Однако помните, что ваше эссе должно не только поведать членам приемной комиссии о вашем профессиональном опыте, но и продемонстрировать черты вашей личности и ваше отношение к окружающему миру. Они хотят знать о том, что принесли своей организации именно вы, как вы смогли сделать свою работу еще более интересной и эффективной.

After four years of work experience, I realize that the people-oriented and planning aspects of business interest me. In light of this discovery, my career goal is to become an expert at strategic planning. Г want to support this ability by understanding how to iden­tify, develop, and deploy the best people to implement the strategies. My professional experience has prepared me with a foundation on which to build toward this goal.

"JC Penney—I love your style." Thus sang our popular ad. As an Inventory Analyst for this stylish company, 1 forecasted catalog and Internet demand for men's apparel. Challenged by a project aimed at reducing the return rate for men's shirts, I contributed my analyses to interdepartmental planning efforts among the buying, advertising, and brand management areas. My efforts helped the team redesign the fit of the shirts and yielded high-impact visual presentations that allowed the customer to see the merchandise better. Reducing the return rate saved the company $1,000,000 over a six-month period. After earning two workload increases, 1 moved to the sporting goods area. Focusing my attention on surplus reduction, I successfully coached my suppliers through new inventory procurement procedures that increased inventory turnover and reduced lost sales on high-dollar merchandise.

While at JC Penney I also used my relational skills to assist with college recruitment efforts by interviewing candidates and conducting career fairs. In the process, I creatively presented two workshops that won high ratings from students at a national conference in Austin. Eventually, I looked for new challenges and desired to expand my skill set. Switching to the insurance industry offered me that opportunity.

As a Chubb underwriter, I have identified and begun pursuing $40,000 in potential business with companies facing property, machin­ery breakdown, and transportation risks. I set prices, write customized insurance packages, and grow my accounts through a network of inde­pendent agents. While this knowledge is invaluable, I have yet to truly discover my professional niche.

However, when I examine the appealing qualities of my jobs, the people-oriented and the planning aspects of business interest me. That is why I define my career goal around strategic planning. An MBA program having a powerful general management orientation and offering the practicality of hands-on training is the best vehicle for me to prepare for this career change. Studying how various business functions operate and complement each other gives me a broad, multi-faceted understanding of key issues. Practical activities such as consulting projects and overseas study trips allow me to explore dif­ferent fields of interest and apply classroom concepts while gaining worthwhile problem solving experience. The experience also sharp­ens my ability to productively negotiate, persuade, motivate, and re­solve conflict with people regardless of our unique personalities. Upon completing my MBA, I will be capable of creating new business opportunities and able to lead companies in developing the human talent that they need.