“Just about everyone pursuing an MBA is switching careers; it’s just a matter of to what degree.”
—UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Are you looking to gain the skills and network to launch your career in a new direction? An MBA is one of the most powerful tools for career transformation. It offers a comprehensive education that prepares you to excel in new industries or roles. For career switchers, the degree goes beyond acquiring theoretical knowledge with its hands-on experience and practical insights in leadership, finance, marketing, strategy, and operations.
By immersing yourself in a rigorous academic environment and engaging with peers from diverse backgrounds, you’ll broaden your perspective and develop the critical thinking skills necessary to tackle real-world business challenges.
Beyond skill-building, an MBA opens doors to extensive professional networks that can facilitate your transition into a new field. Business school alumni, faculty, and corporate partners become invaluable resources as you explore potential career paths.
Additionally, the potential for long-term financial stability and income growth makes this investment worthwhile for many candidates. While business schools are quite familiar with applicants using the degree to pivot, there are some things to remember as you position your MBA candidacy.
Curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
Career Switchers from Non-Traditional Backgrounds
Does your undergraduate degree or work experience fall into the non-traditional category? Then, clearly convey your long-term career goals within your application and essays. Explain how you have concluded that an MBA would help you further your professional aspirations.
Emphasize aspects of your work experience related more closely to the new career path you wish to follow. You can also call attention to extracurricular activities that support your career shift.
Elite business schools welcome applicants from the humanities. However, unlike their business major peers, these candidates must prove that their minimal academic experience in quantitative subjects will not hinder them once they take those core courses. Your GMAT or GRE score is the key puzzle piece indicating your ability to handle MBA-level coursework. So, allow yourself plenty of time to study for the exam.
If you need an added boost, take higher math courses through a local community college to demonstrate your quant proficiency. “By showing the committee that you are aware of the hurdles you face—and that you have a plan to overcome them—you will make yourself an excellent candidate,” UNC Kenan-Flagler advises.
Partner with Stacy Blackman’s best-in-class GMAT and GRE experts and increase your score significantly. Check out our test prep services here.
Prepare Early for Your Career Transition
As you prepare for business school, take proactive steps to build a strong foundation for your new career path. Start by conducting informational interviews with professionals in your target industry. Their insights can help refine your goals, uncover potential challenges, and identify critical skills to develop during your MBA program.
Additionally, consider building industry-specific knowledge through certifications, online courses, or hands-on projects. These efforts demonstrate your commitment and can be a conversation starter during admissions interviews or networking events.
Networking is a vital part of your pre-MBA journey. Engage with alums from your target programs to understand how they successfully transitioned careers. Their guidance can be invaluable in shaping your strategy for both the application process and your time in business school.
Lastly, focus on crafting a compelling personal narrative that connects your past experiences, MBA aspirations, and future career goals. Admissions committees seek self-aware, driven candidates with a clear roadmap for their career switch. To strengthen your application, highlight specific examples of transferable skills and accomplishments that align with your desired industry.
For more inspiration, the Chicago Booth School of Business has many personal stories from career switchers who used the MBA to pivot into new industries. Read their stories for information and insights as you consider your future career path.
Maximize Your Time at B-School
Once in business school, you can see how you fit in that new industry through coursework, student groups, internships, or networking with alums.
Self-reflection and exploration are key components of the MBA experience. Students can sample various fields and functions without making any firm commitments.
Embarking on a new career path with a freshly minted MBA tucked under your arm isn’t just about new knowledge acquired in the classroom. It’s about leveraging your existing experience with enhanced skills, and even more so, it’s about making the most of personal relationships.
All people, classes, activities, etc., in an MBA program will catapult you into a new sphere. You’ll leave with new ideas that help facilitate career change in ways you would’ve never thought of.
Business school demands a huge investment of time, energy, and finances. Make an airtight case to the admissions committee for why you want to enter this new field. Demonstrate that you not only understand the industry’s requirements but are prepared to meet them head-on.
Showcase your adaptability, determination, and readiness to embrace the challenges of this transition. By presenting a compelling, well-rounded application, you can inspire confidence in your ability to thrive and contribute meaningfully to your chosen field.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs. From our All-In Partnership to interview prep, essay editing, resume review, and much more, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
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