MBA applicants often wonder whether their background will be an advantage or a disadvantage in the competitive admissions process. Consultants and investment bankers are concerned with how they can stand out in a crowded applicant pool, while teachers, military officers, entrepreneurs, and other less-conventional MBA candidates worry that admissions committees will not take their candidacies as seriously.
We know the job market is a bit tight right now, and many of you might be struggling to land your dream job. Rest assured that you are not alone, but also know that we have clients who are successfully landing interviews and receiving job offers. So, how can you become one of those people?
The most important thing is to focus on what you can control rather than what you cannot control. Here are six specific tips and associated action items to make your job search efforts more effective.
The MBA admissions process is unpredictable and highly subjective. Every year, the applicant pool is packed with highly qualified applicants—too many for the schools to admit, in fact—and as a result, incredible candidates are invariably rejected. Over the past 20 years, we have seen both the good and the bad of MBA admissions, and on a daily basis, applicants ask us, “What is the secret to getting accepted to a top MBA program?”
INSEAD candidates must respond to two career-focused queries and provide three motivation essays. In addition, applicants are tasked with completing a video component in which they answer four questions—the first three as separate video recordings and the fourth requiring a written answer. Given the total number of prompts, tasks, and questions involved, some candidates could find INSEAD’s essay gauntlet a bit intimidating and likely arduous as well. Read on for our full analysis, which we hope will make the process a little easier to manage.
What role do informal letters of recommendation or back-channel endorsements play in MBA admissions decisions? In this episode of The mbaMission Podcast, host Harold Simansky is joined by mbaMission Senior Consultant Melissa Blakeslee, a former MBA admissions director, to unpack a topic that generates a lot of curiosity and quite a bit of confusion. Drawing on her firsthand experience evaluating MBA applications, Melissa provides crucial insight into when an informal recommendation can help on the margins—and when a well-meaning but misguided endorsement can instead damage a candidate’s chances.
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
Click here for the 2025–2026 MBA Essay Tips
