btk
I can't believe my time has come - interview invite just in by email! Yale is my top school, sooo happy!
Congrats!
ThomasD
Do you have any interview tricks and tips or any must know information for the interviews? They are only 30 mins, so I imagine they can not cover that much ground. I am just wondering though if Yale may focus on aspects other schools don't emphasize etc.
I am gonna repost what I said in a PM to another applicant:
Receiving an invite certainly reflects well on your qualification. Regardless of where you end up matriculating, you should be proud of your past and current accomplishments.
My advice is to relax, and just be yourself. Don't try to be someone that you are not in front of the interviewer. Make sure you know about your goals, reasons for applying to bschool, and what you plan on achieving in the short run as well as in the long run. YSOM (or any other bschool) should be looked at as a partnership that may result a win-win situation for both parties.
Also, try to avoid using industry lingo and acronyms during the interview. Try to find a way to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack. Don't spend too much time on what you've accomplished. (what's already written on your resume, etc - point of the interview is: 10 to discover intangibles that they can't see from the paper, 2) to see if you have good communication/people skills, etc) Try to sell them on your future and qualification. Be result oriented when answering questions and take ownership of any weaknesses rather than making excuses (if any).
Be ready to explain clearly 1) how you got to where you are, 2) why you're an outstanding candidate, and 3) where you plan on taking your MBA degree and what you plan on doing.
So, just believe in yourself and you have to convince yourself that you belong with the other awesome candidates. Confidence goes a long way to get you to where you want to go.
Come up with a game plan for the interview:
1) Review your resume again and be ready to give them a story that pieces together all the accomplishments mentioned on your resume.
2) Explain how you got to where you are (again, it helps if you are a great storyteller), and why you decided to pursue MBA degree, and what you plan on doing with it
3) Research YSOM and insert it into the equation. You + YSOM = Future Goal. Demonstrate what you know about the school, and explain how you think YSOM can help you get to where you want to go and at the same time, how you can be an asset to your fellow students while you are there. (also, how you can be an asset to the school and the network in the long run. You have to show them that you have a potential)
4) Prepare a strong pitch to finish the interview. The finishing pitch should be memorable and it should be designed to make an impact on the interviewer. (Also, once you come up with a killer finishing pitch, it comes in quite handy during recruiting season.....trust me)
Good luck!
An R2 interview invitee asked me for my experiences/advice, and I can't really improve much more on the advice above from nink. For me, I had visited before, so by the time I had my interview I had seen three different classes. I could point to things I liked/saw and had a better feel for the student body, which ultimately made me feel more comfortable.
14 Jan 2011, 14:05
