Kellogg application tips: Career experience

Advice on how to frame your professional journey and choose the right letters of recommendation for our application.
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Kellogg
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Two people discussing on how to frame your professional journey and choose the right letters of recommendation for your MBA application

By: the Kellogg admissions team, Full-Time MBA Program

For some, leadership potential may be evident early on in your academic and professional career. The employment section of the application is core to evaluating your experience and aptitude, and this portion will give us a sense of your readiness to tackle the rigorous Kellogg curriculum. We are not looking for what “looks good on paper.” Instead, we want to learn more about the challenges you’ve faced and how you have grown and developed as a result.

Resume and work experience

The resume and work experience sections of the application are just one piece of your bigger story. Your resume is a quick glance at key milestones and accomplishments in your career up to this point. Your resume shapes and provides a framework for your work history. It should be similar to what you would use for a job application but tailored to a general audience.

Our admissions committee comes from a variety of backgrounds. It will be important for your professional background and accomplishments to be easily understood. Work history, on the other hand, is your opportunity to convey why and how those milestones occurred. Consider this your opportunity to give more context and paint a fuller picture of your career trajectory.

Letters of recommendation

Letters of recommendation are very useful to us. They provide us with insight into your strengths, opportunity areas and leadership potential through the eyes of someone else. Two letters of recommendation are required as part of the Kellogg application. We suggest you consider recommenders who:

  • Are familiar with your character, work ethic and potential
  • Can objectively assess and speak directly to your professional experience and leadership promise 

Recommenders will be asked to respond to the following prompts:

  • Kellogg has a diverse student body and values students who are inclusive and encouraging of others with differing perspectives and backgrounds. Please tell us about a time when you witnessed the candidate living these values.
  • How does the candidate’s performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples.
  • Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the candidate. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response.  

We prefer that at least one recommendation come from a current supervisor, but we offer the opportunity to provide context if you choose others to recommend you. Be sure to choose your recommenders carefully! More than two letters of recommendation are not required or encouraged. 

Learn more

If you are ready to become a future Kellogg Leader, complete your application today.

If you are interested in more application tips, explore our admissions site or sign up for an event to speak to an admissions officer today.

We look forward to learning more about your career journey!