Choosing between two job offers before MBA, which is better ?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between two job offers (the current job vs the new offer) and would really appreciate some perspective. Given that I'm going to apply for the first round this year, I want to maximize my chances to M7 MBA programs (internationals)

Option 1: (current, Been here for 8 months)

- Strategy assistant to the boards

- Company: a corporate venture, 2M$ in funding, owned by a Family Office, telecom sector

- Basically, I have been working for the Family Office from the pre-revenue stage to define growth strategy, define M&A synergies across the group, etc.

- Pros: Some interesting stories to say about (for essays), including leading massive teams with 75+ stakeholders, engaging at national levels on the latest technologies, close involvement with the C-xecs (for LORs)

- cons:  started to feel tired with all the internal politics, not the"usual" startup culture I expect, the family office and the startup are generally unknown outside of my country

Option 2: (new offer)

- Strategy manager

- A series A agri-tech startup that is going to raise series B, >10M$ in funding and expected to raise over 50M$ in series B from tier 1 VCs (think Accel, Sequoia, etc) this year

- I, along with the CFO, will be responsible for Series B fundraising & defining growth strategies across 3 countries.

- Pros: I believe that this venture is super hot in the region and has a lot of things to say in the essays e.g: helping them get through series B fundraising with super well-known VCs

- Cons: If I make the jump, the timeline might feel rushed (only worked in one place for 8 months, another for ~7-8 months at the application time => job-hopping perception !?)

My background was in T2 strategy consulting and found an impact startup (failed, venture funded). Post MBA goals would be to impact consulting or a startup again. TY!

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Opining as a nobody (aka not an admissions consultant…it might be worth some change to seek one out for proper feedback).


I’d recommend option 2:

  • The Series B fundraising story with Accel/Sequoia-tier VCs is globally legible in a way that a family office corporate venture simply isn’t.
  • Beyond brand, the responsibility arc is better. Strategy Manager + co-owning fundraising is impressive. It’s also uncommon experience/leadership for people in startups so you’ll stand out
  • Mission-fit alignment is compelling between agtech and impact consulting/investing so can weave a good narrative of this step getting you closer to your long term objectives

    Some risks:
    - a lot of this is contingent on that fundraising round opportunity coming together or closing so I’d ask: how certain are you that the team is going to raise a series B while you’re there?
  • Who is going to write your recommendations for business school - someone from option 1 or someone from option 2? Might be hard to get someone from option 2 to speak deeply to your experiences in such a short amount of time. 
 

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