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Wedding Etiquette Forum

(NWR) Bored? Help me Apply to Business School!

Ok so when I asked my old supervisor for a b-school recommendation, he asked me to just write it out myself and that he would read it and make any necessary changes before submitting it.  I'm at the dreaded part that asks about my three biggest weaknesses and am at a loss.  Whenever I've been asked this about myself in the past, I've always used the whole spin the weakness into a positive tactic (i.e. "I can be a bit of a perfectionist").  But how would I do this from his standpoint - "Kati worked too hard?"  I am stumped.

Re: (NWR) Bored? Help me Apply to Business School!

  • Well, what are your core strengths? You can usually deduce weaknesses from them.
  • Can you give us some things you're learning or newly trained on? Or things that you might not have as much education/training on that b-school will help?If I know specifics, I can probably put a good spin on it for you.
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  • Are you trying to ture "Kati worked too hard" into a weakness?
  • The whole "I'm a perfectionist" and similar "weaknesses" tactic is actually not the best strategy. Recruiters can see right through that. A better tactic would be to use a REAL weakness and talk about steps you've taken to improve it. For example - I'm shy at public speaking and can get really nervous making big presentations, BUT I've taken classes to improve it, and scheduled monthly lunch & learn meetings with my peers so that I could practice.
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  • Some basic info: my current role is heavily analytics-based, whereas in the past my jobs were more client-focused.  I am hoping to get back into more client-focused work post-school (ideally at a consulting firm specializing in marketing consulting).  In my current job (where I have been for nine months) I've had to master systems that are entirely specific to the organization.  I am responsible for monetizing a portfolio of websites that are built internally and have been pretty successful at it, but it honestly bores the bejesus out of me.  My real weakness is that I just don't care, whereas in the past when I have worked with clients I have been motivated by the notion that I was helping business owners grow their businesses.  In order to make the career move I want to I'll need to gain knowledge on a wider range of topics like corporate finance, leadership (since I've never really managed a team or anything), etc.  So I want to somehow incorporate that but it feels weird to say from my old boss' perspective that I need these additional skills to make a career move.  Does that make sense?
  • A better tactic would be to use a REAL weakness and talk about steps you've taken to improve it. For example - I'm shy at public speaking and can get really nervous making big presentations, BUT I've taken classes to improve it, and scheduled monthly lunch & learn meetings with my peers so that I could practice.This is a good idea.  I've had to really improve my Excel skills in this role, so I could probably mention something along those lines.  I was definitely weak analytically compared to some of my peers when I first started in this role.
  • Are you trying to ture "Kati worked too hard" into a weakness?Haha, no, I was just being facetious with that.  I just have no idea what my old boss actually saw as my weaknesses.  He was pretty hands-off to be honest (which I appreciated).
  • I agree wholeheartedly with Ring Pop.  The standing joke at my grad school was people using "good grad school qualities" as weaknesses (like perfectionism and compulsiveness).  For example, the weakness I cite for job interviews is that I sometimes struggle to ask for help when I need it, UNLESS what I need help on impacts other people, then it's easier for me to ask for help. 

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  • PS, is it normal for people to have you write your own recommendation?  I interpret that as him not being able to write a good one for you.  No?

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  • My brain is not functioning yet. Sorry! Ditto Ring Pop 100%. When I hear the whole "I'm a perfectionist" line, I immediately tune out and know that I'm not getting a real answer. I will usually drill down a bit during interviews to try to find a real weekness. And as long as the candidate can show where they have recognized it and have taken steps to improve it, I am okay with it.
  • I've had to really improve my Excel skills in this role, so I could probably mention something along those lines. I was definitely weak analytically compared to some of my peers when I first started in this role.That is a GREAT example! Analytical skills would definitely give you an edge in b-school, and to show that you've taken initiative to develop them would show them that you're b-school material. Be sure to mention the "big picture" aspect of it too... for example, the job I had before b-school required a lot of Excel number crunching too, but I also eventually learned to distill the analysis into actual recommendations for my boss.
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  • PS, is it normal for people to have you write your own recommendation? I interpret that as him not being able to write a good one for you. No?Ehh, I'm thinking he just doesn't want to devote the time, and he was let go from the company three months ago so he knows he isn't fully up to date with how I've been performing since then.  One of the odd aspects about my job is that it is pretty self-managing so no one has any real grasp on what I do all day.  My current "direct supervisor" is based out of our Canadian office, and I maybe talk to him twice a month.
  • I think the fact that you need people or relationships to motivate you is an OK weakness to use. Explain how you've worked around this to stay motivated in the past.
  • Oh ok, that makes a little more sense then.  I guess when I got recommendations they were all from profs who were obviously really familiar with my work and cranked out recommendations like it was their job (well...because it was!)

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  • Oh, and from my experience it's totally common in the private sector for someone to make you write your own rec.
  • Maybe you could talk about the fact that you are motivated by relationships as opposed to data. Explain how data oriented your current position is and that it took a great deal of adjusting to find your passion within the data. Then circle back to the fact that you're persuing the b-school because you'd like to gain more knowledge around blending the two.
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