What Constitutes Work Experience for an MBA?
- You're required to have a certain level of experience in full-time employment after completing your undergraduate degree. You must outline exactly what you have done in the company and how your experience makes you a suitable candidate for an MBA. You don't have to embellish thin experience, but it helps sometimes to include other experience outside of your main job if it played a role in your long-term development, according to Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Changing jobs because of a promotion usually doesn't take away from your experience. In many respects it is considered as a continuation. But moving from one organization to another frequently may disadvantage you if the admission committee concludes you have only superficial understanding of your industry as a result. Remember, many business schools want students who bring a certain amount of expertise to the classroom. Changing jobs every so often suggests you have not gathered sufficient or consolidated practical knowledge in your industry to deserve a place in an MBA program.
- Increasingly, top business schools are looking for MBA candidates who have several years of work experience. In the past, two to three years of full-time work experience was sufficient to get you into an MBA program. But the average years of experience required now is five years. There are exceptions, but the vast majority of students who get into top MBA programs have more than three years of full-time employment experience, states Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
- While the number of years of experience matters, the role you played in your job is equally important. An MBA admissions team wants to know the roles and responsibilities you played and the lessons you learned from the work experiences. You must also demonstrate an ability to function well in a group, according to Harvard Business School. Many times, work experience builds teamwork and people skills. The admissions committee would also like to know the opportunities you have had to develop professional and leadership skills.
