{"id":21165,"date":"2013-10-21T11:59:08","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T18:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=21165"},"modified":"2013-10-21T12:03:05","modified_gmt":"2013-10-21T19:03:05","slug":"mba-interview-tip-1-in-person-interview-with-adcom-member","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-interview-tip-1-in-person-interview-with-adcom-member\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Interview Tip 1: In-Person Interview with Adcom Member"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Admissions-tip--interview\"<\/a>[NOTE: This post is the second in a series; if you are interested in starting with the first post, please see the overview of different MBA interview types<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Some MBA adcoms choose to interview candidates individually, themselves, and do not delegate this task to alumni or students.<\/p>\n

Why adcoms use method<\/strong>: It\u2019s a resource-intensive process, but adcoms get as much as they invest. Moreover, they narrow down the field first, so only those under serious consideration are invited.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Especially for competitive schools<\/a>, each seat is precious, and nothing substitutes for the adcom member\u2019s own ears and eyes in ascertaining who should have it.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Admissions professionals are trained experts in evaluating candidates, and in this interview method they can exercise that expertise in an optimal setting.<\/p>\n

\u2022 They can see firsthand<\/em> not just the \u201creal you\u201d but the \u201cwhole you\u201d: your interpersonal finesse + the content of your answers + your physical presence. They evaluate what you say, and also your social skills, speaking (and English-speaking) ability, and demeanor as you interact with them directly.<\/p>\n

For these reasons, this type of interview has real weight in the admissions decision.<\/p>\n

Some schools that use this method<\/strong>: Harvard Business School<\/a>, MIT Sloan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Process:<\/strong> In this interview approach, you meet with an adcom member, either on campus or in a city where the adcom is visiting. The interview is a one-on-one conversation with the adcom member, during which he will ask you questions, often a mix of application-specific questions and other questions he\u2019s prepared. Expect any area of ambiguity to be questioned. This is a probing, in-depth interview. If you are socially adept, you will not just answer questions but may also facilitate conversation.<\/p>\n

Blind or not blind<\/strong>: Usually adcom interviews are not blind<\/em>, i.e., the interviewer will have read your application before the interview and will likely have some questions about it.<\/p>\n

Benefits and pitfalls for applicants:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Benefit: can showcase your strong interpersonal and communication skills to a high-value decision-maker.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Benefit: the fact that some discussion will be based on your application opens the door for more of a dialogue, less of an \u201cinterrogation\u201d feel.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Benefit OR pitfall: the adcom is already invested in you to an extent, which can make you more motivated, inspired, and focused \u2013 or more nervous, depending on your temperament.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Pitfall: to ace the interview<\/a> you must<\/em> find a way to connect with the interviewer even if the natural chemistry isn\u2019t great.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Pitfall: a bad interview with an adcom member could seriously impair your chances.<\/p>\n

How to make this type of interview work for you<\/strong> (this is in addition to all the common sense advice for good MBA interviews<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\u2022 Review your application closely for areas of potential weakness or things that could raise questions, and be prepared to discuss.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Discuss\/use examples and stories that are not in your application<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Arm yourself with detailed info about the program and new points about how it will benefit you and how you will contribute.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Put your ego aside and do whatever is needed to connect with the interviewer.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Be yourself \u2013 this type of trained, professional interviewer has a radar for inauthenticity.<\/p>\n

\"Cindy<\/a> By Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>, co-author of The Finance Professional\u2019s Guide to MBA Admissions Success<\/a>, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last fifteen years with Accepted.com.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Accepted.com's experienced admissions consultants<\/a> can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages<\/a>, <\/i><\/b>or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs<\/a> to designing a dazzling resume<\/a>, constructing engaging essays<\/a>, or preparing for intense interview<\/a>s<\/a>\u2026and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so contact us<\/a> to get started now!<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog<\/a>, the official blog of Accepted.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[NOTE: This post is the second in a series; if you are interested in starting with the first post, please see the overview of different MBA interview types.] Some MBA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,6,939,775,113,10],"tags":[178,1272,286,1008,1096,1039,1895,124],"class_list":["post-21165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-current-events","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-interviews","tag-business-school-interview","tag-business-school-interviews","tag-interview","tag-interview-advice","tag-interview-prep","tag-interview-tips","tag-interviews","tag-mba-interview","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21165"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21168,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21165\/revisions\/21168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}