Applicants focus incessantly on Why MBA, but they rarely add the ‘timeline’ to bring urgency to the plan.
An MBA should not sound like a could-have option. Here are 6 scenarios to turn Why MBA now interview answer into a memorable script:
1) Ambitious Goals
2) Age
3) Declining Industries
4) Strengths Outside Core Function
5) Rigid Hierarchy
6) Pigeonholed into a Functional Expert
1) Ambitious Goals
Every element of your Why MBA now answer should focus on the details of your plan; a plan to leverage the school network, student clubs, the curriculum, the alumni, and the global consulting engagements, but a big ‘motivation’ that most applicants miss is the ‘ambition’ of the goals.
The long-term goal should be a vision statement that requires not just your expertise, but also the support of your peers, many of whom will invest in your venture, connect you to investors, some will even join your organization, and most will amplify your messages to influential decision makers in their network.
If the school has a history of building a global alumni network, and the venture that you envision has a global reach, accessing a wide global alumni network will be even more important.
2) Age
If you are in the 27-29 age group, age is driving you to pursue an MBA now.
Over the past 5 years, the average age of the class has slowly increased, partly from the stagnation in salary in Consulting and Technology, partly because of the high percentage of Master’s candidates and entrepreneurs (family business, failed startups, and small business) targeting the MBA program. The number of years it takes for such a candidate to gain traditional work experience delays their MBA plan by 2-3 years.
The 30-32 age group applicants are not an anomaly or even an outlier. They are one of the most qualified applicant pools for M7 MBA programs.
3) Declining Industries
From 2018 to 2022, there has been an accelerated migration of Oil and Gas engineers to Consulting with the help of an MBA.
Lessons from the Oil and Gas Industry
A large pool of the applicants were women professionals, who find the working conditions challenging, especially when the field work is in inhospitable terrain. But even a larger pool of high achievers has shown strong career progression in the industry to reach the pinnacle of their engineering career. The VP role is now 15 years away, and despite all the disruption in the industry, the organizational structure is still a remnant of an old culture that prevents a high-achieving professional from switching to Business.
What Awaits the Technology Industry
Ever since the disruption of AI, a new group of Technologists – the techno-functional experts and managers have now been made redundant in the Technology industry as AI could manage the workflow, plan, and even automate the communication. The automation of the customer service function in many businesses is a preview of what awaits the managers in the technology industry. But the techno-functional skillsets are useful in Consulting, where technical skills alone don’t guarantee integration of the best technology into the workflow. The problem is functional, organizational, and strategic in nature.
I anticipate a similar migration of techno-functional professionals with leadership ambition. The trouble is that the answers will all have tales of marshalling the team, motivating after a failure, making tough decisions, aka layoffs, and lessons on ethics.
In interviews, you must clearly stand out and not fall into the trap of ‘representing’ a declining industry and craft answers with authenticity.
Find genuine moments and milestones that represent your uniqueness.
Mock Interview Service - Work with Atul Jose (Founding Consultant and Interview Specialist)
Mock Interview Service - Work with Atul Jose (Founding Consultant and Interview Specialist)With our attention span falling to a scary low - 30 seconds in any conversation, talking about ourselves and our 'boring' career needs a different strategy.
As F1GMAT's Lead Consultant and Interview Specialist, I will help you script answers to the commonly asked interview questions for:
1) Balance
Some of the best answers balance - details with a larger vision, setbacks with wholesome endings, expertise with humility, and eagerness with confidence.
2) Storytelling
I have developed a keen sense of storytelling from over a decade and a half of helping clients prepare for the most consequential interview in their lives.
The skills that an interview specialist brings to the table are different from what a former admissions officer or a consultant who has limited coaching skills brings
Generic Feedback # Specific Script and Delivery Notes
Movie Critics # Movie Directors
It is easy to offer general feedback, but it is tough to offer feedback that covers tone, script, delivery, and, most importantly - the answer to the question.
3) Fit with the School
A big part of guiding applicants is educating them about the fit with the school.
Some schools have very 'specific' traits that they want applicants to reiterate.
Don't get tired of reiterating the narrative from your essays if it helps you reinforce your fit with the school.
I will monitor and note down transitions and emphasis on 'certain' traits that are essential to sell your fit with the school.
I will also iteratively edit the script without losing your original voice.
Email me, Atul Jose, at editor@f1gmat.com and start the collaboration
4) Strength Outside Core Function
For many, the first taste of a function outside their core function opens a new career plan that cannot be met with the current opportunities in the industry or the employer.
The Value of Post-MBA Location
A consulting career is essential to gain broader exposure. It could also be a function where moving to a different geography, the one where the school facilitates opportunities, is the only way to find some of the best peers. New York City and Investment Banking is a classic example, driven by three top MBA programs – Columbia, NYU Stern, and Cornell. Now, if you are invited for an interview at one of the three schools, be aware that almost all candidates have this motivation for their MBA.
You must narrate the urgency of the decision.
If you have highlighted the urgency in your essay, repeat the motivation in your interview as well.
5) Rigid Hierarchy
MIT Sloan asks for sharing the organizational chart of your current organization to measure your IMPACT, potential career path, and also to see if the career switch you plan with an MBA is feasible for your age. The rigid hierarchy will be obvious in the chart.
The farther the distance from your current role to the top spot, the more convincing the answer will be. But in interviews or even in other school applications, such data points are missing.
Make it very clear that your organizational structure is such that a lateral movement or a quick jump up the hierarchy is impossible without an MBA.
For interviewers from Investment Banking and Consulting, the motivation for the ‘Why MBA’ now is clear. For everyone else, spend time explaining the hierarchy and promotional paths in your Why MBA now interview answer.
6) Pigeonholed into a Functional Expert
Many become masters in their core function, and a promotion next year could permanently orient them in a particular direction. An MBA now is the only way to reroute a career path to the applicant’s true interest.
The true interest might have been revealed through a volunteering experience. I had an interesting example of a person in a FinTech career who was passionate about interior design. His design skills were obvious, with a prestigious award and a professional recommender validating his skills in the design of the App, and a volunteering collaborator also highlighting his design thinking.
Preparing for an MBA Admissions interview is not just about citing the Why MBA Now narrative. It is also about authentically capturing the urgency with your tone.
