It’s like this. Let’s say the question asks you about your professional goals. Of course, that’s exactly what you do, but while you do it, without in the least straying from the topic, in fact adding more meat to your response to it, you throw light on elements of your character that any b-school would want to see in its applicants. Maybe it’s your capacity for innovation. Maybe it’s you communication skills. Maybe it’s your leadership. Maybe it’s more than one of these qualities or even something else.
If you can do this, then you can say that you’ve made your essay do double duty.
Now, here’s a question:
What are your aims for your future career development? How will the Strathclyde assist you in achieving your aims?
I work on business analytics in the telecommunication industry in X country and, as such, am involved in analysis, reporting, performance management and strategic research to achieve pre-defined business goals. As much as I love my job’s technical challenges, I wish to climb up the career ladder and move into a management position. Initially, I would like to take up a management role in my current company that involves providing operational leadership. This would include defining sales strategy, developing and executing the sales team’s Operational Plan, defining and tracking sales targets, overseeing sales budgets and expenditure, honing sales processes, and maintaining CRM. In the long term, I aim to acquire expertise in project management, and take up consulting assignments for telecom companies, in which capacity I can help design strategies and manage strategic projects to help businesses grow. It is my passion to drive change in organizations and help others solve problems that inspires me to be a business analyst.
My background in business administration, with its focus on Business Management/Administration, has given me strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and the capacity to take calculated decisions. The fact that, at Company Y, I have grown accustomed to working with new information has greatly sharpened my business acumen. It has developed my understanding of data management and marketing realities, enhanced my ability to provide management with timely information, accurate forecast and project management skills, and strengthened my ability to negotiate and communicate effectively, as well as to respond to internal and external queries and meet deadlines. However, I am conscious that, to switch over to a management role, I would need to acquire competencies and capabilities that only a quality MBA degree can provide.
The applicant has very logically connected his aims for his future career development with his present responsibilities, and in describing his present responsibilities he has shown how, in discharging them, he has developed traits and skills that are great plus points in the business world – a familiarity with market realities, the ability to meet tight deadlines, a facility for negotiating, skill in communications, etc. From there he has smoothly moved on to how his aspirations require him to build on these qualities and develop new ones by pursuing an MBA program.
You Can Do It with Other Topics Too.
Similarly, if the topic of you essay goes, “Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests,” and you talk about your fascination for chess, you can use the occasion to dwell on how the game teaches you strategy and planning, as well as how to anticipate the moves of your rival – lessons that would be invaluable in a business scenario.
You will have heard of killing two birds with one stone. Metaphorically speaking, you can actually even kill three or four. All you have to do is to respond to your essay questions in such a way that, while keeping strictly to the point, you incorporate as many of your business and personal skills as you can comfortably relate to the topic.
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