For leading business schools operating in a hypercompetitive global market for the best candidates, differentiation remains a key challenge. For many, community is now a key strategic focus in highlighting uniqueness and driving success, particularly in the context of MBA and EMBA recruitment.

As an extension of your school's brand, engagement with your online community will be one of the first meaningful interactions admitted candidates have with your school. It should, therefore, feel like an exclusive home for your members. You are creating a unique experience by making it easy for your candidates to find meaningful connections and develop valuable relationships not only with their fellow candidates, but also with members of the wider school community such as current students and alumni.

The Significance of Your Community in Converting Admitted Candidates

The significance of your community in attracting and converting admitted candidates cannot be overstated. Candidates are selecting schools that offer opportunities for high-level professional networking and engagement opportunities. At the offer stage, these candidates are not just selecting what school to attend; they are choosing the community they want to belong to.

In September 2023, schools that leveraged their community pathway consistently achieved over 80% conversion on admitted students.

Building a great community for your 2025 candidates starts with understanding your people and what motivates them to engage and participate. It is a crucial point to note at the outset; you can't begin to choose the right community design if you don't know your members intimately. Once you have a deeper understanding of what drives your candidates to join and engage with your school's online communities, it is then time to choose, design and shape the right space(s) for them to come together. This space should be accessible, safe, functional, exciting, and, of course, support the type of community engagement that drives your business goals.

To help you navigate through the various options, here are four important considerations when designing your community space for 2025:

1. Generate a sense of exclusivity around your school community 

It is essential to create a sense of uniqueness and exclusivity around your school's candidate community. Wherever your community is hosted, it should be gated and made available only to those you have invited to join. This step is crucial, as members then understand that those they share this space with have been similarly vetted and have also met the conditions for entry. The community feels exclusive, shared commonality instilling a sense of safety and giving members more confidence to be open in what they share with others. The goal, after all, is to strengthen the relationship between the candidates and facilitate the openness and sharing that happens when people feel confident and secure in their environment.

Your community sets you apart, so carefully consider the type of experience you want to deliver and where you can best maximize value.

2. Showcase the professional attributes of candidates as they join the community

Profiling each MBA candidate upon joining their school's community is crucial for several reasons. It allows us to tailor support, professional networking opportunities, and resources to the unique strengths and needs of each student. To accomplish this, collecting specific types of professional information at the onboarding stage is essential. This can include information such as:

• Current Job Title: Understanding a candidate's current role provides insights into their professional background and expertise.

• Company Information: Knowing where a candidate works can facilitate networking with peers from the same organization or industry.

• Career Goals: Identifying a candidate's aspirations helps in offering targeted guidance and support.

• Industry Background: Recognising the industry a candidate is coming from provides insights into their knowledge base and networking requirements.

• Leadership Experience: Identifying prior leadership roles showcases potential for the same within the MBA community.

• Professional Certifications: Highlighting any professional certifications can guide candidates toward complementary coursework or career advancement.

• Language Proficiency: Knowing language skills can be useful for language-specific programs or international initiatives.

• Interests and Hobbies: Personal interests and hobbies can help in building a more cohesive and engaged community by connecting like-minded individuals.

Profiling each MBA candidate and capturing their professional information not only benefits the individual but also adds significant value to other community members by enhancing their networking and connection opportunities. It drives connectivity around common interests, industry, complementary skills, and facilitates the delivery of networking events.

3. Guide high-value community connections

Guiding high-value connections among your new MBA candidates is essential for promoting knowledge exchange, mentorship, career opportunities, and collaborative learning. These connections foster innovation, support professional growth, and contribute to a tight-knit community, ultimately enhancing the overall MBA experience and long-term alumni networks.

Making suggested connections from within the community, hosting orientation and ice-breaker events, and providing various types of networking opportunities based on professional and personal commonalities across the community are key strategies for facilitating these high-value connections.

4. Link into alumni, professional networks, and wider school services

When building an online community for your candidates you will need to have some level of control over the design and structure of the space. You are aiming to create a community structure that combines broad groups with more niche, intimate spaces where members who are more closely matched can come together. In this community dynamic, candidates feel a part of the broader school community but can find more relevant connections in more focused community groups.

These themed groups allow candidates to connect with peers who share specific interests or career goals. This targeted networking can lead to more meaningful and relevant connections.

The right structure provides opportunities for tremendous community impact at scale. So, whatever space you choose, you should look for the flexibility and control to be able to develop the scaffold and then easily guide candidates into the right space for the best experience.