Writing About Career Achievements: Keep it Simple

by , Nov 29, 2010

If you are applying to a competitiveMBA program, you will have the opportunity (or, as some may see it, the dreaded task) of writingabout a noteworthy achievement. Not only that, many schools will also want you to reflect on what you learned from that achievement.In most cases, it makes sense to write about a work-related achievement, unless you have a non-work related one that is especially remarkable or have discussed professional accomplishments in other essays.

But how do youconvey all thecreativity, time-management, leadership, and innovation that went into your trophy event? After all, you will have about 700 wordsat best to paint this picture; sometimes, you may have as little as 300 words. In that case, even writing about an impressive achievement in such short space isan achievement in itself!

Here are some tips that will help youtell this story most effectively:

1. Be specific, but don't get bogged down in detail.

Don't burden the adcomwithyourindustry-specific lingo or acronymsthat you commonly use at work, which they may not even understand.Before you write,it can be very helpful to describe your achievement out loud to your editor, or even a friend, as if you were explaining it over coffee, to ensure that you can summarize it conversationally. When you can explain it simply to an outsider, you can write it simply and clearly.For example, "Our company was losing market share to a newer competitor because of their superior marketing materials and staff." Or, "Ourclient was facing lawsuits because their out-of-date patientcorrespondance software was generating lettersto deceased patients." Try to keep the basic problem to no more than two sentences.

2. Highlight only themost significant aspects of the story.

You won't have room to list every meeting held, or every hurdle you had to overcome in getting the job done.Highlight the major steps you tookin your achievement, lookingfor opportunities to highlight your creativity,persistence, interpersonal skills, and hard work along the way.These could includeboning up on the problem/solution on your own time; buyinglunch for the team members whose "buy-in" was essential;communicating the importance of the goal to associates and bosses. Showa progression of events, but again, keep it simple.

3. Quantify results.

Don't just say that your new software program or sales pitch saved the company a "significant" amount of money. Whenever possible, put it in dollars and cents, whether it was in savings or increased sales.If the work was for a client who was so pleased with what you didthat they hired you again for an even bigger project, say so.

Remember that "less is more" in writing, so don't feel bad that you don't have room to talk about that great speech you gave during one meeting. By zeroing in on the key parts of the story, especially where you can show concrete progression toward your goal, you'll make yoursignificant achievement essay an achievement in itself!

For more valuable tips on creating a memorable, compelling application essay, view Accepted.com's 45-minute webinar, Essays that Stick. (P.S. It's free!)

View Accepted.com videos on Beat The GMAT:

• Breakdown of MIT Sloan Essays for 2010-2011