The Rule of Thirds: Framework for Success
When I was originally applying to business school in 2012, one particular statement from Avi Gordon’s book MBA Admissions Strategy always stuck out to me. In it, he asks the reader to imagine two admissions members running into each other in the hallway. One turns to the other and asks “what did you think of [insert name]’s application?” Gordon asks the reader to ponder what is the most memorable aspect of their application, the thing that would always come first to mind for the admissions committee.
Throughout my job-hunting process, this same sentiment held true. In order to be successful and land the job, it was important to not only be memorable, but strategic as well; being able to communicate both my unique value but also the frameworks for how I would tackle business decisions in the future. For me, it was the rule of thirds; a framework that set 3 unique identifiers as the guardrails for problem solving or categorizations for decision making.
Interviews will almost always begin with some variation of the classic “tell me about yourself” question. The rule of thirds framework allowed me to not only identify three unique aspects of my professional life I hoped to leave the interviewer with, but eventually became the basis for the entire brand persona I developed for myself:
Strategic entertainment marketer. Direct to consumer foundation. Fan first attitude.
From a functional standpoint, it identified me as a strategic marketer, highlighting my experience working on 360-degree marketing campaigns across paid, earned, and owned channels. It touched upon my channel specific background, having begun my career in data driven CRM and previously launching multiple streaming services. Finally, it brought to life my love for fan driven franchises and content, helping me communicate the more emotional appeal of my persona. Independently, there were probably many who fit one of these descriptors, but being able to weave all 3 as part of my story made me unique and provided the exact impression I hoped to leave each interview with.
The rule of thirds framework works for more than just your elevator pitch though, it provides guidance and considerations for general problem solving as well. Going for marketing strategy roles, I was often times asked to describe a time I had to manage an integrated campaign or how I approached campaign development. While I structured storytelling of previous experiences through the popular STAR framework, I always leveraged the rule of thirds as an outline for how to structure future campaigns. Those guidelines were: strategic positioning, long range planning, and unique approach, and weaved throughout any story left the interviewer with a clear understanding of how I would approach campaign development in the role I was interviewing for beyond just the specific example I was diving into.
Part of any process is the preparation, and job hunting is no different. I spent a lot of my time using the rule of thirds framework to build out similar guardrails for many of the interview questions I anticipated. Asked about handling a situation where something unexpected happened? Identify 3 alternate solutions, prioritize, and be willing to manage personally. How would I approach developing a paid media plan? Set specific goals, identify a target audience, and develop relevant creative. What do you believe to be the most important aspects to fan engagement? It’s all about access, opportunity, and relevance. The rule of thirds framework helped me feel comfortable answering any potential behavioral questions and break down case questions as well. At a minimum, just stating an intended framework would give me the few moments necessary to bring my thoughts together on how to best answer the question.
No matter the functional area, the rule of thirds framework provides strong criteria for problem solving. While the STAR framework can help highlight previous behaviors, the rule of thirds can showcase how to anticipate future success. And when the most important part of any interview is the impression you will leave the interviewer with, it can hopefully bring you one step closer to being your most memorable self.
