The Importance of Personal Branding for Business School Applications

1. The Importance of Personal Branding for Business School Applications A brand helps people know about the company or product or person even before any kind of engagement takes place. Extending this description, we can also understand what personal branding is and why it is important. In simple terminology, personal branding is how you want to portray yourself to the external world. This holds especially true for your business school applications and your professional career. Personal Brand: The right fit In business school applications, the admissions committee analyzing your application wants to know whether you are a good fit for their program, and do you, that is, does your personal brand fit with the school. Each business school has its own mission statement and core sets of values that lay the foundation for its community. While evaluating potential candidates, they often look for people who have exhibited these

2. values in their lives and have shown a commitment to further their mission statement in the future. Thus, your personal brand needs to showcase a strong cultural fit with the school’s community and their value system. That is why it becomes necessary to individualize your business school application, and not copy paste a generic statement of purpose or essay for every program you are applying to. Outside the cultural fit, there are some core qualities which will span across all business schools such as humility, curiosity, and a general likability etc. Focus on building these into your personal brand as it may not come naturally to everyone, however, become extremely crucial for the business school application. Lastly, it’s important to shortlist some key aspects or experiences of your personal and professional life that make you unique. Imagine yourself in the classroom amongst your peers, what are some unique perspectives you can bring to the classroom that no one else can? It will be important to include these in your personal brand as they can make you stand out from the pool. If you take the above steps right, it will certainly make your personal brand stand out. The key lesson here is: it is not about you, it is about how the application committee views you. How to build your personal brand?

3. The first step is self-awareness. Look internally to figure out what you need to bring out for the world to see and how you want them to see it. This is best done by narrowing down on some experiences that have had a great impact on the broader community and even better if the impact is quantifiable. Talking about how your actions have changed lives often puts your personal brand in a strong light and adds an element of likeability about you. The second step will be living your story by example every day. This can be done by showing an ongoing commitment to these values in your daily life. Making them a part of your core value system showcases a promise to bring that legacy to the business school and thus add immense value to your cohort. It is said that the most successful leaders lead by example, this is equally true for your personal brand since people form a perception based on your actions. Make sure you are clear about your larger goals and objectives, and that your personal brand ties into these from a fit perspective. We have often observed a disconnect between an applicant’s personal brand and their objectives which can often be a cause of their failures in their application journey. For instance, people often tend focus on their personal contributions in their brand while also aspiring for professional careers / stints that require a lot of collaboration. Thus, it is important to have an unbiased third-party review of your personal brand. This is where we come in

4. The MBA Edge leaves no stone unturned to ensure you get the right message, at the right time, and to the right people. We ensure that your personal brand helps your business school application stand out in a competitive application pool thereby leaving a strong impression with the admissions committee. Our efforts will also help you during your business school journey to enable you to succeed in the program and in your future career post your MBA. Our MBA consultants at The MBA Edge have hands-on experience on what the business schools are looking for. We will portray your personal brand while helping you think about the right questions you need to answer for yourself, and which questions you need to need for which business school application. We have helped candidates across a diverse set of backgrounds ranging from industries such as Financial Services to Defense and across a spectrum of functions. Our applications have not only caught the eyes of the admissions committee but have also helped a majority of our candidates land scholarships and financial aid, which can be extremely challenging. Our efforts have also helped our clients excel during their MBA and land their dream internships. Early bird catches the worm This common idiom of the English language has stood the test of time and holds true even today. Applying to a business school is an extensive process which is why we always recommend start working with us early on, so as to refine your application to perfection. It will help you gain clarity about the various ‘why’s? How’s? When’s? Who’s?’ and so on. A hurried application often holds a lot of flaws and errors, leave alone a succinct portrayal of one’s personality traits, or accomplishments. Reach out to us at info@thembaedge.com Originally Posted: https://thembaedge.com/blogs/the-importance-of- personal-branding-for-business-school-applications/