Clear Admit
05-10-2005, 04:59 PM
Dear Pramodb,
Thank you for your question. Applying from a family business can indeed be tricky, as there are several hurdles you will have to keep in mind.
The foremost of these hurdles is proving to the adcom that you are not working for your family because no one else was interested in hiring you. This means that discussing your professional successes in concrete terms will be even more vital than for other candidates.
You will also have to be careful about whom you ask to write letters of recommendation for you. Under no circumstances should you ask a family member to do so ?their word will not be given much credit, as it is assumed that any family member would write positively about you. If possible, you should have unrelated supervisors write your recommendation letters ?if not, perhaps you could ask a client or a business associate.
You haven’t said what you do for your family’s jewelry business, which makes it difficult to assess your background. For example, if you have been running the company’s operations for years and want to enter a field that requires a great deal of operations knowledge, your background could be quite useful.
I would definitely suggest that you volunteer or start to pursue other extracurricular activities. This helps you present yourself as a well-rounded, interesting person. In your case, it could also help you show that you can succeed/make a difference in an arena that is not managed by your relatives.
Regards,
Sarah Crane Newman
Clear Admit, LLC
Thank you for your question. Applying from a family business can indeed be tricky, as there are several hurdles you will have to keep in mind.
The foremost of these hurdles is proving to the adcom that you are not working for your family because no one else was interested in hiring you. This means that discussing your professional successes in concrete terms will be even more vital than for other candidates.
You will also have to be careful about whom you ask to write letters of recommendation for you. Under no circumstances should you ask a family member to do so ?their word will not be given much credit, as it is assumed that any family member would write positively about you. If possible, you should have unrelated supervisors write your recommendation letters ?if not, perhaps you could ask a client or a business associate.
You haven’t said what you do for your family’s jewelry business, which makes it difficult to assess your background. For example, if you have been running the company’s operations for years and want to enter a field that requires a great deal of operations knowledge, your background could be quite useful.
I would definitely suggest that you volunteer or start to pursue other extracurricular activities. This helps you present yourself as a well-rounded, interesting person. In your case, it could also help you show that you can succeed/make a difference in an arena that is not managed by your relatives.
Regards,
Sarah Crane Newman
Clear Admit, LLC
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