10 Years Experience

[ranjankumar17]

How would you think a 10 year experience in the IT sector affect the prospects of doing a MBA from a top B-School? Please let me know.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Ranjankumar:

It is not the quantity of work experience a candidate has, but the quality of the work experience that counts. For example, a person with 6 years in the same job with no progression of responsibility is not nearly as interesting to a b-school as a person with 6 years of work experience with increasing responsibility (i.e., promotions, larger budgets, greater impact on the organization).

With regards to IT experience, it is important to highlight both on your resume and in your essays the transferable skills you have gained over time. These skills would be supervisory, project management, communication, and financial in nature. A large percentage of candidates to business schools come from IT-related jobs, so the more you can demonstrate business experience, the more you will distinguish your application from the other IT folks.

Regards,
Lisa