If you\u2019ve recently hit submit on your MBA applications, after doing a little happy dance that you no longer have to spend every free moment on essays, your attention will quickly turn to the interview portion of the process. Most schools will release interview invitations over the next month or so (if they haven\u2019t already) and, while you might not need to shift into full on prep mode quite yet, now is the right time to start planning your approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a starting point, consider what schools are trying to learn about you from this portion of the application.\u00a0 In a nutshell, they want to understand the unique perspective you will bring to their class and gain a better understanding of whether there is an authentic \u2018fit\u2019 between you, your goals, and their program. Importantly, they want to see that you can convey these points in a clear, concise and logical way when you don\u2019t have the benefit of being able to carefully choose and then refine your language like you do in written essays.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While there are certainly outliers (such as Wharton\u2019s Team Based Discussion<\/a>), many of the top programs utilize a fairly straightforward, conversational format. You can expect to be asked for an overview of your background \/ resume, to outline your goals and how that particular program will enable them, and likely some \u2018behavioral questions\u2019 that seek to understand how you\u2019ve demonstrated critical skills like leadership and teamwork in the past.<\/p>\n As you consider your material and start to bullet out your answers to commonly asked questions<\/a>, keep in mind the following three tips:<\/p>\n 1. Control the narrative (without being obvious about it)<\/strong><\/p>\n Embrace that we\u2019re in an election year and think like a politician (albeit a very humble, not \u2018politician-like\u2019 politician). \u00a0Politics 101 teaches us to \u2018control the narrative\u2019 or, said another way, tell the story your<\/em> way, before someone else has the chance to draw their own conclusions. Controlling the narrative also relies heavily on storytelling \u2013 successful politicians (on both sides of the aisle) paint a compelling picture of society\u2019s needs and powerfully advocate for how their policies will address them. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n So how does this apply to you? If you\u2019ve done a good job crafting your personal brand<\/a>, you know the key tenets of what you bring to the table (both personally and professionally) and where you plan to go in the future. Think of the key stories that crystallize these points and jot them down. Now, bump these stories up against the list of questions you will likely be asked \u2013 think about how you can make all of your key points within the constraints of where the interview is likely to go.<\/p>\n It can be tempting to approach your preparation in the reverse order (looking at the questions and then<\/em> thinking of the story from your arsenal that fits best), but that makes it easy for the interview to fly by before you share one of the key things that make you stand out from the pack. By keeping a mental list of the key points you want to make, you can be proactive rather than reactive.<\/p>\n 2. Show your personality! <\/strong><\/p>\n It can also be easy for the interview to fly by before you make a single mention of anything about yourself besides your work experience. How boring is that? You want the interviewer to see that you are curious, interesting, and would make a fun addition to the class. It\u2019s hard for them to draw that conclusion if the only stories you\u2019ve told are from work.<\/p>\n As you prepare, proactively look for places you can tell stories about yourself that don\u2019t<\/em> have to do with work. Brainstorm examples from your extracurriculars, hobbies, and personal history that make for impactful answers to the questions you will likely be asked and, as noted above, support the personal brand you portray in your application.<\/p>\n One simple tip is to practice ending your resume \u2018walk through\u2019 with a quick mention of your hobbies or interests. Something along the lines of \u2018\u2026in addition to my work at X firm, I love to spend time doing Y and Z\u2019. \u00a0This has the potential to make for an interesting follow on discussion with the interviewer or, at the very least, shows that you are a dynamic, multi-faceted individual.<\/p>\n 3. Reflect, reflect, reflect<\/strong><\/p>\n As you undoubtedly discovered as you crafted your applications, business schools care a lot about the factors that have shaped you as a person as well as the things that motivate and drive you today. This is why Stanford asks its age-old question \u2018what matters most to you and why\u2019 and why Kellogg\u2019s second essay question begins \u2018values are what guide you in your life and work\u2026\u2019. \u00a0<\/p>\n The interview is no different. The interviewer doesn\u2019t just want to hear that you went to school X and took your first job at company Y \u2013 they want to know why<\/em> you made each of these decisions. They don\u2019t just want to hear that you plan to go into consulting after you graduate, they want to know what excites you about the work and why. A logical thought process rooted in self-awareness is truly what you want to portray.<\/p>\n On the most basic level, the message I hope you\u2019ve gotten is that preparing for your MBA interviews is more than just writing out answers to every question you might possibly be asked. There is strategy involved! You\u2019ve worked hard to craft a cohesive, compelling thesis throughout your application thus far \u2013 make sure that the interview reinforces it and you will set yourself up for success. \u00a0<\/p>\n The post Three Tips for MBA Interview Success<\/a> appeared first on Vantage Point MBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve recently hit submit on your MBA applications, after doing a little happy dance that you no longer have to spend every free moment on essays, your attention will…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1955,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-vantage-point-mba","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50128","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\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50128\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}