Finding it difficult to come up with your post MBA goals? Then you are not alone.

Most candidates we have worked with can clearly articulate why they want to do an MBA. Stagnant in their current roles, career progression, transition to different functions or companies and so on are some of the frequently cited reasons.

But when quizzed further on what they want to do after an MBA, many applicants have vague ideas about their future roles. Responses range from “I want to be in management” or “I would devise corporate strategies” to the now hot favourite “I’ll be a product manager”.

At first glance, all the above seem perfectly acceptable reasons for applying to top tier business schools. An MBA is meant to bolster your career trajectory after all.

But what weakens the entire post MBA plot are the next two questions – Why do you want to be a [manager/corporate strategist/product manager]? and What is the connection between your work experience till date and your post MBA dream role?

The Why and What unfailingly stumps those who have not thought through their reasons for doing an MBA. Failure to show a logical connect between the career choices you’ve made so far and your future aspirations often proves to be the biggest stumbling block especially when writing essays on post MBA goals.

If you find yourself in a similar position, here are few things you could do –

First Things First

One of the things we recommend is to start with a SWOT-GAP-Analysis-Matrix – there will be some information you’ll be able to readily plug in especially those related to your current profile. You’ll face challenges with completing the post MBA section which is where the subsequent steps come handy.

Research, Research, Research

There is no dearth of information available on most career choices. Blogs, company websites, and social media forums are excellent sources to understand more about the role(s) you’d like to take up. You’ll also learn not just about the role but also the skills required to transition to such roles.

Tap into your network

You may have friends or friends of friends who might be working in a role or a company you are keen to work with after MBA. Get in touch with such individuals through your network. Most people are glad to share information about their work, the opportunities and the challenges. This is the best way to get a first-hand account of what a typical day looks like in the life of a product manager or account manager or corporate strategist.

Avoid Paralysis by Analysis

Key is to gather as much information as possible. Ask lots of questions. However, avoid making this a lengthy process. Define a time limit by when you’d complete this exercise. And stick to it. It’s tempting to also form lots of opinions or sway with those of others. Curb the urge to do so. Instead wait until you have completed your research and spoken to few individuals. Put in the information about your post MBA role in the SWOT-GAP-Analysis-Matrix. Then start to analyze by weighing the pros and cons of choosing a particular career path. Bonus of following this approach is you’ll realize the gaps in your skills that you need to bridge to achieve your post MBA goals.

Bridging the ‘skills’ chasm

When you understand the skills you possess and the skills you need, you can look up the course curriculum and other programmes offered by the business school of your choice. Let’s say if you want to understand the role of Analytics in Marketing then a course on ‘Marketing Analytics’ would be an apt one for you to consider. You’ll now be able to mention such courses in your essays, building the right context for why you’d like to take up a certain course, rather than merely listing courses or programmes that have no bearing on your future goals.

The steps outlined here will help you approach researching, analyzing and finally writing your goals in a structured way. Importantly, this will also help you understand how a certain business school and its resources would help you further your career ambitions.

We hope you find the tips and SWOT-GAP-Analysis-Matrix useful when crafting your post MBA goals.

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Here’s what some of our clients share about their experience working with MBAEssayNation –

Thanks to Deepthi, I got admits from all my 3 dream schools this year – The Indian School of Business (ISB), NUS Business School (NUS) and Nanyang Business School. I would like to conclude by saying this – Deepthi is THE best MBA admissions consultant in India. She’s truly an awesome coach and mentor, who is even more invested in her clients’ success than her clients! That’s really incredible and literally unheard of in this space. That’s why I believe Deepthi and her company MBAEssayNation is a beacon of hope in a space like MBA admissions consulting where most companies are only interested in making money rather than helping their clients succeed. Work with Deepthi and MBAEssayNation if you want the finest essays, resume and the best interview preparation – the seamless experience that you get with MBAEssayNation and the high Return on Investment you achieve thanks to Deepthi’s mentoring is the best value for money.

Working with Deepthi for my applications was without a doubt the best investment I made. I was amazed at the way my essays turned out. The indepth brainstorming sessions and discussions that I had with Deepthi helped me identify my post MBA goals and develop a greater appreciation for the experience that I have had so far, something I was very apprehensive and unsure about when I first spoke to Deepthi. Despite facing several personal setbacks during the application process, I was able to submit a very strong set of essays and prepare well for my interviews thanks to Deepthi who steadfastly supported me. The way she transformed my essays and coached me for my interview, I was confident I will make it to ISB. I give 100% of my success to Deepthi, she is an excellent mentor and coach, and it was only because of her that I got admit from ISB.

I sought Deepthi’s help when preparing for my ISB interview and she undoubtedly played pivotal role in my admission to the Class of 2017. Over three calls Deepthi helped me transform my rambling and muddled introduction into a crisp and convincing pitch that I was confident about when I walked into the interview. This was possible because Deepthi’s approach is unique — she listened keenly and patiently, and with great care she drew out the threads of my story that were most interesting, and those that required some additional thought and work. Her approach was affirming rather than dismissive, and she encouraged me to retain me own voice rather than attempt to recite standard canned management incantations. Work with her, you’ll not regret it. 

I worked with Deepthi on my ISB business school application and though I reached out to her with just a week before the submission deadlines, she was extremely patient in coaching me with my essays and was always available for a quick call. In fact without her help, I couldn’t have come up with strong post MBA goals. She has a strong industry background which she used to help me to gain more clarity about how my post MBA goals should be structured. All my essays looked brilliant thanks to her and MBAEssayNation. MBAEssayNation is the ONLY reason why I got admits from ISB, Michigan Ross and INSEAD. Highly recommended!

I was ecstatic when I got an admit from USC Marshall and that too with $70,000 in scholarships. MBAEssayNation helped me prepare a strong application and coached me thoroughly for my interview. When I approached MBAEssayNation, I knew my biggest weakness was that I wasn’t good at writing powerful stories about the work I had done so far. My post MBA goals were also a big mess, I was quite confused about what I wanted to do post MBA. Deepthi coached me on my essays and the way she edited my essays, the outcome was fantastic. We must have had at least 15 essay reviews and edits – Deepthi was clear that we’ll work on my essays till they turn out to be the best. And that’s another thing I loved about MBAEssayNation, their unlimited reviews and laser focus on quality. The reviews and edits were so totally worth everything because my final essays were crisp, and they sharply and succinctly conveyed my stories. Simply put, I couldn’t have made it to USC Marshall without the exceptional coaching by MBAEssayNation.

Deepthi – I can’t thank you enough for your outstanding mentoring with my interview preparation. It would not have been possible without you and I mean every word here. The sessions with you prepared me for the interview in such a manner that everything seemed like Deja Vu on the interview day. This is to let you know that your inputs were and are highly appreciated. Please keep sharing your experience with many like me. THANK YOU!!

I cannot explain how it feels when you get what you desire. Both IIM Lucknow and IIM Indore were my target business schools and I converted both of them. And it was only because of the way MBAEssayNation guided me. Just wanted to thank Deepthi Ma’am again for her help. I got into both the schools thanks to her. She helped me prepare so well for my interviews that even I was pleasantly surprised at the way my confidence grew. When I had first signed up for the interview service, I wasn’t sure how to be prepared for a business school interview because it is very different from a job interview. But the way Ma’am coached me for the interview, it was just brilliant. I would say you can blindly trust Ma’am to help you get into your MBA, she’s really good. Also, she has very strong industry experience and that she used very well to help me prepare for my interviews.

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