How To Prep For An MBA Interview

Tip #5: Be prepared for different interview styles

In my experience, the poker face interview seems to really throw a lot of candidates. They try to read the interviewer, cannot, and get more and more anxious and begin to ramble. However if you walk in with a clear mind about your key points and examples (that are aligned with your strengths and the school’s core values) your interview should go more smoothly. Keep the general tone calm, take your time, and stay away from emotional statements; you want to come across as a grounded, personable, and thoughtful candidate.

Tip #6: Handling the dynamic of a Team Based Discussion

Wharton and Michigan Ross have both introduced a Team Based Discussion in the last two years, with the idea to simulate the kind of interactions their students have in the MBA classroom. Colleague and former Wharton Admissions Director, Judith SIlverman Hodara explains that candidates are reviewed more on their interaction with one another and how they self-assess following this interaction, then they are on the actual content they deliver during the exercise. So this is your chance to demonstrate your comfort level with learning clusters, cohorts and teams, and a leadership style that is facilitative and draws out other views from the group, rather than closed and unreceptive to others. To that end, we suggest that you certainly work on your own presentation, and answer the question posed, but also consider how you would respond when challenged, or how you would support another idea that is on the table. It is sometimes better to abandon your own idea and instead assume another role within the discussion rather than steaming ahead to prove your own point.

Tip #7: Follow up

Plan on sending a thank you note to your interviewer a day or two after you have met (HBS formalizes this as part of the written materials required with their ‘Post Interview Reflection’). After your interview, if you feel concerned that it has not gone as well as you would have liked, remember that this is a common sentiment and things are rarely as bad as they seem. Judith Silverman Hodara comments “I have found that candidates sometimes feel the need to clarify something that they think went really wrong in the discussion when in fact it was not something I was concerned about or wanted to inquire about more deeply at all. I have also had candidates “stalk me” after the interview break, to try to come back into the room to make further points that they felt were unclear. And, while I appreciate the sentiment, acting “rashly” in an attempt to “make it better” is both unprofessional and counter-productive.” Judith recommends debriefing with a colleague as soon as possible after the interview, and considering what points you may want to make in writing. Never send this note on the day of the interview – these ideas need time to settle before being conveyed.

Some Final Words of Advice

Remember that all candidates will feel anxiety before an interview. My colleagues at Fortuna can all remember meeting candidates who were overcome with nerves, or needed to take a minute to compose themselves. Instead of trying to suppress your anxiety, try channeling those intense feelings into excitement. Focus on the positive opportunity that an interview provides. And remember that interviewers want you to feel successful in the interaction. They are generally a lot nicer than you may think.

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Malvina Miller Complainville

Malvina Miller Complainville is an Expert Coach at MBA admissions coaching firm Fortuna Admissions. She was Assistant Director in the Careers Services team at Harvard Business School.  Fortuna is composed of former Directors and Associate Directors of Admissions at many of the world’s best business schools, including Wharton, INSEAD, Harvard Business School, London Business School, Chicago Booth, NYU Stern, IE Business School, Northwestern Kellogg, and UC Berkeley Haas.