The mbaMission Blog : Ask mbaMission

mbaMissionJenK · 2013-12-12T09:30:37-08:00

Welcome to the mbaMission Blog feed where you can read the latest MBA news and tips from mbaMission. Check back or follow this thread to get updated when new posts are created.

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Am a Simple Product [#permalink]

15 Oct 2022, 08:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Am a Simple Product

Many candidates who approach us are concerned that they cannot get their stories out in one sentence or worried that their personal branding is too muddled. Some candidates feel that they must have a single narrative and continuously speak to it to make an impression on the admissions committees. But, of course, you are not a simple product with just one or two attributes—a Budweiser beer, for example, which can be represented with a straightforward slogan, “The Great American Lager.” MBA candidates are far more complex than consumer products. So, presenting yourself as one-dimensional (“I am an entrepreneur in everything I do,” “I am a finance guy”) is definitely a mistake that prevents you from revealing your depth of character and experience.

Let us consider a basic example: Jon built a lawn care business from a single truck into ten trucks, and he also coached Little League baseball, becoming a de facto “big brother” to one of the kids on the team. Why should Jon address only his entrepreneurial side in his applications and ignore his empathetic and altruistic treatment of this young baseball player? Why would Jon not reveal his depth and versatility instead, telling both stories and revealing distinct but complementary strengths?

We at mbaMission encourage candidates to brainstorm thoroughly and consider each of their stories from as many different perspectives as possible. No one simple formula exists for presenting yourself to the admissions committee. In fact, showing that you are a multitalented and sophisticated individual is incredibly important. After all, admissions committees are looking for the world’s next great business leaders, and the true legends of international business cannot be easily summarized in a mere handful of words.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

How to Take Ownership of Your Post-MBA Goals and Show They Are Attaina [#permalink]

16 Oct 2022, 09:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Take Ownership of Your Post-MBA Goals and Show They Are Attainable

When admissions officers read your MBA application, they want to feel inspired by your personal statement; they want to know that you have a strong sense of purpose and will work energetically to attain your objectives. Thus, you must ensure that you are not presenting generic or shallow post-MBA goals. Although this problem is not industry specific, it occurs most often with candidates who propose careers in investment banking or consulting but do not have a true understanding of what these positions entail.

For example, a candidate cannot merely state the following post-MBA goal: “In the short term, after graduating from Wharton, I want to become an investment banking associate. After three years, I will be promoted to vice president, and then in the long term, I will become a managing director.”

This hypothetical candidate does not express any passion for their proposed course, does not show any understanding of the demands of the positions, and does not explain the value they could bring to the firm. To avoid these kinds of shortcomings, conduct this simple test when writing your personal statement: if you can easily substitute another job title into your career goals and the sentence still makes perfect sense (for example, “In the short term, when I graduate from Wharton, I want to become a consultant. After three years, I will be promoted to vice president, and then in the long term, I will become a managing director.”), you have a serious problem on your hands and need to put more work into your essay.

To effectively convey your goals, you need to truly own them. This means personalizing them, determining and presenting why you expect to be a success in the proposed position, and explaining why an opportunity exists for you to contribute. For example, a former forestry engineer could make a strong argument for joining an environmental impact consulting firm. (Note: This candidate would still need to explain why they would want to join one.)

Similarly, a financial analyst in the corporate finance department at Yahoo! could connect their goals to tech investment banking. Although the connection need not be so direct, especially for candidates seeking to change careers, relating your past experiences and/or your skills to your future path is still extremely important. This approach will add depth to your essay and ensure that the admissions committee takes you seriously.

While some candidates struggle to effectively convey their immediate post-MBA goals, many also have difficulty defining their long-term goals. Although short-term goals should be relatively specific, long-term goals can be broad and ambitious. Regardless of what your short- and long-term aspirations actually are, what is most important is presenting a clear “cause and effect” relationship between them. The admissions committee will have difficulty buying into a long-term goal that lacks grounding. However, do not interpret this to mean you must declare your interest in an industry and then assert that you will stay in it for your entire career. You can present any career path that excites you—again, as long as you also demonstrate a logical path to achieving your goals.

For example, many candidates discuss having ambitions in the field of management consulting. Could an individual with such aspirations justify any of the following long-term goals?

Climbing the ladder and becoming a partner in a consulting firm
Launching a boutique consulting firm
Leaving consulting to manage a nonprofit
Leaving consulting to buy a failing manufacturing firm and forge a “turnaround”
Entering the management ranks of a major corporation

The answer is yes! This candidate could justify any of these long-term goals (along with many others), as long as they connect them to experiences gained via their career as a consultant. With regard to your post-MBA goals, do not feel constrained—just be sure to emphasize and illustrate that your career objectives are logical, achievable, and ambitious.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Overcoming Networking Nerves [#permalink]

18 Oct 2022, 13:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Overcoming Networking Nerves

We all know that networking can be a daunting (yet very important) task in the job search process. Often, clients are nervous about approaching contacts and conducting networking meetings. And although feeling a certain amount of anxiety is normal, finding ways to overcome your networking nerves is critical for success in your job search.

Here are five ways to calm your anxiousness:

1. Reframe how you think of networking.
It is just a conversation between two people. You have conversations at work or school all the time. In many of these conversations, you ask people for things or seek their advice. Networking is no different.

Consider asking your contact for a shorter window of time (e.g., 10 to 15 minutes versus 20 to 30 minutes). Take the pressure off by calling the conversation an exchange of information instead.
Focus on the outcome you desire instead of on what could go wrong.
For each conversation, what constitutes a “successful” outcome can look different; it could be gaining insight into a better way to talk about your experiences, learning a key piece of information about a target company, or being introduced to a new contact.

2. Create and internalize a positive mantra (e.g., “I have a lot to offer”).

Put yourself in the shoes of the person with whom you are talking; they are just like you.
Remember that your contact has agreed to talk with you, so they are willing to have the conversation.
No one expects you to be perfect. Your contact’s actions or reactions to your conversation could have little to do with you and much to do with what is going on in their mind or life.
Remember to breathe. Go easy on the caffeine! Drinking too much coffee will increase your heart rate, potentially exacerbating your feelings of nervousness.

3. Show respect and gratitude.

Listen carefully. When you are a good listener, the conversation will likely flow better. The exchange is about building rapport, not just gathering facts.
Make it a two-way street by offering to reciprocate in some way. You do not know whether your contact is quietly looking for a new job, wants to understand the marketplace better, or has a family member who might be searching for a contact like you.

4. Confront your fears.

What are you most worried about happening? Armed with that answer, plan out how you can be ready should that worst thing actually happen. What would you do? (You might even realize that your worst-case scenario is fairly unlikely.)
Determine whether (and what kind of) preparation will reduce your fears. Maybe consider role playing?
Think about when you feel this type of fear elsewhere in your life. Why does it happen, and have you discovered any strategies to overcome it?

5. Prepare.

Set a reasonable goal for your conversation as well as goals for the amount of networking outreach you plan to do each week.
Research your contact. Create an agenda, and draft customized questions before your call.
Practice! Know how you will introduce yourself, and be comfortable answering questions about your background and interests.

Finally, after each networking meeting, acknowledge (and maybe even celebrate) the courage you showed in stepping outside your comfort zone. Every conversation is both a win and a learning opportunity.

Have you been admitted to business school? If so, do you want to get a head start on defining your career goals? Do you need help preparing for job interviews or learning how to effectively network with your target employers? Or maybe you want to be a top performer in your current role but are unsure how to maximize your potential. Let an mbaMission Career Coach help via a free 30-minute consultation!

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Is Visiting Business Schools Still Important? [#permalink]

20 Oct 2022, 11:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Is Visiting Business Schools Still Important?

Is visiting business schools still important? The short answer is this: maybe not and yes!

When researching schools, visiting them in person is not 100% necessary, particularly if a flight would be required. However, doing so, if possible, is certainly recommended. For example, if you live in the same general metropolitan area as a school you are applying to, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not visit it in person, and in-person visits are now doable again at essentially every school.

Luckily, one silver lining of the pandemic is that MBA programs have notably increased the number and quality of their virtual events and school tours. This means you can come remarkably close to the experience of actually being at the school live and can participate in multiple discussions across a range of dates. Definitely make sure to at least take part in virtual events not only to be better equipped to speak in depth about why the school is a strong fit for you and your career goals in your application and interview but also to confirm for yourself your true desire to attend.

Visiting in person is also a meaningful opportunity to indicate to the school your genuine interest in actually enrolling in its MBA program. This is important for many reasons to the admissions committees should they accept you , not the least of which is their yield rate, which is one of the factors considered in MBA rankings. So, if you are trying to stack all the odds in your favor, this is another good way to do so!

Many schools also offer admitted student weekends or special days for the applicants they have accepted. In these cases, the tables have turned, and the programs are trying to “sell” you on their value and why they are the perfect fit for you. Without a doubt, attending admitted student events in person is highly recommended. After all, would you buy a house without ever stepping foot inside it or a car without first taking it for a test drive? Although virtual events are very advantageous, nothing quite compares to the gut feeling you get when you visit a program in person. Given the investment that business school demands both from a time and monetary perspective, you owe it to yourself to assess your potential new “home” as thoroughly as possible before committing to it.

Fortunately, you have a plethora of ways to learn about MBA programs these days—both in person and online—and thus have no excuse for not doing your due diligence for your application! See the chart below for a high-level overview of both in-person and online opportunities to engage with some of the top U.S. business schools.

For additional perspective on the differences between MBA programs and an assessment of your MBA applicant profile, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation here with one of mbaMission’s experts.

Overview of In-Person and Online Opportunities to Connect with Top US MBA Programs
(As of October 2022)

MBA Program

(“Visit”/“Events” Link)
IN-PERSON

Events & Opportunities
VIRTUAL

Events & Opportunities

Berkeley Haas
Immersive Campus Visitation Program

Class Visit
Immersive Campus Visitation Program

Information Session

Admissions Chat Q&A

“Community at Haas” (range of topics)

Chicago Booth
Campus Visit with Admissions Q&A

Admissions Office Hours
Connect with Student

Self-Guided Virtual Tour

Columbia Business School
Class Visit

Campus Visit
Information Session

The MBA Tour (multiple locations)

Recorded Events

Cornell Johnson
MBA Admissions Consultation

On-Campus Events

Cornell Tech
Campus Photos/Info

The MBA Tour (multiple locations)

Dartmouth Tuck
Campus Visit

Coffee Chats, Happy Hours in Select Cities
Campus Tour

Student, Club Coffee Chats

Conversation with Admissions

Duke Fuqua
Campus Visit

Open Interview

Coffee Chats, Dinner, Happy Hours in Select Cities
Webinars across Range of Topics

Harvard Business School
Class Visit

Campus Tour and Information Session

Information Session in Austin
Case Method Class Experience

Campus Tour

Information Session/Chat

Events/Webinars across Range of Topics

The MBA Tour (multiple locations)

Michigan Ross
Campus Visits

Weekend Events for Select Groups
Admissions Office Hours

“Ask Me Anything” Virtual Events

MIT Sloan
Class Visit

Information Session

Coffee Chats
Coffee Chats

Information Session – Livestream

Northwestern Kellogg
Campus Visit

Preview Days

Small Group Dinners in Select Cities
Campus Tour

Information Session

Alumni Panels

Webinars across Range of Topics

NYU Stern

Information Session

Chats with Students

Mock Application SessionWebinars/Recordings across Range of Topics

Campus Tour

Stanford GSB
Class Visit

Chats with Students or Admissions Officers
Chats with Students or Alumni

Information Sessions

“Representation Matters” Discussions

The Wharton School
Campus Visit
Class Visit

Campus Tour

Information Session

UCLA Anderson
Campus Tour

Information Session

Open House

Preview Day
Campus Tour

Information Session

Admission Q&A

Student Chats

UVA Darden
Class Visit

Open House (Class visit, Campus Tour, Connect with Student)

Coffee Chats in Select Cities
Virtual Coffee Chat with Admissions, Students, or Alumni

Webinars across Range of Topics

Yale SOM
Campus Visit

Admissions Q&A

Student Panels

Women’s Day

The MBA Tour Europe (multiple locations)
Admissions Q&A

Student Panels

The MBA Tour (multiple locations)

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

What the GMAT Really Tests [#permalink]

22 Oct 2022, 08:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: What the GMAT Really Tests

What the GMAT Really Tests

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

The GMAT is not a math test. Nor is it a grammar test. Sure, you have to know something (well, a lot of things!) about these topics to get a good score, but this exam is really testing your executive reasoning skills.

The term might be unfamiliar, but you already have—and use—these skills every day. Consider the following:

You arrive at work in the morning and think about all the things you could do that day. You cannot get it all done, so which things will have to wait until this afternoon or tomorrow or next week? Which one thing should you start working on first?

You have a choice between working on Project X or Project Y. Project Y will result in about 5% more revenue to the company, but Project Y will also take 50% longer. Which do you do?

None of those decisions are easy ones (and many would likely require more information than I gave in the little scenario). This complex decision making is exactly what a good executive needs to be able to do well—and this is what the test writers and business schools actually care about.

How does that help me take the test?

Great decision makers have both expertise and experience: they have thought about how to make various kinds of decisions, and they have actually practiced and refined these decision-making processes. While the clock is ticking, they do not hesitate to make a decision and move forward, knowing that they are going to be leaving some opportunities behind.

If you know how the GMAT works and you know what kinds of trade-offs to think about when deciding how to spend your time, then you can learn how to make the best decisions to maximize your score.

Okay, how does the GMAT work?

Glad you asked. I talk to students nearly every day who tell me that they just cannot give up on a question, or they figure that, if they “know” they can get something right, they might as well take the time to get it right, even when that means running out of time later on.

(Note: I put “know” in question marks there because… well, you do not really know. In fact, the longer we spend, the more likely we are to get stuff wrong.)

So here is what you need to do: you need to grow up.

I am not saying, “Oh, grow up!” in a harsh way. I am saying that you need to graduate from school. The way that we were trained to do things in school is often not the way things work in the real world. You already know this—you learned it when you got out into the working world.

In school, you are supposed to do what the professors assign. At work, you are supposed to think for yourself.

So get yourself out of school. Graduate to the real world. Approach the GMAT as a test of your business ability and decision-making skills.

Graduation day

If you can graduate to the business mindset, you will have a much better shot at hitting your goal score. If you stick with the “school” mindset, then you are almost certainly not going to get the score you want.

So first, keep reminding yourself that the GMAT is a decision-making test, not an academic test. React accordingly.

Next, the two articles “In It to Win It” and “But I Studied This—I Should Know How to Do It!” will also help you make this mental switch.

Follow those up by educating yourself on the subject of time management. Great businesspeople know how to manage their time and make trade-off decisions; great GMAT test takers have this same skill.

Finally, remember that your ability to get better hinges on your ability to analyze your own thought processes and the test questions themselves. Your goal is not academic. Your goal is to learn how to think.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

How to Ensure That You Deliver Compelling Interview Answers [#permalink]

27 Oct 2022, 13:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Ensure That You Deliver Compelling Interview Answers

How to Ensure That You Deliver Compelling Interview Answers

As many of you are preparing for upcoming interviews for full-time roles and internships, we offer this mbaMission checklist to help you be sure you are crafting compelling interview answers. If you can answer yes to all the following questions, you should be on your way to a successful interview!

Am I showcasing my relevant experiences?
Know your audience. You want to highlight your ability to contribute in and meet the requirements of the specific role you are targeting. For example, after listening to your response to the prompt “Tell me about yourself,” your interviewer should know two or three clear reasons you are qualified for the job. Here is another example: when you are asked to “Tell me your greatest strength” or “Tell me your biggest accomplishment,” select an example that showcases skills or experiences that will reassure the interviewer that you are equipped to do the job for which you are applying.

Did I answer the question?
Prepare six to eight stories that could be used for various interview questions and that illustrate your capabilities and experience. Then, during the interview, decide which of those stories is most fitting for each question the interviewer asks. Matching the story to the question asked is important. And to clearly signal that you are responding to the interviewer’s query, repeat key words from the prompt in your answer. For example, if the prompt is “Tell me about a time when you convinced someone to adopt your way of thinking,” your response should begin with something like “A key time when I convinced someone to adopt my way of thinking was….”

Did I sell myself?
The interview is your opportunity to really highlight your strengths and accomplishments. When sharing your stories, be sure to clearly describe your role in each project and outline how you contributed. The interviewer does not care so much about what the team did; they care about what you did. Use “I” statements to demonstrate ownership of your work and accurately convey your actions. Be specific with the benefit and impact of what you did; this is informing, not bragging.

Did I structure my answer effectively?
Make your answer easy for the interviewer to follow. Use a PAR (project – action – result), SAR (situation – action – result), or STAR (situation – task – action – result) behavioral interview framework. Concise answers (90 to 120 seconds) with an “answer first” approach are most effective. From there, concisely explain the point of tension that you faced (i.e., what you had to overcome or what was at stake in the situation) and devote sufficient time to explaining your actions.

Did I communicate my thought process?
Interviewers ask behavioral questions (e.g., “Tell me about a time when…”) to gain insight into your past decisions and how you arrived at and acted on them. When you outline the steps you took to address a situation, be sure to also explain what specifically you did and why you chose to do it. This will help your interviewer better understand how you think and thereby offer some idea of how you would likely respond to similar situations in the future. This idea is also behind the “Tell me about yourself” prompt. Your resume tells your interviewer what you did, but they want you to provide more perspective by discussing your motivation for taking specific roles.

Did I demonstrate confidence and enthusiasm?
Interviewers want to hire candidates who are truly excited about the job they are pursuing. Your tone and body language play an important role in conveying this to the interviewer and building this perception. To ensure that your demeanor and delivery are communicating your genuine interest and enthusiasm, practice sharing your stories aloud with peers, friends, family members, and/or career center coaches and have them offer constructive feedback until your presentation is where you need it to be.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Should Worry Because My Coworker Is [#permalink]

29 Oct 2022, 08:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Should Worry Because My Coworker Is Also Applying

You look around your office and think to yourself: “I wish my coworker were not applying to the same school as I am. They can’t take two people who sit at the same desk. Also, their GPA is 0.15 higher!” On the surface, this reasoning may seem logical, and it can thus cause anxiety for some candidates—especially for those who are in positions for which an MBA is virtually a “must have” to move forward, such as in consulting and banking.

However—not to worry—this thinking has two significant flaws:

You are not the same candidate as the person at the desk beside you. They may have similar work experience, but you have had different interactions with team members and clients and have worked on different projects. So, you have different perspectives on your experiences and so do your recommenders. Furthermore, your work experience is only one piece of the puzzle that is your application. Even if your coworker does have a slightly higher GPA or GMAT/GRE score, you are still quite different in terms of your personal/life experiences, community/leadership activities, ability to perform during interviews, and more. Instead of worrying that the admissions committee will make an apples-to-apples comparison and cast you out, you must focus on what makes you distinct and present your best self.
The top schools have room for two great candidates. When we asked Harvard Business School’s (HBS’s) former admissions director whether she would accept two candidates who had worked at the same company, she quipped, “We have room for Larry and Sergei” (referencing the two founders of Google). An mbaMission consultant recalled that when she was at HBS, she had two classmates who worked on the same desk at the same private equity firm. At HBS, they ended up in the same section. Top-ranked MBA programs do not have quotas for certain firms, towns, ethnicities, etc. They just want the best candidates out there.

So, in short, as you eye that individual across the desk, try to avoid simplified comparisons. Focus on that which makes you distinct, and expect that the admissions committees will not fulfill quotas, but rather identify talent.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 1: Follow the Answer First M [#permalink]

01 Nov 2022, 14:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 1: Follow the “Answer First” Model

As many MBA students are preparing for interviews right now, we at mbaMission are hearing several common (and easy to correct) mistakes in our clients’ answers to sample questions.

Today’s post tackles the issue of taking too long to get to the main point of your story. Doing so is problematic because the interviewer stops paying attention and misses hearing how great you are and how you can help their business.

To improve your answers, we have provided the following “before” and “after” examples. Please note that these examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be repeated verbatim in upcoming interviews.

Prompt: Tell me about yourself.
Before: I am a first-year MBA student at School X, majoring in strategic management. I grew up in the Bay Area and went to college at School Y. I joined Company Z’s leadership rotational program and served across the marketing, operations, and finance functions of the company. After two and a half years and a promotion, I left Company Z to join a start-up, where I did project management and helped scale the company from ten to 200 employees…

Revision Tips: Start with a headline or roadmap for your answer. Before launching into your experiences, try summarizing them into themes such as relevant attributes for the job, specific examples of accomplishments, the rationale for each step in your career, and evidence of a connection to your target role.

After: I am really excited to be here today interviewing for a consulting position with Firm X, as I believe my previous experiences will enable me to drive impact for your clients. Throughout my personal and professional life, I have chosen opportunities that developed my analytical problem-solving foundation and pushed me to build strong leadership and client engagement capabilities. After attending college at School Y, I decided to join Company Z’s leadership rotational program to apply the business acumen I developed as an undergraduate economics major. Throughout my two and a half years at the company and rotations across four different functions, I frequently collected and analyzed large data sets to form hypotheses and propose potential solutions to senior leadership…

Prompt: Tell me about a time when you convinced someone to adopt a different way of thinking.
Before: I would like to tell you about a time when I disagreed with the senior management of Company X about the company’s marketing strategy. The challenges I faced were…

Revision Tips: Hook the interviewer from the start. Use words from the question prompt, and provide context (e.g., numbers) to help the interviewer understand that persuading senior management was a true challenge and that your actions were really impressive and impactful for the organization.

After: I would like to tell you about a time when I convinced the senior director of innovation at Company X, James, to shift from a traditional marketing strategy to a social media–based one. This change led to an eight-X increase in visibility for the firm’s innovation initiatives and three new client contracts worth more than $2M in revenue. In doing this, the challenges I faced were…

With both of these types of questions, we recommend limiting your answer time to two minutes. Even if your story has an awesome beginning, the interviewer wants to see how you curate your experiences into a concise narrative.

To learn other strategies for improving your interview performance, sign up for a complimentary 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission Career Coach.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 2: Be Confident! [#permalink]

03 Nov 2022, 14:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 2: Be Confident!

Click here to read Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 1: Follow the “Answer First” Model.

Many MBA students tend to get in their own way when interviewing. Although they prepare structured stories to share with their interviewer, they do not end up telling those stories with confidence or energy. Your word choice, tone, and body language are critical for success in your interview.

A lack of confidence manifests itself in an inability to

communicate your experiences as relevant for the job,
build a connection with the interviewer, and
project authority and credibility.

This makes the interviewer less confident about your ability to do the job. To improve your performance, we encourage you to reflect, research, and take action.

Reflect: Ask yourself, “What is the root cause of my lack of confidence?” Recall situations in which you felt confident and ones in which you lacked confidence. Can you identify any similarities or common threads between these two types of situations? Uncovering what makes you feel nervous allows you to find remedies for it. Recognize that different tactics work for different candidates, but in the end, be kind to yourself and believe in your abilities.

Tip: Practice reframing exercises; remind yourself that you are the expert on you. Read workplace psychologist Adam Grant’s article about overcoming his fear of public speaking for many useful tips. Listen to upbeat music. Repeat positive mantras.

Research: Analyze the target job description and talk with current employees at the firm to identify the most important competencies for the role. Identify details in each of your stories that correspond with those competencies, and focus on numbers that can prove the scope, complexity, and impact of your work.

Tip: Sell your accomplishments. You are expected to highlight specifics about how you helped your previous employers or transformed outcomes for an organization; this information helps the interviewer understand your value.

Take Action: Prepare talking points for your interview. Identify the three or four key ideas you want to communicate about yourself and the three or four reasons you are passionate about the role and company you are interviewing for. Aim to connect with the interviewer, not impress them. Take back some power—you need to like the interviewer (and their company/the target role) just as much as they need to like you!

Tip: Practice interviewing (aloud!). Find friends or—even better—people who do not know you well to conduct a mock interview with you. Record and review your practice sessions, looking to learn from the moments when you appear most (or least) confident.

Finally, remember that the firm selected you for an interview, so the interviewer is eager to hear how you can help the organization.

To learn other strategies for improving your interview performance, schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission Career Coach.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 3: Positioning Yourself for [#permalink]

04 Nov 2022, 11:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 3: Positioning Yourself for Success in Video Interviews

Click here to read Fixing Common Interviewing Mistakes, Part 1: Follow the “Answer First” Model and click here to read Part 2: Be Confident.

Even as many employees return to the workplace, companies continue to engage with job candidates via video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Teams. This technology has made managing interview logistics easier for some firms.

To help you successfully stand out in video interviews (or in networking conversations), we offer these easy-to-follow tips:

Pay Attention to Your Setting: Find a quiet, private, well-lit area that is free from potential interruptions or distractions. Position your camera so that you have a neutral background.
Test Your Technology in Advance: Set up and test the software platform prior to the interview start time. Put your phone away; do not let it distract you during the interview.
Wear Appropriate Attire: Dress as you would for an in-person interview, but consider selecting softer colors rather than bright ones, and avoid busy patterns. If you wear glasses, adjust the lighting in the room to reduce glare from the lenses.
Pay Attention to Your Body Language: Look at the camera when you are speaking, and avoid the instinct to look directly at your interviewer. Do not use notes during the conversation; a hiring manager can easily tell when you are reading rather than speaking naturally.
Polish Your Storytelling: Prepare for the standard questions that are typically asked during in-person interviews. Know your value proposition and connect it to the needs of the company and role.
Practice: You want to demonstrate confident body language and a sense of comfort on camera. Your goal is to make the interviewer feel as though you are in the same room with them. Do a trial run by scheduling a mock video interview with an mbaMission Career Coach or with one of your friends.

This is the bottom line: Prepare and behave exactly the same as you would for an in-person interview. You want to be professional but also let your personality shine through.

You can find more interview preparation guidance in these other career coaching blog posts: Tell Me About Yourself, Avoiding Interviewing Pitfalls, and Answering the Dreaded “Failure” Question.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Innovative Opportunities at the University of Californias Business Sch [#permalink]

05 Nov 2022, 08:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Innovative Opportunities at the University of California’s Business Schools

Thanks to its proximity to the Tech Coast, the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California (UC), Irvine, offers significant opportunities for students with an eye toward innovative business. Indeed, an emphasis on innovation and business pioneering is built directly into what Merage calls its “innovative curriculum,” supplementing conventional business disciplines with such areas as strategic innovation, information technology, analytic decision making, and collaborative execution. The school recently revamped its curriculum to “create unparalleled learning experiences with a single goal: preparing [the students] to propel [their] career[s] and lead [their] organization to success in our digitally driven world,” as the website describes. The updates include a new concentration in Analytics in Digital Leadership and a STEM designation for the entire program.

In addition, several of Merage’s special course offerings and programs showcase the school’s commitment to putting students in contact with the rapidly shifting face of business. The “EDGE” course, for example, offers the opportunity to gain cutting-edge insight into the relationship between business trends, globalization, and technology. Through the school’s practicum Consulting Projects, students gain hands-on experience with current business practices by working directly with locally based global companies over a ten-week period. Merage students can also participate each year in the university-wide New Venture Competition, whose winners collectively claim up to $100K in funding for their proposed start-up ventures.

At the UC Davis Graduate School of Management—under the same university umbrella but approximately an eight-hour drive from the Merage School of Business—the full-time MBA program focuses on preparing students to become innovative leaders. Leadership is woven into the curriculum in the form of core courses, a ten-week management capstone course, and the Collaborative Leadership Program, which offers first-year students leadership training via workshops, assessment exercises, a mentorship program, a Personal Leadership Development Plan, and the option of applying to the Advanced Collaborative Leadership Program in the second year.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

The Dos and Donts of GMAT CATs, Part 1 [#permalink]

06 Nov 2022, 10:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: The Dos and Don’ts of GMAT CATs, Part 1

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

What are the Dos and Don’ts to get the most out of your CATs? Learn more in this three-part series.

Know WHY you take GMAT CATs

Practice CATs are very useful for three things:

(1) Figuring out your current scoring level (assuming you took the test under official conditions)

(2) Practicing stamina and/or timing

(3) Analyzing your strengths and weaknesses

The third item is the MOST important—this is how we actually get better at this test!

Practice CATs do not help us to improve while taking the test. If you have been training to run a marathon, you will not learn how to get better while running the marathon itself; at that stage, you are just trying to survive. Rather, you learn how to improve in between races while doing all kinds of training activities and analyzing your performance.

DO take a GMAT CAT at the beginning of your study

Many people put off taking their first CAT, often because they say that they have not studied yet, so they know they will not do well. Your goal in taking your first CAT is NOT to do “well.” Your goal is simply to get a handle on your strengths and weaknesses. Whatever they are, you want to know them right away so you can prioritize your study.

One caveat: Familiarizing yourself with the five question types before that first exam (particularly Data Sufficiency) is important, but definitely do not worry about learning all of the formulas and grammar rules. Your first test performance will tell you what you do and do not yet know.

One caution in particular here: a decent percentage of the people who put off their first CAT do so because they are feeling significant anxiety about taking the test. These are the people who do need to take that first test early—pushing off the practice tests will just exacerbate your anxiety.

DON’T take a GMAT CAT more than once a week

Have you ever had this happen? You take a CAT and you get a disappointing score. Maybe you even really mess things up—run out of time or finish 20 minutes early—and your score plummets. So, a couple of days later, you take another CAT to “prove” to yourself that the bad test was just a fluke.

If you have ever done that, you wasted your time and a practice CAT, both of which are very valuable.

That bad test was not a fluke. Something happened to cause that performance. Figure out what that thing was and fix it before you spend another 3.5 hours taking a second test.

In fact, whether you like the score or not, whenever you take a CAT, do not waste time taking another until you have addressed whatever issues popped up during your analysis of the first test. (This article will help you analyze MGMAT CATs.)

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Consider a Part-Time MBAor an MBA Program in Europe! [#permalink]

10 Nov 2022, 17:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Consider a Part-Time MBA—or an MBA Program in Europe!

We at mbaMission often receive questions about part-time MBA programs, so we thought we should offer a look at some of the pros and cons of this option.

As for the pros, the one that business school candidates cite most frequently is that the part-time MBA involves a limited opportunity cost. Unlike full-time MBA students, part-time ones do not miss out on two years of salary (and, in some cases, retirement savings) and can still earn raises and promotions while completing their studies. Furthermore, firm sponsorship seems to be more prevalent for part-time MBAs, so candidates who have this option can truly come out ahead, with a free education and continued earning throughout. Beyond the financial rationale, many part-time MBA students see an academic advantage; they can learn both in the classroom and at work and can then turn theory into practice (and vice versa) in real time, on an ongoing basis. Of course, a cynic might add that another pro is that part-time MBA programs are generally less selective. So, a candidate who may have had difficulty getting accepted to a traditional two-year program may have a better chance of gaining admission to a well-regarded school in its part-time program instead.

As for the cons, many part-time MBA candidates feel that the comparative lack of structure means that networking opportunities within the class are limited. While one part-time student could complete a school’s MBA program in two years, another might complete it in five. As a result, with candidates progressing through the program at such different paces, students will not likely see each other regularly in the same classes or at social events. In addition, in a traditional MBA environment, academics always come first; in a part-time environment, work typically comes first, and academics must come second or even third, after family. In other words, the full-time program generally involves greater intensity with regard to the classroom experience, given that it is the focal point of students’ lives. Another thing to consider is that some MBA programs do not offer their “star” faculty to part-time students—something that candidates should definitely ask about before enrolling—and offer limited access to on-grounds recruiting.

Of course, we are not trying to offer a definitive “answer” or present a bias for a particular kind of program; we are simply sharing some objective facts for candidates to consider as they make informed choices for themselves.

MBA candidates looking to broaden their business school choices could also consider European programs. Although many applicants who are competing for places at the top U.S. business schools are well aware of the strengths of the MBA programs at INSEAD and London Business School, even more options are available beyond these two, including IESE, ESADE, Oxford (Saïd), and Cambridge (Judge). These four schools in particular have been aggressively playing “catch-up” with their better-known brethren by raising funds and dedicating them to scholarships and to enhancing their global brands. Other candidates may also be aware that IMD offers a boutique MBA program with remarkable international diversity, highly regarded academics, and a strong reputation with international employers.

So, numerous options are available, and each can be explored on its own academic merit. But is earning your MBA in Europe, in itself, a good choice for you? For many applicants, the key issue is where they would like to be after completing their education. If you hope to work in Europe, these schools clearly offer an advantage over all but the top five or six U.S. schools—Harvard Business School, for example, can probably open as many doors in Europe as INSEAD can. However, if you hope to work in the States, the European schools will not provide the pipeline of opportunities that a top-ranked American school could, particularly for candidates who are targeting a niche industry or a company that is not a well-known international brand.

Still, beyond the employment picture, studying abroad offers intrinsic value. Spending two years in London, Fontainebleau, or Lausanne could certainly be its own reward.

For more information on international business schools, including INSEAD, Cambridge Judge, and IMD, check out our free mbaMission International Program Guides.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

The Dos and Donts of GMAT CATs, Part 2 [#permalink]

10 Nov 2022, 17:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: The Dos and Don’ts of GMAT CATs, Part 2

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

What are the Dos and Don’ts to get the most out of your CATs? If you have not yet read the earlier installment of this series here, go take a look!

Most of the time, DON’T take a CAT more than once every three weeks

There are two broad modes of study: the “trying to improve” phase and the “final review” phase. Most of our study is the first phase; the final review phase kicks in for just the last couple of weeks.

During the “trying to improve” phase, taking a CAT more frequently than about every three weeks is a complete waste of time. Really! The whole point of taking the practice CAT is to figure out what needs to get better. Then, go get better! Until you have made substantial progress toward whatever issues were uncovered, taking another practice CAT is just going to tell you that you still have those same issues.

That even applies when you are trying to improve timing or stamina issues; you have other ways of addressing these issues besides taking a CAT. If quant timing is a struggle, GMAT Focus is a great “intermediate” resource from the real test makers. You can also set up longer sets of questions for yourself (in the 15- to 20-question range)—your practice sets do not have to be 37 or 41 questions for you to learn to handle the timing better. (Read this article on time management for more.)

You can practice building stamina every time you study. Figure out everything that you are going to do for the next hour or two hours. (I try to set up what I think will be three hours’ worth of work, just in case I finish faster than I think; if I do not finish, I save the rest for the next day.) Then, go for one hour without stopping—no email, no smart phone, no food, nothing. If you want to do a second hour, take a 15-minute break and go again for a second hour without stopping.

After that second hour, do take a substantial break (at least one hour, but ideally two) before you study any more that day. Making new memories is more mentally fatiguing than recalling memories (you only need to recall memories during a CAT), so do not do this exercise for more than about two hours in a row or your study will suffer.

Once you hit the “final review” phase, you can take a CAT once a week for the last couple of weeks; at this point, your goal is to solidify everything and develop your game plan.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Professor Profiles: Jonathan Knee, Columbia Business School [#permalink]

13 Nov 2022, 09:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Jonathan Knee, Columbia Business School

Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Today, we focus on Jonathan Knee from Columbia Business School (CBS).

Jonathan Knee is the Michael T. Fries Professor of Professional Practice of Media and Technology at CBS and the co-director of the school’s Media and Technology Program. He is also still active in the private sector as a senior advisor at the advisory and investment firm Evercore Partners.

Knee is perhaps best known among CBS students for his book The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade that Transformed Wall Street (Oxford University Press, 2006) and, we are told, brings a unique perspective into the classroom by showing where entertainment and finance cross paths. In his latest book, Class Clowns: How the Smartest Investors Lost Billions in Education (Columbia Business School Publishing, 2017), Knee explores investors’ efforts in higher education. Students reported to mbaMission that his “Mergers and Acquisitions in Media” class is intense and that the course’s final presentation—made before a guest panel of practicing investors—feels like the real deal. One CBS graduate who took a class with Knee said the benefits of having an active advisor as a teacher were the business insight and guest speakers the professor brought into the classroom.

For more information about CBS and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Admissions Is a Science [#permalink]

18 Nov 2022, 11:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Admissions Is a Science

What does a 3.8 GPA + a 670 GMAT score + four years of work experience + three years of community service equal? It could equal a letter of admission or rejection. However, knowing with absolute certainty is impossible because admissions is not a science. If it were, the Admissions Office would just do away with the entire time- and resource-consuming admissions process and use a simple formula. Why not make life that much easier for everyone?

In some countries, simple tests are used to establish benchmarks—a candidate gets into a top MBA program with a score of X but not with Y. Some U.S.-based graduate programs have cutoffs for GRE scores or situations in which GMAT/LSAT scores and grades are definitive. Plainly put, no clear-cut criteria exist with top global MBA programs. Instead, the admissions committee reads a file holistically and seeks evidence of the applicant’s ability to contribute in class and perform at the highest levels post-graduation.

Although trying to reduce the MBA admissions process to a science can be tempting, doing so would be unwise. By listening to chatter on message boards or blogs about the “right GMAT score” or the “right amount of work experience”—rather than keeping in mind that the process is holistic in nature, meaning that the admissions committees evaluate all criteria with no particular scorecard—you are wasting valuable time and energy. Simply be your best candidate and present your full story, rather than focusing on stats.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

G

mbaMissionJenK

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 25 Apr 2013

Posts: 4420

Own Kudos [?]: 336 [0]

Given Kudos: 1

Send PM

Earn an MBA in Canada at the Rotman School of Management or Ivey Busin [#permalink]

19 Nov 2022, 10:00

Expert Reply

FROM mbaMission Blog: Earn an MBA in Canada at the Rotman School of Management or Ivey Business School

One of Canada’s top-ranked business schools for finance—the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management—was ranked first among Canadian MBA programs by the Financial Times in 2022. Rotman underwent significant growth under the six-year deanship of Tiff Macklem, a foremost figure in the nation’s financial sector, whose tenure saw a prominent rise in Rotman’s academic profile and its reputation for financial education. Macklem announced his plan to step down from his position in 2020 to take over as the governor of the Bank of Canada. However, his successor, Dean Susan Christoffersen, is no stranger to the field of finance herself. Before stepping in as dean, she helped build three finance-related programs at the school and the TD Management Data Analytics Lab, for which she also served as co-academic director.

In addition to its finance-related strengths, Rotman offers a rather unique approach to core business pedagogy. Relying on what it terms “integrative thinking,” Rotman’s teaching model challenges the compartmentalization of traditional functional areas. Students complete a series of core courses in their first year that emphasize generalized business skills and the ability to think across functional disciplines. The Rotman Self-Developmental Lab, which offers feedback on the students’ communication style and behavioral performance via group workshops and personalized sessions with psychologists and management consultants, is also part of the first year of studies. The mission of the lab program, according to the school’s site, is “developing and nurturing in all students the communicative, interactive and interpersonal skills essential to the high-value added collaborative problem solver and decision maker in contemporary organizations.”

In their second year, students are given the option to choose from among 16 different major areas, including Global Management, Social Impact and Sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Funds Management, while supplementing their focus with a broader array of nearly 100 elective courses.

Approximately 125 miles from Rotman, at the University of Western Ontario, stands Ivey Business School, which Bloomberg Businessweek ranked as the best Canadian MBA program in 2019–2020 (the school was not ranked in the 2021–2022 list). The Ivey MBA program runs over the course of one year and is, according to the school’s website, designed for “high-achieving leaders who are ready to accelerate their career success.”

At Ivey, MBA students take part in real-world projects and can benefit from optional global learning opportunities and career management guidance, in addition to taking such core courses as “Leveraging Information Technology,” “Managing Financial Resources,” and “Communicating Effectively.” Study trips are available to Asia and South America during the electives period, while the Ivey Field Project allows students to form teams and work with real companies to find a solution for an issue or an opportunity before presenting their findings to the company. Students also have the option of developing an idea for a New Venture Ivey Field Project, creating a business plan for the idea, and presenting the pitch to a panel of external reviewers.

This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB

The mbaMission Blog

Prep Toolkit

My Rewards