Here are some of  the actual Essays
that I wrote for INSEAD

Essay 1

My
career goal is to join the ranks of Top Management at a large corporation in about
10 years time. To do this, I need to possess three distinct skills

1. Considering most of the MNCs today are spread widely across
countries and cultures, it is imperative to be sensitive to professional values
and ways of working in different cultures.

2. Also I have realised that the higher one rises in the
Organization Hierarchy, the more important it is to be aware of other Business
Functions apart from one’ s own.
A company is a network of several interacting systems and one
effective way to analyse these systems is along functional lines.
An MBA from INSEAD would give me a good exposure to the
various functional aspects of running a large business.

3. I have found from my experience that Networking is
imperative to succeed in most business environments and the various
Associations/Forums at INSEAD should prove very helpful here.

Given this as the background, I think a degree from INSEAD
would go a long way in helping me achieve my career goals.

So far, I have worked in Marketing and IT Consulting, slowly
assuming positions of higher responsibility. Given the increasing importance of
IT today, I think my IT experience will give me an edge in my future career.

At the present stage of my career, I am heading the Operations
of an Overseas company in the UK.
My IT/Marketing Work Experience has been invaluable in my getting this
opportunity and I am doing quite well at it.

I can well continue with my current Job but there are distinct
advantages that I would get from a stint at INSEAD.

After passing out from INSEAD, I intend to join a
Strategic-consulting firm and specialize in a particular industry segment.

This will enable me to gain valuable insights and experience
into the issues facing the Top Management and how best to resolve them.

With this experience, a couple of years down the line, I
believe that I would be able to join the ranks of Top Management at a large
corporation.

Alternatives to INSEAD

If I am unable to join IINSEAD, I intend to apply for
other Top Institutes like Kellogg, Cornell, and IMD.

If for whatever reason, I were unable to join an MBA, I would
continue with my current job and perhaps move to a larger company.

This would probably delay my Career aims of joining the ranks
of Top Management in a large company, but I am sure sooner or later I would be
able to accomplish my career goals.

Essay 2

I believe myself to be a highly capable and competent
individual both professionally and personally.

I have an excellent academic and professional track record,
high energy level, excellent interpersonal skills, and a burning desire to
excel.

I possess strengths such as sharp analytical skills, ability
to work long hours under pressure and team working, which are required to
effectively do the kind of work I am currently doing, I would like to mention
some of the Unique strengths/Traits which I possess.

- I am able to put myself into the shoes of the other person
and think from his/her point of view.

This has enabled me to work well with people from different
background, be it difference in Education, Culture, Working Style or
Nationality.

I am strongly sensitive to the fact that people’s backgrounds
shapes their World View and there may be more than one ‘Correct’ way to look at
things.

One of the main factors, which have influenced me, is that I
have lived, studied and worked in various parts of Country XYZ. This was
because my father was in a transferable job and I had to change schools every
2-3 years.

This constant change enabled me to appreciate and get along
with people from widely different backgrounds.

- I have been playing chess from a young age and have competed
at National Level (Country XYZ) in the Sub Junior and Junior Categories. I
believe this hobby of mine has given me the ability to think Strategically as
well as Tactically, spot Patterns in unstructured Situations and take
calculated risks.

- I am spiritually inclined by nature and believe in Corporate
Responsibility. I prefer working for companies that give something back to the
society and are ethical

For example, the company I am currently working for maintains
a small village in Rural Country XYZ and runs a Free Engineering
College there.

My strengths have enabled me to work successfully under a
diverse range of Work Situations, Industries and Roles, right from being an IT
consultant at PwC to leading a Start up Operation in the UK.

I wouldn’t say that I have any debilitating weakness but I do
tend to be impatient for results and do tend to get a little frustrated if
results do not come in time.

In fact in Europe, wherein it takes
time to fix meetings and get new Clients, (compared to Country XYZ), I once
ended up with an irritated Client because I had sent him too many reminders in
a short span of time for fixing a meeting.

Essay 3

When I was working with PwC Country XYZ, a couple of
friends came up with the proposal of setting up an IT business in the UK. I took up
the challenge of heading this operation in the UK. This was my first Visit abroad
and I wanted to make it a success. However, within months of my arriving in the
UK,
I found that things were not turning out the way we had planned. The fact that
IT sector as a whole took a big hit did not help.

As a result we failed to achieve our Break Even Objectives and
the company had to close down. However, I learnt a few lessons from this,
notably:
- What works in one environment/culture, may not work in
another. For Example in Country XYZ, it is usually very easy to meet potential
Clients by just calling them on the phone, whereas in the UK, a potential
Client will take weeks and maybe months to start trusting you and giving you
business. Given
such long lead times, Working Capital problems become
insurmountable for a small company. This should have been taken account of in
our Financial Plan

- Any small/new business has to establish a Unique Selling
Proposition to succeed. Our focus was on Professional Services, which was
mainstream business of our larger rivals. Even though our Price was lower, that
was not enough to interest the Client. We should have focused on Faster
Response times and better service instead of on Price alone.

However, I was determined to prove that I was capable to
starting a company in the UK
from scratch and run it successfully.

I joined a larger Offshore IT company in the UK, and have been working there since
May 2001. Having learnt from my mistakes, I have appropriately modified the
Business plan to focus on IT Projects and local partners rather than
professional services and this has really borne fruit.