How NOT To Blow Your 2+2 HBS Interview

Applicant Two: Tech & Healthcare

1. Did you go to a class? What classes did you go to? What were the cases?

2. Why did you pick your major?

3. Why did you go into tech?

4. How did you go from your internship to your first job?

5. Tell me about the X project (on resume).

6. Did X have any competitors?

7. Did you get any negative feedback during your time at job 1?

8. What does company 2 do?

9. How big is your company? Did it grow or stay steady after you joined?

10. Who are company 2’s competitors?

11. What can you contribute to class discussions?

12. What would you do for your HBS internships?

13. Anything we didn’t cover?

Applicant Three: Finance & Non-Profit

1. The observer hasn’t read your application – Can you tell her about yourself?

2. Let’s start from the top current role) – How do you manage working in such a bureaucratic organization?

3. What are the pluses and minuses of working there?

4. What do you like most? Least?

5. Who is the best leader you ever worked for?

6. Who is the worst? Why?

7. If you had to work for [the worst] again, what would you do differently in terms of managing him?

8. Seems like you are working in so many different countries and regions and projects – How do you manage that?

9. Did you come your [to present job] from investment banking? How come?

10. Tell me about a deal at the investment banking firm you worked at? What role did you play?

11. What advice would you give to someone leaving investment banking to join an NGO?

12. OK, so we only have time for one more question: what big problem do you want to solve?

Applicant Four: Energy

1. Country you are currently living/working in – What’s it like, how did you end up there?

2. Tell me about your current company. What advice would you give a person with your background who is just starting? What advice would you give to your CEO if he was looking for advice about your division?

3. Tell me more about your current project?

4. Specific questions about my current role – responsibilities and about my current manager — Name one thing you wish you had done differently?

5. Walk me through your career progression.

6. A previous role – What did you do well? What could you have done better?

7. Give me your sense of the challenges and strengths of other energy companies (we went thru several)

8. What was your favorite assignment, why?

9. What was a favorite course in college?

10. What would you do differently if you could do college over? What about in your first job?

11. What do you think will be most challenging for you at HBS?

12. If you could have lunch with any business leader, who would it be and why?

13. If you could have lunch with any political leader, who would it be and why?

14. What do you do for fun?

15. What is your favorite alternative energy company and why?