| p>When you apply to a competitive business school, | | | | 12. Your undergraduate academic record, GPA or |
| it stands to reason that your essays, interview, and | | | | equivalent, is sketchy |
| recommendations should highlight your strengths and | | | | 13. You have not been promoted in your job (or your |
| mitigate weaknesses. Everyone will tell you that. But | | | | previous job) |
| it's not always obvious to applicants what these | | | | 14. You do not have recommenders who will praise |
| weaknesses actually are - what factors cause | | | | you unconditionally |
| admissions committees to raise their eyebrows and | | | | 15. Your GMAT is below 680 (for a top-20 program) |
| ultimately to waitlist or outright ding candidates. | | | | 16. You are underpaid considering your level of |
| Obviously there are many reasons applicants get | | | | seniority and responsibility. |
| sidelined, and often they will be specific to the | | | | 17. You are not sure what you want to do with your |
| candidate. However there are identifiable common | | | | MBA |
| weaknesses or red flags that push an applicant into | | | | 18. You have no clear team experience, or don't |
| ding territory. | | | | know your team player profile |
| Here are 25 common weaknesses to be aware of. | | | | 19. You have an arts or social studies background |
| You are in "red flag" zone if: | | | | (hello, you're a "poet") |
| 1. You intend changing your career direction or your | | | | 20. You were dinged last year from any business |
| primary industry | | | | school |
| 2. You have no hard evidence of leadership | | | | 21. You have another Masters degree, or a PhD |
| experience | | | | 22. You don't have some math or stats in your |
| 3. You are under 24 or older than 30 at the time of | | | | background |
| application (for a full-time MBA);or under 30 or over | | | | 23. You are short of international or intercultural |
| 45 (for an executive MBA) | | | | contact experience |
| 4. You are currently or have been previously | | | | 24. You don't think you have any weaknesses (wake |
| self-employed; or there have been breaks in your | | | | up and get one fast!) |
| career | | | | 25. You are short of active writing experience and |
| 5. Your background is very common: e.g. banking, | | | | the last time you wrote an essay was in college |
| consulting | | | | If any of these apply to you, it's not the end of the |
| 6. Your background is unusual, and/or low in business | | | | world. In fact all candidates have stronger and |
| experience | | | | weaker areas. The point is to be aware of the |
| 7. You have no volunteer or community service | | | | weakness and to directly deal with it. How to do this |
| experience | | | | varies from situation to situation. Sometimes it's |
| 8. You are applying to a foreign country | | | | better to say nothing and not draw attention to a |
| 9. You come from a high applicant country - US, | | | | problem area. But more often the best policy is to |
| India, China, etc. | | | | create countering information. If you are underpaid |
| 10. You are or have been unemployed in the last | | | | for your level, explain how your compensation comes |
| three years | | | | in other forms; if you don't get team experience at |
| 11. You have been with your present company for | | | | work, explain how much you got at college, and so |
| under a year, or you have been employed by 3 or | | | | on. |
| more companies | | | | |