How to create MBA Admissions Personal Audit Worksheet

Before you start the MBA admission process, performing an audit on yourself is essential but an even better tool that would help you summarize all your achievements is the worksheet. Instead of creating several worksheets, create one personal audit worksheet. You can download the template here.

An applicant’s profile can be divided into seven dimensions: Employment, Volunteer, Educational, Extra-Curricular Activities, Language, Military Service & Awards.

1) Employment

This is probably the most important aspect of your profile that summarizes your skills, roles, responsibilities, accomplishments, and overall experience (in Years). Almost all MBA Essay questions ask about your experience in one of the work roles, and therefore it is essential to have a snapshot of your work experience.

Skills (General): Market Analysis, Customer Requirement Analysis, Crisis Management, Communication, Leadership, & Planning

Skills (For the Job): Programming in Java, QuickBooks, IBM DB2 Content Management, MS Excel Power User
Role: Product Manager (IT)

Responsibilities

• Analyzing & Collecting Market Requirements from customers and non-customers
• Converting requirements to a product plan
• Developing a solution with clearly defined milestones and performance goals
• Managing & Coordinating throughout the Product Lifecycle from planning to deployment
• Leading the testing and implementation of the product
• Managing Customer and Partner Relationships

Accomplishments

• Lead the product development of <Company Name> for <Product Detail> in record time
• Retained and Increased the Business by 134% following product deployment

Overall Experience: 3 Years

2) Volunteer

One important information that the AdCom evaluates is the reference detail of the organization. Start the Volunteer worksheet with Name, Designation, Email and Phone Number of the supervisor whom you reported for the Volunteering activities.

For other details follow the same template as Employment: skills, roles, responsibilities, accomplishments, and overall experience (in Months).

Tangible accomplishments are expected in volunteering activity too.

Tangible accomplishments (Examples)

1) Increased Sign-Up from 3400 donors to 7833 in 3-months
2) Raised revenue from $35000 to $89000 in 6 months
3) Recruited over 120 volunteers for <campaign name>

3) Educational

For summarizing educational history, only include professional courses. Do not include certificate programs or other short courses in this section. Include Course Name, University name, College Name, Year of Passing and Duration of the Course (in Years). Even if you have completed a part-time course, include that in the space, provided they are the primary professional course that you have completed.

4) Extra-Curricular Activities

Applicants often confuse volunteering with extra-curricular activities. The latter has to do with your talent in other areas apart from your education or leadership. If you have performed in front of an audience, this is your chance to include those details. Only include extra-curricular activities where you have participated after your undergraduate program. Mentioning your involvement in a drama club during undergraduate years might not sound that appealing when you have 3-5 years of experience. Include Club/Organization Name, roles, responsibilities, & accomplishments.

Again, the purpose of summarizing your profile in one worksheet is to have a snapshot of your achievements in one view. Don’t forget to create tangible accomplishments like:

• Sold out tickets for 2015 June Comedy Night Season within 15 minutes, a record for <Comedy Club’s Name>
• Released the DVDs of the performance, and sold 4500 copies, earning revenues of over $45000 in just 6 months

5) Language

As strange as it might sound, knowing a language (spoken) opens up opportunities in several job markets. For example, knowing Spanish opens up opportunities in Spain and Latin America. Therefore, Business Schools appreciates applicants who have taken the effort to learn a new language. Include Language Name, Skill level and Proficiency Grading (Reading, Writing, Speaking) on a scale of 1-10. Be honest with your grading.

6) Military Service

Having a military service background either in active duty or with an affiliated military organization has huge standout qualities among the admission committee. For military personals who were active in duty include Rank Awarded in Final Duty, Training Received, Duties, Responsibilities, Awards, Honors, Skill Developed, and Accomplishments. Avoid jargons if possible.

7) Awards

Include awards that are proof of your remarkable achievements either as a team member or as a leader. This is not the space for participatory or volunteering awards. Most awards are self-explanatory, but some awards have terminologies that might not be easily understood by the AdCom. Simplify it further by adding 3-4 word details in brackets.