Sid found himself in one of the most competitive applicant pools: Indian engineer.
How could he stand out in an ocean of similar backgrounds?
Our solution: Before the ApplicantLab, Sid’s planned strategy was a common but mis-guided one: to focus his application on his numerous technical achievements. His initial goal was to try to prove that he was the best engineer in his company. This would have been a mistake. The strengths & weaknesses module told Sid which common mis-conceptions exist about engineers, and gave specific information for how to counter those stereotypes. This helped him realize that his technical achievements actually weren’t all that important when compared to proving his leadership potential.
The brainstorming and branding modules helped him uncover his leadership – vs. his technical – stories, and the mapping and recommendation sections helped him allocate his top stories in the best way.
The resume module was vital: helping him re-frame his accomplishments towards leadership and away from tech skills.
Our career vision advice also steered him away from writing about his plan to get a job at McKinsey – a common “Why MBA?” essay topic, but not the most recommended one to write about.
Result: Sid not only attended LBS, he ended up being offered a job at McKinsey after all (he just didn’t make the mistake of writing about that in his application essays!).