Candid Description Essay: Candid description of yourself, strengths and weaknesses, factors which have influenced your personal development. (Maximum 500 words)
Candid description of yourself, strengths and weaknesses, factors which have influenced your personal development.
My personal development was influenced by my parents, who raised me to be ambitious and fearless, whilst also upholding strict moral standards such as looking after my family, and seizing every opportunity that I was given to benefit those around me or society. These values have shaped my education, my professional choices, and my personal life.
I am an adventurer. I seek out new experiences and thrive in challenging environments. Studying at the University of Bosnia, surrounded by students from across Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, I established a diverse network, and I immersed in student life by hosting in think tanks focused on entrepreneurship and formulating solutions to challenges encountered by other developing nations. I explored different points of view and experiences, shaped my own ideas, embraced a global perspective, and elevated my leadership and social skills.
I am solutions orientated. I seek out opportunities, through my work and hobbies, to learn more every day: whenever I require a new skill, I don’t rest until I attain it. My principle in life is simple: find what you love and improve constantly. I have continually implemented this principle in my personal and professional life.
I am an extrovert. I enjoy connecting with people through socializing, traveling, and music. I love exploring unchartered waters. I grew up in South America, but seized the opportunity to study in Beijing after high school; my outgoing personality and passion for people ensured that I built a strong global network, and I have been living abroad ever since.
I am ambitious. Working as an advisor in Widgets.com has elevated my problem-solving ability and critical reasoning. Through the roles as a data scientist, project manager and mentor, I have accrued experience from diverse branches of the widget industry and varying perspectives. I’ve sought opportunities to work with diverse clientele, fortifying my communication and project management skills, while my work in widget M&A has augmented my entrepreneurial and leadership skills. I’ve gained these experiences because of my drive to grow.
I have a strong social conscience. In Month 20xx, the global financial crisis hit the Eastern European widget industry. As a bail out, an “experiment” was conducted by global finance, which imposed massive cutbacks on the local widget industry. Our citizens were severely affected by a chain of severe macroeconomic effects. The consequences were alarming, and I made it my vision to prevent the occurrence of anything similar. I have researched and published papers on this topic.
However, my impatience for growth is sometimes my biggest weakness. When I find myself in an environment with no overt growth opportunities, I begin shifting my focus towards new, more competitive and challenging environments, sometimes short-changing the urgent but dull tasks of the moment. Learning to balance my ambition with pragmatism has been essential to my growth.
I am proud of the values that I was raised with, and that have shaped me. These are the values that I will bring to INSEAD as a student, and as an alumnus.