Q) I had a 6-month gap in 2021 when the Pandemic was at its peak, and layoffs were common. During this period, I volunteered to assist a couple of small businesses in pivoting to a digital-first strategy. I am from a Finance background. Does the consulting experience have any value since I joined back in an Investment Banking role in late 2021? How many gap months is an acceptable gap for M7 and the top 10 schools in the world?
Atul Jose (Admissions Consultant, F1GMAT): I know from experience helping clients plan through the Pandemic that even the best candidates laid off because of a fall in demand typically take 3 months to get an offer at par with the previous offer. When your gap exceeds three months, things will get tricky.
By the 2nd month, if any of our readers/listeners are in such a scenario now, join a global non-profit and help them with a related function, or you can try a new function like the Finance candidate trying on consulting. Even many accounting processes and integrating them with sales and marketing are not small problems. A common outcome I have seen while digitizing a Small Business is the awareness about data and, through the analysis, insight about a loss-making product, efficiency gaps, customer service issues, and many many metrics that should have been monitored. These are all great examples for M7 application essays. Make sure that you capture the context of the challenges and the project's complexity in the optional essay.
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Another common gap I have seen is the gap year before joining the undergraduate degree. This is a cliché in the US where you travel to Europe, but if you are an entrepreneurial candidate who tried to start a venture or you are a YouTuber or a creative person, or a person who has the potential in professional sports, then the pursuit of that career path could be a very good reason for a gap year or even many inefficient years after your undergraduate degree.
The tone should not be defensive when you cite the reason for pivoting back to a traditional career.
