Since most of my clients are Indians, I have decided to discuss things from an Indian applicant’s perspective.

Most Indian applicants have an engineering background and a significant amount of these are employed with an IT company (irrespective of what stream of engineering you came from). Some feel that this is an advantage, while many feel that this is a disadvantage. Now before we proceed further, let’s first get a few things clarified. Weather you are an engineer or hold any other degree, whether you are employed in a well reputed company or you work for your family business, it really doesn’t matter. Neither is it an advantage nor a disadvantage.

I often get asked by applicants if working for a small company is a disadvantage, and my answer is that it doesn’t matter where you work or what you work as either. A software engineer is no better than an accountant or a lawyer or a call center employee. What matters is how you distinguish yourself from others. In an MBA application what is really important is to make your application stand out from the rest.

So how do you distinguish yourself from other applicants?

• High Scores: A good academic track record and especially high GMAT scores are always a plus.
• The value add factor: Ask yourself this question: What impact have you made to the team, group or the organization you work for? How have your contributions added value to the work environment and your team?
• Leaders Wanted: Emphasize on leadership roles you have taken at work and outside work. Talk about times when you led teams, the impact you had on the situation, the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
• Initiatives: What initiatives have you taken over the past few years, both in your professional and personal life, to grow as an individual/professional? For example, if you work as a software engineer, have you taken any initiatives to understand the company’s business plans, identify new business segments, take steps to add value to the client you are servicing? The same applies if you have been working for your family business or any other industry.
• It’s OK to Fail: If you have had a failure in life, don’t try to hide it. Talk about it, but make sure you also talk about lessons learnt from the failure. If you were to encounter a similar situation again, how would you handle it differently? Talk about what changes this situation has brought in your attitude and your personality.
• Extracurricular: Most Indians have a lot of extracurricular activities (at least on their resume) and are always active participants in their college or company’s social service group. Well my advice here is ‘Don’t lie’ and at the same time ‘Don’t underestimate yourself’. Another problem (and yes this is a problem) that most Indian applicants face is that their involvement in extracurricular activities comes to a screeching halt the moment they step out of college and join a job. Take out time from your job and pursue other interests in life. A full time job is just a 40 hour a week commitment, not an 80+ hour long ordeal.
• Social Service: A lot has been said by many experts about ‘social service’, and most applicants feel that it is absolutely necessary to have a social service experience on your resume. My only suggestion here, don’t just get involved with an NGO (or worse just write about it) just for the sake of your MBA admissions. However if you are passionate about a cause, then it isn’t too late to get involved with it.

Think of the MBA application as a ‘sales pitch’, and your audience is looking for future leaders – leaders who can take on responsibility and bring about a change in their environment. So the bottom line is to show that you have the leadership potential in you.