{"id":19413,"date":"2013-07-08T17:17:24","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T00:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=19413"},"modified":"2013-07-02T15:38:30","modified_gmt":"2013-07-02T22:38:30","slug":"a-recipe-for-career-goals-that-admissions-officers-will-eat-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/a-recipe-for-career-goals-that-admissions-officers-will-eat-up\/","title":{"rendered":"A Recipe for Career Goals that Admissions Officers Will Eat Up"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

<\/em>Dunkin\u2019 Donuts made headlines this month with its latest menu item: the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich. The sandwich consists of fried eggs and bacon tucked into a glazed doughnut, and it has generated cries that Dunkin\u2019 is trying to scare off its customers. Yet the sandwich is actually a great move on Dunkin\u2019s part. Why? Because it allows the company to play to the strength of its brand.<\/p>\n

After all, no one goes to Dunkin\u2019 Donuts because they\u2019re on a health kick. They go because they want sugary iced coffee and dessert concoctions. So the new sandwich seems very true to Dunkin\u2019s brand, and customers are responding in kind.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich. Photo credit: Dunkin\u2019 Donuts.<\/h6>\n

There\u2019s a good lesson for MBA hopefuls here. Most MBA applications require candidates to write an essay answering some version of the question, \u201cWhat are your long-term career goals?\u201d This question is intended to allow applicants to discuss their career vision and explain why an MBA is crucial to getting there.<\/p>\n

It has also been known to send applicants into a spiral of despair. A career goal to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company is an MBA-worthy goal, but you start to worry that these ambitions are shared by too many of your fellow applicants. So you create for the admissions committee an entirely different goal that you think they\u2019d like to hear\u2014say, launching a nonprofit that will provide medical supplies to hospitals in developing nations. While this sounds impressive, the committee will be skeptical if you\u2019ve spent your career in a consulting firm and have never set foot outside the U.S.<\/p>\n

So MBA applicants\u2014or anyone figuring out their big career goals\u2014would do well to take a cue from Dunkin\u2019 Donuts. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

Figure out the strengths of your personal brand.<\/b> Think back on all the jobs you\u2019ve had. If your managers were asked to name your strengths, what would they say? Chances are, you\u2019d hear the same descriptors. Like Dunkin\u2019 is known for decadent treats, figure out what you bring to the table.<\/p>\n

Incorporate your strengths into your career plans.<\/b> It\u2019s fine to state on your application that you want to be a CEO. The admissions committee will want to know why you\u2019ll be a successful one. This is why it\u2019s so important to know your strengths. Make a case for how those strengths will help you meet your career goal.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t disregard current trends<\/b>. While the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich sounds like the proverbial heart attack on a plate, the sandwich comes in at a reasonable 360 calories. By keeping the calories under control, Dunkin has made a concession to health concerns while still being true to its brand.<\/p>\n

Shakespeare said it best, \u201cThis above all: to thine own self be true.\u201d <\/i>That is one of the most valuable pieces of advice for gaining admission into the MBA program of your dreams, and for future career success. If you\u2019re the doughnut guy, be the doughnut guy\u2014just be the best doughnut guy you can be.<\/p>\n

This piece originally appeared in Wharton Magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

***
\nIf you are looking for guidance on your <\/i>MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly<\/a> and comprehensive<\/a> consulting services. Contact us<\/a> to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews<\/a>, and check out the company\u2019s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dunkin\u2019 Donuts made headlines this month with its latest menu item: the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich. The sandwich consists of fried eggs and bacon tucked into a glazed doughnut, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[898,1269,39,600,1906,1268],"class_list":["post-19413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-application-process","tag-career-goals","tag-mba-admissions","tag-mba-essays","tag-stacy-blackman","tag-your-personal-brand","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19413"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19432,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19413\/revisions\/19432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}