Cass Business School EMBA Admissions Q&A

Alex Jones is the MBA recruitment manager at Cass Business School at which he previously served as an executive MBA course officer. Cass Business School is currently ranked as one of Europe’s top schools in the QS Global 200 2014/15.

We asked him a few questions about what Cass looks for during the executive MBA admissions process.

What is the international intake on the Cass Business School EMBA course?

We offer both evening EMBA and part-time EMBA courses to our students – so the nationalities in those courses vary quite a lot. Most of our students are UK based on the evening EMBA program because they are required to attend regular lectures two evenings a week over the course of 24 months. The weekend executive MBA course is delivered over one long weekend (Friday-Monday) a month, again over a 24 month period, and has many international students enrolled in it . In general, this is a diverse school as we are reflecting the diversities of London with its many different nationalities and cultures.

What are the most common mistakes you see on résumés?

One mistake is that résumés are often too long – that’s a very common mistake.  It’s not necessary for résumés to be pages and pages long. One or two pages maximum is what I would recommend. I once had an eight page résumé sent to me!

The next major mistake I would warn students against refers to applicants from a technology background. Tech applicants can sometimes use too much jargon in their application which is hard for the executive MBA admissions team to decipher. Don’t just send us your work résumé, make it relevant for the course you’re applying for at university. Some people don’t alter their résumé for the purpose of the application; they just send their work résumé to us. Applicants don’t have to make massive changes to their résumés, but we would ask them to adjust it to make sure that it’s relevant to the executive MBA program.

What would you like to see applicants do more often when applying to Cass Business School?

The executive MBA admissions team would like students to do their research into the school before applying and generally engage with the process as a whole. It’s clear on our website what the application process is like and what our criteria is so we would ask that applicants engage with that from the start. It generally makes the application process smoother.

What qualities does the executive MBA admissions team look for in potential students?

The team always look for relevant experience in applicants. We look for people who have good transferable skills that they can use on the EMBA – examples of desirable skills include leadership and teamwork. However, one thing that always stands out to the Cass executive MBA admissions team is a student having international exposure. If they’ve worked in a few different countries then they should highlight that in their application because it is good experience. It’s encouraging to see someone has made good career progression too – that stands out more than someone who has just stayed in the exact same position throughout their working life. We would also like applicants to list any additional relevant experience they have outside the job as well, including volunteering or something relevant to the course.

What is the most important aspect of the Cass Business School application process?

I don’t think there’s one specific thing that is more important than rest during the executive MBA admissions process. Everyone is assessed as an individual and for the whole package that they bring - so there are a few different elements to that. The main thing we look for in the EMBA program is work experience as you will need to draw on that experience once you’re on the course, it’s a big part of it, but not the only thing. Every candidate will be interviewed by the head of the program or a senior head of faculty which is also a very important part of the application process. Plus, there’s a personal statement students should write as well.

If students don’t have extensive work experience how can they stand out in an application?

First of all we have a minimal requirement that they must meet. If they don’t meet that, then there is no flexibility unfortunately. Five years is the minimum amount of work experience the executive MBA admissions team asks for on the EMBA program. If you are at the lower end of the minimum experience requirements, then display to us the career progression that you’ve had to date. Occasionally we see that an applicant has only been working at a company for three or four years but each year they’ve been getting a promotion – that’s a very encouraging sign!

Do you have any top tips for EMBA applicants?

Always engage with the executive MBA admissions team before applying. Here at Cass Business School, we’re open to meeting people face-to-face and having one-to-one chats with them on the phone. I think getting to know the team and doing research into your course is very important. It’s just as important for us to understand you as it is for you to understand our EMBA program. We’re very open to meeting applicants before the application deadline so make sure you try to do that – that’s my top tip!