One of the most common questions future Masters in Business Administration (MBA) students ask is, “what can I do to prepare for my MBA program?” Therefore, today’s blog post is dedicated to better understanding some opportunities to use your time to prepare before joining MBA program. The MBA application process can be overwhelming, but the research and the introspection will give you a good sense of the different opportunities you will be provided at a B-School. In case you haven’t already, now is a good time to think about things you can do before accepting the offer of admission for an MBA programme.
1. Career Assessment
What are your career goals? As you contemplate applying to MBA programs, the very first step in your self-evaluation process is to consider where you want to be in your career. Ask yourself what you would do if you didn’t need to work for money and what your core values are. If your career goals are not immediately revealed, ask your friends and family what they see you doing. This process should reveal good ideas and a spark of passion for your career path. If you are in a field where MBAs are not traditionally required, you may still benefit if your career goals include rising to senior management within your company or starting your own company. Talking to people who are pursuing your target career, at any level, is also a great way to understand what you need to do to accomplish your goals.
2. Setting Priorities
Setting your priorities should be your priority! Setting priorities early and keeping calm can help you ensure a successful and personally fulfilling graduate student experience. In order to shortlist MBA programs that will match up with your needs and expectations, it’s important to ascertain your priorities. To do this, consider writing down the factors that you feel are most important to you. Here is a list of seven of the most important factors that candidates will commonly consider when short listing MBA programs:
- Location (geographic setting) of campus
- Reputation of school
- Global content
- Quality of faculty
- Admissions process
- Strength of alumni network
- Rankings
3. Prospective Job Opportunities
The next stage is to research job opportunities. What are the industries that offer rewarding careers to MBAs? What are the job descriptions and salaries? What are the popular companies? It is important to know these critical aspects as you don’t want to make a bad choice with your career. An MBA is extremely versatile and valuable and will allow you to pivot in many different directions depending on your career aspirations, skills, and interests.
The following fields have the most popular demand for MBA graduates –
- Management
- Marketing
- Human Resources
- Finance
- Accounting
- Sales
- Healthcare
The subjects taught during the course help you gain in-depth knowledge about the above mentioned fields. You will be taught how to innovate and come up with ideas of your own to make business better.
4.Network With MBA Graduates
Actively reach out to alumni, peers, or MBA Graduates in your field and begin to cultivate mentors who can help you navigate job offers, salary negotiations, and unforeseen academic and career setbacks. It’s beneficial to do this as a student because when you’re out in the real world, there’s a sense that you have an agenda. As a student, your agenda is to ask for help and advice.
5. Furnish Your Soft Skills
In today’s quickly changing times, though, catalyzed by technology and the competitive global market, you may want to keep your eyes pried for opportunities to work on certain soft skills that will make you more nimble and adaptable to change. Learn to develop a winning attitude; be a team player; communicate effectively; exude confidence; hone your creative skills; accept and learn from criticism; motivate yourself & lead others; multitask and prioritize your to-do list; see the big picture. Honing soft skills can help MBAs to differentiate themselves in the recruitment process. Developing external interests and placing more emphasis on your CV will bear fruit both on a professional and personal basis.
During next 2 years, you will groom your life and the experience will be entirely different. While an MBA programme will open doors to the classroom experience, global networks, added knowledge and skill sets, and global job opportunities; you will need to do an evaluation based on the above criteria’s before deciding if an MBA best meets your needs, and which Business School is the right one for you.
SIBMT’s robust curriculum is designed to guide you towards heightened self-awareness through personalized leadership coaching, interpersonal skills, and effective communication. On top of our core course, there are also more than 15 electives for you to choose from that will help tailor their skills set to meet their objectives after the programme.