The Chicago Interview

Chicago Booth Interview Reports

2009 Tokyo alumni #1

I had my Chicago interview yesterday (at the last second, 

The format was 30 minutes of English interview going over normal questions, and dragging on to a chat-like Q and A session in Japanese. 

Total of 1 hour.

The key point in my eyes, was to convince Chicago was my top choice. She kept saying "Your English is so good compared to mine, and with your character, you will have no problem blending in with everybody." and "You probably have a long list of schools you were admitted to." and so forth. That is why I just emphasized Why Booth more than anything else. And I believe I did well on that. Just keeping my fingers crossed since as you say, the admission process is holistic, and an interview is not Make-or-Break.

Below are the questions I was asked:

Chicago Booth Interview with alum

March 3rd, 19:00-20:00 @ Alum's Office

1. Can you go through your professional career?

2. How did you convince your boss?

3. But in a Japanese company, do really junior staff convince the superior management?

4. What is LNG? Who uses it?

5. What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind when doing business? (Or similar question along this line)

6. Career goal

7. When did you get interested in the energy industry? Why did you join Company X?

8. Any difficulties in your career?

9. Strengths / weaknesses

10. Why MBA / Why now / Why Chicago

2009 Tokyo alumni #2

Date/Time: Feb 21, 2009 11:00-12:00

Place: Starbucks @ Shibuya station 

Interviewer: Woman from class of 2007

-Why MBA

-Why Chicago

-To my answer - you said fit with freedom philosophy, but are you comfortable with Japanese companies' culture?

-What is your strength and weaknesses, and other things such as hobbies.

Any questions? I asked her if I can speak Japanese and she allowed me to do so.

(I thought she would be happier to talk her story in Japanese rather than in English)

She talked about her experience of Chicago Booth and advised me how to spend time in Chicago. (My strategy worked because she conversationally talked for more than 20 minutes.)

She said you can do well at Chicago Booth...May be OK in interview.

Impression: She is so energetic. She is like "Obachan in Osaka" (famous metaphor for energetic middle-aged women in Japan. .. )

2009 w/ 2nd year student on campus
 
I just had an on-campus interview of Chicago Booth on Feb. 11.

Actually, questions were standard, but my interview was not conversational, but rather Q and A session. (My interviewer was a little bit silent and non-responsive. He paid much attention to time because he had another interview just after mine.)

Place: Chicago Harper Center
Interviewer: 2nd-year student (Blind)

Time: 40 minutes
Questions asked:

1.  Tell me who you are
2.  Why MBA and Tell me your long-term/short-term goal
3.  Tell me your experience in which your supervisor objected to your idea
4.  What kind of impact current world recession have on your country and company?
5.  What do you do when you are off?
6.  Tell me a book you recently read.
7.  Anything else to add? (I explained Why Chicago, since he forgot to ask me this question.)
8.  Any questions?

2009 w/ alumni in JP #1

When she has something she doesn't fully understand in my answer, she required more detailed answer or additional questions. So, some interviewees would feel pressured. However, I found that the interviewer  just tried to figure out who I am from various angle. I also saw not biased professional attitude in her questions and answers. She kindly shared her own experiences and opinion in detail, answering my question.

I was impressed that she tried to present the reality of Booth and offer enough information so that I could figure out whether Booth is the right place to me. (At the end of interview, she told me that Booth would be a right place to me, mentioning my concrete action plans in Booth.) I enjoyed conversation with her. She seemed satisfied with my answer overall.

1.  Ice breaking chat about today's weather.
2.  Questions / Conducted all in English except the last part / Very interactive / Initially scheduled 30 minutes
3.  but we talked over an hour.
4.  Walk me your about your resume concisely. Tell me about your career development. Why did you join current employer?
5. To my explanation about my major:   Why did you major in X?  After my answer:    Why were you interested in Y?
6.    To my explanation about my first position in my company:    Please explain detail about Z Prefecture's local economy and market?    To my answer:    How did you analyze so?    To my answer:    You said that you persuaded your supervisor to allow you to conduct your own project which was not ordinary   practice in your company.    How did you persuade him? And explain why do you think he allowed you.
7.    To my explanation about my current position:   What is your main responsibility?    Explain more detail about your industry.
8.  Why Chicago?   She asked several questions against my answer and provided me with information of Booth.
9.  S/T, L/T goal?    To my answer.   What do you think is my company's problem in sales strategy?   About my L/T goal -   Doesn't your company operate international operation now?   It seems to me that your S/T and L/T goals are not directly connected. Explain the relationship between L/T and S/T goals.
10.    How did you gain your personal traits? Through your career, or other experiences?   (She said I had a strong trait in a good sense.)
11.  Your English is very good. How did you learn your speaking skill?

•  We talked in Japanese from here.
•  I interview a lot of candidates. I might forget you. Please give me some key words or topics to help me remember you.
•  She introduced herself.
•  She gave me opportunity to ask her questions.

 

2008 - #1

Chicago

By the alum (class of 2006)

Time: 1 hour

Language: 50% English, 50% Japanese

Contents:

 (1)Self Introduction

 (2)Why MBA now?

 (3)Why Chicago GSB?

 (4)Strength and Contribution to GSB's study group.

 (5)Biggest Accomplishment

 (6)definition of teamwork and teamwork experience (so far in English)

 (7)Any Qs? (in Japanese)

Interviewers attitude: Her classmate was from BoJ and we was able to talk

about him and Japanese member of class of 2006 very

friendly.

General note: reading reports in our database, it seems that some interview with alumni were conducted all in Japanese and others as much as 80% in Japanese. These reports were a few years old. We do not know if there has been any efforts made by Rose Martinelli and/or Japanese GSB alumni to increase use of English in interviews.

2008 - #2

Chicago GSB (admission interview in Tokyo)

Time: Approx. 40 minutes

Questions

1. Introduce yourself and follow-up question about the detail of the

past project I engaged

2. What is your motivation to conduct such the project

3. Future career goals (STG and LTG)

4. Why MBA

5. Why GSB

6. How have you developed since last application ( I am a reapplicant to GSB)

7. Contribution to GSB

8. Anything else

9. Q and A

More reports here:
http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChicagoInterview


You can also check Accepted.com's Searchable database:  
http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/search.asp?bhcp=1


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The Kellogg Interview

General notes on Kellogg interviews

• R1 w/ Tokyo-based alumni usually held one first or second weekend of November 
• R2 w/ Tokyo-based alumni usually held at Eisai in late January or early February
• Your interviewer will ask you to evaluate yourself
• Kellogg asks each alumni interviewer to fill out quantitative (rankings comparing your others interviewed by that same alumni member) and qualitative (short answers following criteria found here)
• Do not panic if your interviewer is writing extensive notes. Similarly, do not worry if they do not seem to be taking any notes at all. Each interviewer has his or her own style of note-taking. Ignore their notes and focus on the conversation. Build rapport, show passion, empathy, and genuine interest in your interviewer's Kellogg experience.  
• If interviewing on campus - schedule on a weekday to increase the likelihood that you will be interviewed by (full-time) adcom staff (as opposed to a student adcom member)
• Students do their best, but adcom members usually have more experience and are therefore more likely to be able to focus their full attention on you rather than taking too many notes while you speak

Northwestern / Kellogg Interview Reports

Past clients who interviewed on campus were typically asked the following range of questions

ADCOMS #1

Evanston April 17, 2009

3rd Round On-Campus Interview 17Apr. 2009 (Fri)

Interviewer: Ms. E M (Assistant Director of Admissions)

Non-Alum, 2nd month with Kellogg, no experience working at other Business Schools, Very Friendly

Questions:

1. Tell me about your undergrad experiences (both Academic and Non-academic)
2. How/Why did you choose your 1st job?
3. How did you end up in your current job? (Transition from 1st job to 2nd job)
4. Post MBA goal and Why
5. Long Term Goal
6. Why MBA?
7. Why Kellogg?
8. How do you function in a team?
9. Do you usually (routinely) work in a team setting?
10. Tell me about your leadership style with an example.
11. What kind of impact can you make on Kellogg?
12. Any clubs you’re interested in?
13. Activities you’re involved in outside of work.
14. How do you see yourself relative to your peers?
15. Have you experienced any setbacks being the youngest person in your organization?
16. Anything else you would like to highlight?
17. Any questions? (twice)

ADCOMS #2

R2 applicant on campus Feb. 2009

I was interviewed by an admissions officer and most interviews on week-days seemed to be done by admission staff.

Date; February 6th

Interviewer; Ms. V L

Here are the questions.

1. - When did you arrive at Evanston? Have you met anyone from Kellogg before your interview?
2. - Tell me about your academic background and the reasons for your choices.
3. - Walk me through your resume and your career progress to date.
4. - What do you think is the biggest impact you have made in your organization?
5. - What do you think is your type of leadership and tell me about your leadership experience?
6. - Tell me about your accomplishment through teamwork.
7. - How do you resolve a conflict in a team?
8. - What do you think your colleagues appreciate about you?
9. - If your colleagues can change one thing about you, what do you think it would be?
10. - What is your short term/ long term goals?
11. - How can Kellogg help you achieve your goals?
12. - If admitted, what do want to do outside the classrooms in Kellogg?
13. - What do you currently enjoy besides work?
14. - Any questions?

ADCOMS #3

R2 applicant on campus Feb. 9, 2009

Date: February 9, 2009

Place: Kellogg On-campus

Interviewer: Mrs. J O (Admissions Officer)

30 minutes

I was instructed to fill in the form with following information

Name, STG and LTG

Questions:

1. When did you arrive?
2. Did you come to US only for interview purpose?
3. Career Progress
4. What is the greatest undergrad experience?
5. What do your colleagues describe about you?
6. Why MBA?
7. STG, LTG
8. Why Kellogg?
9. Teamwork Question
10. How did your colleague change you?
11. One thing you want to change about yourself
12. Leadership Question
13. What is your leadership style?
14. Where else did you apply?
15. Adjective describe you
16. Where in US did you live?
17. What do you do for fun?
18. Do you do any charity work?
19. What club do you intend to join?
20. Any thing you want to say? (One time)
21. Any question? (Two times)

ADCOMS #4

R2 applicant on campus Jan. 30, 2009 #1

Date: January 30, 2009

Place: Kellogg On-campus

Interviewer: Ms. A S (Admissions Officer and a Kellogg alumna)

Questions:

1. When did you arrive in Kellogg? When do you go back? Jet lag?
2. Tell me about your undergrad major experience. Why did you choose that major?
3. Tell me about your work history. Why did you choose that company?
4. Describe your team. How do you perform in that team?
5. Why MBA?
6. Why Kellogg?
7. Post MBA goal
8. What is your leadership style like?
9. How would you manage a conflict between people?
10. How do you convince people?
11. How do you manage yourself in an international environment?
12. What can you contribute to Kellogg? (Besides work experience)
13. What clubs do you intend to join? Any others?
14. Anything else you have not mentioned that you want me to know about you?
15. Any questions? Any others?

ADCOMS #5

R2 applicant on campus Jan. 30, 2009 #2

Date: January 30, 2009

Place: Kellogg On-campus

Interviewer: Ms. A S (Admissions Officer and a Kellogg alumna)

NOTE: It seems that admission officers are in charge of weekday interviews while students take care of weekend interviews.

Questions;

1. University experiences (academic, extracurricular)
2. Career progress
3. why MBA, why Kellogg
4. Leadership experience, leadership style
5. How are you going to develop leadership at Kellogg?
6. Conflict-solving experience, how?
7. Strategic experience in a project, how did you plan a strategy to achieve a difficult thing?
8. Short-term goal (STG) after Kellogg / My thought of key success factors in attain my STG
9. Impact I have made on my clients or my company
10. Contributions at Kellogg
11. Anything else? (twice)
12. Any questions? (three times)
13. What are you going to do after this interview?

ADCOMS #6

R2 applicant on campus Jan. 19, 2009

1. Who: Admission officer: Ms. A S (alumni)

2. Place: Admission office (her room/ no table/ just two chair)

3. Condition: Friendly/ Blind/ 50 minutes/ the admission checked my resume before we started (I gave her my resume before we started, and she asked me to wait for 5-10 minutes)

4. Questions:

• When did I arrive
• What have you done since your arrival?
• Tell me about your university experience
• Tell me about your extracurricular activity during university
• Don't you want to be a politician (after I talked about my experience in campaign office)?
• Tell me your career progress
• Why do you think that you could be awarded for top sales person (what makes you win this award)?
• How to solve the problems caused by the cultural difference.
• Why MBA?
• Why Kellogg?
• What do you do outside of your work?
• What extracurricular activity do you want to do at Kellogg?
• What is your goal (short/ long)?
• What kind of your quality that you have developed do you think will help you to work as a consultant in future?
• How is your analytical skill?
• What extra information you want to tell me?
• What extra information you want to tell me? (again)
• Do you have any questions?

ADCOMS #7

2009 R1 admit on campus

(Kellogg: 55 minutes w/ adcom, blind, friendly)

1. When did you arrive? 
2. What have you done since you arrived?
3. Walk me through your resume.
4. Why MBA and why now?
5. What do you intend to gain at Kellogg.
6. (Building on previous question) You are corporate-sponsored. How would you give back to your organization after Kellogg.
7. Describe your leadership style.
8. What role would you play in team activities at Kellogg.
9. What clubs or activities at Kellogg are you most interested in?
10. How would you enrich classroom experiences of other Kellogg students?
11. Describe ONE thing about Kellogg that you think sets it apart from other programs. (Why Kellogg)
12. Anything you would like to add that you think relates to your candidacy?
13. Q and A

STUDENT ADCOMS #1

2008 R2 on campus

As for Kellogg, things were a little bit unexpected because my interviewer was a 1st year student. She was nice and friendly, but it was difficult for me to control the overall interview. She was writing down EVERYTHING while I was talking, and she told me to stop and wait before I finish. So after the first two questions, I waited for her so she could finish writing, but then when I did that, she just jumped to the next question. Also, although she told me it was going to be conversational, she did not ask me any further questions to my answers. She did not let me add anything at the end either. Also it was challenging because she had me talk about three accomplishments in the beginning.

In case there are applicant who are applying for R3 and planning to do on-campus interview, I recommend making reservation on weekdays so that you will have higher probability to be interviewed by admission directors.(it seems Admission directors are off on weekends) But for me, having interview with a student was another chance to know more about Kellogg community and was a truly great experience which lasted about 45 minutes. (including warm up and cool down chat)

We started off with warm up (ice breaking) chat, such as weather and flight, and she told me her background. She was a 1st year student with finance background. She told me it was a blind interview (she had not seen my application) and that interview goes in chronological order

She asked:

1. Why did you become interested in your undergraduate study? Please explain in detail about your major.
2. Please talk about your extra curricular activity (in my case it was my golf club activity
3. Why do you think you were chosen as the captain of golf club at your High School and University?
4. Do you play golf a lot recently?
5. Have you ever done hole-in-one?
6. What do you recommend me to fix my slice?
7. Please tell me about your recruiting process?
8. I talked why IT industry why current company why my function
9. Please talk about your division and how you have progress your career.
10. What was the reason you got your promotion?
11. How did your responsibility change?
12. Please clarify, in specific, your responsibility.
13. Are you responsible to negotiate with client?
14. How do you compare your client (big Japanese company) and US companies?
15. Please tell me the situation where you took leadership and why it was effective?
16. What were difficult factors and how you have dealt with it?
17. What were factors became conflict and why?
18. Please be more specific about how you resolve the conflict?
19. Why MBA? STG? LTG?
20. Do you have specific firm you want to work for?
21. LTG: At this point do you have specific company you want to help? (my LTG is to be CEO and help company revitalize)
22. Why Kellogg?
23. What are specific classes and organization you are planning to join and why?
24. What do you do outside work? (aside from golf) Why do you like it?
25. Anything else you want to add? (She told her experience in GIM India and I told my business trip experience to India) What was your impression of the Indian city you have visited?
26. Is there any thing I can answer for you?
27. What was your impression of your visit to classes?
28. Cool down chat: What are you planning to do this afternoon?

Past clients who interviewed with Tokyo-based alumni were asked the following range of questions

Tokyo-based alumni #1

April 3, 2009

interviewer's brief introduction in Japanese

1. Walk me through your resume.
2. Why did you move to private sector? Why did you choose Company X?
3. What is the biggest learning while you were engaged in public sector?
4. Goals
5. Under the current economic situation, you will run a risk of getting no job. How do you treat with that?
6. As to your long goal, which area/category has the most promise from the perspective of your professional experience?
7. Why MBA? Why Kellogg?
8. What is the greatest accomplishment?
9. How do you contribute to Kellogg?
10. Other sales-point.

There are many laughs.

Then I asked my interviewer the following questions:

1. How did your Kellogg experience affect you?
2. Could you give me an advice for my partner to prepare for Evanston life? (He told me that he accompanied his wife and a baby)
3. What is the impressive class, faculty, student?

As to 1,2,4,5,7, he told the content is clear.

For 5, good idea! Your lesson is useful.

Tokyo-based alumni #2

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 31, 2009

At Eisai

Condition

Friendly / Blind / 30 minutes / He had skimmed my resume before comming to the interview room

Basically we talked interactively. He seemed to have some agenda or direction as to what to ask in the interview.

Conducted in English.

I had a good rapport with interviewer. We enjoyed discussion and laughed a lot.

In the middle and the end of the meeting, he said he would grade me as very good.

Questions

1. Warm up chats: He introduced his career briefly.
2. Walk me through your resume.
3. Why did you join current employer? Why did you major in law at university?
4. Short term goal, long term goal?
5. What is your major accomplishment?
6. Why Kellogg?
7. How can you contribute to Kellogg?

Tokyo-based alumni #3

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

Questions were mostly about my business:

1. Explain the business model of your current job.
2. Briefly explain your recent accomplishment.
3. How did you learn about Kellogg? Web site or people?
4. Why do you pursue MBA?
5. What do you think your expertise.
6. In what occasion do you feel most exciting?
7. What was the greatest obstacle in your project?
8. What was the key to solve the project.
9. Any questions?"

Tokyo-based alumni #4

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

1. Just tell me about your self in 3 min (he added my hobby and outside activity)
2. Walk through your resume (he said my resume looks great and I did so many things!)
3. Tell me about your big achievement in your job (I added my strong leadership about my achievement)
4. Tell me abuot your leadership outside work
5. Why MBA
6. Why Kellogg 
7. Any questions?

Tokyo-based alumni #5

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

Kellogg- Alumni interview

1. Please introduce yourself to me.
2. Could you walk me through your resume?
3. Please tell me your experience in which you took initiatives?
4. Please tell me your teamwork experience?
5. Could you tell me your significant business decisions in career?
6. Anything else?
7. Q and A

Tokyo-based alumni #6

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

Interview Questions

1. Run through your resume.
2. Why MBA? (Following my answer: finance) 
3. Why do you want to study finance at Kellogg?
4. What are your career goals?
5. What is your significant achievement at work?
6. If other four people disagree with you but your opinion is right at group study of Kellogg, What would you do?
7. How you learned English?
8. Any questions?

Tokyo-based alumni #7

R2 applicant in Tokyo

Time: 18:00-19:20

Venue: Palace Hotel (Lounge), Otemachi, Tokyo

Ice breaking was in Japanese. The alumnus (turned out to be 42 years old, class of 2001) created a very comfortable atmosphere for me. He made very basic confirmations in Japanese, and then, we slid into English interview. As a whole, his questions were based on my resume. His typical "Japanese-English" made me so relieved.

1. Briefly summarize your career
2. Tell me about your career in the Indonesia Project (my first 3 year career)
3. ST and LT goal?
4. Why MBA?
5. Why Kellogg?
6. Tell me about your teamwork experience.
7. Tell me about your leadership experience.
8. What was the biggest difficulty in your career?
9. What was the most challenging part in your HR career?
10. What experience in your first project helps you with your current project? Any similarity?
11. How do you intend to change your company? What do you think the next generation energy is? (As I am in the energy sector.)
12. Tell me about your baseball story.
13. Anything to add?
14. Any questions? (again in Japanese, about 20 min.)

I really enjoyed my interview (a kind of chat!) with him in a very relaxing atmosphere. It was simply interesting to talk with him.

More reports here: http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=KelloggInterview

Accepted's Searchable database: http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/search.asp?bhcp=1

Sample Kellogg interviews here (video recreations w/ an admitted client; I asked the same questions he was asked by student adcoms on campus; he repeated most of the same content that got him admitted)

Top of blog

The "Difficult Team" question

One answer I ask all of my clients to prepare is the "difficult team" story. The question goes something like this, "Tell us about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result? Based on this example, what would you do if your MBA study team members were not getting along with each other?" There are many variations to this question, as you can see below.


BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING
Please note that the example question above is compound. I included the second part (based on this example...) in order to demonstrate the purpose of the question (how you will behave at MBA).

Please do not panic - I have never heard of an interviewer asking the entire question at once. An experienced behavioral interviewer knows how to pace your story by asking follow-up questions. Let her do so rather than talking non-stop for five minutes. Remember - an interview should be conversational. It is not a speaking test.

Why do I encourage my clients to prepare an answer to this question? Because many schools ask some version of it. For example, I have recently seen instances from Kellogg, Wharton, IMD, and IESE interview reports.


THE QUESTION BEHIND THE QUESTION
Why is "difficult teams" a common question topic? Think about it. Even at independently minded programs like Chicago Booth, you will work in countless teams during your MBA experience. For example, you are likely to collaborate with others on class projects, business plan competitions, in clubs, consulting projects, international study trips, and so on.


TEAMS ARE HARD; DIVERSE TEAMS ARE EVEN HARDER
Even teams composed of members from similar backgrounds do not always agree. To make matters even more complicated, at MBA, you may often find yourself working in teams with people from different cultural and functional backgrounds (many countries, many professions and industries). In such teams, conflicts are even more common. How will you handle such disagreements?


INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
The core premise of behavioral interviewing is that your past actions indicate your future behavior. By asking you to share examples how you handled (and hopefully helped) difficult teams, your interviewer is trying to gauge if you can work well with your future project and study team members at MBA. Consciously or unconsciously, she may also be asking herself, "Would I want this person in my team?" By preparing multiple examples of how you helped improve team dynamics, you can increase the chances that she would answer, "Yes!"

THE QUESTIONS

1. Describe a time when you worked towards an important goal and had to address conflict between two or more team members.
2. Describe a time when you got an un-collaborative member committed to the team.
3. Describe the time when you solved a conflict between any two members of your team. (The interviewer specifically mentioned that the question does not imply a conflict between my team member and me).
4. Describe a scenario where you worked on a team and one of the team members was not pulling her weight. What did you do?
5. Tell us about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result? Based on that example, what would you do if your MBA study team members were not getting along with each other?
6. Tell me about a time when you experienced cultural conflict and how you handled it.
7. What has been your most difficult teamwork experience? 
8. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the result?
9. Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict in a group.
10. Tell us about the most difficult challenge you faced in trying to work cooperatively with someone who did not share the same ideas? What was your role in achieving the work objective?
11. Have you ever been a member of a group where two of the members did not work well together? What did you do to get them to do so?
12. What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describe how you handled it. What was the outcome? 
13.  

Difficult Teams Matrix (Please fill out this chart or create your own version.)

	Keyword/Theme	Details/Examples
Problem	Cross-cultural conflict Cross-functional conflict Btwn you and someone else Btwn two other people (you mediated between them)
Action	Peacemaker / Bridge / Facilitator / Mediator Counselor Teacher Coach
Results	New idea Compromise Agree to disagree Resolution Mutual understanding Consensus
Lessons	How to resolve conflict in a constructive way How to find common ground How to persuade specialists to share information and collaborate How to negotiate with a certain cultural and/or functional mindset
Application	To MBA life	Club activity Study group Project team Consulting project

NOT A FAILURE QUESTION 
Please be careful. Questions about difficult team experiences are NOT the same as mistake or failure questions. Only offer examples of your mistake or failure when asked for them DIRECTLY.

In a mistake or failure, you were part of the problem. Your attitude or actions caused actual damage:

• Loss of time
• Loss of money
• Loss of reputation
• Loss of relationship (trust)

On the other hand, in a "difficult team" story, you were part of the solution.

Please prepare your answers, then practice them with mentors and trusted advisers. I wish you success!

OTHER RESOURCES
Best Tips / Hints / Tools / LINKS for brainstorming and structuring teamwork stories
http://www.delicious.com/admissions/brainstorming_teamwork

A CLASSIC BOOK ON TEAMWORK THAT I RECOMMEND
http://bit.ly/WisdomTeams

The INSEAD Interview

The INSEAD Interview

Alumni conduct all interviews. One is often friendly (good cop) while another less so (bad cop). 

Interviews are NOT blind. Sometimes interviewers read your entire file before meeting you. Other times, they only read your essays. 

Prepare for some follow-up questions about what you wrote in your application. 

For example, your interview may ask you to explain more about your goals, or why MBA, or why INSEAD. She may also ask you to explain more details about your most substantial accomplishments, failure, or culture shock stories that you shared in your essays.

My colleague, Steve Green, has provided me with a great organized list of common questions:

INSEAD INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

RESUME (Expect answers to be probed for details.)

• Walk me through your resume.
• What do you do in your free time?
• Tell me about yourself. / How did you get to where you are now?
• Tell me about your career progression to-date
• Why did you choose your current firm / current position?
• Tell me about your current work responsibilities.
• Tell me, in detail, about one project in your current job.
• Tell me about your international experience(s) - both work and personal.
• Tell me about the major milestones in you life since university graduation.

GOALS

• What are your goals?
• What are your career goals after INSEAD
• What will you do if you do not get the job you want after graduation?
• Why an MBA?
• Why now?
• Why INSEAD?
• Where else did you apply? How would you prioritize your decision if admitted to two or more?

• Why (THE SPECIFIC AREA OF STUDY YOU WISH TO PURSUE)?

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

• What is special about you that will make me recommend you?
• Tell me 3 strengths
• Tell me 3 weaknesses
• What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
• When you are in a gathering, what attracts your attention first?
• What makes you angry?
• What are you most passionate about?
• What do you find intolerable?
• Where are your peers that started in the same class with you at your consulting firm?

COMMUNICATION

• What is your style of negotiation?
• How do you deal with a boss who is not as smart as you?
• How do you deal with a person who’s determined not to listen to you even though he/ she knows you are right?

LEADERSHIP

• Tell me about a time when you were in control of a project.
• Tell me about a time when you were in a leadership position?
• What is your leadership style?

TEAMWORK

• What THREE things would you do if a team member at INSEAD were not pulling his own weight?
• Tell me about your teamwork experience.
• Tell me about a time when you worked on a team.
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with conflict on a team.
• How do you handle cultural differences on an international team?

BRAINPOWER

• Tell me about (SOME ISSUE IN YOUR INDUSTRY)
• How has the economic crisis affected your company/your industry?
• What do you think of (SOME CURRENT GLOBAL ISSUE: POLITICS, ECONOMICS, etc.)?
•  What is the main challenge your industry/company is facing?

INTERVIEW REPORTS 

REPORT #1
The interviews went well. Contrary to my expectation, Interviewer A was the "good cop". He talked mostly about his experience at INSEAD and the only questions he asked me were about my goals, "why INSEAD?" and questions to him.

It was Interviewer B's first experience at interviewing a non-Japanese candidate and he asked me which language I would prefer to interview in. Obviously, I said, "English". He asked me about my goals, "why INSEAD?", contribution to the school, "what if you do not get into INSEAD?".

He also cross-checked a few facts in the essays.

Both reiterated that they do not have any say in the final decision and they would just be sending their feedback to the school within 2 days of the interview.


REPORT #2

Below are two alumni interviews for INSEAD. Both interviews held in Tokyo.

Interview invitation mail came on January 12th.

INSEAD asks you to contact the two alumni and finish both interviews by X date. Final R2 results are announced Y date.


Interview with alumni No.1   January 2010

Conversational style interview. Friendly, but I was challenged on all answers.
Interviewer's background was close to mine.
The length was 1 hour and 20 minutes.
@ Starbucks
Language: 90% English, 10% Japanese (interviewer was Japanese but native English speaker)

Interviewer often interrupted me in the middle of most of my answers and changed questions.

Here below are some of the questions he asked.

1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Walk me through your resume?
3. Future goal? Where is your company going? Why X industry?
4. Why MBA? Why INSEAD?
5. Other schools applied? Top choice? Why INSEAD again?
6. How do you act when you don't get along with someone?
7. Ethical dilenma?
8. How I react when I get into the diverse group at INSEAD?
9. How I act if all others in your study group are aggressive leaders?
10. Do you have any questions? x many times
11. Strength and weakness of Japan? Where is Japan going?
12. Why France? Can you speak French? Are you OK with that?
13. What is your motivation?
14. Activities at INSEAD?

The interviewer kept saying he was checking my fit. He seemed to be looking at my personal aspects. Pity that he did not seemed convinced all through.
When we left, he asked me to send him mails if I had other questions...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview with alumni No.2     January 2010

Friendly & conversational. Interviewer is working in Private Equity, and his background (finance->INSEAD->consulting->Private Equity)
Completely matched my future career path.
The length was 40 minutes.
@ interviewer's office meeting room
Language: 100% Japanese

Here below are some of the questions he asked.

1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Walk me through your resume?
3. Future goal & Why MBA? Why INSEAD?
4. Why hospitality industry?
5. Other schools applied?
6. Fonty or Singapore?

The interview ended in 15 minutes and entered Q&A. For this interview, I think I was confident on all answers.

INSEAD tends to do both aggressive style and kind style interviews.
One interviewer checks professional activities and goal, and the other seemed to put emphasis on finding out what kind of person you are (soft skills).


 REPORT #3

With an American INSEAD alumni member working in Tokyo.

Interview took around 30 minutes.

Started from his introduction for 5 minutes and then as follows

-Tell him about myself

-Why MBA?

-Why INSEAD?

-Other schools I applied and which is my best? (Of course I said INSEAD!)

-What major will I be interested in?

-Future career?

-His impression about Japanese student (shy and low goal setting)

-Any questions? (I asked strong points and weak points on INSEAD. He highlighted international discussion as strong point of contents of INSEAD program and he did low name recognition as weak point)

REPORT #4
 2005 Alumni Interview

My overall impression was that the interviews were the most informal, but the toughest among the ones I took.

I don't quite remember each and every question because it is already a few days since I took the interviews and probably also because I had to bring my concentration level to the highest leaving myself with not a lot of memory afterwards.

Interview 1

Interviewer: Employee of Accenture (Nationality: Japanese)

Time: about 1:15

Language: 100% Japanese

Questions asked:

I am sorry but I don't quite remember each question.

However, a lot of emphasis was put on my work experience and he was checking whether the accomplishments at work were for real.

The interviewer also gave me advice on how I should take myself to the next level before my second interview for maybe more than 15 minutes. (Of course this means that I will not get the highest rating, but he was very serious on helping me out.)

He also made me send answers to my motivation toward INSEAD What my goals are after the interview. (He told me to do so right at the beginning of the interview. He said he did not want to use the time during the interview for those questions.)

Interview 2

Interviewer: Employee of Citi bank Securities (Nationality: British, judging by the accent)

Time: about 1:05

Language: 100% English

First 5minutes, chatted about a couple of things (not about MBA)

Last 10 minutes: Told me about his experience at INSEAD

Things asked (questions I remember being asked)

Tell me about yourself.

Tell me about the consumer related industries.

Why MBA, why INSEAD

・ (I remember talking about a lot about my visit to the Singapore campus and why I was so impressed with visiting other Asian countries (Singapore and Thailand))

I also remember having long conversations about the diversity at INSEAD.

・What will you be doing in 10 years?

・Tell me about the seminar at university

・Leadership at work

・What do you like to do outside of work

・Why did you quit?

・What are you doing now?

・Do you know anyone in consulting?

・Which consulting firms would you like to go to?

・Any questions?

The questions were pretty much basic, although the interviewer allowed me to add what ever I wanted.

He covered probably every aspect and covered it thoroughly.

Things I heard the from the interviewers what the admissions office tells them

a. The applicant is ranked in 5 levels

b. At least 50% on the interview should be in English (although my first interview had no English)

c. The interviewer has to report back to the admissions office within 48 hours of the interview.

REPORT #5
First interview

1. Why INSEAD?

2. What is your ambition? What do you imagine yourself doing 10 years after graduating INSEAD?

3. Why MBA, Why now?

4. What type of leader are you?

5. Does it bother you to work with someone who is not as highly motivated as you?

6. Elaborate on your weakness? Does joining INSEAD help you overcome the weakness?

7. What do your friends say about you?

8. Your accomplishment?

9. What do you do in your free time?

10. What is your interest Asia, or emerging market?

Second interview

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. Why did you chose to go into accounting field?

3. Why INSEAD?

4. Did you apply to any other school?

5. Why are you not interested in Japanese business schools?

6. Do you plan to come back to Japan after graduation?

7. How many people do you supervise? What do you like and do you not like about leading a team?

8. Have you ever had any conflicts or hard moments with your subordinates? Have you had any conflict with your boss?

9. What do you think you can take from INSEAD’s network?

10. What Japanese business magazine do you read? What do you think about working women’s status in Japan? (He said these questions are just out of his personal curiosity)

11. Interviewer's attitude: Very friendly. Mr. M even gave me his company booklet. It seemed that they also saw the interviews as my opportunity to learn more about INSEAD, and they explained many merits about joining INSEAD.

12. Others: Ms. A asked me to e-mail my CV prior to interview, and also bring 6 pages profile (part of application) to the interview. Mr. M asked me to send my CV and whole application package including essays.

More tips here http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=InseadInterview