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Essay Question:
Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors which have influenced your personal development, giving examples where necessary. (minor: approximately 400 words approx.)
After graduating from college, I landed a job as an Account Coordinator at Publicis New York. Although an economics major at Smith, I had worked on publications throughout high school and college and wanted to pursue a more creative career path. Whereas my classmates interviewed with investment banks and consulting firms, I undertook an independent job search, exploring fields such as public relations and marketing. I ultimately chose a career in advertising because it allowed me to synthesize an interest in business and communications. I spent four years at Publicis USA, working on both packaged goods and retail accounts. From creating direct response commercials for a discount brokerage house to building a brand image for the launch of a major new beauty line in the U.S., I learned to develop successful campaigns within the constraints of different size budgets. The first two years were primarily an educational experience during which I learned key advertising skills: how to write a creative brief, perform a competitive analysis, and manage the creative process. After two years I was promoted to Account Executive on the Laboratoires Garnier and L'Orial Kids accounts. I supervised two junior level managers and reported directly to the Client on certain assignments, including budgets, competitive reports and print ads. As the liaison between the client, creative, media and production teams, I learned to manage expectations and evaluate need. In June 2001, I moved to the Publicis headquarters in Paris as an International Coordinator for Nestli. Publicis is one of five Nestli roster agencies worldwide. Advertising campaigns are created by the local agency in each market. The central team works with the international client to establish global strategies and with each local Publicis agency to help them win assignments and improve their creative product. When I joined the team, it was transitioning from a small unit responding to ad-hoc requests into its current role as a proactive, strategic group. As this new mission required greater information and a more cohesive network, I worked to improve the information flow among the local agencies. However, I was eager to move to the strategic side in order to work more closely on brand communication, and after a year, moved into my current position. Today I am an Associate International Brand Director, responsible for working with over sixty Publicis agencies worldwide to support local market communication developments. While my supervisor establishes the overall strategic direction for our brands, I manage the markets. The work is diverse and varies by category, product, and country. A typical day might include brainstorming sponsorship ideas for Nestli Aquarel, teaching Publicis Spain to utilize the new TAbs Matrix, and reviewing Hungary's corporate campaign with the international client. My principal responsibility is managing the Nestli Pure Life account. As the first Nestli branded water, image is of utmost importance and communication is controlled centrally. I oversee fifteen markets, ensuring their adaptations adhere to guidelines and their local developments follow strategy. Although I have worked for the same company throughout my career, the highly varied assignments have given me a global understanding of communication. From handling the details of one product in one market to managing the development and expansion of an international plan, I have had the fortune to learn both the macro and micro sides of advertising.
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Essay Question:
Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you?
In February 2003, I had the opportunity to attend a Nestli seminar in Egypt. I experienced culture shock in Cairo, though not in the traditional sense. I was shocked that every stereotype I had previously held was shattered. I have had the opportunity to travel extensively, yet I have principally visited developed countries. Although my mind has been opened since living abroad, I can still fall back on existing preconceptions. Heading to Egypt a few weeks before the war with Iraq was due to break out, I was warned by everyone in my midst to be careful. My French and international friends suggested that I avoid mentioning my nationality; my American friends back home were shocked that I would even consider venturing into a region that was sure to be filled with hatred for the Americans. Though I looked forward to discovering a new culture, I was wary of how the other participants, representing mostly Middle Eastern nations, would view me. It was here that I had the greatest shock. Not only did the Egyptians not dislike Americans, but they also understood them. They understood the political point of view and how the popular opinion was formed. They didnt necessarily agree with the United States, but they could see both points of view. Where as Americans with whom I had discussed the politics of Iraq adamantly stood by their opinions, whatever their point of view, my new Egyptian friends were eager to learn and to discuss. Instead of avoiding this potentially dangerous topic, I ended up embracing it and having fascinating discussions on American politics prior to a war.
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Essay Question:
Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying for an MBA and how will they contribute to your professional career? (major essay). This was written for an MBA program.
I plan to develop a career in international brand management within consumer product companies. Working in advertising has provided me with a first-hand view into life on the Client side. L'Orial especially included their agencies in many of the processes not traditionally considered 'advertising,' sharing their marketing plans and consulting with us on new product concepts. Communications is an important building block for brand development, and my experience to-date will no doubt provide me an advantage. Since working on the Nestli Central Team, I have been exposed to the heart of strategic communications. Because we are removed from day-to-day market issues and short-term profit considerations, we focus on the big picture. Working with top-level clients and Publicis managers, I have learned how to develop a durable brand positioning, how to connect with the consumer, and how to develop a total communications plan. However, I wish to be a part of the larger picture. I am currently working on a project to improve in-store communication for bottled water. Although my input pertains to the medium and the message, the work is to a certain extent incomplete. Without understanding key account negotiations and the functioning of the sales force, I am unable to propose a realistic implementation plan. While we are hired as communications experts, I am interested in managing a brand in its entirety. I also wish to work in a more analytical field. While I initially chose advertising for the creative aspect, my strength lies in business, and I would like utilize more 'hard' skills. Communication is highly strategic, but based on creative intuition. While I appreciate creativity, and will certainly need to understand it as a brand manager, I am a businesswoman at heart. Working internationally and on global projects is important to me. I took the position in Paris in order to realize my dream of working in France for a few years and to gain some international experience before pursuing my MBA. Instead, my career direction changed. I have learned the importance of understanding the global marketplace. A sound business plan is ineffective if it does not take into account how the local consumer thinks; likewise, the executive must comprehend how a company functions in another culture. To operate in the international arena, it is vital to arrive at a balance between international necessities and local realities. This is the ideal school for me because it provides a global management education. While other top programs can provide the marketing skills, the general management focus, and the access to high-level faculty and business people, only this MBA program provides a true international education. Furthermore, the graduates land internationally focused positions worldwide, not only at conglomerates such as LOrial, but also expanding companies such as Nars Cosmetics. Globalism has become a catchword, and international opportunities are becoming more and more prevalent at MBA programs today. While I think these have merit and would certainly take advantage of all offerings at another school, only this MBA program truly infuses globalism throughout the curriculum. I recently had the opportunity to visit the school and sit in on a class, and felt the same vibe as at an international seminar for Nestli. No one culture is prevalent; nobody is providing the international viewpoint. The education was truly global.
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Essay Question:
Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you?
I consider globalization to be the defining 21st century fact, one that prompted me to boldly venture and set foot in the US in August 1996, to pursue a higher education and eventually join my dream company, i2 Technologies. The culture shock I experienced upon setting foot in the US is one that I have absolutely cherished. In fact, learning to 'mix and match' cultures is something Ive been doing my whole life. I am a South Indian by heritage but was born and raised in western India, a region with a bolder, more liberal culture. My upbringing in India and my seven years in America have exposed me both to the contrasting styles and the strikingly similar values of both cultures. Further, my experiences in the U.S. have taught me to strike the right balance between the confident, do-it-yourself American way of life and the family-oriented Indian culture. I have done so by spending time every other weekend with my host family in graduate school, teaching engineering to American students, and, today, engaging in multicultural projects every day at i2 Technologies. The productive 'collision' between my Indian and American lives has also forged my core values of personal responsibility, compassion, and determination, all of which my two cultures share. My community work for the i2 Foundation and the Network-of-Indian-Professionals has enabled me to fuse both my Indian background and the theme of compassion. I have been the lead organizer for i2 fund drives towards helping underprivileged societies. Similarly, I have worked in soup kitchens and helped organize Indian festivals for Net-IP helping promote the Indian culture within the Dallas community. These collective experiences are ones I am proud of; ones that have helped me provide a deep multicultural perspective while simultaneously enriching my character.
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Essay Question:
Describe a situation from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect.
Confucius: 'Our greatest glory is not in ever falling but in rising every time we fall' This statement echoes through my minds ever since my first professional failure a year back. I had been assigned to lead a demonstration of my product line to a prospective client. The team was cross-discipline in nature involving representatives from sales, development, and consulting. I was intent on making my first significant cross-departmental leadership assignment a smashing success. i2 employees are known for their passion to work. This showed off completely in our ability to complete the assignment on time. The prospect getting bedazzled was taken for granted. Alas, we lost to a startup. Detailed follow-up discussions exposed product fallacies flat on our face. The primary reason we lost was because of our user interface. We are renowned in the supply chain industry for incredible solutions to complex problems, but this time, we ignored simple but crucial aspects. We ignored the needs of the user and the usability of the product in general, subtle yet so important as to tilt the decision in our competition's favor. Learning from past experiences is something I always strive for and this was going to be no exception. I performed detailed post-mortem analysis resulting in a User Interface Redesign campaign that would radically re-define our product presentment and usability. As of today, prototypes of our new designs are getting rave reviews from the product community. More importantly though, I am extremely glad that it has opened my eyes to doing what every sales person must do best: passionately understand the customers problems and pain-points towards providing value added solutions.
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Essay Question:
Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of positions?
The memory is still electrifying and physical. I remember tearing the seal on the envelope and I remember my pulse rising. Most of all I remember the opening line of the letter: 'We are pleased to offer you a position at i2 Technologies...' All at once, my thirst for achievement was slaked. My academic training gave me the analytical skills to start my career as a Consultant with Sabre (a leading provider of airline optimization solutions). By solving complex operations research models, developing several key modules, and writing sophisticated algorithms for optimizing flight plans I was able to cut down the defects in the product by 25% and aid in garnering five major customer wins. My ability to successfully challenge myself earned me a faster promotion than usual, and recognition of 'Best All-rounder' within the group. However, this very same desire compelled me to work in the industry (supply chain management) and company (i2 Technologies) closest to my heart. I believe there are two general kinds of people: those who generate wealth through adding efficiency into processes and those who move wealth. I enjoy falling in the former category. I had been fascinated by i2 from my junior yearthe year that i2, then a fledgling startup, announced its first customer win in factory planning. I was astonished by the ingenuity of their central idea to automate the entire sequence of product manufacturing. In 2000 I therefore joined i2's Collaborative Commerce division. Serving first as Applications Engineer and then a Product Manager in i2s innovative 'skunk-works' operation instilled within me several key principles. These included dynamic risk-taking through development of unprecedented functionality such as repair planning, spearheading initiatives such as performance benchmarks that increased our pipeline fivefold and a collaborative we-can-do-it attitude that permeated through every project. These very same tenets allowed me to gain promotions and garner awards within a hyper-competitive environment (60% of i2 employees have advanced degrees). If I were to remain in my company, I would definitely consider a Senior Product Marketing position, one that would allow me to act as a 'Trusted Advisor' to companies, an advisor with deep domain expertise, a firm grasp on industry trends and experience in crafting practical solutions to complex problems.
