The Career Goals Essay! Your short-term goals. Long-term goals. Plan B-goals.
Why are these your career goals?
What in your professional experience so far has led up to these goals?
There are several questions about career goals, and with good reason. Students primarily go to business school to fulfil their career aspirations. In this sense, the career goals essay is the most important in your MBA application package and finds its way through most b-schools’ essay prompts year after year. Career goals are almost always asked during the interview and some b-schools also ask about them in video interviews which have become ever so popular in the past few years.
So, in essence, your career goals are the raison d’etre of your MBA application. For this reason, you must write a clear and concise career goals essay. While some applicants are very clear on their career path, most others are not, but it’s something you can work on, with some effort.
In this article, we talk about what you must DO to write a successful career goals essay.
- Be self-aware – It’s easy to say that you want an MBA because it will help you in your career; however, this plain Jane statement will not get you admission to any business school. Adcoms want to see that you have clarity on your career journey. What you have done so far and how have you progressed? What do you wish to do in the future? How does the past career lead you to your future goal? What skills and strengths do you possess that will be required in your future career? Which skills do you still need? Is your desired career path achievable? Do you have the drive, talent, and skills for it?
Having logical answers to these questions demonstrates that you are aware of yourself, your career choices, and your capability to chase your career aspirations.
- Have a career vision – A good way to understand this point is to read the mission statements of various business schools. Most mission statements translate to saying – “we wish to cultivate leaders who will positively impact the world, business, and society”. This shows B-schools are attracted to applicants who mean to achieve a large-scale impact that helps not just themselves or their immediate teams but a larger demography or organization. Your career goals should show ambition and a bigger purpose in life than a mere career jump to the next level (which you can achieve with some effort, even without the MBA). It’s alright if you can make this level of impact only in the next 10, 15 or 20 years after the MBA.
So, while b-schools definitely want to see that you have some grand plans and a larger career purpose, they also expect you to have awareness about your capabilities and what is possible. Putting these two together, they want to read goals that are ambitious but realistic. You can address this by writing ambitious goals but having a plan ready for how you will achieve this. Aligning your short-term goals and what you learn at business school with this career vision will help you tell a coherent story. - Make it evident that your career goals would be best achieved through an MBA. An MBA education requires considerable time, effort and cost. Add to this the opportunity cost of not working for 1-2 years. These are vital consideration points before embarking on an MBA journey. If your career goals are easily achievable then you probably don’t need an MBA. So, as you zero in on your career goals, spend some time pondering over the challenges that are keeping you from achieving these and how an MBA would be the best vehicle to overcome the challenges. Your challenges may be related to a skill gap, the desire to work in an international setting, changing your career path (function and/or industry) or something different. Elucidate why and how an MBA will offer the best and the most structured path to work upon the hindrances.
- Give insightful reasons for what you will learn at your target business school. Most applicants tend to write generic answers here, which can be copied from one b-school’s essay to another without sounding genuine. This is a dull and ineffective way in persuasive writing. Adcoms expect that you thoroughly research their MBA program and understand how it will help you in your career path. They expect to hear personalized reasons. Doing this successfully will require indepth understanding about the b-school’s offerings, which you can gain by approaching current students, alumni, admissions committee members, and faculty. There are multiple ways to research business schools and you can read our blogs to know more.
- Lastly, answer every part of the essay prompt. This may seem obvious, but it’s a common mistake and a costly one. By omitting parts of the essay prompt, you set the wrong impression about your ability to pay attention to details. Moreover, your essay doesn’t give the complete answer the adcoms are seeking to decide your candidature. This can negatively impact you in a highly competitive application process.
We recommend that you number every sub-part of the essay and then cover each of it to answer the question in totality. Also, never begin to write the essay without first copying the essay prompt on your Word document. If you can’t refer back to the essay prompt several times while writing the essay, you are more likely to answer it incompletely.