What An HBS Interview Is Really Like

THE QUESTIONS COVER A FAIRLY VAST RANGE OF ISSUES

The advice is dispensed in well-written, opinionated prose, with capped letters and exclamation points for emphasis.  Example: “Would it be worth your valuable time to carefully craft eloquent responses to each of these questions and then memorize those responses so you’re ready to regurgitate them come interview time? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Do that and we guarantee your interview will be a disaster!”

The questions, or at least the nearly 100 shared in the guide, cover a fairly vast range of issues and experiences that could easily trip up a candidate. Consider: “What is the most interesting conversation you have had this week?” or “Tell me a piece of news that you are currently following and very interested in?” The latter question is the motivation for the advice to begin a new morning routine on the day you schedule your admissions interview. “Browse all the headlines of all the major business news sites, read any stories that seem particularly pertinent, and be sure to hit up any sites that cover your industry and employer in particular (you don’t want to get broadsided during your interview!).”

For Kleiner, the admissions interview worked backwards. “I was asked about my time at my current job and what I liked about it. Then, I was asked about my experience in investment banking before that. She asked why I switched to private equity from banking. I had prepared for that and gave my answer and then we kept going backwards. We started talking a lot about Yale and my experiences there, including why I majored in history and whether I got out of it what I wanted.”

‘THE MOST CHALLENGING QUESTIONS ASK YOU TO BRAG A LITTLE OR TO BE INTROSPECTIVE’

As far as he is concerned, the most challenging questions are those that ask you “to brag a little bit or to be introspective. It’s not always easy to sit in front of an interviewer and say that to them. The whole interview is crammed into 30 minutes and it is really rapid fire. You don’t get much of a reaction to your answers because they’re trying to fit in as many questions as possible. It can be very tough for a lot of people, especially those who haven’t interviewed for two or three years since they went through the process to get their last job.”

Questions on leadership often absorb a good chunk of the interview time. “They definitely ask you a lot of questions on leadership,” says Kleiner. “What kind of leader are you? What is your definition of a leader and how might you fit that description? Have you worked with any truly exceptional leaders in your last job and tell me why you thought they were great?”

The most unpredictable question in the guide this year? Kleiner has a few favorites that fit that description, including:

Explain something to me as if I were an eight-year-old?

“It’s a funny one that comes up commonly,” he says. “The point of this question is to see if you are ready to participate in the case method at HBS. Your own thoughts, however complicated, may have to be explained to 90 people in a classroom, some of who may be experts in a field and others who may be novices. So they are testing all of that in a very simple question. It’s a really good skill to have. They want to make sure that people with quant backgrounds can be clear and articulate.”

Tell me something you want to start doing, something you want to do more of, and something you want to do less of.

“Professors often ask for similar feedback from their students,” says Kleiner. “Some interviewers ask the question. It is something that I had never heard in this form until coming here. It’s a chance for you to step out and give an honest appraisal of who you are. It forces you to be more concrete than a more typical strength and weakness question.”

ADMISSION INTERVIEWS EXPLORE EVERYTHING FROM CURRENT EVENTS TO LEADERSHIP

The guide divides up the questions into six categories: experience, current events, leadership, situational, career, and curriculum. There also are sections to make your visit to Boston productive: lists of where to go and where to eat, where to shop and where to stay.

And, of course, there is the requisite advice on what to wear: For women, the guide advises, a suit color and style that is simple and classic. “Skirt lengths need to be at least knee length,” the editors counsel. “Wear closed toed pumps and a heel height of one-to-three inches.” For men, the guidance is Esquire-like: “Make sure the suit fits properly. Ask a tailor (or your mom)…Suit color palate for the formal interview: black, gray, or navy blue. You may choose plain or (sensible) pinstripes. Reserved sport coat also works, though a good suit is fail-safe.”

Kleiner says he relied heavily on the guide to help him prepare for the interview. “I formulated a list of questions, using the interview guide as a starting point. Then, I added more specific questions based on my application and resume. Over the course of a couple of weeks, I would think about them and what my answers would be before I went to bed every night.”

So when it came to the sit down for his session, he felt well prepared. “As it came to the end, I didn’t get an opportunity to ask questions,” he recalls. “But they gave me the last word. ‘What is one thing you want to convey as your interview comes to an end?’ I said that ‘I really want to come to Harvard. This is my first choice. This is where I see myself.” Indeed.

DON’T MISS: THE TEN MOST UNPREDICTABLE QUESTIONS HBS ASKS IN AN ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW or AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MBA GATEKEEPER FOR HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL