Your Future Career Path: Get Ready to Write About It!

by Stacy Blackman Consulting, Oct 9, 2010

Many candidates see business school as a great opportunity to figure out what sort of career path they want to pursue in the future. MBA programs tout their career services departments as excellent places to find information about a variety of industries and jobs. They hype their alumni networks as great resources for getting the inside scoop on certain careers and companies. And they promote the b-school summer internship as an opportunity to test drive any new sort of occupation you are considering.

So, since business school is a place of reflection on careers, can applicants just put a big fat TBD in the essay where they discuss their career goals? Not a chance.

Even if you view b-school as your figurative mountain-top retreat for career path contemplation, your business school application needs to set forth a fairly definite plan of what you would want to do with your degree. Dont worrythey wont limit your course offerings based on your stated career goals or withhold your diploma if you deviate from your essay when actually choosing your career. MBA programs basically want to know that youll make good use of one of the limited spots in their classes. From personal experience, I can tell you that people who have a learning agenda related to their chosen career path are more impressive academically and generally have achieved more in their first few years out of school.

You dont need to get incredibly specificand as a matter of fact it might sound contrived if you focus in on a certain company (e.g., I want to be a consultant in McKinseys San Francisco office). However, you should have an opportunity set that appeals to you (e.g., I want to be in a consulting role where I can work on critical technology issues. I love the variety and learning opportunity consulting offers.). Or, if you plan on making a fairly significant transition from your current career path, refer to the specific experiences that spurred the change. A banker who wishes to get into marketing post b-school may mention that his favorite project dealt with consumer products. A consultant who wishes to follow an entrepreneurial path may point out the fun she had running a business while in college.

The essay writing process is a great opportunity in itself to reflect on your goals. After all, you may select a school in part based on specialties they possess in certain disciplines. Plus, youll be all the more convincing in your essays and interviews if youve thought through at least one possible career path in great detail.

For more robust guidance on your MBA application essays, check out the Stacy Blackman Consulting Essay Guide Series school specific guides with essay tips, sample essays, information on what your target schools value and more.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.