PREPARING FOR WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO AN MBA
GoCrackIt
Why do you want to do an MBA?
Why is it important?This is one of the most important questions which you should have reflected upon, even before filling up forms for MBA admission. Doing an MBA could be a very important transition (in MBA parlance an “Inflexion Point”) in your career. The clarity on “Why MBA” helps you on not only cracking the MBA interview but also having a focus during the MBA and achieving your goals post MBA.
The approach
The reason for doing this transition has to be personalized & relevant to you. Remember its 'YOU' who is taking the leap and hence you should have your own reasons to take this leap rather than a cookie cutter answer which might be unconvincing to everyone, including you. To answer this question, use the GoCrackIt’s Interview Preparation Framework (IPF)1 to understand the evolution
of yourself over pre-MBA period, the gaps which you want to fill through your MBA studies given your short term and long term goal post MBA.
1
for more details please read our article on IPF & IPF-Tool at
http://www.gocrackit.com/articles/IPF_v1.pdf. You can also take the self-assessment test at our website
www.gocrackit.com and get the detailed preparation sheets of IPF-Tool
Pre-MBA Experiences MBA Focus PostMBA Goals
School/ Graduation
Academics, Projects, Extra-curricular, Tools Achievements / Failures
Interview Preparation Framework
Experiences
Curricular
Management subjects Tools/ Frameworks Projects
Short, Long term Plan of Action Industry Function
Personality Traits/ Self - Awareness
Why MBA
Managerial Traits
Leadership General awareness Communication Deal with uncertainty Analytical ability Teamwork
Focus Goals
Why these Goals?
Co - Curricular
Events Competitions
Work Experience
Industry, Domain, Function, Tools Responsibility, Projects Achievements / Failures Personal Traits Ethics Values Confidence Self-Awareness
Life changing events Why you Strengths Weaknesses Hobbies General Awareness General Awareness
Places of Study & Residence Famous Things, Personalities Current Affairs
Prepare with the structured line of questioning
Analyze yourself using the IPF and answer the following questions to understand why do you want to do an MBA:
Question Help
What is your short term/ long term
goals and why? •
Think through your post-MBA short term/ long term goals
• Where do you see yourself immediately after MBA?
• Where do you see yourself 5 years after MBA? • Where do you see yourself 10 years after MBA? What is required for these goals and
hence what will you focus during MBA? •
List out what is required for your goals. Hence your focus during MBA
• What courses
• What tools & framework • What projects
• What events • What competitions
•In addition to above specific points, you can also add about the general takeaways from a great MBA institute.
• Best management knowledge through best professors
• Career progression • Career shifts • Brand • Network
• Overall personal growth What have you already done for your
goal? •
Write down some specific actions which you might have taken, this will signal that you are serious about what you are saying. This will also let you understand the gaps which you might have found during your actions
Why would you not be able to achieve
the above goals without an MBA? •
Write down some reasons How would this specific institute give
you these required things? •
Cover following points
• Why do you want to join this institute? How will it help you in achieving your target?
• See website/ program brochure • Key alumni
• Recent NEWS, awards
• Focus areas of this institute, its strengths • Key selling features of the institute • Key faculty
• Specific research project
• Rankings (In what parameters it has done well, in what parameters it has to improve).
• Your opinions/ suggestions to improve
function fit into what you want to achieve?
Or
Do you want to change the line of career itself (why do you want to change the line of career?)
Or
• Write down why do you want to change the line of career
Don’t you think that you should get some work experience before joining an MBA program (for the case of freshers)
• Write down some points on why it is important for you to join the MBA now & cannot wait to get more experience, some pointers:
•This is a great opportunity given that you have already passed through one of the toughest written test/ short list criteria •The work experience can also be achieved
through internship, industry interactions during an MBA
•Your target industry/ function / role (such as management consulting/ investment banking etc.) might be only possible post doing an MBA
•You already have achieved something extraordinary which you think you can contribute to your class immediately
•You have already worked in certain professional organization conditions such as working in a team, organizing an event, managing the mess/ hostel/ sports etc. Why don’t you start your venture right away
instead of doing an MBA (in case you want to do entrepreneurship)2
• The line of thinking can be as follows:
• Apart from equipping you with the knowledge and skills for running a business, MBA is a door opener - When you go and speak to your prospective clients or investors, along with a good idea/product, your background also matters. MBA from XYZ is great way to impress people and carries with it hard-work and intellect of professors and students here. It’s a brand which is hard to refuse.
• 2-Year MBA is a workshop for you to put your ideas into implementation. All the learnings from here would be applied to your idea and enterprise. You will get to
2 You can also read https://hbr.org/2010/11/does-an-enterpreneur-need-an-m,
http://www.forbes.com/…/should-entrepreneurs-get-an-mba-an…/ http://www.forbes.com/…/why-not-to-raise-capital-for-your-…/ http://fortune.com/…/11/18/the-most-successful-mba-startups/
discuss with some of the cleverest and experienced minds over here.
• MBA would also provide you with a strong alumni network of XYZ College and also a ready welcome to other MBA alumni from top colleges.
Apart from above questions, you can also quote some examples of alumnus, you might know, who have done the similar things which you aspire to do after an MBA.
Why MBA - GoCrackIt IPF-Tool
We are appending a detailed sheet for Why MBA in the IPF-Tool3 which you can use for preparation.
About GoCrackIt
We are a team of IIM alumni with cumulative experience of 40+ years, 400+ mock interviews and with a passion to help people achieve their dream careers. Interviews are different ball game altogether; but not impossible. We decided to connect people and enable cracking interviews! Currently we have a network of 60+ mentors from the elite institutes in India like IIMs, IITs, top companies &startups. Meet them on our platform at www.gocrackit.com!
Our contacts: Web: www.gocrackit.com Tel: +91-7259035593 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gocrackit/ Email: [email protected] 3
For details of GoCrackIt Interview Preparation Framework (IPF) and IPF-Tool,read our article on IPF at
http://www.gocrackit.com/articles/IPF_v1.pdf. Take the self-assessment test at our website