(This post applies only to invitation-only interviews, not to the video interviews that some schools require as part of the application. More on that later.)

First: congratulations! If you’ve been invited to interview with an MBA program, you’ve passed the first screen and the odds of your being offered admission have skyrocketed. Whether you’re interviewing in person or via Skype, success depends on a few things:

  • Being you, with the corollary caveat below. If you walk into the interview with the idea that MBAs all act a certain way and therefore you should act that way, you will ultimately be disappointed. Obviously, they liked you after reading your essays and letters. Be that person.
  • Corollary to above: work hard to repress any hints of arrogance or narcissism. Of course you want them to know how superbly talented you are! But they read your recommendations; they get it. In person, you need to stay humble and down-to-earth. If that’s a new mode for you, time to start learning how to fake it.
  • Connecting with your interviewer, especially in person. At this point, they’re reasonably confident that you would be able to handle the MBA coursework. Now it’s about projecting a likable persona. Tell yourself that you’re meeting someone who is going to become a lifelong friend, and try to establish a bond.
  • Preparing. Review your resume and your application, highlighting anything unusual that might be a source of questions. Research the experiences of other applicants, as different schools ask different kinds of questions. Also: do your homework on your interviewer, especially if it’s an alum or student.

Of course you need to have stock answers to the predictable questions like “tell me about yourself” (or “walk me through your resume”) “why MBA?” “why now?” and “why <school x>?” Your challenge with those questions: don’t sound too rehearsed!

Try to speak at a reasonable pace, as anxiety tends to make people rush. Whether face-to-face or Skype, keep your cool. If you don’t understand the question, ask for clarification. If you don’t have an immediate answer on hand….”hmm, give me a few seconds to think about that.” If you simply have to whiff on an answer, say so.

Some schools love behavioral questions; other schools avoid them. Still, it’s good to do some research on the topic — you can find literally hundreds of behavioral-type interview questions online — and prepare a couple of examples that will work for most behavioral questions. Think of a time that you were involved in a team project — for work, school, or community activity — that had some challenges; you took action that had an impact. For each such example, consider what you learned, and what you would do differently if you had to do it again. That should cover a lot of the “tell me about a time…” questions

I conduct mock interviews every week, usually via Skype/WeChat, but in person as well for local clients.

Long-distance interviews (Skype/WeChat) have their own challenges that I’ll discuss in another post.