I am also a huge fan of Simon Sinek, almost wept when I presented this talk to my class of business seniors when I taught Strategic Management at state college. And I push my applicants to excavate why, because that is what will inspire adcom and set them apart. You are so correct that this leads to their most authentic narrative and by NOT trying to serve up what they think adcom wants to hear, something genuine shines through.
I do also state that this is an advertising campaign for them: they need to maximize exposure and showcase their brand. It seems you assume the term marketing campaign relies on the premise of deception or altering your application to fit something? Because I feel it is about identifying your WHY and also your brand - your brand promise - the golden thread. What is true for you in all things.
I recently was preparing my candidate for her interview prep at IESE and we articulated that she, "she always finds a way to get closer to her goal, by trying different things." This doesn't sound like much but once you know her anecdotes to back it up, it fits perfectly, this is her golden thread. She said me articulating this for her was a "spiritual experience."
She was able to serve up her golden thread in the interview, a memorable statement that ties all her anecdotes and values together. She had a lot stacked against her in her profile but was admitted with 30K Euros.
I feel that this is marketing communication: to identify and articulate your brand promise, what you are known for. And to communicate it in a way that is memorable to the audience, or adcom.
hhyller wrote:
Hi!
I want to share a few thoughts about "applicant profiles" that cross my mind during my reading of the book "YOUR MBA GAME PLAN"
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Sun Tzu
"
After reading the book "START WITH WHY - SIMON SINEK", I am able to develop better ideas about this chapter.
- If your actions truly reflect you're why then you are authentic.
- The purpose here is gathering information to improve your application and not to pushing you to create a fake profile.
A few consultants used to say that your applications must be a marketing campaign, but it is not entirely true. It´s pretty obvious that anyone who made the homework properly will figure out that using marketing tools to communicate your message and build a delusional alter ego in order to fit, are completely different things.
In other words, use a marketing platform to push a fit or even create a false image about yourself is playing a short term game. This posture does NOT reflect my WHY and in my game, I DO NOT use shortcuts, because I believe that if the work was made correctly, you do not need it.
"