This article is part of the blog series, Top MBA Admissions by Rajeev Soni.
I am one of the alumni interviewers for Ross School of Business at University of Michigan based in New Delhi, India. In the past 5 years, I have interviewed well over 200 candidates for the MBA program in India. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have met some great people and been able to give back to the school in a meaningful manner by helping build the future classes.
As an interviewer, I am known to be laid-back, conversational and easy to get along with the candidates. This is deliberate on my part because I am trying to understand the person and elicit genuine responses not trying to intimidate.
Over the years, I have seen a clear distinction between the folks who are successful and those who do not make it. Here are the key traits of successful interview candidates. This is not unique or totally new information rather it is my personal experience that I want to share:
1. Clear reasons, concisely and effectively stated, for why MBA? Why now?
This is a critical question and for most of the candidates, the pace of the conversation is set with the answer to this question.
Further, this is a compound question with multiple parts, including
* Description of the career path till now.
* Why MBA and why now?
* What are the short and long-term goals?
The best way to prepare for this question is to get your answers prepared and practice.
Do not try to fudge or think that you will get through with a weak answer. Most of the interviewers have enough experience and can’t be taken for a ride. When things don’t make sense, I do challenge candidates and ask them to prove their point. At the same time, don’t be intimated. If you are looking at a non-traditional career path in the past or in the future. You can have can have an intelligent discussion about it. Just have your data, reasoning, and research ready to share.
2. The successful candidates display enthusiasm, knowledge, and understanding about the School.
Their research needs to go well beyond poring over the school’s website and includes, anecdotes from alumni or current students, analysis of how the education at this particular school is uniquely well suited for them with respect to their personal and career goals. I will write a detailed post on the school research later in the series.
3. Have a multifaceted Outlook on life.
Interesting things they do outside their work that they can take back to the class to create a rich experience for their classmates.
4. They have conducted at least some research on the interviewer and ask relevant questions.
Some people worry that if they show that they have researched the person, they may off as a little stalker-like. Frankly, we are living in 2017 and most of the interviewers expect the candidate to have Googled them. So, you are allowed to ask intelligent questions about your interviewers work, life since MBA. career choices etc. This becomes much more important in the case of alumni interviews.
5. Answer situational questions well with clear and concise stories
In most cases these stories include accomplishments (both in career and other areas of life), challenges faced, how they seek and handle feedback, how they bounce back from failures, adaptability, leadership etc, Prepare for these beforehand. See my interview preparation checklist for a list of questions that you can prepare for.
My recommendation is that you practice well for your interview. You can practice in front of a mirror, practice with a friend, record yourself or do anything else that will help you get ready. The intent of the practice is not for you to rehearse the answers, but to get comfortable with yourself and your answers. Being nervous is ok, but make sure that you are able to answer questions well.
I do not penalize people for being nervous or coming off a little unpolished. It is fine and natural. Practice becomes especially helpful when you are nervous. Some people worry that practicing will make them sound mechanical. But frankly, passion and genuine interest show through in your answers, voice and body language.
It is not possible to capture all the aspects and details of an MBA interview in a short post, but I hope this helps you get started. You are welcome to reach out to me if you have questions about this.