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Authentic Brand Messages And Examples

By stacy blackman posted February 21, 2011

The most important factor in presenting your brand messages is that you be authentic. If you don’t provide evidence for the brand you are presenting, then there will be no reason for an MBA admissions member to believe your statements. You must be able to support your statements with, what companies such as Procter and Gamble, call “reasons to believe.”

The first step you need to take it to differentiate authenticity from aspiration. The best way to do this is to keeping reminding yourself of your strong attributes and evidence that supports this. To find these attributes, identify the qualities, traits, strengths and talents that you think of most frequently. Write each one of these down on a post-it-note in no more than 10 words. Find an empty area and begin putting up these notes. The advantage of using post-it notes is that you can continue to reshuffle them and move them in different areas.

Here are some examples from applicants we have worked with:

• I have worked extensively abroad

• My communication skills are outstanding

• I am a turn-around specialist

• I am the best negotiator in my class

• I lead teams to innovative solutions

• I can motivate my team with my energy

• I love the newest technologies

• I give back to my community

On your first try you will probably tend to repeat certain statements, but these can always be corrected later.

For more robust guidance on your MBA application essays, check out the Stacy Blackman Consulting Essay Guide Series – school specific guides with essay tips, sample essays, information on what your target schools value and more.
Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

Founded in 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the most selective business schools in the world. The Stacy Blackman team, comprised of MBA graduates, former admissions officers and expert writers, editors and marketers, helps clients develop and implement a winning marketing strategy. Stacy Blackman clients have a significantly increased probability of admission to top schools and are frequent recipients of merit scholarships. The company is regularly featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. Visit the Stacy Blackman blog for daily news updates and admissions tips, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

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Sending Extra Letters Of Recommendation

By stacy blackman posted January 10, 2011

Many business schools applicants are interested in sending extra letters of recommendation after the MBA application has been submitted. An individual may want to send a letter from an executive or someone who is very connected to the business school who was not appropriate for an official letter of recommendation but who may be able to help the overall business school application. An example may be a close family friend who knows you and is a well known alum of your target MBA program. These letters of recommendation need to be considered in a case by case scenario. If you do decide to submit a recommendation, they should come from the recommender and be submitted separately, after the application deadline, as an additional help to your candidacy. The letter should be brief and provide extra information that includes a truly new view on you.

In general, submitting extra recommendations is not recommended as the schools are overwhelmed by these additional letters. However, in some situations it might make sense and you will need to consider each case in the context of the individual, the MBA program’s policy, and the information that will be put in the letter. Some business schools have more flexible policies than others. While it will be unusual for an MBA program to encourage additional letters, some take a much harder stand against them. If a business school states that it does not want additional letters, take it seriously and think hard before sending them something that they say they would not like to have.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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Making Your MBA Application Stand Out

By stacy blackman posted January 3, 2011

When you are ready to begin your business school application essays, you will need to first outline your story. Our clients go through a planned process to help pull out key messages that they would like to present. We begin by having our clients complete a “brag sheet.” This manuscript should complement your resume. If the resume is a solely professional document, the brag sheet is the opposite. It’s the manuscript that talks about who you are outside of your professional career. This discusses information about your family, passions, and your obstacles. You can make your own sheet by answering questions such as:

How many languages are you fluent in?
How many countries have you traveled to?
Does your family have any interesting traditions?
Have you encountered any significant obstacles in your life?
Do you have any patents?

Etc.

Once you have filled out your brag sheet, you can sort through it and select the themes that stand out. Would you consider yourself as a leader? An innovator? These attributes come together to create your overall brand. Once you have four to five attributes, you need to support them with something that companies call “reasons to believe.” The “reasons to believe” are your real-life examples. As you write your business school essays, you will need to use very specific stories to support your brand. When you discuss specific essay questions for a given MBA program, you can refer to your brand document and run through the list of stories to decide which stories fit in with which essays. Many stories are flexible and can provide evidence for a number of attributes. Once you have coordinated these stories to particular MBA essay questions, you are ready to begin writing your essays.

As An Example:

Brand Attribute 1: Excellent Communicator

Supporting Evidence:

1) Founder of Toastmasters club

2) Led incoming training class at JPMorgan

3) Chosen as lead negotiator

Brand Attribute 2: Global Experience

Supporting Evidence:

1) Worked in four continents over past four years

2) Lived in six countries during adolescence

3) Fluent in three languages

4) Career interests focused on international expansion of current employer

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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Advice To Consider On Your MBA Journey

By stacy blackman posted December 6, 2010

When completing your MBA application, the challenge is not so much about writing dozens of essays, managing a number of letters of recommendation, practicing interviews, and more. The hardest part is the process of reflection. This can be difficult and truly daunting. If done correctly, this can also be very personally rewarding and exhilarating when you end up attending the MBA program of your choice. In preparation for an MBA program, here is some advice to consider as you continue on your great journey

1) Recruitment: It wasn’t a long time ago when most of your recruiters were in your situation. Be respectful, but don’t be intimidated. You should go into interviews prepared to have a conversation and to tell them about yourself.

2) Expanding Your Experience: If you do not get involved with some organization outside of the classroom, you will not be taking full advantage of your MBA experience. There are a number of ways to get involved and you will learn as much from these activities as you will from your academic studies.

3) Importance Of Bad Internships: While a number of individuals go back to their summer employer, others do not. Even if you end up not liking your internship, it’s still worthwhile to have the experience. It is better to learn that you don’t like investment banking on an internship than after you graduate.

4) Don’t Give Up: Summer internships are often more difficult to be accepted into than full-time offers. If you are not accepted into your dream internship, you still have a great chance at the same job full time.

5) Study Hard/Play Hard: A large part of learning will come from your classmates. Taking your classes seriously is a good way to improve yourself, and to gain the respect of your peers. However, be careful of isolating yourself and caring only about earning a perfect GPA. While studying and learning is important, you want to make sure you do not miss out on other aspects of the experience. A successful student will be balanced.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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Connecting with Admissions Committees

By stacy blackman posted November 29, 2010

When applying to MBA programs, some individuals are able to build relationships with members of a business school’s admissions committee. As an example, a person may have traded business cards at an intimate information session and followed up with a thank-you note. Or perhaps they interviewed on campus with an admissions representative and spent 30 minutes talking afterwards. Perchance they called the office and connected with this person who helped answer questions and was generous with a follow-up email. These unplanned meetings can be very beneficial to applicants if these relationships are nurtured. However, please understand that even the highest quality, most productive relationship does not guarantee you will be accepted if your application is not strong. Nonetheless, all things being equal, leaving a positive impression on an admissions member or becoming familiar can only help. The people in charge of admissions are only human. When given the opportunity, you should do your best to build relationships with these individuals.

An important part of successfully developing these relationships with admissions representatives is to do so with care, and to remember that hundreds of people are trying to contact them every day. Keep your messages brief, warm, and relevant. Don’t call or email just for the sake of connecting. Instead, ask an authentic question you are seeking an answer to or communicate appreciation. Don’t waste their time. These admissions representatives will see right through it. Additionally, they have limited time in their days.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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How Reading Can Help Improve Your Application

By stacy blackman posted November 15, 2010

Spending time reading the months before your applications are due can be one of the best steps you take to improve your candidacy for top business schools. Unfortunately, many applicants will not have read a book for education or for leisure for years, and they often don’t consider the time before MBA application season a good time to begin. However, when you look at the list of reasons for reading good books over the upcoming months, it really makes sense. Reading can:

Enhance your vocabulary and mastery of grammar
Advance your writing: your MBA application essays will represent one of the largest and most critical writing projects of your career. Finding ideas about interesting sentence structures and storytelling will be important.
Give you more content to write about: you may consider new writing ideas or filter ideas about certain sections of your essays.
More information to discuss: MBA interviewers want to learn about all of your experiences. Many interviews talk about recent events, history, etc., so if you can demonstrate that you’ve kept up to date on the world, you may be able to separate yourself from peers.

Demonstrate Your Passions

I want to clarify, it is not necessary to read through all of the latest business books so that you can include buzzwords in your essays and interviews. You also should not feel required to round out the lesser areas of your business experience by visiting the local bookstore to read all the “How To” books.

The most critical part is to further develop your own interests and passions. If you are interested in art, focus on books on art. Similarly, if you enjoy the history of soccer, immerse yourself in those books. On the other hand, it never hurts to develop some form of business perspective on the areas you really enjoy. For example, if you enjoy medicine, consider reading books on the economics of the healthcare system in Europe.

Additionally, if you aim to transition to a different career after your MBA program, demonstrating this kind of commitment can be very important. If you have been an IT consultant for the last five years and want to become an entrepreneur, reading books on entrepreneurship will be beneficial.

My personal recommendation list includes books ranging from Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to Nick Hornby’s Songbook—an excellent book of short essays that you will enjoy reading while you think of ideas on how to improve your own essays.

As a summary: read anything. What is most important is that you read. Focus on considering words, structures, and exposing yourself to something new.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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How To Resolve Issues With Your Transcript

By stacy blackman posted November 8, 2010

Many candidates have a selective memory when it comes to their university transcript. They tend to remember their excellent grades and forget about their other subpar marks. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to change your transcript. However, if you did receive low grades, there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage. To begin, you should request a copy of your transcript and examine each of your marks. The following are some transcript issues that you can tackle with some planning:

Subpar grades in business or quantitative classes—If you did not do well in business or quantitative related classes, this may raise concerns about your ability to excel in an MBA program. Taking relevant classes now, in business or quantitative classes, will help to reassure the admissions committee of your application. You can retake the same classes that you had difficulty with as an undergraduate, or you can take any business or quantitative focused class. Additionally, doing well on the quantitative section of the GMAT will help as well.

Low overall GPA—A low overall GPA may be an issue for an MBA program. These programs are seeking individuals with a fantastic record, who prioritize academics and who have proven their ability to do well academically. By taking a few classes you can help with this issue. While receiving a 4.0 GPA in post-undergraduate courses will not change everything, you can demonstrate that you have the ability to do well academically, that you have identified a weakness and are takings steps for improvement, and that you can balance multiple responsibilities. These are all important factors.

Lack of business or quantitative courses on your transcript—If you are currently in a business position that does not require you to work with numbers, and you have not taken these types of classes, you might consider taking a class now. This will demonstrate an awareness of your weaknesses and it will show that you are committed to addressing any deficiencies in your background.

I want to note that when you sign up for courses, don’t worry too much about the prestige of the university. MBA programs understand that you may not have an elite university close to you, and need a more viable option. You should focus less about the university and more about the classes you are taking. If you unfortunately sign up too late to report your grades when you apply, let the admissions committee know that you are currently taking courses. Many MBA programs will be open to receiving your marks, even if your application deadline has passed. Lastly, suggested courses include Calculus, Statistics, and Accounting. These classes will set the framework for a typical MBA program.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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How Your Life and Career Impact Where You Apply And The Number Of Programs

By stacy blackman posted November 4, 2010

These are a number of important questions that MBA candidates wonder during the months before the difficult application-writing seasons. These questions include “How many MBA programs should I apply to?” and “Which business schools should I send my application to?” The answers are different depending on where the applicant is when applying to MBA programs. It’s important to understand where you are in life and how this impacts your business school decisions.

In general, most business school students are in their mid-20s to early 30s. However, even within this time applicants have a variety of factors to consider when deciding the list of MBA programs they should apply to.

Age: Most applicants in their mid-20s decide that they only want to apply to their first two choices, understanding that they can reapply a couple years later when they have more experience. I can understand this approach for some younger candidates, but applicants who are older may want to take a separate approach. These candidates should apply to a number of MBA programs to make sure that they will at least have options when attending business school the upcoming year. The best situation involves a strong combination of top MBA programs and safer schools that will yield a choice of MBA programs for the applicant. Some candidates have an unreasoned “Only Harvard or Stanford!” that may not be the best approach.

Next career alternative: Many MBA aspirants are in situations in which they could continue at their current company for a number of more years. Others have roles at companies such as investment banks where tradition encourages younger workers to pursue MBA degrees. In environments where one can continue to their growth, an applicant might consider applying only to their top MBA programs.

Career track satisfaction: I have talked to several MBA aspirants who feel they are “stuck” in roles that are too narrowly defined. However, some still want to apply to just a couple of very highly ranked programs. When people desire to make a career transition to an entirely new role or industry, I highly encourage them to apply to multiple MBA programs. There are incredible programs that can provide a great experience and network.

Second time applying: An applicant who is in his or her second round of MBA applications should almost always apply to more schools. Candidates who are applying a couple of years later after improving their work experience can consider adding a couple of new business school. However, candidates who are applying the very next year without changes in experience should pursue a different number of MBA programs, with perhaps one or two programs from the year before.

Family considerations: Taking two years to get an MBA is a life decision that will affect your family. These considerations are much more complicated and varied than the factors listed above. It is very important that candidates talk with family, friends, and mentors in the application process to determine where they are when applying to MBA programs. It’s an absolutely critical step in managing this long MBA application process thoughtfully.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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Using Your Personal “Brand” to Get Your Points Across

By stacy blackman posted October 31, 2010

It is important to remember your audience when writing your business school applications: a busy admissions committee member that may only have a few minutes to spend reading each application. So while you spend hours on end writing, editing, revising, and rewriting your essays, remember that the admissions committees have dozens of applications to read every day, and even the most diligent person may at times miss some points in your essay. That’s why you need to make sure that your application is as easy as possible for the committee members to read, by making sure they can’t miss who you are, and what you can add to the class. The best applications feature four or five aspects of the applicant’s character and experiences that become common themes throughout the application. These themes are easily identifiable to readers, and combine to form your personal “brand.”

Brands are powerful tools, and companies spend millions of dollars to show us why they are important, what they stand for, and their value in our lives. While there are subtler facets to their full corporate identities, companies need to make sure that potential consumers have a complete and unambiguous understanding of a few key characteristics. Oftentimes, we can recognize a company based on a few descriptive traits that the company presents to us (for example: “fun,” “family,” and “fantasy” are indicative traits of Disney). These messages have been engrained in our head through repetition, multiple interactions with the company, or exposure to marketing messages.

Just as companies use their brand to convey the main qualities they represent, candidates also need to make sure the people who read their applications are very clear about the core of their character and experiences. While all applications inevitably cover more than three or four points, giving equal weight to 20 traits waters down the main features that the admissions committee needs to understand. Applicants that successfully “brand” themselves make real choices on what they want to emphasize, for example:

“A behind-the-scenes leader, creative problem-solver, and passionate about international development.”

“A great motivator, cutting-edge thinker on financial markets, and committed to education.”

“Dedicated to environmental causes, a skilled negotiator, a committed mentor, and family-oriented.”

By reinforcing the main three or four traits through repetition; the other aspects of your character and experience will come out naturally.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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Your Approach to Writing Essays Matters

By stacy blackman posted October 19, 2010

After planning and researching programs, making decisions about potential schools, and mapping out a logical timeline to meet your deadlines, you finally have to take the plunge and begin the process of writing your essays.

In the initial stages of essay draft writing, many applicants feel overwhelmed by the word limits imposed on them. It is common for my clients to reach the maximum word limit, but still insist that they have barely scratched the surface. It is common for applicants to feel that it’s impossible to describe their three most substantial life experiences in 600 words or less. My advice to those applicants is to just start writing and forget about the word count. Focus on getting your content on paper and making sure that it is very strong. Overanalyzing your essays will lead to paralysis, so just start typing and the words will flow out of you. My advice to applicants is to stop worrying if each sentence is perfect, and keep writing until you have answered a question. Once the content is on paper, it is surprisingly easy to cut words and shorten sentences. Most people tend to be extremely verbose when describing themselves. You can usually keep every point in the essay, but articulate it with far fewer words (or to use the last sentence as an example: “articulate more concisely”).

It is also common for applicants to reconsider which pieces of their story are truly pertinent to answering the question. It is very easy to start telling your story and ramble off topic. When writing your essays, be sure to carefully examine each piece of your essay and make sure that it is really, truly relevant, as opposed to miscellaneous background information.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

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