A few people have struggled with this over the past few MBA interview trainings I’ve done. And while it seems like it shouldn’t be difficult — after all everyone wrote “Why MBA School X?” many times in their essays — the problem occurred when my clients tried to connect not to a school’s specific classes [...]

Also added to this year’s Interview Questions Bank. MICHIGAN ROSS #1 Walk me through your resume. Were you headhunted by your current company? In the ABC project, how did you work with your coworkers? Why MBA? Why now? Why Michigan? (Plus follow-up questions) How will you contribute to Michigan? What is your short-term and long-term [...]

Good essays are structured around detailed examples. The same can be said for good interviews. You can spend five minutes telling your interviewer repeatedly that you are a leader, or you can show it in one minute with a good example. With many interviews limited to about 30 minutes, the best choice is clear. However, [...]

One question I ask my interview clients a lot is, “Are you a better leader or team player?” Most everyone says they are both, depending on the circumstances (good answer!), at which point I ask them for an example of both. Explaining leadership is never a problem. It seems hardwired into MBA applicants. Teamwork, however, [...]

Most interviewers will give you time at the end of an interview to ask questions. You should. After all, you are the consumer, an MBA is an expensive and life-changing experience, and you have many choices. Not asking questions might make a negative impression. As a guideline, I think 3-5 questions is sufficient. I also [...]

Many thanks for sharing the insightful report… ———————— 1 hour, alumni Questions Please walk me through your resume. Very brief. He interrupted me a lot to ask questions. Career goals after MBA?/Why MBA? Why Tuck? My answers were clear and genuine. This part lasted 30 minutes. Then we had a very long conversation on the [...]

I’ve been doing a lot of “walk me through your resume” interview training with my clients, and the more I do them, the more I’m convinced that they are one of the best interview practices because they: force you to be proactive while also giving you lots of control force you to be concise while [...]

NOTE: This is a re-post from last year. As I covered in my last post, a good strategy is vital because it allows you to approach the MBA interview pro-actively. If you know the topics you want to cover, you can look for or create opportunities to tell your best stories. Also, a checklist of [...]

DEVELOP A STRATEGY It still surprises me how many people sweat and babble through their MBA interviews without a strategy. I consider them victims, at the mercy of the interviewer. However, strategic applicants, those who know their best stories and can deploy them to maximum effect, gain control over the content and direction of the [...]

Back when I was a journalism graduate student at UC Berkeley, I had an interview with a pretty big-shot newspaper editor. He had already met a bunch of my classmates, all competing for the same precious internship. In fact, if I remember correctly, it was already dark outside when my turn came. He had flown [...]