How to ace an MBA interview

Competition is fierce in MBA schools, and interviews hold a significant value in deciding the fate of your B-school decisions. As a result, candidates usually approach Mentor Mpact for queries concerning interview preparation. They understand that an MBA interview is a significant deal, and they want to make sure they give their best. Each business school has its own way of everything including the way they interview students. But this guide will be based on general experiences. Let’s have a look at the major takeaways that can help you giving 100% in your interview:

 

Learn about the school and its interview style

If you want to walk & talk confidently into your interview, you should know what the school and the admission panel expect. Some schools highly prefer on-campus interviews, while others go for off-campus interviews. Some colleges want you to introduce your resume to them, while others want you to elaborate your application essays. So, three important things that you should evaluate appropriately before entering the interview place are:

• Make sure you know everything about the school. They do not want you as a candidate who doesn’t even know about the business school you are aiming for.
• Furthermore, knowing the admission committee can be an advantage for you. If you can research the panel and see what they expect, it can be a total game-changer .
• Try to learn everything about the interview process at your chosen schools: Who is in charge of the interviews? What is the location of their meeting? What kind of inquiries do they make? The more specific you can be with your planning, the more effective your interview will be.

 

Try to talk to alumni and keep practicing

Confidence is the key to success, and the most remarkable approach to gain confidence is to train yourself. Informed, natural, and confident responses can only be achieved through constant practice and learning. It would help if you can connect with as many alumni as possible because not only you’ll learn more about the MBA program’s actual day-to-day experience, but you will also get a chance to learn about the MBA interview experience from people who have successfully faced their interviews. You can even ask them about their responses to some predetermined questions, such as Why they are pursuing an MBA, their career goals, and why they’re interested in this particular institution. These will help you in preparing your own answers in an organized way.

 

Identify your main USPs and backstories

Remember, you need to prove your potential and showcase why you deserve to be selected! So, try preparing for at least five key selling points. A brief story should be included with each selling point to help explain your potential. Your USPs and backstories should be based on your strengths, personality, soft skills (leadership potential, teamwork abilities), school contribution, and professional objectives. Keep in mind the program’s fundamental ideals, and look for stories that include behavioral examples to back up your points.

 

Prepare for pre-determined questions

Prepare for the predetermined questions that can be asked at the end of the interview. This level of careful planning suggests a genuine desire to succeed and increases your chances of selection. Here is the list of top 5 questions that you can find helpful. 

• Walk me through your resume.

This question should be answered in 2-3 minutes. The goal isn’t to list everything you’ve done at each job; instead, it’s to talk about your success and the circumstances surrounding your transition from one role to another. Your academic background is a good place to start. Summarize your degree and explain why you chose that. After that, take a thorough look at your jobs. Sum up your work experiences and capacity of work in 1-2 sentences. Then, come to the current employment. You may unintentionally try to answer “why an MBA” here, but please refrain.

• Why an MBA?

The most common answer to the question “Why MBA?” is because you have a lot of depth in a certain industry (marketing, finance, IT, engineering), but you need additional knowledge to develop your skills in a specific field. The majority of people seek an MBA in order to advance in their careers or change sectors. Adding an MBA degree to your resume will undoubtedly increase your value. But make sure you don’t want to come out as someone who is solely interested in an MBA degree because of being called an MBA graduate or because of the prestige of the school you are aiming for. That’s a major turnoff. The interviewer is simply checking to see if your MBA expectations are in line with what the programme offers. They want to know if you’re serious about your goals, so try to explain what you expect from coming 2 years and how you will utilize the school as a staircase for your start-up or the companies you want to be recruited by. You should be clear with your goals and know how to explain the minute details of your goals but in brief. 

• How will you contribute to the program?

Imagine that the admissions committee has to select between you and someone else with a comparable demographic profile and work experience. How will you persuade them to pick you? The key points that can be highlighted on to form the answer are:

• What makes you truly one-of-a-kind?
• How will your previous work experience be especially beneficial to the learning environment?
• What impact does your ethnicity, culture, and/or where you’ve lived have on your perspective of the world?
• What personal interests or hobbies can add a unique or fascinating viewpoint to the discussion?

• Why this MBA program?

You must demonstrate that your motive for applying to the program is based on factors other than the program’s obvious reputation, location, or network. It is your responsibility to communicate your genuine passion for the school by responding to this question. You must be as concise & specific as possible. Topics to consider include:

• A one-of-a-kind curriculum is required to achieve your objectives.
• Faculty from whom you are eager to learn
• Clubs or groups at school that you are particularly interested in joining
• Program components that pique your interest — study abroad, entrepreneurship projects, etc.

• What is your weakness?

This is a question that demands some serious introspection. Yes, no one is perfect, but everyone may strive to be their best self. What areas do you need to improve in your professional life? Is there a recurring trend in your annual assessment — anything you need to improve on? As you work on answering this question, jot down a few notes. It’s natural that we don’t want to admit our flaws to others at times. Consider how to depict those flaws so that they can also be regarded as strengths once you’ve discovered a few places for growth. Try to have at least two weaknesses to talk about, and they shouldn’t be situational, like “my network is poor because I’m mostly surrounded by IT specialists.” Because this varies from place to place and cannot be regarded as a weakness of yours! Being overly detail-oriented, for example, may burden you with too much labour, but it assures that you are thorough and go deep into the concepts. So, try to present your answer wisely. Also, make sure you also identify how you are working to improve them.

 

But remember, regardless of your preparation, you can be asked a question that you didn’t expect. Whether you’re being questioned about a flaw, a failure, or why you left a specific job or industry, the goal is to react honestly and humbly. A captivating success story can demonstrate how you’ve pushed yourself in the past and have reached here. 

Stay grounded

Last but not the least is to stay grounded and honest. Approach the interview as if it was a conversation and avoid being nervous. The Admissions panel wants to discover what makes you special, what you care about, and what motivates you to pursue your goals. This entails telling your narrative with zeal to learn while maintaining a calm tone. You should project yourself as a sincere, grounded, and thoughtful candidate. 

Finally, your interview is an essential opportunity to determine your fit with the college. Do not lose your confidence and enjoy the opportunity to bring your candidacy to life. You’ve intrigued their curiosity, and the most effective method to win them over is to show them your true self. 

If you plan to pursue your MBA from abroad, MentorMpact provides the best guidance you can ever get! MentorMpact works with the students and for the students. We value the trust you put in us and creatively partner with you to accomplish your dream school admission. Our approach resonates with proper mentorship. And we ensure the best for our clients. For more information, visit MentorMpact.