image: smcgee
There are two ways to tell a story, the positive way or the negative way. The path you choose is the “spin.” I’m not talking about manipulating facts; you should always be authentic. Spin is about presentation.
Many people are afraid they may be laid off in the current economy, and are seeking admission to an MBA program to protect themselves and to guarantee a more secure future. Here are two ways to spin this scenario in MBA interviews.
The negative: “My company has been through two rounds of lay-offs. I’ve survived them both, but am very concerned about what is going to happen in the next six months. I want to get an MBA to help secure my future.”
The positive: “I’ve learned so much with my current company about project management and building global teams. I see a very clear path for my future – leading global marketing efforts for a top CPG company. An MBA will give me foundation to make that dream a reality.”
The bottom line is the same – wanting a secure future; it’s all about the spin. The positive version sounds significantly more promising, right? Make sure you’re practicing to always answer MBA interview questions with a positive spin.
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter (here).
image: Krisztina Tordai
Authentic means credible, trustworthy and honest. There is a lot of buzz around being authentic in branding today. With access to more information than ever before thanks to the internet, people can research, scrutinize and validate claims made by individuals as well as brands.
Present an authentic picture of yourself in your MBA applications as well as your job search. Authenticity leads to the best matches for recruiters and students.
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter (here).
Recruiters consider the airport test the ultimate question in hiring decisions. It goes like this: “If you were traveling, and your flight got delayed, would you mind being stuck in an airport with this person for 5 hours?”
If the answer is, “Not at all, we would have a lot to talk about,” then hiring appears to be a good decision. If the answer is, “Yes, He is really smart, but I would be miserable if I was stuck in an airport with him,” then it’s probably not the best job fit for either of you.
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter (here).
To be swamped means to be incredibly busy. At the start of October, most MBA students are swamped with classes, the job search, extracurricular and social activities. You might hear an MBA student say, “Thank you for asking me to lead this committee. Unfortunately, I can’t take on any additional commitments right now. I’m absolutely swamped with everything I have going on already.”
I love the Roger Smith image above because it reminds me to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings even when I’m feeling swamped.
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter (here).
image: kharied *catching up*
Running behind means to be late or delayed. People typically use this phrase if they are late for an appointment. For example, “I’m just calling to let you know I’m running behind. I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”
People also use running behind to avoid admitting they’re going to miss a deadline. You might hear a Supply Chain manager say, “Production is running behind with their delivery, and we need to calculate that impact on our ship to trade date.”
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter (here).
One of the most dreaded words in the MBA world, dinged means to be rejected by a school or company.
You might hear a 1st year MBA say, “I received an invitation to interview; so I’m feeling good about my resume and cover letter, but I think I need to work on my interviewing skills because I got dinged after the first round. Thankfully my #1 company is not until next week.”
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter (here).
|
|
.jpg)
