How To Create Your Business School Brand

UPDATE: This article was originally posted on April 24, 2019. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

One of the first things I tell my clients who are applying to an MBA is that you won’t get into a top program by being like everyone else. You’ll get in by standing out. 

But figuring out how to stand out and how to keep your “uniqueness” consistent across your application can be very difficult if you don’t have some sort of guide. 

This is why all of my clients start their MBA applications by defining their personal brands. 

A personal brand is a powerful tool you will use not only throughout your application but also during your studies and later on when you re-enter the job market. 

Great, right? But how do you get to the point where you have your personal brand? 

One of the best ways to do this is to work with a coach or consultant you trust, but you can also create an effective personal brand on your own. 

We’ve compiled a step-by-step process below to help you construct your own personal brand. Read on to figure out how you can create and put this tool to use in your applications!

 

Step 1: What are your purpose and vision?

First, look at the bigger picture of your vision for the world, then look at how you can play a role in making this vision become a reality. 

Think about one problem you would like to solve or one area of your life you would like to see transformed: this is your vision. 

What role might you play in making your vision happen? This is your purpose. 

Later, when thinking about your goals, make sure you consider your vision and purpose and how these influence your motivations for your career. This is important because it helps breathe life into your goals. Showing the adcom what you want to do in a clear and concise matter is critical but won’t make you memorable. Sharing the vision and purpose behind your goals will. 

 

Step 2: What are your passions?

What do you most enjoy doing in your personal life and your work life? Think about the activities, interests, or topics that inspire you and energize you. 

Though MBA applications are largely focused on your professional background and your career objectives, admissions committees are also looking at who you are outside of work, as your passions and interests contribute greatly to the diversity of the overall class. 

As such, we suggest you take time to identify your passions and think about how you’ve put these passions into practice. 

For example, two years ago, we were working with our client Axel on his MBA applications. Since he started the consulting process early, we had the opportunity to use the whole year before his application to add more value to his profile. One of the ways we did this was by harnessing his passion for cosmology. 

Though Axel had long studied the topic on his own, he had trouble putting this passion into practice in a way we could leverage in his applications. As such, after a bit of research, he got involved in a non-profit that allowed him to teach astronomy and cosmology classes to low-income students on the weekends. 

By using the stories that resulted from this experience in his application, he was able to successfully land a spot at Wharton/Lauder. 

TOP TIP: Think quality over quantity. Volunteering one day at 10 organizations is less valuable than dedicating significant time to a single organization you really believe in. Plus, by diving deeper into a smaller number of activities, you’re more likely to have stories that demonstrate positive traits like leadership and communication.

 

Step 3: What are your goals for the next 5 years? 10 years?

This question is helpful to ask yourself not only to define your personal brand but will be very essential in your essays and your interviews, so don’t skip this one!

Here, work on looking at your future life so you can create a plan to get there. Since the MBA is inherently a professional degree, your personal brand should link with your career goals. 

For example, when helping our client Nathalia create her application, we first started her brand by defining her goals: work in HR in a major organization, eventually becoming a director and a major influencer in the industry. 

Since her goals are people-focused, we also developed her brand to highlight her people-focused skills, highlighting stories where she supported others, communicated well, and led initiatives to increase workplace diversity and inclusion. By doing so, we were able to create a seamless brand that integrated both her professional goals and her “greatest hits” and developed a profile that landed her a spot at Harvard Business School. 

If you’re having trouble deciding on your goals, check out this post, which is designed to help you tackle this all-important question. 

 

Step 4: Who is your target audience?

Any good marketing campaign starts with understanding who your target audience is. 

This is no different when it comes to business schools. Though all schools essentially offer the same product: an MBA, the product features are as different as a Ferrari’s are from a pickup truck’s.

That’s why you should also consider how to select the best stories (that are consistent with your overall personal brand, of course) that appeal to each individual program. 

For example, London Business School really values internationally-minded candidates, so your personal brand for LBS should focus more on your international strengths and vision. Other schools are strong in particular areas you might want to focus on in your career, such as social impact or tech. If that’s the case, make sure you build your personal brand in such a way that it demonstrates your strengths in your area of focus. 

Every school has a different “fit,” so you should plan to adapt your brand and stories slightly for each school.

Want to develop a stellar brand? Check out our MBA Resource Center. With an in-depth personal brand exercise (and hundreds of essays, interview mocks, CV templates, reapplicant essays), you’ll have everything you need to get you. Join here!

 

Step 5: What differentiates you from the competition?

This is perhaps the most important question on this list. 

We always say you need to stand out from the competition in order to get accepted to your target schools, so really think about your competition and what makes you different from them. 

Are you another private equity guy applying to Chicago or Columbia? You’re going to need an edge. Another marketing exec applying to Kellogg? Why should they pay attention to you? 

Or perhaps you find yourself in a generally crowded applicant pool, like management consulting, and really need to show how you add value that no one else in your pool does. 

As such, before finalizing your personal brand, make sure it shows what makes you you. These data points can range from an accelerated career path, above-average international experience, overcoming poverty or other significant obstacles, or even climbing Mount Everest. 

TOP TIP: Think long and hard about where you add value that no one else can. Most importantly, make sure you are the protagonist of the examples you choose to focus on.

 

Step 6: Create a clear sentence that consolidates your personal brand 

You, in a sentence. Now you should have done a great deal of reflecting in order to uncover the elements that should make up your personal brand.

Though personal brands are full of many different elements, in order to use them effectively, you need to keep them simple! Keeping it simple will allow your brand to stay in your mind all the time, and will allow you to easily build other elements of your career and life around this brand. 

To do this, we suggest you create your “single sentence” brand. It should go something like: “I am a ….”

 Here are some examples of single-sentence brands past clients have developed: 

• “I am an entrepreneurial-minded multifaceted professional who puts people and relationships at the center of everything I do.” 
• “I am a female financial professional on the path to becoming a CFO that changes the way companies treat their communities and their employees.” 
• “I am a fashion business innovator who wants to use hard data to change the race to the bottom mentality in global fashion companies“ 
• “I am a serial entrepreneur. I am an analytical mind. I am bringing digital innovation to old-fashioned Brazilian companies by questioning the status quo.” 
• “I am a 40-year-old finance guy who wants to finally pursue my dream of being an entrepreneur.” 
• “I am so much more than just a management consultant. I am deeply passionate about supply chains and how they impact real people. I want to bring change on a global scale to use supply chains as a force for good.” 

Now it’s your turn. 

I am…

 

Step 7: Use your brand

After doing the work of creating your personal brand, make sure you don’t forget to actually use your brand in your business school applications!

By keeping your brand in mind, you’ll be able to better choose examples that demonstrate key points in your profile, guide your recommenders on how to present you, have a clear message for all your MBA interviews and, overall, clearly and cohesively demonstrate why you deserve a top spot at your dream school. 

TOP TIP: While developing every element of your MBA application, ask yourself, “Is this consistent with my personal brand?” If not, make sure you address this and find a way to bring disparate elements of your application in line with your brand. You may have to rethink an essay, but it is worth it in the end! 

 

Still not sure how to brand yourself?

 The work involved in uncovering and defining your personal brand may seem time-consuming and difficult, but it will really make a difference when you start to write your essays and (hopefully!) attend your interviews. Communicating your personal brand can show that you are a good fit and can help give your application an edge!

That’s why sometimes, having an expert weigh-in makes all the difference.

In general, skilled MBA consultants can be a great resource in helping you understand the differences among business schools, as knowing what schools offer and what kinds of candidates “fit” certain programs is at the core of our work. 

That’s why here at Ellin Lolis Consulting, we are so focused on offering a personal touch that ensures each of our clients is happy with their MBA decisions and outcomes for years to come. 

Because we know an MBA is not simply a gamble, it’s an investment in your future. Our commitment is to get you the best possible results and help you take your career and life to the next level.

So whether you’re struggling to finalize your business school brand or are just starting the MBA process, apply to work with us and put our hands-on approach to work for your maximum success.