It’s the New Year, and everyone is talking about resolutions. Well, maybe not everyone — but it is certainly a topic of the season. I know that the rush and pressure of preparing for the holidays always has me looking forward to January to get refocused. So now it’s January, and it’s time to do just that: refocus.
   
    For those of you who graduated from college a few years back and have been diligently working in the consulting world, you are probably starting to feel inklings of the pull toward your MBA. Maybe your firm requires an MBA for advancement, or perhaps you just see it as the logical next step to ensure credibility and career strength. Whatever your motivations are, you are probably wondering when it will be time to start working toward planning for your attack on the application process. In reality, whether you have been out of school seven years or less than one, now is the time to start planning for your entrance into business school. Planning and thinking ahead are the keys to a successful entrance into a top business school.
   
    When is the right time to prepare to enter business school? The answer is simple: Now is the right time to prepare. Whether obtaining an MBA is a job requirement or simply a personal goal, you will increase your chances of landing a spot in a top school by having a clear set of goals and a plan. There are plenty of steps that you can take to properly aim your professional experiences, as well as your personal experiences, whether you joined the work force last summer or quite a few years ago. The approach may be different in these diverse cases, but the goal is the same: Use the time available to establish solid experiences and relationships that help you to grow and mature professionally and personally.
   
    So you’re saying that even though I’ve only been out of school a couple of months, I already need to start planning? Why not? Applying to business school requires having a portfolio of experiences that exhibit your strengths and showcase how you stand out from the crowd. In the early stages of your career, it is to smart to look for those opportunities. One of the best methods in which to do that is to find that project manager or director with whom you click. This is a great way to create an informal mentor. Connecting with a mentor and talking about ways to incorporate a variety of experiences that give you a chance to grow and take on more responsibility can lead you to great opportunities.
   
    Another obvious way to get up the growth curve quickly is to look for and listen carefully to feedback from your performance review or informal discussions with those you work with. Think of each critique as a “golden nugget.” In other words, every time someone calls out a mistake or an aspect of your performance that needs work, they are providing you with a road map for growth. Grab each of these and master it.
  
    Next, sit with your mentor and map out a plan for the next six months. Ask for advice about how to turn that time frame into a learning experience that helps you master some of your growth opportunities and weak spots. While you’re talking, discuss a higher-level plan for what you can do to grow over the next year and even two years. Request opportunities to own work streams or manage portions of projects. These are all great ways to gain responsibilities and depth in your experiences.

    From my own experience, I can say that I did my most dramatic learning when I felt way outside my comfort zone. On the front side of the project, there were incessant butterflies and nerves, and then, a few months later on the other side of the project, there was that feeling of relief and pleasure in knowing that I had accomplished something that I never knew I could. So, look for the opportunities to be uncomfortable. And then grow.

    But I’ve already been working two years, and I know where I am heading. That’s great. Look over your two years of experience and be sure that you show a distinct pattern of growth. Ask yourself if you are handling more project responsibility, perhaps managing small teams or managing a project. If you are, be sure that you identify your weak points and talk to your mentor or manager about ways to face these weak points head on. Also, be sure to look for a direction or goal in your growth. If you don’t have one, be sure to put some thought into the direction in which you are heading and what you need to do in the next year or so to have a coherent pattern of growth and development.

    For those of you who specialize in IT or engineering consulting, this is a great time to assess the leadership and client-facing skills that you have built. In some firms within these fields, it is difficult to get this kind of exposure. Unfortunately, this limits the experiences that you have available to discuss in your applications and interviews. Be proactive in finding opportunities.

    Yeah, but with seven or so years under my belt, there’s not much that I can do now. Don’t be so sure. Think about what you have accomplished. Lay out the pluses and the minuses of your experiences. Look specifically for holes. Everyone has them, so don’t be afraid to call them out. It might be a little painful, but don’t worry: There’s still time. Clients who come to me more experienced are usually anxious to jump into the application process without thinking about what they can continue to do while they are planning and preparing the application. It is never too late to add an experience and strengthen a weakness — especially if you get started now for next fall’s application season.

    It may seem daunting to attempt to strengthen your weaknesses late in the game, but it really isn’t. Assuming that you have been honest with yourself and have listened to client and manager feedback, you probably have a feel for what you need to do to continue to grow. There are two easy ways to fill in the gaps quickly, while showing admissions committees that you are dedicated to growth and at the same time diversifying your experiences in a dramatic way: taking courses and doing community service.

    If your growth opportunities are straightforward — for example, your presentation skills have been called out as an area for work — then look for communications courses at a local college or perhaps a Dale Carnegie course.

    For more diverse growth needs like leadership or teamwork, consider community service. A number of my former clients were lacking solid experience in some of these areas, so we discussed ways for them to increase opportunities to lead groups and connect with people. We were able to identify volunteer opportunities with Destination ImagiNation (www.destinationimagination.org). Programs like this are a gem because they offer opportunities for long-term volunteerism as well as short, one-time experiences. Many consultants travel regularly and cannot afford a significant dedication of time. Programs like Destination ImagiNation (DI) crave educated and creative individuals to act as appraisers for their annual tournaments — and being an appraiser requires only a single day of commitment. Those who aren’t as stretched by travel or have weekend time to devote enjoy leading a group of kids to create technical or artistic solutions to DI challenges. And whether you choose to dedicate your time for a couple of months or a single day, you will have a visible impact that will give you material to consider in your application.

    Of course, DI is not the only volunteer activity that can provide interesting opportunities. Junior Achievement, Little Brother/Little Sister, First Robotics, and Lego League are examples of the many ways to get involved with the community and fill in some development gaps within a manageable time frame — before it is time to prepare the application in the fall. And, I can assure you, it will be an exciting experience from which you can walk away feeling like you did something good.

    So even though it is January and you are six months or three years from embarking on your applications trek, think in terms of what you want to have accomplished and start to set forth a plan. Be proactive and look for opportunities both inside and outside of work to challenge yourself, as well as to build your strengths and stare down your weaknesses. Actively pursue opportunities that you are passionate about. Heck, life’s more fun that way anyway!

Patricia Hubbell, founder of Opening Doors Admissions Counseling (http://openingdoorsadmissions.com), has counseled individuals as well as organizations regarding admissions processes for top business schools. She can be contacted at pathubbell@earthlink.net