dilemma-please help

[adm209]

Hi. I am a mechanical engineering graduate from an above average engineering college in Delhi. My college acads and extracurriculars are good. I have just joined a leading automobile company- Suzuki. I have already taken the GMAT and my score is 730. I plan to apply to top US B-schools after 2-3 years work experience. My department allocation is yet to take place. I have requested for supply chain management as a preferred choice. However most of the vacancy lies in Research and Development. Most of the work in RND would be project oriented. What are my chanced of getting into a good US B school. Do you suggest I look for another job ( which can give me a more management oriented exposure) if I am put into RND as the work in RND is mostly project oriented? However you can get an opportunity to go to Japan for training. Does the international work experience matter more than interacting with the business vertical? The company is huge, it rolls out 3500 cars per day...Keeping my objective of getting into one of the top US B schools after a couple of years would it be appropriate to leave and join a smaller organization where my interaction with the business side would be more?

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear adm209,

It is not the type of work you to that matters as much as what you do with your work. For example, you can do research and development or be a consultant, but if you do not progress and do the same job for 3 years, it is not going to reflect positively on you in the eyes of the business school admissions committee. Contrastingly, if you are a scientific researcher who progresses to a team lead or an engineer who progresses to a project manager, then this progression in responsibility and tangible accomplishments/contributions to your organization will reflect positively on you in the eyes of the admissions committee. So, whichever position you end up in, make the most of your opportunities to gain breadth and depth of experience--seek out opportunities to lead, take on more responsibility, and make an impact. Then you will great stories for your essays and bullets for your resume when it is time to apply to business school.

Good luck,
Lisa