The Video Related Question for ISB 2013 Intake: Life to me is… (Please complete the following statement in your own words on Video, 90 Seconds/15 MB)
Lets take a moment here to understand why the ISB PGP committee is having you do this?
- With an ever increasing number of applicants, it becomes cumbersome to judge your case completely just by (A) You profile/resume (B) Essays (These can be edited over and over again by you) (C) Recommendations (These are again a complementary assessment tool)
- What they seek is a face to the application
- The only other way to “See” the actual applicant is the interview: And with an ever rising number of applications, a much more efficient way would be the video
What will be assessed through the ISB App. video, in our opinion
- Your communication skills and energy levels (Obvious, right?)
- Attitude
- Passion
So here are some tips to get you started
- This is an important application element: The video is your live, direct connect to the admissions team – It can’t get any better that this! (especially if presentation and communication skills are your strengths). So taking it seriously is much advised.
- Link your video content to the most important points running through the first 3 essays (strengths, goals, how you could contribute to the campus and the like)
- Your Opening and Concluding statements are most important: These re the ones that are “maximally recalled/impactful” in visual judgements.
- Focus on a very creative opening: out-of-the-ordinary (Cues: Starting with your qualifications, job title etc. is going to be mundane unless you have a very powerful 20-minute elevator pitch. We are 101% sure that a good portion of applicants will proceed with this flow. Now imagine the assessors boredom!).
- PASSION: This is an important cue. Focus on passions that could be work-related or hobbies – in a sequence that you are comfortable with. (Let’s now “change the world” here, though – it’s trite since a decade!)
- Text elements can be used in videos – but very limited words are advised (30-40% of a typical PowerPoint presentation ). Please remember that any text and/or special effects will divert attention from you. However, the exception could be the case of a graphics designer or even a technologist sharing his passionate creation!
- Dress smart, sharp and formally. You could be an expert scuba-diver but opening with a scuba-diving suit right at the beginning will not be a perfect idea! However, the video’s 2nd phase could transition to it.
- Again these are broad guidelines and we hope they will prevent you from possible pitfalls and generate the right thought-pattern for this very interesting pitch-of-a-lifetime.
Contact us for a free, 30-minute personalized video and/or application review.
To your success,
MBA Admission Gurus