Profile Eval and Plans

[yama]

Hi,

I would like to ask for some advices and profile evaluation.

I have written below an overview of my profile and the question in bold+italic.

General Background

I am brazilian-asian male, 26 year old, bachelor degree in economics and technical high school degree in IT.

GMAT
Took twice (640 and 690). Should I retake it?

Work experience
2 years as electronic technician in telecommunication mid size company doing IT functions.
2 years as IT manager in a small brokerage house managing the whole IT area and leading a 5 member team.
1,5 year as Finance Trainee in a Petrochemical Company doing job rotation in various areas.
11 months in KPMG corporate finance as senior consultant.

Total 6,5 years of work experience all in Brazil.

Education
Graduated in top schools of Brazil, though not among the best. Studied 6 months in business courses in Sweden for an exchange program, got a scholarship.

Extra activities
Volunteer in military training in high school.
Volunteer web design for family planning department of an important university-hospital. Volunteer in a neighborhood church to help organizing computer sales.
Did academic paid research on public pension system in Brazil.


Plans

Got a job opportunity outside my country for a 2 years period. It is more likely a traineeship program in various job finance area rotation during 2 years, it is some kind of finance executive formation.

My first question is: “Is it worth to postpone my application to take this opportunity?”

My next question is: “What can I do to improve my chances if I have one year or two to prepare myself?”[/b]

Thanks a lot for any help!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear yama,

My first question is: “Is it worth to postpone my application to take this opportunity?”
If you believe the opportunity will deepen your finance knowledge and expertise and will be a promotion in your career path, then it might be worth taking the opportunity. If it is not a promotion and will not contribute to your professional development in some way, then it might not be worth it. Of course, you must also consider if you really want to the opportunity and believe it is a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.

My next question is: “What can I do to improve my chances if I have one year or two to prepare myself?”
I'm not convinced you need to take your GMAT necessarily, but it depends on what schools you are targeting. If you are targeting schools with GMAT averages above a 730, then you might consider retaking the exam. But if you are targeting schools with GMAT averages between 670 and 730, then it might not make much difference in your decision if you have a 690 versus a 710. The best thing you can be doing to prepare yourself is to seek out leadership opportunities both inside and outside the work place. You want to have several examples you can write and speak about in your applications/interviews.

Best of luck,
Lisa