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The kind of work experience also counts and your experience in walking the neighbour's dog will definitely not count. What you mention on your resume will be evaluated based on the reputation of your employer; your progress in the organisation for your tenure there;
your professional and interpersonal skills; your leadership potential; and the diversity of your work in relation to other applicants. All this is looked into besides academic records and GMAT scores.

Varied Work Experience Counts

The question of adequate work experience bothers a lot of mid-career professionals as well. Consider this commonly occurring scenario in a country like ours where IT seems to be the beginning and end of all good careers. A software programmer with years of experience in coding and testing wants a career change. Would his present skills serve him much when he goes to hunt for an investment banker's job?

Or consider this - will a doctor be able to garner better prospects if he considers an MBA?

Well! It is heartening to know that any work experience is a positive, almost irrespective of what sort of work it was. Most corporate companies are unanimous over the issue of diversity and always welcome it. That is, they all look to hire MBAs with varying backgrounds.

In a major attitude shift, taking a year or more breaks from studies is no longer frowned upon especially if the interim time has been used to gather work experience.

Srimathi, an HR Manager at a leading recruitment agency, says, "The Indian mindset has always been protective of their young. Taking a break, even today, is still considered sacrilegious in our country. Contrast that with the Western World where taking a break to see the world is in fact encouraged. Taking a break to do something useful gives you a more hands-on feeling and prepares you to face the world better. It gives you a context in which to apply your studies.

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* Contributed by -
Oumkar Umesh,
Senior Correspondent - The Observer of Management,
Vol. 1 Issue 4 April 2006,
(With inputs from Prithvi Singh).