Interviews are a required part of the MBA application process. They are also a fantastic opportunity to connect with the admissions committee, and to showcase your candidacy. In order to ace your MBA interview, you need to think strategically.
- Nail the Foundational Questions.
At a minimum, you need to be able to answer the foundational MBA questions. Can you walk the interviewer through your resume, highlighting progression, seniority, impact, leadership, and skills that are transferable to your future career? Speaking of which, are you ready to clearly articulate your short and long-term goals? Why do you want to go to this school, and how will you contribute? How do you handle failure, team situations, conflict?
In addition to having refined answers to the foundational questions, the most successful candidates are overprepared. (I overprepare my clients for every aspect of the application process.) In an interview context, this means going beyond the expected preparation and understanding the interviewer’s framework. What qualities are they looking for, and do your answers showcase them? Have you practiced, a lot, even if you think of yourself as a great interviewee? Are your answers deep enough, and have you chosen illustrations that highlight your strengths and mitigate any concerns? Are you super well-versed in the courses, clubs and special features of this program? Can you handle tough behavioral questions, and are you able to demonstrate vulnerability?
Once your content is ready, it’s time to practice sharing the optimal level of detail. Sometimes, the interviewer will accept surface-level answers, or ask superficial questions. Although this can feel pleasant in the moment, it will be problematic if the interviewer doesn’t have enough information to advocate for you in their write-up. In these situations (or if the interviewer is disengaged, and not asking follow-up questions), you will need to choose key moments in which to elaborate. For instance, if you are asked to share 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses, instead of just listing them you can explain and illustrate key attributes. If they ask you about the best team that you have ever been on, don’t just describe it. Explain what you contributed to the dynamic and why this is your ideal.
This seems like an obvious point, but dress appropriately (ideally in a suit), show up on time, make sure that your technology is working, and send a thank you note. Also, don’t blow it in the last 5 minutes by asking weird questions like “Will I get in?” or by telegraphing doubt. “Isn’t the small class size a problem?” is NOT a good question.
Many business schools are now offering guaranteed interviews, if you apply in a certain round or early enough in a given round. Absolutely take advantage of these opportunities. The interview is an important component of the application process, and it’s totally worth investing the time to make sure that you ace your MBA interview.
Karen has more than 12 years of experience evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Since founding North Star Admissions Consulting in 2012, she has helped applicants gain admission to the nation’s top schools, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Duke, Johnson, Ross, NYU, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Clients have been awarded more than $50 million dollars in scholarships, and more than 98% have gotten into one of their top choice schools.
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