A client kindly shared the following. It’s good to see the details fleshed out.    Dear XXX,                        Thank you for submitting your application to join the Wharton MBA Class of 2015! The Admissions team is looking forward to getting to know each of you, through your personal stories and experiences, as we read through the applications.                        As [...]

Whether my clients are native or non-native English speakers, almost everyone tells me their biggest interview concern is getting a question they aren’t prepared for. One way to reduce those chances is to try guiding the interview in the direction you want to go. I’m not saying you should be a politician and only hit [...]

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 [...]