TOP business Interview tips

flyingty

Harvard:

An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: HBS interviews all admitted candidates, with the help of about 80 alumni interviewers. Do you have sense of how much of your applicant pool gets interviewed?
Dewey: We don't have a target for how many people to interview each year. So it really depends on the quality of the applications. As we review the applications, we determine who are the strongest candidates, and interview them.

Q: So last year, what percentage of applicants got an interview?
Dewey: I don't know off the top of my head. But of those who were interviewed, I'd say at least half were offered admission.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

The interview was [exactly] 30 minutes [and took place] on campus. I met with a member of the HBS Admissions staff. The interviewer asked me about my current position, specific details about the selling process, and the industry competition. [I was] asked about my quantitative background and strengths in this area. [I was] asked why B-school, not education or policy, as my resume reflected those interests. [I was also] asked about leadership experiences, specifically related to work settings.

Comments from Student 2:

Interviewer: Kristin Hall
Location: Harvard Business School, Dillion House
Length: 45 minutes (35 minutes of her asking me questions, 10 minutes of me asking her questions)

Overall Impression:
It was obvious that Ms. Hall had read my application in depth. To underscore this fact, she opened with a clause in which she stated that she had read my application in detail and would be using the time to ask clarifying questions and cover aspects of my candidacy not covered in my application. I personally, enjoyed the interview. Being that the questions were so tailored to my experiences, I didn't feel like the interviewer was trying to "trick" me, or that there was a need to generate an answer other than the sincere truth.

My interview questions were along two lines. The first set of questions were "clarifying" questions. These questions asked me to provide the interviewer with more insight into my application and my past experiences. The key to answering these questions well is a clear definition of your goals and path to achieve them and an acute remembrance for what you wrote in your application. The second half of Ms. Hall's questions were "deep introspective" questions. The answers to these questions you should already know. If you don't know what you would reply then it would be very beneficial to spend some time asking yourself who you really are. These questions were very easy for me to answer because I had pondered all of these questions when I spent some time last summer composing a statement on myself.

Ms. Hall took diligent, and what seemed like verbatim, notes of everything I said. At first, her constant writing and lack of eye contact threw me off, but I quickly assimilated into a rhythm that allowed me to answer the questions in a comfortable speed and still allow her adequate time to capture my responses. On a few occasions, she asked me to pause so she could catch up in her writing.

Ms. Hall reserved the end of our time for me to ask her questions. Like most everyone in the Admissions Department, Ms. Hall had attended HBS herself, and was therefore able to answer specific questions and provide insight as both a former student and current administrator.

Overall, the interview was a very positive experience, and I left the interview feeling like I had nailed it. Lastly, if you secure an interview at HBS it is a very good sign. All of the students admitted to the program are interviewed. And although the Admissions Office states that it admits half of the candidates it interviews, HBS students surmise that a far greater percentage of those interviewed are ultimately granted admission.

Specific Questions:

"Clarifying" Questions
1) Tell me more about your responsibilities at work.
2) I have the perception that your company is an IT consulting firm but that you have secured roles on more classic management/strategy consulting projects. Is that an accurate perception?
3) Why have you chosen to get staffed on management consulting projects? And how did you accomplish this?
4) Why have you chosen to spend your last three years since graduating undergrad consulting if you ultimately want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
5) What do you like about your current job?
6) What do you dislike about your current job?
7) Could you please provide me with more insight into your career progression post business school?
8) Please provide me with an example in which you use quantitative skills at work.

"Deep Introspective" Questions
1) What motivates you?
2) What do you want me to know about you?
3) Why are you a successful leader?
4) How do you plan to make an impact in your career?
5) What decision have you made in the past that you have regretted

flyingty

Harvard 2:

Comments from Student 3:  

I ended up interviewing with four of the five schools I applied to: Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and Emory. The Emory interview was with an admissions officer on-campus, therest were off-campus with Alumni (mainly because I live in Germany). Regarding locations, MIT and UCLA were in the Washington, D.C. area over Christmas break. Harvard was by far the most organized with their Alumni interviews and the most international - they were able to set up my interview a few blocks away from my apartment in Hamburg, Germany! On top of that, the man that I interviewed with was a top executive and on the board of one of Germany's largest and most successful companies (very motivating for an aspiring MBAstudent).

For all of my Alumni interviews, I found the Alumni to be professional, friendly, and open to speaking with me about their school. For Emory, the admissions officer was just fantastic, making me feel comfortable right away, asking insightful (she read my application) questions and answering all of my questions about the program.

The interview questions were amazingly similar between all of the schools and I did not find that they asked me any out of context or trick questions. The questions were focused on me and my experiences. In the case of Harvard, it was more of a behavioral interview than the others, trying to gather information about how I react in certain work and life scenarios. Most of the interviews included questions like, "What brought you to Germany?" "How did you end up getting a job abroad?" "What are your career goals?" "Why business school?" "Why now?" "Why this school?" At the heart of it, they all seemed to be trying to figure out what made me tick, what I could bring to their program, if my goals and personality seemed consistent and aligned with the way I presented myself in my application, and whether I would be a good fit with their program. Many of them also asked me questions that were similar or an extension of my essay questions. For example, if I wrote an essay about an ethical dilemma at work, they would ask me how it was resolved in the end or to provide them with additional details about the scenario.

As far as advice for preparing, the best preparation is completing the application for the particular school before interviewing and then reviewing the essays just prior to the interview. Applicants should have a clear idea of why they want an MBA, their career goals, why this particular school, and what they can offer the school. These questions were consistently asked on essays and in interviews. I used my interviews as a chance to openly discuss and expand on what I considered my weak spot -- my undergraduate GPA. This turned out to be a good approach, not just because I got accepted into my top choice school, but because it let me explain the situation and how I overcame the weakness in a more personal way then what was possible on an application.

Comments from Student 4

HBS sent me an email with a location and time in New York City, where I lived. The atmosphere was quite formal and respectful. I wore a suit and tie. I only saw one other interview candidate while there who was quite serious, so we both just sat in silence before our time. Brit Dewey, the admissions director, came out and took me to a small room for the interview. She had thoroughly reviewed my application beforehand. Her questions were about certain parts of my application. She asked me to elaborate on things that I had written or on certain experiences from my recommendations. I had a few minutes for questions of my own. The interview lasted a little over a half hour

flyingty

Turk:

An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: What can you tell applicants about the admissions interview process? Are admissions interviews by invite only, and what types of questions can people expect?
Laca: Tuck offers an interview to anybody who comes to campus. We strongly encourage people to visit Tuck. For us, the interview is a critical part of the application. We want to really get to know the person behind the application, and that's why we take so much time to interview each of the applicants. We also offer interviews with alumni all over the world for those who can't make it to the campus.

The interview is very conversational. It's an opportunity for us to learn about the applicant as well as for the applicant to ask us questions about Tuck. One of the most important questions that we ask is about their interest in Tuck. Ultimately, we want to make sure that all applicants understand the level of commitment to the Tuck community.

Q: Are the alumni interviews done blind, or will interviewers have seen the candidate's application?
Laca: All interviews are done with only the r閟um? So none of the interviewers have read the application before the interview. That way, everybody is on a level playing field.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

My interview was on campus this past February [2003]. Darden encourages everyone to interview, no invitation is necessary. The rumors I heard prior to my interview were indeed confirmed. It's very informal -- often current students conduct them -- and concentrate on just three basic questions: why Darden, why MBA, why now. Actually, my interviewer (who turned out to be a member of the professional admissions staff) prefaced our time together by asking me to walk her through the answer to those three subjects. If I steered off track she would try to lead me back, but otherwise, she was going to just sit back and listen as quietly as possible.

When I was done rambling, she said the only piece still missing was a sampling of my extra-curriculars. What did I enjoy doing and what type of skills did those experiences foster?

Then it was my turn to ask questions. We actually ended up chatting about a whole slew of items. The typical interview is 30 minutes; mine lasted over one hour.

The interviewers do not see the application ahead of time, nor will they review the file with the rest of the committee. They merely write a quick report of their impressions/thoughts/comments and send it on to others for selection. Therefore, it is important to be as comprehensive as possible when explaining your background, interests, etc.

I wore a suit, as the admissions office suggested. I brought extra copies of my resumes, although they were not needed.

A prospective student has the option of attending a class, which I would highly recommend, and a studenthosted lunch. Another neat event to witness is First Coffee, a well needed break in-between first and second class every day. It was a great opportunity to meet students and faculty. I was introduced to the Dean within five seconds of walking through the door, right before the Darden Choir started signing.

Comments from Student 2:

As for the Tuck interview, I did this at the same time as my campus visit. A second-year student conducted the interview, which is very common at schools that do not deny interview requests by any prospective student. This was nice because it gave me a chance to talk to someone currently in the program who was very knowledgeable about the curriculum. This was also very informal, as we simply discussed some highlights of my work experience and interests. This lasted only about 20 minutes or so. Again, typical questions concerning my desires to pursue an MBA were asked, but the one that stood out to me the most was about my desires to help the community. The second-year student really wanted to know what I had done in my community in the past and what I plan to do in the future at Tuck. This is something I wish I had more research on as I entered the interview. I have quite a bit of volunteer work in my current community, but I had no idea of the opportunities to help while attending Tuck in Hanover. It was nice tosee that the school was looking for more than just bookworms and investment bankers. I came out of that interviewing knowing that most schools really want a well-rounded individual who can make a serious impact on the school and its community.

Comments from Student 3:

Interview: On-CampusInterviewer: Second-year student

As applicants to Tuck should know, the school prides itself on its tight-knit culture and extremely involved alumni base. While other schools asked questions about leadership experience and career development, my Tuck interview focused heavily on "culture fit". While important at all schools, Tuck applicants must be able to clearly articulate how they plan to become an integral part of the student body and alumni community.

Tuck also takes pride in its location - the small community of Hanover, N.H. - so people who enjoy the outdoors and small-town life will enjoy it there (Tuck people really like hockey!). If you like these things, it definitely might be worth mentioning.

As a quick aside, I interviewed on a Friday, and my interviewer was admittedly tired from drinking late the night before, making the interview tough to read. I'm not sure if this was an isolated experience, but one might consider interviewing Monday-Thursday. Also, schedule your interview well in advance, as on-campus interview slots filled up quickly. Taking the trouble to travel to Hanover and interview on-campus might indicate to the Admissions Committee the strength of your interest in the program.

The interview was short - 30 minutes - with 10 minutes of that reserved for my questions. A tour and student lunch followed.

Questions included:?Walk me through your resume.
?What sort of activities do you plan to participate in if you were to come to Tuck?
?How would you like your fellow students to remember you?
?Obviously Tuck is a bit different from some of the other top business schools - what is it about the school that made you apply?

flyingty

Turk 2:

Interview location:
Dartmouth: In Nashville an with alumni
Columbia: In Nashville with an alumni
Duke: In Nashville with a second-year student
Northwestern: On campus
Chicago: On campus

Interview length: 30-60 minutes. Alumni [interviews] definitely go longer.

As a whole, I thought the interviews were very relaxed and congenial - no high-pressure

tactics or "grillings". Second-year students are not as schooled in interviewing techniques

and, therefore, more likely to ask scripted questions and not interact as much. All of the

schools asked the expected questions: "Why B-school?" "Why our B-school?" "What will you do

with an MBA?" "Long and short-term goals?" Candidates should definitely be able to answer

those questions. Although I'm not a big believer in interview preparation, I would recommend

at least thinking through answers to those questions.

My biggest recommendation is to show enthusiasm for the school. I believe the interviewers

want to form some sort of bond with the candidate, and they want students excited about

going to their university. The worst thing a candidate can do is show no emotion or

personality. They have all of your essays and application info., so interviews are the

opportunity to show your personality and that you are not a one-dimensional, driven to

succeed, boring person. Make sure the interviewer knows you want to go to that B-school.

Simple as that sounds, I think it is important that they see your desire to attend that

particular school. I think many candidates can give off the air of indifference, probably

unintentionally, which will kill an interview. Interview with the same emotion for your

third choice school as your first choice school.

flyingty

Columbia :

An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: Interviews are by invitation only at Columbia. Some 86% of the people who are eventually admitted interview. What does the admissions team want to learn from an interview?
A: The interview can serve a lot of different functions. The basic one is to answer questions people haven't elaborated enough on in their application.

Interviewers will also be looking at how interviewees present themselves. Are they professional in their demeanor? Are they articulate? If English is a second language, how well do they speak it? We'll also be assessing an applicant's goals. Sometimes in an interview it becomes much clearer where the person is headed, and that's very helpful to the committee.

Applicants are being assessed as if they were in a professional interview. Is this somebody you would like to hire? Is this someone you would like to go to school with and have a member of your cluster or your class? Almost all of our interviews are done either by alumni or our Hermes students, who are selected students trained by the admissions office.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

The Columbia interview was an alumni interview arranged through e-mail. The Columbia interview was not conducted in a professional manner. The interview began 20 minutes late, [and] was held at a local bar where the interviewer drank two pints of beer. Inexperienced and disinterested, the interviewer made small talk. At one point, during a break in the conversation, the interviewer said, "So, tell me a joke." This made me very uncomfortable because I did not think this was an appropriate request. After I received a negative decision from Columbia, I wrote a personal letter to the Director of Admissions requesting a replacement interview and a reevaluation of my candidacy. I ended up speaking on the phone to the Director of Admissions about this, and while she acknowledged "poor judgment" on the part of the interviewer, was unwilling to grant my requests.

Comments from Student 2:

I'm pretty sure Columbia alumni interviewers receive a list of questions from the school, and although I don't have an exact list, they go something like this:

Tell me about your job.
Why are you applying to business school?
Tell me what you know about Columbia and why it is the right school for you.
What do you plan to do after you graduate from business school?

There were no suprises, no hard questions, and it was completely non-confrontational. My interviewer only asked me questions for about 15 minutes and then I asked her questions for the remaining 45 minutes. This interview took place in a hotel lobby, which I would highly recommend over a coffee shop. It was easy to find a quiet space to talk and there were no distractions.

Comments from Student 3:

Interview location:
Columbia: In Nashville with an alumni
Duke: In Nashville with a second-year student
Northwestern: On campus
Chicago: On campus
Dartmouth: In Nashville an with alumni

Interview length: 30-60 minutes. Alumni [interviews] definitely go longer.

As a whole, I thought the interviews were very relaxed and congenial - no high-pressure tactics or "grillings". Second-year students are not as schooled in interviewing techniques and, therefore, more likely to ask scripted questions and not interact as much. All of the schools asked the expected questions: "Why B-school?" "Why our B-school?" "What will you do with an MBA?" "Long and short-term goals?" Candidates should definitely be able to answer those questions. Although I'm not a big believer in interview preparation, I would recommend at least thinking through answers to those questions.

My biggest recommendation is to show enthusiasm for the school. I believe the interviewers want to form some sort of bond with the candidate, and they want students excited about going to their university. The worst thing a candidate can do is show no emotion or personality. They have all of your essays and application info., so interviews are the opportunity to show your personality and that you are not a one-dimensional, driven to succeed, boring person. Make sure the interviewer knows you want to go to that B-school. Simple as that sounds, I think it is important that they see your desire to attend that particular school. I think many candidates can give off the air of indifference, probably unintentionally, which will kill an interview. Interview with the same emotion for your third choice school as your first choice school.

flyingty

Cornell:

Chat with Cornell's Admissions Director  

An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: What should applicants anticipate in their Cornell interview?
A: We interview about one-third of the applicants, and admit about half of those we interview. Invitational interviews definitely put more pressure on the candidate.

There are definite things we look for in the interview. We're first going to look at a candidate's information from their application, and if there are things that we need to ask, we'll ask. We're going to ask them about their careers, their goals, and how our program fits into those goals. Why have they made some of the decisions they've made? We'll explore how the applicant analyzes problems, but I can't tell you how. That would ruin it. We'll explore leadership, because it's a key aspect of the program, as are team skills.

We may ask questions regarding current business events -- my favorite this week has been Enron -- so candidates should scan their most recent issue of BusinessWeek and read BusinessWeek Online for the day. We are also going to assess their interpersonal skills. Remember -- strong handshake, eye contact, and good energy.

It also pays to know the school well. Is the candidate applying to the program because of our emphasis on experiential learning through the Parker Center, which gives students an opportunity to do equity research? Are they interested in the Park Leadership Fellows Program, which is a fellowship for 30 domestic students each year; the Big Red Venture Fund; or one of Cornell's immersions in investment banking, brand management, entrepreneurship and private equity, manufacturing, e-business, or managerial finance? Many of our students take advantage of the overall strength of Cornell by taking coursework in our engineering school, industrial and labor relations, international programs, the hotel school (the wines course is very popular with MBA students), etc. Are candidates with scientific or engineering backgrounds interested in our 12-month option? These are all questions that should be answered before the application can be completed.

While we invite everyone to interview at Sage Hall because we feel it's important to understand the Johnson experience, we realize that may not be a viable option for everyone. Therefore, alumni are available to conduct interviews throughout the world. All interviews are weighted equally.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

The Cornell [interview] was very late in the game. I believe I ended up having the interview on a Thursday, and admissions decisions were sent out the following Monday. I actually drove to Ithaca and had the interview in person with Cathy Dove, the Associate Dean of MBA Program and Administration. I found Cathy to be quite accommodating, but not as outright welcoming as the other schools. Perhaps this was in an effort to maintain an air of prestige. I had heard, from other students that were touring Johnson, as well as people who had or were going to have interviews with Cornell, that Cornell interviews are notoriously tough. I did not find this to be the case. However, I did make two mistakes that I think played a part in my rejection. First, when asked the question "what will you do next year if you do not go to business school," I replied that I already had an offer from a good business school, and was going to take it even if no other schools admitted me. An amateurish mistake, I know. Second, when I was asked two similar but different questions - describe a time where you persuaded members of a group you were not leading to adopt a particular course of action, versus describe a situation where you took control as leader - I started giving the same answer to the second question as I did for the first. When I did this, the interviewer stopped me after a few sentences and restated the question. Moral of the story: LISTEN TO THE QUESTION CAREFULLY.

flyingty

Cornell 2

Comments from Student 2:  

I interviewed at the University of Virginia (Darden) in October 2002 and at Cornell (Johnson) in March 2003.

For Darden, an interview was required as part of the application process, so that in order to hit a certain application deadline, both the requisite paperwork and an interview had to have been already completed. I was able to set up my on-campus interview through Darden's online application system, which allows you to select a date and time; I also set up a class visit and information session for the same day. (I know that Darden also makes arrangements for off-campus interviews if applicants are not able to travel toCharlottesville.)

For Cornell, the school invites certain applicants to interview only after it reviews the written applications. I was notified (I believe via email) that I needed to come in for an interview; as with Darden, I was able to schedule my interview through the school's online application system, which allowed me to choose the date and time which were most convenient for me. I again interviewed on-campus, although Cornell also offers off-campus interviews to those who cannot get up to Ithaca.

The Darden interview was, in my opinion, very casual. The interviewer was a second-year student who prior to the interview had only had access to my resume (as mywritten application was not yet submitted), so she primarily asked me questions about my undergraduate experience and professional background. I believe she was mostly interested in understanding my decision-making process: how and why I had chosen the school and jobs I did and how my experiences so far had led me to believe that I needed an MBA. I remember discussing Darden in particular -- what made it a good fit for me and why I thought I was a good fit for it. Overall, the interview was actually more of a conversation; none of the questions were difficult given that I had recently had to think through most of the same information for my essays.

The Cornell interview was only slightly more structured. Although the interviewer (the Director of the Johnson School's Office for Women and Minorities in Business) had a list of questions provided to her by the committee who had reviewed my application, she also conducted the interview in a generally casual fashion. She asked me about my overall application process: why I thought I needed to attend business school and why at this particular time in my career, as well as what schools I was applying to and why. Like the Darden interviewer, she seemed interested in understanding my decision-making process; I remember that we discussed in detail the major I chose in college and how I went from that major and a pre-med focus to a career in business. She also was very interested in hearing what I thought I could contribute to my classmates and to Cornell, as the school is strongly committed to both its own community, as well as the surrounding area.

sdyx0

Thank you very much. Would you please share with us the best school for entrepreneurship and management and some sample essays?

flyingsky

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aokceo

flyingty:

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