Consultants offer Facebook audit service to MBA applicants for $7,000

[Andy Nguyen]

Consulting firms are making a pretty penny specializing in online imagecontrol. One consulting firm called MBA Exchange has begun to offer a social media audit to prepare applicants for surprise Google and Facebook searches, according to Fortune.

They comb the Internet for any inappropriate content and scan your social media personas to make sure your friends haven’t left a rogue f-word on your wall, or an otherwise embarrassing comment on a photo buried deep in your vacation album from 2008.

The Managing Director of the MBA Exchange, Dan Bauer, says he came up with the idea last year after visiting with several admissions officials at the nation’s top business schools.

Bauer’s firm charges anywhere from $4,300 to almost $7,000 to run an audit. He said he plans to offer his services on an “a la carte basis priced at $495” later this year. Even at the reduced price, it seems like a lot to pay for something that common sense could help you figure out for free — especially if you make use of privacy settings.
http://www.allfacebook.com/consultancies-clean-profiles-for-mba-hopefuls-2011-03

 

[Tsotne]

Just a small extract from that article:

If you’re applying for business school, you should make sure your Facebook profile is squeaky clean; admissions officials might check you out online to see whether you’re professional.

Is this real that your social site's pages might be checked for evaluation purposes???

 

[Peter-Jan]

Simply go to your Facebook privacy settings and set everything to "my friends only" or stricter.

Having people pay $7K for such a service is good for the future of the species.

 

[Tsotne]

Simply go to your Facebook privacy settings and set everything to "my friends only" or stricter.

People paying $7K for such a service are good for the species.

I also see it as kind of pointless audit. Cannot we clean our own pages?!

What I really got interested in is if the admission officials really check out the FB profile for evaluation. Seems weird though.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Doubtful. They don't even have time to evaluate carefully every single application. I would doubt they go online to check FB, LinkedIn, Tweeter, etc.
If your application is really weird, maybe they will.
The MBA application scene is ridiculous that people are willing to pay $3K for some guy to look at his resume.

 

[MBAExchange]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for your interest in this new service. However, there are two corrections needed in your description...
-The Social Media Audit is just one component of a Comprehensive Admissions consultation that supports all aspects of MBA applications -- resume, recommendatiions, essay development, interview preparation and waitlist coaching. The comprehensive engagement is priced at $4300-6700, depending on the number of applications.
-The a la carte, stand-alone version of the Social Media Audit is priced at $95, not $495.
And some addtional information: The Social Media Audit is intended for applicants who aren’t sure how their online presence will influence their MBA candidacy in the eyes of the b-schools. (If you thoughtfully and diligently manage your own online profile – and monitor those of people with similar names — with the admissions committee's perspective in mind — then you probably aren’t a good prospect for this service.) The value goes beyond merely finding the questionable data -- it's primarily in assessing the likely interpretation and impact on a sensitive audience, the MBA admissions staff and alumni or student interviewers. No applicant to Harvard, Stanford or Wharton would consciously post anything online that could harm their chances for admission --- but as we’ve learned by doing these audits, many applicants post comments without considering what these specific readers will think. And many more applicants don't regularly seek and analyze what's posted about other people who share some variation on their name.
Our audit includes an objective analysis of the client’s presence as well as expert advice on mitigating negative postings and using social media to actually enhance the candidacy. Even those individuals without any negative online content can then apply to b-school more confidently, knowing they have a “clean” profile. Feedback from clients who have used our service so far is very encouraging and some findings have been valuable to their candidacies.
If you’re a serious MBA applicant who might benefit from this service, feel free to email us directly at info@mbaexchange.com. Thanks again for making these corrections.

 

[MBAExchange]

Doubtful. They don't even have time to evaluate carefully every single application. I would doubt they go online to check FB, LinkedIn, Tweeter, etc.
If your application is really weird, maybe they will.
The MBA application scene is ridiculous that people are willing to pay $3K for some guy to look at his resume.

Hi again, Andy,
Thanks for your interest in MBA admissions consulting. I invite you to visit our website www.mbaexchange.com to get a complete, factual understanding of the scope and value of our services -- far beyond resume review. Please contact us if you have any questions or suggestions. You might also like to visit www.admissions411.com where hundreds of former MBA applicants provide candid feedback on how professional admissions consultants helped them achieve admission to the most selective business schools -- efficiently, effectively and ethically. Thanks again.