The myth of the perfect applicant

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Have you ever considered how some of the world’s professions started out? When was the first time that someone decided that the world was in dire need of curse tablet makers, water organists and chicken sexers (yes, these are all real professions).

I’ve recently started with MBA applications and in my search for useful tips was surprised to learn that an entire industry has been established to help candidates submit their “perfect” application. I was even more surprised to learn that almost a third (some stats say 50%) of top-tier business school applicants use the services of these consultants with costs ranging between $5000-$10000. While this cost is minimal compared to the cost of a MBA, are these applicants allowing the Admissions Committees to get a view of who they really are?

As an ex-consultant, I know that we can sell just about anything quite convincingly but my question is, are these consultants taking advantage of people’s desires? Many of these consultants served on Admissions Committees and start with a gap analysis of areas that are missing on an applicants resume and help extract relevant life experiences and fine-tune essays. Now I agree that those essays are probably the most important 1500 words and months of preparation goes into ensuring that the perfect words are chosen but in my mind those words are meant to represent who YOU are and let these schools know your story. Can that really be achieved by a consultant?

Many b-schools previously condemned the use of admissions consultants but are now opening up to the idea purely from the understanding that they’re not going anywhere. I still find this an ethically grey area with two schools of thought.

The first, you were going to get peers, colleagues and/or mentors to review your application in any event, so how is using a consultant any different? My thinking behind this is the individuals reviewing applications in a personal capacity don’t stand to gain from it and know your background so any advice is more on a support basis whereas the use of a consultant is meant to tailor your application to the point where you may not be portraying a true representation of yourself.

The second (where I think I fit in), is that you sign off on an application confirming that all information is your own work. Can this really be the case if there was an external party trying to extract information that resulted in the “perfect” application? Also, I don’t think one would get the same sense of accomplishment of being accepted into the b-school of your choice if it wasn’t all of your own doing.

I’ve learnt that MBA applications have a knack of making you feel somewhat inadequate at times and leave you with a lot of questions but is the eco-system surrounding it just capitalizing on and creating unreasonable hype? Also, if you choose not to go down the consultant route, does that mean you want this any less?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments – I’d love to get different views on this or answers to some of my questions.

xxx
Naz
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” ~ Hanoch McCarty

Happy Women’s Day!

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Today is National Women’s Day in South Africa and marks 56 years since 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings to protest against Apartheid Pass Laws. The women stood in silent protest for 30 minutes and sang a song composed for the day, “Wathint’Abafazi Wathint’imbokodo!” (Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock). This day was a turning point for South African women and solidified their place in the fight for democracy.

While we celebrate the courage of the amazing women that stood up for the rights of so many, it got me thinking about the challenges that women face today. Many women today are juggling trying to run a household and raising children. These women are subject to intense scrutiny and self-doubt if they choose pursue a career and “have it all”, are they being selfish or are they simply honoring the struggles of generations past? Personally, I don’t believe that there is a right or wrong answer as long as these women are following the path that they feel honors them best.

For those women climbing the career jungle gym (with kids attached or not), many are wandering aimlessly hoping it all fits together somehow. While I may be in a similar situation and am definitely no expert on the matter, these are a few pointers that I’ve picked up along the way:

Choose a mentor – The best way to move forward is to ask someone that’s already been there. Identify someone that you look up to or someone in your space whose work you admire and ask for guidance (this is not a sign of weakness). Also, remember your mentor doesn’t have to be female.

Manage your finances – A lot of women I know (myself included) are really bad at financial management. In fact, most of the women around me are closet rich and it’s time that we started spending a little bit more wisely than this season’s must-haves. Learn how to save and manage investments more carefully. I came across this useful site the other day: www.learnvest.com.

Forgive yourself – We are our biggest critics, however, when I look at my male colleagues, they are a lot more forgiving of themselves. As women, we need to accept that we’ve made a mistake, learn from it and move on. There really is no benefit from continuously beating yourself up about something that can no longer be changed.

Be each others hype (wo)man [because everyone needs a hype (wo)man] – Many women sit back and complain that there are not enough role models for us to look up to and there are numerous articles and blogs that confirm this. While I don’t disagree, I do think that we are unbelievably quick to criticize and judge the women around us, it is up to us to help guide each other and become the role models for generations of woman to come.

Above all, be true to yourself and the best woman that you can be!

xxx
Naz
“I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” ~ Audrey Hepburn