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($) Goldplating

December 19, 2019 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

This is a tricky thing to critique, because the type of MBA applicant who does this actually has a lot to offer. And by calling this out, it can make it seem like we’re critiquing the person, or saying that this applicant is not going to make it in to a top school. Not at all; in fact, this type of person is fairly unusual, and so today’s post is speaking to a niche of our audience. But this is important so we figured we’d share it.

When constructing an app and especially a resume, there’s often a tendency to inflate the background or focus on honors and awards. This is normal and natural, and when done in the right way, can be very effective. American culture is very awards-driven; we like blue ribbons and gold stars here. Most admissions directors at American schools are on the lookout for signs of achievement.

But the problem is, an award or a gold star is given as a result of something.

The award or the ribbon on its own does not communicate much.

(In some cases, it communicates even less than “not much”; some large companies like the big consulting firms tend to hand out “employee of the month” type recognitions like candy, so getting one of those as a star performer on a team doesn’t convey that much value at all in the resume. Because it’s so common.)

Having one bullet on the resume that consists of “Recognized as Employee of the Quarter in Spring 2012” doesn’t hurt you. But when most of the bullets on the page are some form of “Chosen to lead the team to rebuild the latest version of the whazzihoozits” or “Given highest rating in the department for the year” then we just end up going, “Okay great, but WHY?”

WHY were you given that award?

What did you do that got you recognized?

And maybe even who recognized you?

Were you nominated by your manager who is your greatest fan? Great, but did every other manager in the organization of 20,000 also nominate someone? And you are the only direct report your manager has? And you didn’t actually get to the next level of whatever employee motivation scheme this was intended to be?

None of that really matters, though. What does matter is what did you do that impressed someone, that they decided you deserved to be recognized?

What RESULTS did you bring to the team, your unit, the client, the company?

THAT is what deserves to be presented front-and-center on the page of the resume.

BTW, military candidates tend to do this a lot; it’s part of the culture of the working environment. Their resumes often have “Selected out of 15 other guys to do blah blah blah” over and over all down the page. These comparisons can add value, but when most of the items are done in that format, it ends up diluting the impact of each one.

So, use them selectively.

We covered this ages ago, in a post called An award is not an achievement, so we encourage you to read that, in case we used better words way back when.

This is the essence of our age-old advice to “show, don’t tell.”

The reader is not going to learn anything useful about you if the whole resume is how you’ve been nominated and selected and given awards. All they will know is that others seem to like you. Not very valuable; no insights there.

An admissions reader wants to know what you’re made of.

They want to get underneath the skin and see how you tick.

What contributions did you make, that resulted in such public honors? THAT’s what should be laid out for them. That’s what will be most useful as they evaluate the kind of leader you’ve been.

If the resume is dripping with all these shiny statements about how much you’ve been admired…. Well that’s great. But let’s go a little deeper, and show the adcom that it’s not just surface-level shine. That there’s gold in the heart of this one, too. Gold all the way through.

Substance.

That’s what will help them to really appreciate what you offer.

 
 
You may also be interested in:

  • A project is not the same as an accomplishment

 
 

 


 

Want some input on how your resume has come together? Oh wait — want some actionable advice on how to improve your resume, and THEN get input on how good you’ve gotten it? The Reworking Your Resume does that for you! (Just please don’t overlook the “reworking” part of the proposition!)
 

Filed Under: "show don't tell", leadership, resumes

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From a BSer January 2020:
"love the guide books!"


CLASS OF 2023 MBA APPLICATION STRATEGY GUIDES

     
    The 2020 Berkeley-Haas MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2023 application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Berkeley Haas - refreshed and updated, with brainstorming exercises and structured maps to help you focus your stories!
   
    The 2020-2021 NYU Stern MBA Application Guide that covers the main essay, the EQ Endorsement and Pick Six!
SnarkStrategies Guide for NYU - discusses your requirements for the Class of 2023 essays!
   
    The 2020-2021 Columbia MBA Application Guide
SnarkStrategies Guide for Columbia Business School for 2020-2021 applications
   
    The 2020 Harvard MBA Application Guide - completely overhauled and updated for the coronavirus era!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Harvard Business School!
   
    The 2020-2021 Duke Essay Guide - covers the 25 Random Things essay and all the rest too!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Duke Fuqua - up to date for the current season!
   
    The 2020-2021 MIT Essay Guide covers the org chart, the contacts for two references, and additional tips for the cover letter and 'introduce yourself' video -- and everything else you need to know!
SnarkStrategies Guide for MIT Sloan MBA - totally revised for the Class of 2023!
   
    The 2020-2021 Tuck Essay Guide has been refreshed with latest insights and advice for your essays about "investing generously" and "why Tuck"!
SnarkStrategies Guide for the Dartmouth Tuck MBA - completely overhauled for 2020, to help you demonstrate how you are nice, aware, etc stuff!
   
    The Yale SOM MBA Application Guide for Class of 2023 candidates!
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    The 2020-2021 Chicago Booth MBA Application Guide - ready to go to support your Class of 2023 essay strategy!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Chicago Booth for this year's MBA app!
   
    The 2020 Wharton MBA Application Guide - even more advice on how to get to a win with those essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for The Wharton School - with new tips for 2020!
   
    The 2020 Kellogg Essay Guide - with a full methodology to identify your 'lasting impact' and your 'values' -- plus tips on 2020 world events and applicability to your essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Kellogg MBA - updated and revised for the new realities of 2020!    
      The 2020 Stanford MBA Application Guide - for "what matters most" in your MBA application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Stanford GSB for the Class of 2023
   
    The 2020-2021 UCLA Anderson MBA Application Guide - updated for Class of 2023 on "impact"!
SnarkStrategies Guide for 
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