Go Grab those MBA Interview Opportunities

Samantha is an applicant for the MBA 2010-2012 session. She has an above average GMAT (say 680), 3.0 GPA, is a state level Tennis player, has a 4+ years work experience at a Software Company, and has some A grades in some quant course that she took at the community college.

If we just assess the profile, it doesn’t sound anything great or outstanding. There would definitely be people in her applicant pool who would have stellar GMATs, work experience from companies such a McKenzie and Microsoft or superior grades, national sport players and alike.

So does that mean that Samantha should not apply to a Business School?

Of course, she should.

A student such as Samantha knows that the two things that she could really work hard upon are her application and interviews. Her application would give a wider view of her personality and her motivations to achieve her goals. Her interviews would give her an opportunity to fill in all the gaps that were either in her application or profile. The interviews , especially, would give an opportunity to interact with the interviewer where she would have a highest opportunity to put her views forward though her strong communication skills and dynamism.

In fact, her 30-45 minutes interview can make or break her chances of getting into a business school.

How?

An arrogant and cocky person with an excellent profile might get an instant red flag. Whereas a person who understands his motivations, goals, is honest and genuine with his words would be considered for an admission.

Mind you, honesty and genuineness doesn’t come that easy in one’s tone. Most students brag about what they have done, what all they have achieved with a tone of unwanted arrogance.

Let’s see what kinds of interviews you might come across. Read D ifferent Schools, Different Interview Policies

Open Interviews/ Request an Interview
Interviews by Invitation
Telephonic Interviews
On Campus Interviews

1. Open/ Request an Interview: Such interviews are not mandatory but it is highly recommended that candidates take an opportunity to schedule an interview with either an alumni or an admissions associate. Such interviews would be conducted either at the school campus or some in your city. On-campus interviews are conducted by admissions committee members and admissions associates (selected second-year students). Off-campus interviews are conducted by admissions committee members, admissions associates, or alumni interviewers. Take an opportunity to put your points forward and sell your story in person.

2. Interviews by Invitation: Schools such as MIT and Harvard conduct interviews by invitation only. In most cases (except Harvard), the interviews conducted are blind i.e the interviewer is not aware of what you have written in your application and would solely make his judgment based on your resume and his interaction with you. In case of Harvard Business School, the application file of the applicant is reviewed and based on that, the interview calls are given. It is definitely a positive sign if you get an interview invitation from school.

3. Telephonic Interviews: Such interviews could be tricky. In such interviews only your voice and your tone speaks for you. The person on the other end is not able to see your non verbal gestures or your body language. So it becomes very important that your answers are well prepared, concise and supported by relevant examples and anecdotes. Take such interviews at a hustle bustle free background so that there is clear flow of conversation between you and interviewer.

4. On Campus Interviews: These interviews give you opportunity to tour the campus, attend a class, interact with the current students and make a better decision whether you want be a part of that school or not. Be careful when you are interacting with people on campus. As a prospective student you might get evaluated on your behaviour, your interpersonal skills, and what questions are you asking. Even small gestures such as firm handshakes could be assessed. You want to be remembered but not as someone who was going ga-ga over his job profile an extracurriculars. These are the best kind of interviews. A lot of students feel that they would not get a fair judgement if they get interviewed by alums or students in their respective cities, such applicants can take an opportunity to get interviewed by the admission officers directly.

Another question that is frequently asked many candidates is whether visiting a campus increases their chances of getting into a particular school or not?

While the schools deny that it does not make any difference whether you are visiting the school or not. But if you visit, school would definitely take as a sign of seriousness. Schools understand that you have taken out special time from you routine to visit the school, you would not be visiting school or attending a class for nothing.

Pat H. from Tuck Business School says:

We do not admit any applicant who has not been interviewed (either by their own initiative or by invitation). Since we cannot invite every applicant who applies, it is possible if you don’t come up on your own, you will not be invited, and you will have lost out on the chance to show us who you are. In the past, there have been applicants who on paper might not have been invited for an interview, but they made the trip and because they were so strong in the interview, we ended up admitting them. Had they not made the effort to initiate an interview, they most likely would not have been admitted to Tuck.

Following is the typical Interview Pattern that schools opt:

Welcome
A few icebreaker questions to set you at ease- “how are you”, “were you able to locate the interview venue easily?” etc.
Typical questions “So Mr. XYZ, tell me about yourself.”, ” What are you career goals?”, “Why MBA”. OR the in-depth questions about school, an analysis of a hypothetical situation or questions from your application file/ essays.
Do you have any questions for us?
Conclusion/ Thank yous.

Here’s what the Derrick Bolton, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Stanford Business School has to say about the interviews:

Because the Committee on Admissions believes that previous behavior is often a good predictor of future conduct, the interview focuses on past actions rather than hypothetical situations.

The primary questions revolve around behaviors, skills, and attitudes that we believe are key to good citizenship in the Stanford community and vital to high-impact leadership post-MBA.

There are no trick questions. The interviews are intended to be conversational. We ask you to reflect on your personal and professional experiences, what you’ve learned about yourself, and how best to lead people and manage situations.

You’ll probably surprise even yourself with the many ways you’ve demonstrated leadership in your life; take advantage of this opportunity to think about the people, situations, and events that have shaped you. The interview is both evaluative and informative: it is not only an opportunity for us to learn more about you, but also for you to learn more about the GSB.

Our goal is for the interviews to be a positive exchange of ideas and information.

Read the full article here : http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/dir_interviews-p.html

Pat. H from Tuck Business School says:

Similar to your essays, interviews are a great vehicle to share your story. Through the interview, we hope to hear more examples of the types of experiences you have had in both your personal and professional life, and to get a sense of your demonstrated record of achievement, your interpersonal and communication skills, and your focus.

A small note of the three types of interviewers that you would come across:

a. Admissions Officers: These are the kind of people who are very focused, know what they want to ask, would revolve your interview mainly around the typical questions and would wrap up the process at a smooth note.

b. Alumni: These would be the chilled out lot that you might come across. You might have to face a longer interaction session with them,. They would want to tell you about their experiences, how they did, what to expect, so on and so forth. They would want to sell the school to you than grill you, per se. An alumni would mostly assess you on a basis whether he wants to work with you on a professional level in future or whether he wants you to be the part of the happening alumni committee?

c. Current Students: These would be a tough lot to handle. Since they would be spending at least an year with you, they would want to assess you on the basis of whether they see you as a part of their social/ study group. Convincing them might be a tough nut to crack.

Any interview can be handled successfully only and only if a candidate is prepared well. If you are ill prepared, you would not only stumble at the in-depth analysis type questions but also at those soft questions that would just be the ice-breaker kinds. Preparation is the key.

But it boils down to the fact that if you get an opportunity to interview with someone from the school, make the most of it. Your communication, thought process, and interests might become stronger when you tell them in person than just in writing. Go! get ready for the interviews.