Can other strengths make up for having less job experience?

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Hi Lisa -

really appreciate your feedback on my profile (in the post below from the general section):

https://www.beatthegmat.com/approaching- ... 41579.html


It actually had slipped my mind to include the number of years with each company, but roughly it's 7 years overall (out of which 3+ has been with current employer).

Along these lines, I have 2 follow-up questions to ask:
1- As you had pointed out in your reply, 7-8 years is considered the minimum job experience for candidates being considered for reputable Executive MBA programs, so to what extent will this be counted against me (even if what I've done in that 7 years is pretty substantial)?

2- Since I have transitioned into a Management role from the IT consulting field (as a result of 2 promotions), and have an engineering educational background, is this seen as a limitation/weakness in terms of evaluating my qualification for an EMBA (ie. I've gotten feedback from an admissions director who noted that my previously experience being a consultant is 'interesting' - which makes me wonder if that's considered a bad thing :( !

Thanks again for your advise.

- R
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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:37 pm
Dear R,

It is best for you to speak with each school directly regarding your experience to determine if you meet their requirements for their Executive MBA program. I think some schools will believe you have the right quantity and quality, but there could be some that would prefer you have closer to/more than 10 years by the time you would enroll. Your background is not a negative in any way and I think you should consider "interesting" a positive adjective in your case. There is not a preferred education or industry for MBA programs, including executive programs.

Regards,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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