Final Tips before your MBA Interview

For thousands of MBA applicants, January is the month when they submit their applications to the world's best business schools. The applicant hopes that the next time they hear from the institutions, it will be with an offer of an interview rather than a spot (which could come later). It is an important step in the admissions process, and it's a good time to congratulate yourself quietly. Here are seven pointers to help you prepare for your MBA interview.

Practice makes Perfect

Interviewers can immediately tell if you're being sincere or just regurgitate lines from your essays. Work on mock interviews with your admissions coach and friends, practicing the frequent questions. You want to get to a point where you know exactly what you want to say but aren't worried about coming up with the right words. This will allow you to engage in more conversation with the interviewer. If your aims and motives are clear, the interviewer will likely engage you in a lively discussion and ask you a lot of interesting questions.

Tune In and Listen

Rather than focusing on the subject being asked, many candidates prefer to skip ahead and think about the amazing answer they are about to provide. Listen for the true question, and don't worry if you need a few moments after the question to think over your response. This may help you avoid responding incompletely.

Expect the Unexpected

Remember that the school is interviewing you because they believe you are admissible, but they may have a question about something. Stay calm and continue to respond confidently if questions keep coming back to the same topic. Be prepared for a fight. Some colleges want to evaluate if you can think on your feet and how you behave when confronted with a problem.

Plan your Time

The interview will usually last 30-45 minutes, but shorter and longer sessions are also frequent. Plan ahead of time, attempting to engage the interviewer with your excitement and offering clear, forceful responses that set the tone for the remainder of the interview. If you're not sure what's being asked of you, feel free to ask them to repeat it.

Strike the Right Tone

A dynamic discussion should not encourage you to respond cutely or flippantly. A welcoming environment should not inspire you to let down your guard and unwittingly disclose your doubts about yourself or the program. And humility is always preferable to arrogance. The key is to answer questions honestly and openly, citing particular examples of character attributes you want the school to focus on. Relationship building, reaching objectives, and influencing people are examples of tasks that should be identified ahead of time.

Keep to the Point

The schools specify word lengths for their essays, and your answers in your interview should be brief and focused on the question. While you want to come across as interesting and thoughtful, you should refrain from rambling or airing your grievances. Use relevant instances to explain what you're saying, preferably resulting in a result that says a lot about you.

Conclusion

Candidates who can steer sections of the conversation without the interviewer noticing it are strong candidates. You can accomplish this by employing the "windows" technique. You respond to a question by carefully guiding your response so that you might short mention another subject - opening a window. Make an excellent impression by carefully selecting your sources and considering what your tale indicates about you.

If you don't have the opportunity to discuss all of the points when answering questions, you can do so when requested at the end of the interview.