You might have heard: we released a shorter, crisper version of our online application last week. We wanted to take this opportunity to answer some common questions about our application and our Selection process more generally—a “behind-the-app” tour, if you will. From the how, to the what, to the why, we’ve gathered some info to paint a clearer picture of how we select candidates—and what you can do to put your best foot forward by our next deadline.
Is VFA looking for something different in the updated application form?
As they say in the food industry: brand new look, same great taste! We streamlined the application because we received feedback from applicants that it was difficult to balance the time commitment of the previous, longer version with the demands of a busy school year. Our criteria for assessing the application remain the same, however, and we’ve boiled it down to concentrate the same content into fewer words. We’ll look for a variety of factors that we believe make a successful Fellow (and entrepreneur): grittiness and determination in the face of adversity, emotional maturity, a track record of excellence in academia, athletics, or extracurricular activities, eagerness to learn from failure, and startup experience. Just like with the old version, there’s no formula for a stellar application – entrepreneurship is an art, not a science, and successful VFA Fellows come from a diverse set of personal, academic, and professional backgrounds.
I just clicked “Submit.” What happens next?
Two randomly-assigned reviewers from the VFA community (Team members, second-year Fellows, and Alumni) will read through your application independently and weigh in on factors like experience, mission-alignment, and writing skills. Reviewers assign a score to your application, but we won’t pin you down to just a number; they will carefully comment on perceived strengths, weaknesses, and remaining questions they have about your candidacy and pass along their remarks with their final recommendation. The VFA Selection Team will give it one last pass through with the reviewers’ notes in mind, and then determine whether your application represents a strong enough fit to continue the conversation via a Skype interview. Within about two weeks of submitting, you’ll hear back from VFA about the status of your candidacy.
Want to learn more about the mechanics of our Selection process? Check out the “Become a Fellow” FAQ page here.
Should I discuss my professional background or my personal experience in my essays?
If Michael Corleone applied to VFA, he might tell you that it’s not personal – strictly business. For most recent grads that want to learn to start meaningful companies, however, it’s a unique combination of both.
The VFA credo says: “My career is a choice that indicates my values.” Yes, we’re going to want to see your business skills and how you’re equipped to bring value to a startup as an entry-level employee, but we also want to know what it is about you that makes you want to venture off the beaten path. Your ambition might be deeply rooted in your personal beliefs, your family history, and your experiences outside of the classroom, or it might stem from your professional background—but it’s likely a distinctive blend that you can capture more precisely in a free-form essay than on a resume.
Think about it this way: your resume ought to clearly exhibit your skills and how your experiences in internships, student organizations, or your own ventures have prepared you to succeed in the startup world. The essays, on the other hand, are your chance to explain how all of your experiences have steered you towards Venture for America and prepared you for success as a Fellow. What should we know about you that you couldn’t fit into the structured format of a one-page resume? If you don’t know where to start, flip through some of the Fellow stories on our website!
Keep in mind, however, that you’re writing a job application. Be careful not to write about something you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with a boss, telling a coworker, or discussing in a professional bio. Love stories and party folklore have their place, but vet your content carefully for professional relevance.
What do you look for in the Wildcard, and what do most candidates submit?
The wildcard provides you with an opportunity to show us your subtleties, skills, passions, or accomplishments in a freer format, without the typical directive of question-response. If your application is a treehouse, then the wildcard is the paint and primer—it certainly won’t replace the wood or the nails, but it can make it distinctly yours.
Have you built something you’re proud of? Do you draw? Have you written something potent, prized, or powerful at your job or in your free time? Did you kill it at your dance recital, your art show, or at your band’s final performance? Do you have your own website? Your own business? Feel free to paste a link to something with a short description if you want. All we ask is that you keep it (fairly) professional.
Successful candidates in the past have submitted a staggeringly wide range of wildcards, from poems to YouTube guided meditations, but many didn’t submit one at all. Again, think of it as an opportunity to tell us a little more about yourself—if you want to.
I didn’t make it to the interview round this year, but I still think I’m qualified. Can I re-apply for the next deadline?
It’s never fun to hear bad news. First off—don’t take it personally. The VFA Selection process is not a measurement of your business acumen or your collegiate credentials, nor is it a predictor of your future entrepreneurial success. It’s a brief test of whether you and VFA would both be better off if you spent the next two years in the VFA Fellowship. VFA is not for everyone (not even for some entrepreneurs) and our Selection process seeks to determine mutual fit between you and the program. More importantly, given the constraints and brevity of any digital format, it can never be a perfect process. While we collect as much relevant information as we can through the application, we’ll never know the all nuances of your background, values, hesitations, hopes, and dreams from what you were able to share in a handful of documents.
We limit candidates to one application to each Fellowship class. Simply continuing at your college activities, touching up your essays, and reapplying to the next deadline wouldn’t be enough to overturn the decision—it takes more than a few weeks or months to seriously change your candidacy. You need significant time to gain experience, acquire new skills, or reach new perspectives in order to make a better case for a mutual fit with VFA.
That said, while candidates who don’t advance won’t be eligible to reapply for the 2016 Fellowship, they can certainly try again next year! We admire the hustle and tenacity that candidates demonstrate by reapplying, and we’re more than happy to provide feedback on how to improve an application the next time round.
Ready to apply? Click here.