distribution of food & health products. This would not have happened without some brilliant collaboration with non-profits and entrepreneurs.
Volunteers played a huge role in easing the disruption. So if you were involved with the volunteering engagements from mid-2020, it is a huge advantage. There is no particular function within the pandemic relief that would gain extra points, especially when physical interaction had the risks of fatality. So, on-ground volunteering and thought-leadership have an equivalent value in resolving a lot of problems that people from underprivileged backgrounds had to face.
For MBA Applicants, your post-MBA goal and your pre-MBA experience are likely to determine the kind of volunteering engagements you chose during the pandemic.
Marketing Function: For those who were in the Marketing function, I have seen them doing pro-bono marketing for non-profits and small businesses, helped them spearhead campaigns that were innovative, and navigated the challenges of physical distance rules that were initially placed during the first half of 2020. I have also seen in clients who, although were from Marketing, had to develop skills in basic digitization of businesses from creating WhatsApp & Facebook groups to a bare-minimum website that would take orders or customer contact information.
For marketing persons who were actively involved with their alma mater, the collaboration was mostly in assisting alumni who were laid off, re-enter the market. So, a lot of personal branding, resume editing, and interview preparation was part of the volunteering engagement.
Finance Function: For Finance folks, it was all about restructuring a business or doing the due diligence to create a persuasive pitch for investors or in acquiring an emergency loan or finding buyers for distressed businesses. The opportunities were much more diverse for Finance candidates. If you could leverage your skills in helping small businesses, it would read well in essays.
For a Technology person transitioning to consulting, any engagement where you could integrate technology in widening the reach of the business while getting familiar with the unique business challenges, the customer demands, and the supply chain shocks would demonstrate your comfort in learning about businesses beyond technology.
For Non-profit candidates, the pandemic is an opportunity in disguise. You would have the biggest learning curve in adapting to technology changes, market demands, finance needs, and marketing requirements. If you were actively involved in covid-relief, 2022 entering MBA admissions season is the best opportunity for you to stand out.
It is the same for candidates from the government. Most of the decisions were top-down during the crisis, and if you had to navigate different kinds of bureaucracy in the system, the examples would be an excellent way to demonstrate your persuasion and communication skills across hierarchies.
So any engagement where you could leverage your primary skills from your job function and develop a skill that is not part of your day job would show the admissions team your adaptability and impact in high stake scenarios.
