MBA is among the most pursued post graduation options in India. Partly responsible for this is the fact that the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs A, B, C, L, I, K)along with other institutes like S.P.Jain, MDI, JBIMS, XLRI etc. have set extremely high standards for management education in India. As a result of this, Multi National Corporations (MNCs) operating in India has never had the need to look for talent elsewhere. They have been the regular visitors to the campuses of the top B-schools, and have offered managerial designations coupled with sky rocketing pay packages to the graduates of these B-Schools. The average salary offered at the top 10 B-schools last year for Indian postings was Rs. 6-7.5 lacs per annum.

Characteristics of ideal B-School candidates:

1. People with a Plan
Business school isn’t for the clueless; it isn’t meant to be a two-year placeholder in your middle or late 20s. Business schools look for people with a career plan that includes a legitimate need for an MBA—so even though it’s okay to go to B-school without being sure what you want to do with your life, you should think about possible career goals, and whether attainment of them would be made easier with an MBA, before applying.

2. Leaders and would-Be Leaders
The MBA is not essential for a leadership role in business—plenty of top executives got where they are by moving up through the ranks—but business school can be a great weigh station on the road to a leadership-oriented career.

By the time you graduate, you’d have spent thousands of hours in class or on group projects reading about, thinking about, and talking about a wide variety of businesses. As a result, you’ll be better equipped than ever to make high-level business decisions.

And you’ll probably spend some time studying “softer,” people-focused coursework and projects, which will give you tools that will help you manage people in the pursuit of business goals.

3. Career Changers
In business school, you’ll get a chance to think through a wide range of business problems in a wide range of industries. You’ll gain the skills needed to perform a variety of specific job functions. Having an MBA can make you attractive to a range of employers no matter what industry you worked in before B-school.