While not every business school requires an interview, for many, it is an important requirement for admission. Some schools use interviews to evaluate borderline cases. Whatever the reason for the interview, it’s important that you schedule with the admissions officer early.
Here are 5 important business school interview tips that your advisees should be aware of.
1. The advisee’s application. In some cases, the interviewer is likely to ask specific questions about it. The applicant should be ready to relate several stories on taking initiative, participating in a leadership role, or solving a complex problem. Ensuring your advisees can speak honestly about everything included in their application is key: nothing ruins an interviewee’s credibility more than vague or evasive talk about their past “accomplishments.”
2. Ask smart questions and making sure the answer is not readily available on the school’s web site. Anyone can find the companies that recruit at a particular business school program, the average starting salary and bonus, the average age, GPA and GMAT scores of applicants to a business school. Make sure your advisees dig deeper, and ask about aspects of the school culture, about clubs, research, or internship opportunities they are passionate about. With such a large and talented pool of applicants, intellectual curiosity and passion are differentiators.
3. Advisees need to be prepared to give a convincing answer to the inevitable questions: “Why business school?”, “Why our school?”, and “Why now?” The answer should not sound rote, but the story should be cohesive and compelling and sell your personal brand. Additionally, applicants will likely want to vary their answer depending on the school they are interviewing with.
4. Follow proper business decorum. Applicants must watch for non-verbal clues, such as eye contact, posture, and fidgeting. And, be courteous to the administrative staff. How an applicant treats them can have an impact. Applicants should assume everyone is observing them throughout an interview day, that they should present themselves as polite, confident, curious and passionate.
5. Write a thank-you note promptly after you interviews. It’ll help your advisees stand out from the crowd.
With slight variation, these same tips are important and effective in the job interview process as well. Best of luck to your advisees.
