Monday Morning Essay Tip: What Is Your Deal? (Multidimensional Brainstorming, Part 2)
September 8th, 2008 | Posted in Monday Morning Essay Tips, Blogroll
Many candidates—whether they are working as bankers or lawyers, in internal corporate finance or corporate strategy—feel it necessary to tell a “deal story.” While discussing a deal can be a good idea, it is vital that you show your distinct impact on it—it is crucial that you, not the deal, are the central character. As we have discussed before (Monday Morning Essay Tip: Conflict Is Good), the story of how you dutifully completed your work and steadily supported others as a deal became a reality is not likely to be interesting. Further, it is important that the Admissions Committee experience your personality, not your spreadsheets.
So, you might ask yourself some of these questions to ensure that your story is about you:
- What did you do that was beyond the expectation of your role? Did you grow into additional responsibilities at a crucial time?
- Were there any particular interactions in which you used your personality to change the dynamic so as to ensure the deal’s progress or success?
- Did you need to take a principled stand at any moment or speak out on behalf of a needful party?
- Were there any corporate or international cultural barriers that you helped others overcome?
These are just a few questions, but the point remains: it is important not to simply offer any deal but to provide insight into your deal.
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