????當(dāng)羅伯特的形象閃現(xiàn)在墻上的大屏幕時(shí)，房間里所有的視線都聚集在了這位長(zhǎng)相英俊的英國(guó)小伙子身上。現(xiàn)年30歲的羅伯特正在申請(qǐng)就讀多倫多大學(xué)(University of Toronto)羅特曼管理學(xué)院(Rotman School of Management)的MBA項(xiàng)目。

????這些目光來(lái)自該校MBA招生委員會(huì)的7位委員。他們一個(gè)個(gè)正襟穩(wěn)坐，像影評(píng)人那樣評(píng)判申請(qǐng)者的視頻表現(xiàn)。羅伯特穿一身深色西裝，藍(lán)色的襯衫上系著一條紅領(lǐng)帶。他看上去信心十足，侃侃而談，至少?zèng)]有做一些促使招生委員們直接把他放入拒絕名單的事情。

????“大家好，”他用清脆的英國(guó)口音說(shuō)道?！霸捳f(shuō)我希望同事們?cè)鯓涌创夷兀渴紫?，我希望他們覺(jué)得我有趣、爽朗，是一位很好相處的同事，還能夠給充滿壓力的工作帶來(lái)一些樂(lè)趣。我可以幫助公司打破跨部門團(tuán)隊(duì)之間的社交障礙，從而促使同事們更加有效地協(xié)同工作，我覺(jué)得這是我從事過(guò)的最有價(jià)值的活動(dòng)之一?！?/p>

????歡迎來(lái)到MBA入學(xué)申請(qǐng)的美麗新世界。

????作為試點(diǎn)，羅特曼管理學(xué)院去年要求申請(qǐng)者以視頻形式回答兩個(gè)預(yù)先錄制的問(wèn)題?，F(xiàn)在，這所商學(xué)院已經(jīng)將其作為正式的招生篩選工具。西北大學(xué)( Northwestern University)凱洛格管理學(xué)院(Kellogg School of Management )于7月29日表示，該校今年將要求MBA申請(qǐng)材料中必須包括視頻內(nèi)容。與之相似，在即將到來(lái)的這個(gè)MBA申請(qǐng)季中，耶魯大學(xué)管理學(xué)院(Yale University's School of Management)也將要求申請(qǐng)者提交視頻資料。

????其他商學(xué)院也開(kāi)始啟動(dòng)視頻申請(qǐng)環(huán)節(jié)，但大多數(shù)學(xué)校依然給那些不愿上鏡的候選人提供了一些替代選擇。德州大學(xué)(The University of Texas)麥庫(kù)姆斯商學(xué)院(McCombs School of Business)和紐約大學(xué)(NYU)斯特恩商學(xué)院( Stern School of Business)均接受候選人以視頻形式回答問(wèn)題，但同時(shí)也提供了幾種不同的回答格式（包括傳統(tǒng)作文）供他們選擇。加州大學(xué)洛杉磯分校( UCLA)的安德森管理學(xué)院(Anderson School of Management )去年提供了視頻選項(xiàng)，但一些學(xué)生抱怨說(shuō)無(wú)法獲得必要的技術(shù)支持，該校隨后又取消了這種申請(qǐng)方式。最近，歐洲工商管理學(xué)院( INSEAD)暗示，在即將到來(lái)的這個(gè)申請(qǐng)周期，該校或?qū)⒁胍曨l訪談形式。

????一些招生官員希望，要求申請(qǐng)人在視頻上回答意想不到的問(wèn)題，可以顯露出申請(qǐng)者在脫稿和未經(jīng)排練時(shí)的表現(xiàn)。鑒于越來(lái)越多的申請(qǐng)者正在聘請(qǐng)入學(xué)顧問(wèn)打磨他們的簡(jiǎn)歷，幫助其修改作文，有的甚至自己動(dòng)手撰寫(xiě)推薦信，要看清楚申請(qǐng)者的“真面目”已經(jīng)變得愈發(fā)困難。

????果不其然，面對(duì)這種變化，一些入學(xué)顧問(wèn)已經(jīng)做出了回應(yīng)，他們開(kāi)始以視頻提示的方式幫助申請(qǐng)者提高這方面的技能。芝加哥入學(xué)咨詢機(jī)構(gòu)The MBA Exchange表示，該公司正在邀請(qǐng)一位“視頻專家”加入其團(tuán)隊(duì)，向那些打算與目標(biāo)院校進(jìn)行視頻互動(dòng)的申請(qǐng)者提供指導(dǎo)和反饋意見(jiàn)?！八膶W(xué)術(shù)和專業(yè)資歷涵蓋戲劇、心理學(xué)、多媒體傳播等領(lǐng)域，他的加入能夠讓我們?yōu)榭蛻籼峁﹥?nèi)容開(kāi)發(fā)和逼真表演等方面的建議，”The MBA Exchange公司創(chuàng)始人丹?鮑爾如是說(shuō)。這家入學(xué)咨詢機(jī)構(gòu)表示，在提供視頻輔導(dǎo)時(shí)，他們并不打算向那些購(gòu)買該公司“全套”咨詢服務(wù)的客戶收取額外費(fèi)用。

????于商學(xué)院的招生官員而言，使用視頻還可以節(jié)省時(shí)間，因?yàn)樗?jīng)常被用來(lái)替代書(shū)面作文，閱讀并評(píng)估這些文章需要較長(zhǎng)時(shí)間?！霸u(píng)估視頻更容易一些，相對(duì)于枯坐著閱讀一份靜態(tài)的申請(qǐng)材料，視頻為我們的評(píng)審過(guò)程增加了一絲多樣性。”多倫多大學(xué)羅特曼管理學(xué)院MBA招生辦公室主任尼基?達(dá)席爾瓦如是說(shuō)。

????When Robert's image pops up on a screen on the wall, all eyes in the room are transfixed on the handsome 30-year-old Brit who is applying to the MBA program at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

????The eyes belong to the seven members of the school's MBA admissions committee who sit, like film critics, to judge the candidate's video performance. Robert is in a dark suit, with a blue shirt and red tie. He comes across confident and articulate, doing nothing at least to put him in the reject pile.

????"Hello there," he says in his clipped British accent. "So how do I like my colleagues to see me? First of all, I'd like them to see me as somebody who is fun and outgoing, who is good to work with and can actually introduce some fun into stressful working environments. I think some of the most valuable activity I've done has evolved around when we were able to break down some of the social barriers between inter-department teams to enable us to work more effectively together."

????Welcome to the brave new world of MBA admissions.

????Rotman, which required applicants to answer two pre-recorded questions on video last year as a pilot, is now introducing them as a screening tool for admissions. Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management said on July 29 that it would also require a video component to its MBA application this year. Kellogg joins Yale University's School of Management, which is also going to the videotape for this upcoming MBA application season.

????Other B-schools are dabbling in video, but most still offer alternatives to camera-shy candidates. The University of Texas' McCombs School of Business and NYU's Stern School of Business both accept video responses to questions that allow candidates to choose from several different answer formats, including the traditional essay. UCLA's Anderson School of Management offered a video option last year, but scrapped it when some students didn't have access to the necessary technology. Most recently, the admissions team at Europe's INSEAD has hinted that the school may introduce video interviews in its upcoming application cycle.

????Some admissions officials hope that requiring applicants to answer unexpected questions on video will show candidates unscripted and unrehearsed. That's become increasingly difficult at a time when applicants are increasingly hiring admissions consultants to sharpen their resumes, polish their essays, and coach recommenders.

????Already, some consultants are responding to the change by offering coaching to help applicants with the video prompts. Chicago-based consultant The MBA Exchange says it is adding a "video specialist" to its team to provide guidance and feedback to applicants as they plan for video-based interaction with their target schools. "His academic and professional credentials span theatre, psychology, and multimedia communication, enabling us to advise clients on both content development and authentic delivery," says Dan Bauer, CEO and founder of The MBA Exchange, which plans to offer video coaching at no extra charge to clients who pay for the firm's "comprehensive" consulting package.

????For a business school's admissions staff, the use of video also can save time because it's often used as a replacement for written essays, which take longer to read and assess. "It is easier and it provides a little bit more variety than just sitting down with a static application," says Niki da Silva, director of MBA recruitment and admissions at the Rotman School in Toronto.