{"id":39318,"date":"2017-03-23T04:30:40","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T11:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/everything-you-need-to-know-to-ace-the-mba-interview-2\/"},"modified":"2017-03-23T04:30:40","modified_gmt":"2017-03-23T11:30:40","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-to-ace-the-mba-interview-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-to-ace-the-mba-interview-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need To Know To Ace The MBA Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"mba<\/a><\/figure>\n

Is the MBA interview really that important?<\/p>\n

Yes it is! Interviews are the final piece of the puzzle<\/a>. The admissions committee\u00a0has all the numbers, the accolades, the resume, and the recommendations, but what they don\u2019t yet have an up-close-and-personal understanding of YOU. The interview is your opportunity to convince the adcoms that all the information that you provided on paper is in sync with the person sitting in front of them.<\/p>\n

First off, remember that universities have different interview protocols, so it’s important to find out how your specific interview will be conducted: Will it be a series of questions and answers or will it be open ended (i.e. \u201ctell us about yourself\u201d)? How long is the interview? Do you have 30 minutes or an hour? What is the focus of the interview? How much should you know about the school? (We can actually answer that one right here right now: A LOT.) Just do your research and be prepared for anything!<\/p>\n

The interview is NOT a test<\/h3>\n

Doing an MBA Interview may not always be easy, and sometimes it can even be a bit stressful, but it\u2019s good to keep one thing in mind \u2013 it\u2019s not a test. No alumni or adcom is there to interrogate you, and nobody is trying to trip you up. There are no trick questions. On the contrary, the people you interview with WANT you to succeed. They want you to be as unique, awesome, and interesting as you are in your application \u2013 that\u2019s why they went through the effort of setting up your interview in the first place. So keep cool! Your interviewer is excited to hear how perfect you are for their school.<\/p>\n

Alumni Interviews vs. Adcom Interviews<\/h3>\n

There are essentially two groups of people you could potentially interview with \u2013 alumni or members of the adcom. Although the essential content of the interviews tends to be very similar, there are some fundamental differences between the two:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Alumni interviews are most often blind (they haven\u2019t read anything other than your resume), whereas adcom interviews are not. That means that the adcom members will already have a more profound understanding of who you are and what you have done, and as such the interview can get deep very quickly. An alumni interviewer will be more curious to discover who you are, personally as much as professionally, and may spend more time on the basics of your profile.<\/li>\n
  2. In alumni interviews you will want to find out as much about the person as possible. You can talk to them about their lives, their experiences, etc. \u2013 part of the idea is for you to learn more about the school. These conversations can be fascinating in and of themselves, especially with alumni from elite schools like Harvard, Wharton or Columbia who have gone on to do amazing things in their fields. Adcom members, on the other hand, are there more as \u2018official\u2019 representatives of the school, so you likely won\u2019t get as personal with them.<\/li>\n
  3. The adcom interview carries a bit more weight. They aren\u2019t evaluating a report of your interview, but conducting it directly. A good adcom interview can really seal the deal!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Basic Interview Strategies<\/h3>\n

    The purpose of the interview is to find out who you are. Of course you want the interviewer to come away from the meeting feeling that you are an amazing candidate \u2013 but you can\u2019t just go ahead and tell them \u201cHey! I\u2019m an amazing candidate. Trust me!\u201d You\u2019ve got to PROVE it to them. So how can you do that?<\/p>\n

    Impress them with Your \u201cGreatest Hits\u201d<\/h3>\n

    As a candidate, you likely have only three or four stories that truly stand out from the applicant pool, and those are the ones you want to make sure the interviewer hears. They are your \u201cgreatest hits.\u201d Since most interviewers are alumni who have NOT read your work, your interview is your only chance to impress them with those \u201cgreatest hits<\/a>.\u201d So do it, and don\u2019t let the interview get bogged down on less important stuff!<\/p>\n

    Even adcom interviewers familiar with your essays have read THOUSANDS of others, so go ahead and remind them about yours. And while you\u2019re at it, blow them away<\/a>. Do not be bashful about repeating the stories in your essays<\/a> \u2013 the idea is to build off that admissions argument, not create an entirely new strategy in the interview. Be nice and clear, just as you were in your application.<\/p>\n

    Give the interviewer access to your stories<\/h3>\n

    Time is limited, so you won\u2019t be able to get into long spiels about your entire life story. At the same time, you do want to make sure that you aren\u2019t missing anything significant. A good strategy for this is to at least give a hint of all of your major stories, activities and characteristics near the start.<\/p>\n

    Remember, an interview is a dialogue! And by giving the interviewer access to all of your stories, you allow them to talk about what interests them most: \u201cWhoa, you\u2019re a Star Wars Fan too? I named my baby boy \u2018Luke\u2019. What?! You too! No way!\u201d This example may sound silly, but we\u2019re paraphrasing from a real-life, successful Harvard MBA interview!<\/p>\n

    \"Luke<\/a><\/figure>\n

    What makes a great MBA interview?<\/h3>\n

    Interviewers talk to applicants for many hours each day during interview season, so what are they looking for in an applicant? Someone who grabs their attention<\/a>, who captivates their interest and, truthfully, keeps them from drifting off into thoughts of what they have to do when they get home that day. Walk in with confidence and a purpose, appreciative of the opportunity to interview at the school of your dreams. Show some energy, life, passion and enthusiasm!<\/p>\n

    You have a very short amount of time (seconds, really) to \u201chook\u201d your interviewer, so put some time into thinking about what you want to say. What are the main things they need to know about you? Your interviewer doesn\u2019t want everyone to be the same or perfect\u2014they just want you to be articulately authentic, poised and able to weave together a cogent story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The most common MBA interview questions<\/h3>\n

    Sure, interviews can always have surprise twists and turns (more about that later), but for the most part MBA interviewers are all interested in the same things. It\u2019s a bit of a no-brainer \u2013 they want to know about your work experience, why you want to do an MBA, why you fit the school, etc. So without further ado, here is our quick list of most common MBA interview questions:<\/p>\n