Vince MBA Interview Tips

The Kellogg Interview

2012-01-15T19:57:00.000+09:00

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:

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

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

When did you arrive?
Did you come to US only for interview purpose?
Career Progress
What is the greatest undergrad experience?
What do your colleagues describe about you?
Why MBA?
STG, LTG
Why Kellogg?
Teamwork Question
How did your colleague change you?
One thing you want to change about yourself
Leadership Question
What is your leadership style?
Where else did you apply?
Adjective describe you
Where in US did you live?
What do you do for fun?
Do you do any charity work?
What club do you intend to join?
Any thing you want to say? (One time)
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:

When did you arrive in Kellogg? When do you go back? Jet lag?
Tell me about your undergrad major experience. Why did you choose that major?
Tell me about your work history. Why did you choose that company?
Describe your team. How do you perform in that team?
Why MBA?
Why Kellogg?
Post MBA goal
What is your leadership style like?
How would you manage a conflict between people?
How do you convince people?
How do you manage yourself in an international environment?
What can you contribute to Kellogg? (Besides work experience)
What clubs do you intend to join? Any others?
Anything else you have not mentioned that you want me to know about you?
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;

University experiences (academic, extracurricular)
Career progress
why MBA, why Kellogg
Leadership experience, leadership style
How are you going to develop leadership at Kellogg?
Conflict-solving experience, how?
Strategic experience in a project, how did you plan a strategy to achieve a difficult thing?
Short-term goal (STG) after Kellogg / My thought of key success factors in attain my STG
Impact I have made on my clients or my company
Contributions at Kellogg
Anything else? (twice)
Any questions? (three times)
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)

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

Why did you become interested in your undergraduate study? Please explain in detail about your major.
Please talk about your extra curricular activity (in my case it was my golf club activity
Why do you think you were chosen as the captain of golf club at your High School and University?
Do you play golf a lot recently?
Have you ever done hole-in-one?
What do you recommend me to fix my slice?
Please tell me about your recruiting process?
I talked why IT industry why current company why my function
Please talk about your division and how you have progress your career.
What was the reason you got your promotion?
How did your responsibility change?
Please clarify, in specific, your responsibility.
Are you responsible to negotiate with client?
How do you compare your client (big Japanese company) and US companies?
Please tell me the situation where you took leadership and why it was effective?
What were difficult factors and how you have dealt with it?
What were factors became conflict and why?
Please be more specific about how you resolve the conflict?
Why MBA? STG? LTG?
Do you have specific firm you want to work for?
LTG: At this point do you have specific company you want to help? (my LTG is to be CEO and help company revitalize)
Why Kellogg?
What are specific classes and organization you are planning to join and why?
What do you do outside work? (aside from golf) Why do you like it?
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?
Is there any thing I can answer for you?
What was your impression of your visit to classes?
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

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

There are many laughs.

Then I asked my interviewer the following questions:

How did your Kellogg experience affect you?
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)
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

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

Tokyo-based alumni #3

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

Questions were mostly about my business:

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

Tokyo-based alumni #4

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

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

Tokyo-based alumni #5

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

Kellogg- Alumni interview

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

Tokyo-based alumni #6

R2 applicant in Tokyo Jan. 26, 2008

Interview Questions

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

Briefly summarize your career
Tell me about your career in the Indonesia Project (my first 3 year career)
ST and LT goal?
Why MBA?
Why Kellogg?
Tell me about your teamwork experience.
Tell me about your leadership experience.
What was the biggest difficulty in your career?
What was the most challenging part in your HR career?
What experience in your first project helps you with your current project? Any similarity?
How do you intend to change your company? What do you think the next generation energy is? (As I am in the energy sector.)
Tell me about your baseball story.
Anything to add?
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

2011-10-21T21:22:00.000+09:00

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

Describe a time when you worked towards an important goal and had to address conflict between two or more team members.
Describe a time when you got an un-collaborative member committed to the team.
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).
Describe a scenario where you worked on a team and one of the team members was not pulling her weight. What did you do?
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?
Tell me about a time when you experienced cultural conflict and how you handled it.
What has been your most difficult teamwork experience?
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?
Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict in a group.
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?
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?
What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describe how you handled it. What was the outcome?

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

2011-10-18T06:13:00.000+09:00

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

The Tuck Interview

2011-09-15T05:02:00.001+09:00

Vince's reports

Many of my past admitted clients were asked these questions (on campus and with adcoms in Tokyo)

Walk me through your resume from your undergraduate degree to current job
Why MBA? What can you do with MBA? (Goals)
Why Tuck?
Why should Tuck admit you over many others who are equally qualified?
Are you better at leading teams or being a member of teams?
How did you solve conflict among your teammates?
Do you know any current students at Tuck?
What do you do outside work?
Tell me about your leadership outside work?
What extracurricular activities at Tuck are you interested in?
Convince me you want to live in the countryside.
Anything you would like me to know about you?
Q and A

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

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

"Tuck School of Business Admissions Blog"

So I have interviewing on the brain right now. One of my roles is to supervise our 37 student interviewers, and I have been busy getting ready for their training which I will conduct tomorrow. In preparation, I have been thinking a lot about interviewing dos and don’ts for applicants and thought I would share some of them here.

Similar to your essays, interviews are a great vehicle to share your story. Through the interview, we hope to hear more examples of the types of experiences you have had in both your personal and professional life, and to get a sense of your demonstrated record of achievement, your interpersonal and communication skills, and your focus.

It is important to prepare for the interview in advance. Think about the types of questions you are likely going to get, e.g. what your goals are, why you want to get an MBA, why you want to come to Tuck, leadership roles, your strengths and weaknesses, etc. Also, think about a few key points about yourself that you want to get across. Then think about specific anecdotes from your past experiences to support each response/point. In describing the anecdote explain the situation, what actions you took and the result. The caveat here is don’t over-prepare. You don’t want to sound like you are reading from a script.

Listen carefully and answer the question being asked. This may sound obvious, but many applicants are so excited to make particular points that they don’t offer them at the appropriate times. I once had an applicant launch into a long discussion of what his goals were and why he needed an MBA when my question to him was “so, are you originally from Chicago?”

Your answers should be specific and include details, but also be concise in your answers. The interview is short, make the most of it. Once you have made your point, stop. The most frustrating interviews I conduct are the ones where the applicant is long-winded and/or strays off topic.

Remember your audience – don’t get overly technical in the details and don’t use too much jargon.

For most questions, there is really no right or wrong answer. We are most interested in what you really think. Be yourself. Don’t try to guess what the interviewer wants to hear. If what you say isn’t true for you, it will come off sounding phony or lacking substance.

Research the school in advance – asking questions that could be easily answered by looking at the school’s marketing materials/website does not create a good impression.

Our student interviewers are really nice people, and we try to make our admissions interviews as stress-free as possible; however, as a result, some applicants get too casual. They assume since they are being interviewed by someone more their peer it is okay to slouch, slip into slang or reveal information they probably shouldn’t (see Karen’s 9/2 post on too much honesty). While we certainly want you to feel comfortable and act like yourself, remember, no matter who conducts your interview (student, staff or alum), you should approach it in a completely professional manner.

A couple of obvious points that bear repeating: don’t be late, and never ever answer your cell phone or check your Blackberry during an interview. You may laugh, but trust me, people have done it!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Hello, I just wanted to confirm that the page to schedule an on campus interview is still not active. I tried searching for an open spot and the query kept returning zero results (regardless of date range). Thanks, Applying in NYC
Nancy G.- Admissions said...: try this: - go to www.tuck.edu - click on 'visit us / interview' - click on 'request an interview' under the 'related links' heading in the right column of the page - For location of event select Hanover NH - For dates select today's date for the 'from' field; select 12/31/2009 for the 'To' field - for Type of event select 'on campus interview' - Select 'all events in the future with space available' NOTE: if you want to see events that have space available on a wait list, select 'all events in the future' Hope this helps! http://tuckschool.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviewing-interviewing-interviewing.html

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Tips for Interview Season

Mishi asked a question on this post about what tips I had for applicants in the upcoming admissions interview season. Three points before I tackle the meat of this question:

A) I appreciate Mishi's question, and would encourage anyone reading this to ask questions. It's probably more useful if I write about what you want to hear: left to my own devices, there's a significant risk of me growing misty eyed about Tuck Rugby ad nauseum.

B) I am not involved in admissions at Tuck in any official capacity, so everything I say here is my personal opinion, and may deviate from the admissions office's view (though, hopefully not dramatically).

C) I have surprisingly little interview experience, given the stage of my career. (I worked all the way through my four years as an undergraduate and for six years afterwards and have had, cumulatively, fewer than a dozen interviews in my life).

With those caveats, here are my top (well, most mentally proximate) five tips for MBA admissions interviews:

1) Dress smartly. Most candidates come to campus dressed in business formal and, in that respect (even if in few others) I believe it's best not to stand out too much from the crowd of other applicants.

2) Read Dale Carnegie. If you don't have time, here's the lowdown: smile lots, don't criticize, be genuinely "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise" (but not sycophantic).

3) Know your story. If you are not totally passionate about where you want to go and why the program at the business school you are applying to will help you get there, as well as how your presence at the school will make it a better place for others to be, I don't think you should be looking at a top MBA program. Make sure your story is concise, plausible and, to the greatest extent possible, genuine.

4) Do research beforehand. Know about programs, courses, centers, etc. Not so you can show off, but so that you can have more meaningful discussions and ask more pertinent and informed questions. This links in to point 3). If you don't know why this school will help you get where you want to go, why are you considering spending six figures and investing two years of your life?

5) Make connections. Follow up with fellow visitors, admissions staff, students and faculty you meet. This may help you unlock the door to the school of your dreams but at the very least it expands your network, which is, after all, a big part of the business school process.

Most crucially, and underlying all of these points, is to be yourself. If your favorite book is Harry Potter and someone asks you in an interview what your favorite book is, don't say "Great Expectations" because you think you'll sound smart. Be passionate about what makes you who you are. Tell them "Harry Potter!" with an emphatic smile and explain why you love it.

Good luck!

Adam's post

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth MBA interview is about fit, so make sure you can explain in great depth why you want to become a part of Tuck's small intensive community in Hanover. If you interview on-campus expect to be asked about how you liked it. If you have never been to Hanover, contact with alumni and intensive school research are all great ways to prepare. Keep in mind that the objective of this research is to determine what you really like about the school, about how Tuck is right for you, and how you imagine yourself contributing to it. Try to focus on what you need from the school, not merely stating obvious information about it.

Demonstrated enthusiasm to attend Tuck is very helpful. Based on my experience, that enthusiasm in combination with the ability to provide solid answers to routine MBA questions is most critical to succeeding at this interview. Most reported interviews found at accepted.com and clearadmit.com simply consist of standard questions. See my previous post on interview strategy. Expect questions about teams, friendship, and extracurricular activities. My colleague, Steve Green, has provided me with a great organized list of common questions:

SMALL TALK / INTRODUCTION

When did you get in?
Did you face any problems getting in?
Did you have a chance to see around Hanover yesterday?
Where did you end up staying?
We will talk for around half an hour and I will answer any questions you have towards the end of the interview

INTRO: RESUME

Walk me through your resume.
VARIATION ON ABOVE
Tell me more about yourself that I can’t see from your resume: PROBE
Talk about your current job, your work in Tokyo
How do you spend your free time? / What do you do apart from work?
Do you have any/ What is your international experience?

GOALS, REASONS FOR MBA, REASONS FOR TUCK

What do you see yourself doing immediately after graduation and what are your longer term plans?
What motivates you to get an MBA at this point in your career? / Why do you feel you need an MBA?
Why do you want an MBA at Tuck?
What did you do to know more about Tuck?
What classes and initiatives at Tuck specifically interest you?
What’s unique about you that you can add to the Tuck culture and environment?
What will you be involved with at Tuck? / How will you be involved at Tuck?
How will you contribute to Tuck?
When you'll join Tuck, you'll be put into groups. What will be your approach if your team is not able to accomplish a task on time?
How will you handle differences in your study group, for ex: Language
What if MBA doesn't work out?

TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP

What do you bring to a team?
Tell me about your teamwork and how it has influenced you.
Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult teammate.
How should members of a team deal with teammates who are not contributing?
Tell me about a time you had to work in a team.
What are the qualities that make you successful on a team?
Tell me about a time you experienced conflict on a team, and how you handled it?
Tell me when you have worked on a diverse team/environment
What type of leader are you?

SELF-AWARENESS

Tell me about a time you disagreed with your boss and how it was resolved.
Tell me about a situation where you had a difficult boss.
What is your biggest accomplishment in your personal and/or professional life
Tell me about a failure.
Tell me about your analytical skills.
What are your 3 strengths?
What are your 3 weaknesses?
Imagine you are selling yourself to the admissions committee. What 3 things do you want them to know about you?
What do your colleagues most admire about you?
How would your colleagues describe you?
What are three things you’d like the admissions committee to know about you?

CLOSING COMMENTS/QUESTIONS

Is there anything else you’d like Tuck to know about you?
Is there anything you hoped I’d ask, but didn’t?
Questions for me?

Based on the many interview reports I have read, the above really does capture the questions you can expect to be asked. There tends to be a significant emphasis on teamwork related questions, so be especially prepared for the variety of those that you may encounter.

You need to know your resume completely as you will likely be asked about content in it. Review it carefully and consider what your interviewer might ask you to explain more thoroughly. If it is on your resume, it is fair game. Even an admissions officer interviewer will only have your resume, but you should assume they will know the contents of it fairly well. As Clear Admit states, "Tuck employs a ‘blind’ interview process, using only the resume as a basis for the interview.

Interviewers, according to the Tuck FAQ:
Interviews on campus are scheduled primarily with admissions associates (second-year students) and occasionally with members of the admissions committee. Off-campus interviews with an alumni interviewer, admissions committee member, or admissions associate are scheduled by invitation only.

Reported interview length: 30 to 45 minutes.

HBS Interview Part 1 and 2

2011-08-23T15:13:00.000+09:00

PART 1

I asked one of my HBS admitted clients a slightly modified list of the questions he answered at his actual Harvard interview. Here are the answers that got him admitted. In this first of three sections, he discusses his motivations for MBA and HBS.

Please note - HBS adcoms do not usually start interviews by saying, "walk me through your resume." Why? They have already read your entire application. Still, in the case of this mock interview, we decided to start that way to give viewers a general introduction to the applicant and set the context for follow-up questions and answers.

PART 2

In the second of three sections, he discusses his perspectives on Japanese trading companies, his goals, his personal weakness, and his potential contributions to the HBS community. Please watch.

HBS Videos

Please watch these videos to learn how two of Vince's clients gained admission to HBS.

SampleInterviews

2011-07-13T23:22:00.000+09:00

Years ago, a client asked me to create a video showing a successful model of effective MBA interview responses to typical questions. Here it is, Hiro. Sorry it took so long!

Kellogg Interview: Part I

I asked my former client some typical interview questions including: Why MBA? Why now? Why Kellogg? Here are the answers that got him admitted.

Kellogg Interview: Part II

In the second part of our mock interview training session, Kaz answers some "behavioral questions" that dig into what he thought, felt, said, and did during his past professional projects. We also practiced typical closing questions like "tell me something else I should know" and final Q&A with the interviewer.

source: http://www.youtube.com//vinceprep

END

Top of blog

Case-based interviews and general case method tips

2011-03-11T08:59:00.002+09:00

Are you preparing for an IMD or IESE case-based interview?

Please read these tips

STEP ONE: GENERAL NOTES ON THE CASE METHOD

CASE DISCUSSION: WHAT IS IT LIKE? WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?

Case discussion is interactive, student-centered exploration of realistic and specific narratives that provide grist for inductive learning. The students engage in the intellectual, and emotional, exercise of facing complex problems and making critical decisions within the constraints imposed by reality, e.g. limited time and information, and pervasive uncertainty. Considering them from the protagonist’s perspective, which calls on analysis to inform action, the students strive to resolve questions that have no single right answer. Their differing views and approaches produce a creative tension that fuels the enterprise and a synergistic outcome that both recognizes and exceeds their individual contributions. In their effort to find solutions and reach decisions through discussion, they sort out factual data, apply analytical tools, articulate issues, reflect on their relevant experience, and draw conclusions they can carry forward to new situations. In the process, they acquire substantive knowledge, develop analytic and collaborative skills, and gain in self-confidence and attention to detail.

A case discussion differs in come important respects from what is conventional in many college and university classrooms. The students engage in the text rather than examine it. They are active and animated: offering ideas, raising questions, building on each others’ statements, constructing a collective analysis, re-framing the discussion, challenging the teacher, learning with and from each other as much as, or more than, from him or her.

The teacher is also active, and frequently mobile: initiating discussion and drawing the class into it, inviting engagement in the issues, amplifying some students’ remarks and pointing up opposing views, feeding the group’s thinking back to it, pulling the threads of conversation together and tying them in to the course’s themes; in short, structuring and facilitating the students’ work rather than delivering information, giving explanations, or providing answers. The emphasis is on the students’ reasoning and expressions, on their capacity to structure the problem and work out a solution. It is also on the process as well as the substance of inquiry, and a case discussion often ends with questions as well as conclusions.

Among the purposes of case discussion are to:

• Foster Critical Thinking
• Encourage Student Responsibility for Learning
• Transfer Information, Concept, and Technique
• Develop Command of a Body of Material
• Blend Affective and Cognitive Learning
• Enliven the Classroom Dynamic
• Develop Collaboration Skills
• Teach Questioning and Self-Directed Learning

CASE LEARNING: HOW DOES IT WORK? WHY IS IT EFFECTIVE?

Case discussion requires more intense effort, form both students and instructors, than many more traditional methods of instruction. While the demands on time, energy, and personal commitment are great, the rewards of the case method are also substantial. With repeated exposure to cases, students improve their skill in analyzing and dealing with ambiguous situations and incomplete information.

They begin to approach problems in a focused, confident way that leads to firm, well-reasoned conclusions even in the face of uncertainty. As well as developing knowledge and understanding, the process fosters good judgment and effective action.

The power of the case method lies in the active participation of the students. In learning from a case, they determine the relevant facts, analyze them, and draw conclusions about the cause of the problem and what action to take. Their conclusions often differ from both the protagonist’s thinking and the case writer’s own implicit diagnosis, although all are based on the same facts. The most powerful and interesting cases are those that allow for several assessments of the same situation, leading to several equally plausible and compelling conclusions, each with different implications for action.

In case learning, students encounter the problem before they create the structure to solve it; the method is basically inductive and experiential. The problems that cases present are subtle, complex, and persistent; they have no easy, definite, or correct solutions. In confronting such problems, students face the challenge of working out their own approach to defining, analyzing, and solving them. The experience is that of having the problem oneself and striving to find a way to resolve it, because the case method encourages students to see it from an action perspective rather than analyze it from a distance.

At the same time that it develops their skills, repeated exposure to the ambiguous and complex problems found in cases builds remarkable confidence in students. Case learning develops tolerance for ambiguity and fosters the ability to make timely decisions and take effective action despite incomplete information, unclear problems, and uncertain consequences. During case discussions, instructors encourage students to face these risks and move toward specific action. Through such practice, students learn to cope with the circumstances that will challenge them in the future.

Much of the power of the learning comes from the study group and class interaction among the participants. Learning from each other’s as well as their own experiences is one of the most valuable opportunities this interaction affords. It also exposes students to others’ analytic and problem-solving approaches, and this exposure encourages them to recognize and reflect on their own. The incorporation of many points of view into the case discussion fosters the fundamental strength of generating alternative responses to problems. The mere fact of the interaction enhances such skills as listening, articulating, and participating effectively in group enterprise.

Finally, it is difficult to define, but also difficult to overestimate, the impact of the fact that case learning in more than a sterile, academic exercise. By challenging the student to adopt an action perspective, experience the raw data of a problem, and determine his or her own means of coping with it, by engaging students in the relatively unstructured, but highly charged enterprise of case discussion, the case method involves the whole person, the emotions and the intuitions as well as the intellect. Such qualities as persistence, patience, and persuasiveness count, along with mental agility and power, just as they do in the real lives of professionals. Case learning educates the person who will become the professional, not just the mind.

STEP TWO: Case Study Handbook:

How to Read, Discuss, and Write Persuasively About Cases

by William Ellet

256 pages. Publication date: Mar 15, 2007.

A former client created this outline of the book pictured below

(info here http://www.amazon.co.jp/Case-Study-Handbook-Discuss-Persuasively/dp/1422101584)

Chapter 1 and 2: are a relative waste of time.

Ellet spends a lot of time romanticizing the Case Study and locating it within Western Tradition.

This can all be summarized in a few sentences:

The case study is a document quite different from what most students are used to seeing in the classroom.

Not linear, having no clear beginning or end, containing multiple types of information, some important and some useless, the case study requires the reader to relearn the process of reading and analysis.

To effectively study and learn from a case study, one must learn how to interpret the information in a useful, time-efficient fashion.

To this end Ellet tries to break down the case study itself, as well as gives advice on how to prepare an analytical report.

Chapter 3 How to analyze a case

Things to remember

1) reading in order is not always beneficial

2) reading actively- taking notes, highlighting, reorganizing information- is key

3) you will never have as much time as you need, so keep moving!

The Four types of Case Situations:

1) Problem Cases

"...situation[s] in which 1)there is a significant outcome or performance, and 2) the is no explicit explanation of the outcome or performance" (21).

Situations can both be negative (a new project fails, sales increase but revenues drop, etc.) or positive (a product our market research showed was ready to come off the shelves suddenly sold out, and we don't know why).

CASES WILL NOT TELL YOU WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. YOUR FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO SORT THAT OUT ASAP

2) Decisions

Cases that revolve around an explicit decision.

All cases will include decisions, but Decision Cases will have some big decision that becomes the fulcrum for the case.

(Do we launch a new product? Do we buy that company?)

In decision cases, there is no objective answer. It is up to you to defend your decision well and be aware of the other options.

3) Evaluations

"Express a judgment about the worth, value, or effectiveness of a performance, act, or outcome" (23). Evaluations can be about people, outcomes, decisions, etc.

4) Rules

Not discussed in detail here, rule cases involve situations where a specific set of information needs to be compared under a specific condition.

Here rules and frameworks are given and must be applied.

The process of analyzing a case is the same in all situations, but the details will change. Let's look at the overall process:
How to Analyze a Case

1) Situation

2) Questions

3) Hypothesis

4) Proof and action

5) Alternatives

So you've got your case. Here's how the process works:
1) Situation (5 minutes)

-Read the first and last portions of the case. Ask yourself, "What is the situation?"

Often times reading the first and last sections first will make it very clear what type of case it is, and may provide direction. (For example, often times in decision cases, which decisions are available are spelled out at the end. Without reading these first the student may make assumptions while analyzing the case only to realize that a different element was at play.)

Decisions and evaluations are often stated in the very beginning.

- Consider what kind of framework you may want to use for this case, and what kind of information you are given. (For example, do you have a lot of quant data? Do the two sections give any hints about specific criteria needed to evaluate or decide?)

2) Questions (15 minutes)

Start to ask yourself questions about the case to get your thoughts organized. After you have established the situation, ask yourself "what do i need to know about the situation?"

Ellet gives questions specific to each situation:

PROBLEM:

Who/what is the subject of the problem? (A manager, a company, a country?)
What is the problem?
Am I trying to account for a failure, a success, or something more ambiguous?
What is the significance of the problem to the subject?
Who is responsible for the problem? (often time it is the protagonist. ALWAYS BE CRITICAL OF THE PROTAGONIST. sometimes cases are written from her perspective, but don't let that stop you from evaluating her influence on the situation.)

Decision:

What are the decision options?
Do any seem particularly strong or weak?
What might be the most important criteria for this kind of decision? What kinds of criteria are mentioned in the case?

Evaluation:

Who/what is the subject of the evaluation?
Who is responsible for the evaluation/what is at stake here?
What are the important criteria for this evaluation? What kinds of criteria are mentioned in the case?

Once you have some questions laid out, scan the headings in the text and a little of each section. Try to get a feel for which sections will contain information valuable to your analysis, and which ones may just be dead-ends. Mark the case up- make notes!

3) Hypothesis (45 minutes)

Now it's time to dig in. Hit the text- those places you noted and marked up- to gather the information that will answer your questions and help you form your hypothesis.

Problem:

Know what the problem is.
Think about frameworks that may be helpful (5 P' 4C's, Leadership frameworks, etc.) to locate the cause, after all, your hypothesis will be able it's cause, so think about the case in terms of effects and causes. You have the EFFECT- what is the cause? (eg- sales fell. Why?)
Work backwards and take notes

THINK AS QUANTITATIVELY AS POSSIBLE. If there are numbers, charts, USE THEM. The more data you can have to support your cause, the better evidenced your hypothesis will be.

If there is a protagonist, consider that they may be a cause of the problem, or at least be contributing to it.

Decision:

Think about the criteria you have already noted. Do they lead you one direction or another? (i.e. yes/no, hire/fire, etc.)
Review the decision options and think about which one sounds the best to you. (Criteria- reduce costs. increase sales. regain market share. Which decision gets us there fastest?)
Apply the criteria that seems to have the most evidence backing it up. (Sales are a little weak but the main issue is cost. Lets look at which decision saves us the most loot long term)
Look into the decision that works with your strongest criterion.
If there is a lot of Quant evidence in the case, consider which criteria is most relevant to it. (eg if you have a TON of sales figures but no cost figures, costs may not be the main criterion)
If you see a lot of conflicts between groups/people, ask yourself why. Consider you decision from the POV of each group.
Consider the position of the protag. in reference to your decision.

Evaluation

Look over the evaluation criteria you have. Which sounds the most useful?
What are the terms of the evaluation going to be? (strengths/weaknesses? good/bad?) Do any stand out?
Do you have an idea of what the bottom-line evaluation is going to be? If so, what are the reasons for it?
Apply the most useful criterion to the evidence. (eg- evaluating a manager. The criterion: A leader has to spur change, Overcome obstacles, and lead a group)
Look deeper into the most positive and negative rankings you have
Use as much quant information as possible

4) Proof and Action (40 min)

Compile your evidence (here is where, if you are presenting, you want to make graphs/charts) and create a bottom line ACTION recommendation. How will we move forward?

5) Alternatives (15 min)

THERE ARE ALWAYS ALTERNATIVES. Respect that, prepare for it. Consider holes, other ways to analyze, and compare them to your hypothesis and action. be ready to defend your idea and potential reshape it.

THAT IS THE GENERAL WAY ITS DONE. THIS IS BROKEN DOWN INTO EACH SITUATION IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS AND USED TO ANALYZE A GIVEN CASE. WORTH READING!

Problem Cases

Five elements are incorporated into the study
1) Problem definition. Step one- what's the problem? There are usually multiple problems occurring, so it is your job to...

2) Diagnosis: DIAGNOSE THE MAIN PROBLEM

3) Cause-effect analysis: Consider this in terms of cause-and-effect, and remember you HAVE the effect, so you have to work backwards.

4) Frameworks- apply one here. (Like external and internal consistence are crucial to an effective strategy")

5) Action: Create a forward-moving solution

In other words, think about the whole case as cause and effect. One you have your main effect (problem), your hypothesis becomes the main causes you feel contributed to the problem. From here, you must back up that hypothesis with evidence- both analytical and quantitative, and recommend some sort of action to take.

Decision cases have five elements

1) Options- often laid out within the beginning AND END of a case. Watch that!

2) Criteria- the priorities of the company/individual/country/

3) Analysis of the options- see which option fulfills the criteria the best. Consider both advantages and disadvantages of the option you choose but stay efficient and focused
4) Recommendation- Recommend an option- this is your hypothesis

5) Action- Develop an action plan to make your recommendation a reality!

Evaluation: Six elements:

1) Criteria: Sometimes given, sometimes not, is the framework for your analysis.

2) Terms: You have to decide how you are going to evaluation. 5 Stars? Good? Efficient? Pick the most appropriate to the case.

3) Evaluative Analysis: Consider each criteria based on the information you are given, including the positive and negative sides of each

4) Bottom-line judgment: Make an evaluation. Don't beat around the bush.

5) Qualifications: consider other forces involved (maybe the manager was not effective, but was it all his fault? If corporate shares responsibility, that goes here. If the market sucked over all, that goes here)

6) Actions- make future recommendations.

THE HARDEST THING HERE IS THE APPLICATION OF FRAMEWORKS.
I IMAGINE THESE ARE GIVEN TO US IN CLASS AND WE HAVE TO TRY OUT DIFFERENT ONES DURING CLASS PARTICIPATION.
HOWEVER, WE WILL BE ON OUR OWN DURING INTERVIEWS ETC.
PREPARE FRAME WORKS FROM CASE IN POINT.
I DON'T THINK THEY NEED TO BE CUTTING EDGE OR FANCY.
INSTEAD, OUR GOAL IS TO SHOW ADCOM THAT WE HAVE WAYS OF ORGANIZING OUR THOUGHTS EFFECTIVELY, RATIONALLY, AND MOST IMPORTANT, QUICKLY.

STEP THREE: Case in Point

by Marc P. Cosentino

The First 4 Steps (from Cosentino's "Case in Point" book)

Summarize the question
Verify the client’s objective
Ask clarifying questions about the company, industry, market, products and competition.
Layout your structure

The 12 Most Popular Case Scenarios
Business cases traditionally have focused on either business strategy or business operations. However, with today’s more complex cases, candidates are getting cases that cover both categories and multiple scenarios.

Strategy Scenarios

Entering a new market
Industry Analysis
Mergers & Acquisitions
Developing a new product
Pricing Strategies
Growth Strategies
Starting a new business
Competitive response

Operating Scenarios

Increasing sales
Reducing Costs
Improving the bottom line
Turnarounds

Entering a New Market – Things you need to be thinking about.

Step 1: Investigate the current market to determine whether entering the market would make good business sense.

Who is our competition?
What size market share does each competitor have?
How do their products/services compare to ours?
Are there any barriers to entry? Such as government regulations, access to distribution channels, capital requirements.

Step 2: If we decide to enter the market, what is the best way?

There are three main ways to enter a market.
Start from scratch
Acquire an existing business
Form a joint venture

Analyze the pros and cons of each. This is sometimes called cost-benefit analysis. You can use this whenever you are trying to decide whether or not to proceed with a decision.

THE FIVE C’s and 4 P’s
There are two elementary frameworks that can do the job. You’re not going to blow anyone away with these, but you won’t drown either. They will allow you to touch on all the main points and appear fairly well organized.

FIVE C’s (usually best to pick 3 that fit your situation)

Company
Costs
Competition
Consumer
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Case Preparation - Case Commandments

These Commandments are the result of years of research. Cosentino has interviewed recruiters, consultants, partners and debriefed hundreds of Harvard students.

Listen to the Question: Listening is the most important skill a consultant has. The case isn’t about you or the consultant. it’s about the client. What are they really asking for? Pay particular attention to the last sentence – one word can change the entire case.

Take Notes: Taking notes during the case interview allows you to check back with the facts of the case. As someone once said, "The palest ink is stronger than the best memory." If you blank out, all the information is right in front of you.

Summarize the Question: After you are given the question, take a moment to summarize the highlights out loud:

It shows the interviewer that you listened
It allows you to hear the information again
It keeps you from answering the wrong question
It fills the otherwise awkward pause when you’re trying to think of something intelligent to say

Verify the Objective(s): Professional consultants always ask their clients to verify their objective(s). Even if the objectives seem obvious, there could be an additional underlying objective. When the objective seems apparent, phrase the questions differently: "One objective is to increase sales. Are there any other objectives I should know about?"

Ask Clarifying Questions
You ask questions for three main reasons:

To get additional information that will help you identify and label the question
To demonstrate to the interviewer that you are not shy about asking probing questions under difficult circumstances (something you’ll be doing on a regular basis as a consultant)
To turn the question into a conversation. Nothing turns an interviewer off quicker than a five-minute monologue.

Organize Your Answer: Identify and label your case, then lay out your structure. This is the hardest part of a case – and the most crucial. It drives your case and is often the major reason behind whether you get called back.

Hold that Thought for one second / think before you speak: The interviewer wants you to think out loud, but think before speak. If you make a statement that is way off-base in an interview, the interviewer will wonder if he can trust you in front of a client.

Manage Your Time: Your answer should be as linear as possible. Don’t get bogged down in the details. Answer from a macro–level and move the answer forward. Stay focused on the original question.

By the Numbers: If possible, try to work numbers into your answer. Demonstrate that you think quantitatively and that you are comfortable with numbers.

Be Coachable: Listen to the interviewer’s feedback. Is she trying to guide you back on track? Pay attention to her body language. Are you boring her or is she enthralled?

Be Creative and Brainstorm: Consulting firms like liberal arts candidates with intellectual curiosity who can "think outside the box" and offer up a new and interesting perspective.

Exude Enthusiasm and a Positive Attitude: Recruiters want people who are excited by problem solving and can carry that enthusiasm throughout the entire interview.

Bring Closure and Summarize: Create a sense of closure by summarizing the case. Review your findings, restate your suggestions, and make recommendations.

(found at http://casequestions.com/cp_commandments.cfm; accessed 2/2011)

Case Questions tips

Listen to the question

Ask clarifying questions only if you don't understand

Base your assumptions on some sort of logic; otherwise the interviewer might challenge how you came up with your conclusion

Write down all numbers

First Three Steps

1. Summarize the case
2. Verify the objectives
3. Ask clarifying questions
a. To get additional information
b. To show you can ask direct and probing questions
c. To turn the case into a conversation

Notes design

Use landscape format
Divide the first page into two sections

LEFT SIDE

Case notes: write down the information you know
Be sure to verify the objective

RIGHT SIDE

Write the objectives across the top of this section.
Write the answers to questions that you asked about the case.
Draw or lay out your structure.

E (P+R-C) M
Sales / R&D or
Earnings / R&D

A good interview consists of

Repeating the question, verifying the objective and asking about other objectives
A logical and well thought out market sizing process (if the question asks for one)
No math mistakes
Not getting flustered when being cut off and asked “What else?” (This is a crucial element of the interview, since clients will be demanding and sometimes rude.)

“Let me tell you why you are wrong.” Sometimes during a case, the student will be asked to make a decision. She will be forced between A and B. If she chooses A, the interview will look her right in the eye and say, “Let me tell you why you are wrong.” If she had chosen B, the interviewer would have looked her right in the eye and said, “Let me tell you why you are wrong.” It does not matter which one she chooses, they are going to tell her why she is wrong. The interviewer does this to see how she reacts. Does she turn red, does her jaw tighten, or do her eyebrows shoot up? Clients are going to challenge her findings and ideas all the time. The interviewer wants to make sure she can handle criticism when someone challenges her.

While the interviewer is telling her why she is wrong, if she does not find his answer persuasive, then she should simply say, “That was an interesting argument, but I did not find it compelling enough. I am sticking with answer A.” That is what he wants her to do, stick with her answer if she thinks it is right. Defend her answer without getting defensive.

If in his argument he brings up something that she did not consider, and not that she thinks about it, it changes everything, she should admit that she was wrong. She should simply say, “That was a very persuasive argument, and to be honest, I did not think about the inventory issue. I think you are right; I think B is the right answer.” There is no shame in changing her answer if she was wrong. It shoes that she is still objective and open to reason. What he does not want her to do is change her answer just because he said she was wrong.

Brainstorming good ideas and strategies
Determining other considerations like competitive response and exit strategies
A good, short summary touching on the most critical points
Well-organized and easy to read notes

CASE INTERVIEW EVALUATION FORM

Analytics

Structured framework - Did they organize their thoughts and analyze the case in a logical manner? Did they layout or physically draw a structure before they started answering the question?
Quant acumen - Did they try to quantify their answer? Did they make any math mistakes?
Data - Did they incorporate the data provided into their answer? Did they make logical assumptions based on data provided?
Good use of data provided

Communication

Eye contact and posture - Was it consistent and positive?
Articulation - Could you understand them? Did they speak in complete sentences? Did they use slang? Did they show a sense of humor?
Listening - Were they listening while you were speaking or were they thinking of what they were planning on saying?
Asking probing questions - Did they ask insightful and probing questions?
Note layout - Were their notes well organized? Were they visual with their notes? Did they draw boxes, graphs, arrows, decision trees, value chains, or flow charts? Could you read their handwriting?

Personal

Enthusiasm - Did it seem that they enjoyed solving cases? Did they remain upbeat throughout the interview - even when they were in trouble? Is this someone you want to work 60 hours a week with?
Self confidence
Teamwork and engagement - Did they bring you into the process?
Logic, original thought and intellectual curiosity

(adapted from http://casequestions.com; accessed 3/2009)

Nerves

2011-02-24T10:53:00.002+09:00

A client just asked me how to stay calm in the interview.

Here are two tricks I learned from Patricia Ryan Madson, my improv coach at Stanford.

Breathe - sounds obvious, but the breath controls our "fight or flight" instincts. Slow down, take a few deep breaths (without "sighing"), and look at your interviewer.
Notice the mundane. Look around the room. Take note of everything you see. Day One of Patricia's improv class, we ran around the room pointing at objects and naming them. "Clock!" "Carpet!" "Chair!" "Student!" After a minute of this catharsis, we paused and observed the effect. The room had come to life. Suddenly, we noticed the brown drapes, the open door, the pile of shoes and backpacks in the corner. I have never found a better way to get "in the moment." Of course, you cannot run around screaming and pointing at objects during your interview, but you can use your inner voice to notice and comment on reality. "The interviewer is wearing a blue tie." "He is holding a black stick pen and staring at me." "Oh, my hands are shaking." No matter what you observe, just keep your awareness by saying, "Isn't that interesting." This "moment of zen" should help you stop monologuing so you can enjoy the conversation.

The MIT Interview

2011-02-23T18:26:00.000+09:00

MIT interviews can be tough b/c they are NOT BLIND.

As with HBS, your interviewer (an adcom member) can and will refer to your essays / dig deeper during the interview. She or he is NOT likely to ask typical questions (WMTYR, teamwork, leadership, goals, etc.)

It can be friendly / conversational, but you need to be prepared to answer new questions with new examples.

I also encourage you to research and practice behavioral interview techniques.

Please do your best!

MIT instructions (accessed at http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/MITSloan_interview_guide.pdf on 3/2011)

The MIT Sloan MBA Admissions Committee conducts Behavioral Event-Based Interviews.

The concept behind Behavioral Event Interviews (BEI) is past behavior is a reliable indicator of future response in a similar situation.

BEI is different from the traditional screening interviews:

Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, the interviewer will ask you how you did behave.
Expect your interviewer to question and probe your answers.
The interviewer will ask you to provide details and will not allow you to theorize or generalize about several events.
The interview will be a structured process that will concentrate on areas that are important to the interviewer, rather than allowing you to concentrate on areas that you may feel are important.
You may not get a chance to deliver any prepared stories.
Most interviewers will be taking copious notes throughout the interview.

What the Admissions Committee is looking for

The interviewer will be looking for concrete and specific examples revealing one or several of the following traits during the interview:
Influencing others: the ability to influence a person, group or organization.
Relationship building: the ability to build and maintain professional relationships.
Drive: the ability to set an objective and achieve it.

Preparing for BEI

Recall a recent situation that showed favorable behaviors or actions, especially involving work experience, leadership, professional relationships, teamwork, planning, etc.
Prepare short descriptions of each situation; be ready to give details when asked.
Be sure the story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
Be honest; don’t embellish or omit any part of the story.
Be specific. Don’t generalize about several events; give a detailed accounting of one event. The interviewer will not give you the benefit of the doubt if there is something missing from your story.

2009 R1, interviewed w/ adcoms in Tokyo

1. Interviewer: Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions

2. Length of Interview: about 45 min.

3. Questions asked:

He used to ask one big question and made several questions to dig down my answers.

1) What do you do know?

- What is your task in that business?

- How could you established such a big and exciting business?

- Please tell me about your past professional experience.

2) Tell me about the time when you have to persuade people or organization to influence others.

- Please give me example of the dialog you had with your peers.

- Why and how do you think their supports made your current partner give your company exclusive right?

3) Please tell me about the time when you had to put yourself into uncomfortable environment

- Why the executives come late to the meeting?

- What did you do and learned in through the task?

- How did your attitude change since this experience?

4) What do you want to do after MBA?

5) Do you have any questions? (for 2 times)

6) Do you have anything else you want to mention?

4. Overall impression: Rod was really friendly but professional. He asked me a lot of questions about my past experience.

2007-2008

The 2nd round interview was in Tokyo with adcom (#2 guy below Rod Garcia). It lasted 30 mins.

Questions:

1. What kind of quality or talent I bring to my workshop?

2. What is my personal (not job related) goals in the future?

3. What kind of preparation do I do for my personal goals?

and then related to my answer on 3rd question, he continued to ask:

4. How do I rank MIT for my MBA selection?

5. Why MIT?

6. Is there anything I would like to tell him?

7. Question for him

The interviewer was taking notes of my comments, but the overall atmosphere was mild with some smiles from him.

More strategy and reports here:

http://delicious.com/admissions/MIT+interview_reports

LBS Seminar

2011-02-10T14:53:00.008+09:00

On Feb 19th, I plan to run a case discussion methods seminar focused on the LBS impromptu presentation and group discussion / English test.

Date: Saturday, February 19
Time: 13:00 - 15:00
Cost: ¥10,000 for two hours

I am still finalizing the curriculum, but it is built on this blog post that contains public information and interview reports
http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/london.html

The main value for applicants would be to simulate the five minute presentation and group discussion sections of the interview. For example, they would each have a chance to practice a different question, and they could be able to get feedback from me and each other.

For clients outside Japan, I can offer customized preparation for LBS interviews conducted in other locations. I am happy to work over skype voice and/or video. Please contact me for details.

Accomplishments, Leadership, and Teamwork

2011-02-08T19:29:00.001+09:00

2011 marks my ninth year in a row providing one-to-one mock interview sessions for clients in Japan and around the world. I keep changing my approach as I learn new ways to help my clients pass answer typical and non-typical questions.

This year, I am emphasizing the fact that certain stories can be used to answer multiple questions. A certain project can be framed as an achievement, a leadership example, and a teamwork example. At first, this realization confuses some of my clients, but ultimately, it should help them become more flexible storytellers.

The trick is to ask yourself why the interviewer is asking about your achievement, teamwork, or leadership experience. On one hand, an inexperienced interviewer may simply be reading from a list of prepared questions, checking off categories one-by-one. More likely, however, your interviewer asks a specific question for a specific reason. Perhaps she is having trouble imagining you in a team setting at MBA. Or perhaps she does not view you as a leader who will be active at MBA and successful in your future management career. Or maybe she is asking about your accomplishments because she is not confident about your career progression.

Clients often ask me about the difference between accomplishment, leadership, and teamwork.

My short answer

accomplishment is about results (quantitative) and impact (qualitative)
leadership is about your future management potential
teamwork is about MBA life

If your interview asks for more than one example of your accomplishment, she might be skeptical that you are adding value to your organization. By extension, she might also be unclear about how you can contribute to her MBA program. I usually advise clients to mention a recent accomplishment first since you want to show your interviewer that your career continues to improve as you mature and grow into your role.

Similarly, if she is asking you for multiple leadership examples, she probably does not believe that you can achieve your stated goals. Try to tell leadership stories that demonstrate the core skills that you will build upon at MBA in order to achieve your future career vision.

Finally, if she asks for multiple examples of team projects, she might be having a hard time imagining you as an effective member who can contribute to project teams and study groups. Believing that past behavior is the best indicator of future actions, a skilled interviewer asks about teamwork to determine your future behavior in study and project teams. If asked about teamwork, emphasize situations where you were not the leader, but you still added value to the group. Most MBA study groups and project teams are flat, meaning that no one is officially in charge. Still, someone often takes charge because he or she has insight, skills, or charisma that helps the team focus and achieve results. Try to share examples of teams you worked in that were similar to those at MBA, meaning non-hierarchical, cross-functional, and, if possible, cross-cultural.

How can you organize your ideas? In addition to taking my small group seminars and one-to-one mock interview training, many of my clients meet each other for peer-to-peer training. They help each other organize their answers and provide critical feedback on how to make their stories more concise and impressive. Other clients create mind maps. By organizing your ideas visually, you can differentiate between your stories and clarify your keywords and examples. One client told me that he could imagine his mind map as he answered the interviewers questions. His mind's eye moved to the "goals" section of the physical map he created before his interview. Then, he could move to areas that covered accomplishments, leadership, and teamwork.

Overall, I encourage you to use your best idea first. For accomplishment, focus on professional activities. Leadership and teamwork can include non-work activities if they add value and show a different side of your interpersonal skills. Bottom line - with interviews, you will only know if something make sense if you talk about it. Meet with mentors, peers, and counselors to get feedback. Practice early, and practice often.

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

Some interviewers will ask you for your definition of leadership. If someone asked me that question, I would mention my favorite leadership model, which is Blanchard and Hersey's Situational Leadership. In the 1950s, management theorists from Ohio State University and the University of Michigan published a series of studies to determine whether leaders should be more task or relationship (people) oriented. The importance of the research cannot be over estimated since leaders tend to have a dominant style; a leadership style they use in a wide variety of situations. Surprisingly, the research discovered that there is no one best style: leaders must adjust their leadership style to the situation as well as to the people being led.

SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL

VINCE's NOTE: A friend of mine attended Kellogg's MBA program a few years ago. I was directing an educational non-profit at the time. We were chatting on the phone one day, and I asked him the best thing he had learned at school so far. He hit me with the "Situational Leadership" model. I found it immediately useful to help manage my staff, who ranged in age and experience from 15 to 50 years old. I could not possibly be the same leader for everyone on my team. I offer this model to you the MBA applicant not as a "perfect answer", but simply as one more tool to help you dig deeper into your own strengths and weaknesses.

from: http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/sitleader.htm

Situational Leadership is a term that can be applied generically to a style of leadership, but that also refers to a recognised, and useful, leadership model. In simple terms, a situational leader is one who can adopt different leadership styles depending on the situation. Most of us do this anyway in our dealings with other people: we try not to get angry with a nervous colleague on their first day, we chase up tasks with some people more than others because we know they'll forget otherwise.

But Ken Blanchard, the management guru best known for the "One Minute Manager" series, and Paul Hersey created a model for Situational Leadership in the late 1960's that allows you to analyse the needs of the situation you're dealing with, and then adopt the most appropriate leadership style. It's proved popular with managers over the years because it passes the two basic tests of such models: it's simple to understand, and it works in most environments for most people. The model doesn't just apply to people in leadership or management positions: we all lead others at work and at home.

LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR

Blanchard and Hersey characterised leadership style in terms of the amount of direction and of support that the leader gives to his or her followers, and so created a simple grid:

Directing Leaders define the roles and tasks of the 'follower', and supervise them closely. Decisions are made by the leader and announced, so communication is largely one-way.
Coaching Leaders still define roles and tasks, but seeks ideas and suggestions from the follower. Decisions remain the leader's prerogative, but communication is much more two-way.
Supporting Leaders pass day-to-day decisions, such as task allocation and processes, to the follower. The leader facilitates and takes part in decisions, but control is with the follower.
Delegating Leaders are still involved in decisions and problem-solving, but control is with the follower. The follower decides when and how the leader will be involved.

Effective leaders are versatile in being able to move around the grid according to the situation, so there is no one right style. However, we tend to have a preferred style, and in applying Situational Leadership you need to know which one that is for you.

DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

Clearly the right leadership style will depend very much on the person being led - the follower - and Blanchard and Hersey extended their model to include the Development Level of the follower. They said that the leader's style should be driven by the Competence and Commitment of the follower, and came up with four levels:

D4	High Competence High Commitment	Experienced at the job, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. May even be more skilled than the leader.
D3	High Competence Variable Commitment	Experienced and capable, but may lack the confidence to go it alone, or the motivation to do it well / quickly
D2	Some Competence Low Commitment	May have some relevant skills, but won't be able to do the job without help. The task or the situation may be new to them.
D1	Low Competence Low Commitment	Generally lacking the specific skills required for the job in hand, and lacks any confidence and / or motivation to tackle it.

Development Levels are also situational. I might be generally skilled, confident and motivated in my job, but would still drop into Level D1 when faced, say, with a task requiring skills I don't possess. For example, lots of managers are D4 when dealing with the day-to-day running of their department, but move to D1 or D2 when dealing with a sensitive employee issue.

SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP

You can see where this is going. Blanchard and Hersey said that the Leadership Style (S1 - S4) of the leader must correspond to the Development level (D1 - D4) of the follower - and it's the leader who adapts.

For example, a new person joins your team and you're asked to help them through the first few days. You sit them in front of a PC, show them a pile of invoices that need to be processed today, and push off to a meeting. They're at level D1, and you've adopted S4. Everyone loses because the new person feels helpless and demotivated, and you don't get the invoices processed.
On the other hand, you're handing over to an experienced colleague before you leave for a holiday. You've listed all the tasks that need to be done, and a set of instructions on how to carry out each one. They're at level D4, and you've adopted S1. The work will probably get done, but not the way you expected, and your colleague despises you for treating him like an idiot.
But swap the situations and things get better. Leave detailed instructions and a checklist for the new person, and they'll thank you for it. Give your colleague a quick chat and a few notes before you go on holiday, and everything will be fine.

By adopting the right style to suit the follower's development level, work gets done, relationships are built up, and most importantly, the follower's development level will rise to D4, to everyone's benefit.

from: http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/sitleader.htm

Another view:

click to enlarge

OTHER VIEWS

Gaining Broad Perspective on Leadership

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision.

What is Leadership?

Many people believe that leadership is simply being the first, biggest or most powerful. Leadership in organizations has a different and more meaningful definition. Very simply put, a leader is interpreted as someone who sets direction in an effort and influences people to follow that direction. How they set that direction and influence people depends on a variety of factors that we'll consider later on below. To really comprehend the "territory" of leadership, you should briefly scan some of the major theories, notice various styles of leadership and review some of the suggested traits and characteristics that leaders should have. The rest of this library should help you in this regard.

Here’s another definition:
Leadership Defined

Theories About Leadership

There are also numerous theories about leadership, or about carrying out the role of leader, e.g., servant leader, democratic leader, principle-centered leader, group-man theory, great-man theory, traits theory, visionary leader, total leader, situational leader, etc. The following articles provides brief overview of key theories. See
Leadership Theories

Leadership Styles Overview

By Murray Johannsen

http://www.legacee.com/Info/Leadership/LeadershipStyles.html

When developing your leadership skills, one must soon confront an important practical question, "What leadership styles work best for me and my organization?" To answer this question, it's best to understand that there are many from which to choose and as part of your leadership development effort, you should consider developing as many leadership styles as possible.

Three Classic Leadership Styles

One dimension of has to do with control and one's perception of how much control one should give to people. The laissez faire style implies low control, the autocratic style high control and the participative lies somewhere in between.

The Laissez Faire Leadership Style
The style is largely a "hands off" view that tends to minimize the amount of direction and face time required. Works well if you have highly trained and highly motivated direct reports.
The Autocratic Leadership Style
The autocratic style has its advocates, but it is falling out of favor in many countries. Some people have argued that the style is popular with today's CEO's, who have much in common with feudal lords in Medieval Europe.
The Participative Leadership Style
It's hard to order and demand someone to be creative, perform as a team, solve complex problems, improve quality, and provide outstanding customer service. The style presents a happy medium between over controlling (micromanaging) and not being engaged and tends to be seen in organizations that must innovate to prosper.

The Emergent Leadership Style

Contrary to the belief of many, groups do not automatically accept a new "boss" as leader. We see a number of ineffective managers who didn't know the behaviors to use when one taking over a new group.

The Transactional Leadership Style

The approach emphasizes getting things done within the umbrella of the status quo; almost in opposition to the goals of the transformational leadership. It's considered to be a "by the book" approach in which the person works within the rules. As such, it's commonly seen in large, bureaucratic organizations.

The Transformational Leadership Style

The primary focus of this leadership style is to make change happen in:
Our Self,
Others,
Groups, and
Organizations
Charisma is a special leadership style commonly associated with transformational leadership. While extremely powerful, it is extremely hard to teach.

Visionary Leadership, The leadership style focuses on how the leader defines the future for followers and moves them toward it.

Strategic Leadership

This is practiced by the military services such as the US Army, US Air Force, and many large corporations. It stresses the competitive nature of running an organization and being able to out fox and out wit the competition.

Team Leadership

A few years ago, a large corporation decided that supervisors were no longer needed and those in charge were suddenly made "team leaders." Today, companies have gotten smarter about teams, but it still takes leadership to transition a group into a team.

Facilitative Leadership

This is a special style that anyone who runs a meeting can employ. Rather than being directive, one uses a number of indirect communication patterns to help the group reach consensus.

Leadership Influence Styles

Here one looks at the behaviors associated how one exercises influence. For example, does the person mostly punish? Do they know how to reward?

Cross-Cultural Leadership

Not all individuals can adapt to the leadership styles expected in a different culture; whether that culture is organizational or national.

Coaching

A great coach is definitely a leader who also possess a unique gift--the ability to teach and train.

Level 5 Leadership

This term was coined by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great: Why Some Company’s Make the Leap and Other Don’t. As Collins says in his book, "We were surprised, shocked really, to discover the types of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one." What he seems to have found is what The Economist calls "The Cult of the Faceless Boss."

MORE HERE
http://managementhelp.org/ldrship/ldrship.htm

Overview of Leadership in Organizations

Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision.

Many people today are seeking to understand -- and many people are writing about -- the concept and practices of leadership. There are a great many reasons for the popularity of the topic, including that organizations are faced with changes like never before. The concept of leadership is relevant to any aspect of ensuring effectiveness in organizations and in managing change. This topic in the Library helps you to fully understand the concept and practices of leadership.

There has been an explosion of literature about leadership lately. Leading is a very human activity -- we're all human -- so there are many people who consider themselves experts on leadership. Unfortunately, many people make strong assertions about leadership without ever really understanding a great deal about leadership. Understanding the concept of leadership requires more than reading a few articles or fantasizing about what great leaders should be.

NOTE: Some people use the term "leadership" (the capability to lead) to refer to executive management (a role in an organization). If you're seeking information about executive management, see Chief Executive Role and/or Boards of Directors.

NOTE: There are two closely related topics in the library, including Basic Overview of Supervision and Management (Introduction).

Gaining Broad Perspective on Leadership

Is Leading Different than Managing? (Pros and Cons)

Traditional views of management associate it with four major functions: planning, organizing, leading and controlling/coordinating. However, many educators, practitioners and writers disagree with this traditional view.

Views that Leading is Different Than Managing

The following articles offer views different from the traditional view that leading is a major function of management.
Management Styles (says they're different and compares different traits)
Focus and Context: The Hub of Leadership
Leadership
Management vs. Leadership
Manage Things, Lead People

View That Separating "Leading" from "Managing" Can Be Destructive

Another view is that to be a very effective member of an organization (whether executive, middle manager, or entry-level worker), you need skills in the functions of planning, organizing, leading and coordinating activities -- the key is you need to be able to emphasize different skills at different times.

Yes, leading is different than planning, organizing and coordinating because leading is focused on influencing people, while the other functions are focused on "resources" in addition to people. But that difference is not enough to claim that "leading is different than managing" any more than one can claim that "planning is different than managing" or "organizing is different than managing".

The assertion that "leading is different than managing" -- and the ways that these assertions are made -- can cultivate the view that the activities of planning, organizing and coordinating are somehow less important than leading. The assertion can also convince others that they are grand and gifted leaders who can ignore the mere activities of planning, organizing and coordinating -- they can leave these lesser activities to others with less important things to do in the organization. This view can leave carnage in organizations. Read:
Founder's Syndrome -- How Organizations Suffer -- and Can Recover

How Do Leaders Lead?

The Challenge of Suggesting Which Methods to Use

The particular competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) that a person needs in order to lead at a particular time in an organization depend on a variety of factors, including:
1) Whether that person is leading one other individual, a group or a large organization;
2) The extent of leadership skills that person already has;
3) That person's basic nature and values (competencies should be chosen that are in accordance with that nature and those values)
4) Whether the group or organization is for-profit or nonprofit, new or long-established, and large or small;
5) The particular culture (or values and associated behaviors) of whomever is being led.

Suggested Competencies Required for Leading in Organizations

The above considerations can make it very challenging when trying to determine what competencies someone should have in order to be a better leader. Perhaps that's why leadership training programs in institutions typically assert a set of standard competencies, for example, decision making, problem solving, managing power and influence, and building trust. The following lists of competencies was derived by examining a variety of leadership development programs.
Suggested Competencies for Effective Leadership in Organizations
- - - How to Use the Following List
- - - Leading Yourself
- - - Core Competencies to Lead Others
- - - Leading People -- Other Individuals
- - - Leading People -- In Groups
- - - Leading People -- Organization-Wide

Leading is Human Activity -- Everyone's Human -- Everyone's Got Advice About Leading

There are numerous -- often contradictory -- views on the traits and characteristics that leaders should have. The concept of leadership is like a big "elephant" and each person standing around the elephant has their own unique view -- and each person feels very strongly about their own view. Descriptions of leadership include concepts such as the "New Paradigm", "New Millennium". Descriptions can sound very passionate, even evangelical! It can be difficult to grasp consistent messages from articles about leadership. Many writers use different terms for the same concepts. Some interchange use of roles in the organization (executive managers) with competencies in leading (leadership).

What kind of leader will you be?

Thoughtful leaders: lead behind an operation and guide groups to make correct decisions
Visionary leaders: use vision, mission, and direction to define the focus of an organization
Risk-taking/decisive leaders: face critical issues and challenges and make tough decisions that often lead to dramatic change
Team-building leaders: bring together a core team of people, position them according to their abilities, and capitalize them on their strength to achieve a common cause
Legacy leaders: have a talent for building a legacy

http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/07_34/b4047408.htm?chan=gl

AUGUST 20, 2007
By Jena McGregor
THE FUTURE OF WORK -- MANAGING THE NEW WORKFORCE

The Five Faces Of The 21st Century Chief

The generalist CEO will give way to the specialist, whether that's a global networker or someone with a knack for assembling all-star teams

James M. Citrin, corporate kingmaker, has long had a close-up view of the leadership demands of the world's most dynamic companies. As founder of Spencer Stuart's technology, communications, and media practice, the executive recruiter has placed 165 chief executives, chief financial officers, and directors since 1994. Big catches include David L. Calhoun, a General Electric (GE ) star he helped lure to private equity-owned VNU (now Nielsen); Eastman Kodak (EK ) CEO Antonio M. Perez; and Motorola (MOT ) chief Edward J. Zander.

From his perch, Citrin has watched CEOs of public companies fight a losing battle against the spiraling demands on their performance and time. "The job of the CEO has become so consuming and complex that if you actually list all the things a CEO is responsible for, no human being can do them all," he says. Add to that a tightening market for talent as more stars jump ship to private equity, and it's clear to him the model of the public-company CEO must change.

Over the next five years, Citrin believes boards will need to embrace the concept of the "specialist CEO." Boards of directors, he says, will need to get more realistic about the rarity of the perfect CEO. Rather than holding out for leaders who are expert at everything, they should instead warm up to CEOs with deep expertise in one or two crucial areas and enough knowhow in the rest to build a high-performing supporting cast.

Citrin believes a change in what boards focus on may prompt a shift in the C-suite's structure. More chief operating officers will be near-equal partners, and more leaders with specific functions, such as heads of human resources and marketing, will interact with the board. In the future, Citrin expects five specialist CEO types to be in the greatest demand:

THE BRAIN
Whether they're algorithm geniuses, coding prodigies, or merely credentialed scientists or designers, CEOs in touch with their inner geeks will be a sought-after breed. As global competition intensifies the pressure for top-line growth, innovators-in-chief will be more clued in to the next breakthrough business. Plus, their expertise will help them inspire engineering and research and development teams.
ARCHETYPE: Arthur D. Levinson, the CEO of Genentech. (DNA ) Levinson has a PhD in biochemistry and is known for sending out late night e-mails to his researchers on details in scientific papers. Citrin also cites Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix (NFLX ) and a former software engineer, who Spencer Stuart placed on Microsoft's board.

THE AMBASSADOR
A two-year stint in London may have counted as enough international experience in the past, but that won't be the case much longer. "More and more of our CEO specs are calling for explicit business experience in emerging markets," Citrin says. Boards are looking for CEOs with passports showing frequent visits to China and India, along with Russia, Brazil, and Dubai. Ambassadors won't just be familiar with these areas, Citrin says, but will have access to local governments, ruling families, and business tycoons.
ARCHETYPE: Citrin points to News Corp. (NWS ) CEO Rupert Murdoch, who has long wooed Beijing officials and launched alliances with local companies. Another example, he says, is PepsiCo CEO Indra K. Nooyi, who was born in Chennai, India.

THE DEALMAKER
Citrin believes dealmaking specialists—those able to both sell off noncore assets and go toe-to-toe with private equity players on big acquisitions—will be in heavy demand. Of course, buying and selling has always been part of a CEO's brief, but "increasingly, these large strategic transactions are really bet-the-company kind of deals," he says.

ARCHETYPE: Retired AT&T (T ) CEO Edward E. Whitacre Jr., who turned SBC Communications (T ), once the smallest of the regional Bells, into a powerhouse with a market value of $242 billion. Says Citrin: "He's built the largest player in [his] field from an unlikely starting position."

THE CONDUCTOR
Corporations' walls are only going to get more permeable, as companies form alliances with outsiders and turn to networks of innovators for ideas to put into practice. Meanwhile, the need for collaboration among corporate units will expand, since demand for new growth areas requires more creativity across divisions. Orchestra conductors will be skilled in getting everyone to play in the same key.

ARCHETYPE: A.G. Lafley, who says half of all new Procter & Gamble (PG ) products should come from outside its R&D labs. Citrin also cites Lafley's integration of P&G's $57 billion purchase of Gillette as proof of his talent as a maestro.

THE CASTING AGENT
If you think "people are our greatest asset" is an overused bromide today, just wait. The talent war is only expected to worsen as boomers begin retiring en masse and emerging-markets managers remain scarce. CEOs who can retain the best people and deploy them adeptly will be hot commodities.
ARCHETYPE: Xerox (XRX ) CEO Anne M. Mulcahy, who named operating chief and heir apparent Ursula M. Burns to the president's role in April. Says Citrin: "She's been able to put the right people in the right jobs to spectacular effect."

--END

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The Wharton Interview

2011-02-02T23:32:00.004+09:00

Vince's Tips on The Wharton Interview (updated March 2011)

As you probably heard, Wharton now conducts 30 minute behavioral event interviews.

PURPOSE
Check applicant's communication skills while gathering information not included in the written application

STRUCTURE

· 30 minutes

· Your interviewer will begin by explaining that the interview is behavioral

· For the next twenty minutes, she will ask 3 questions with follow-ups

· Your interviewer will write extensive notes as you speak

· At the end, there will be roughly 10 minutes for Q&A

GENERAL TOPICS

- resolve conflict in a team (the conflict can be w/ you or only between other members)

- coordinate w/o authority to do so

- introduce something new to a team

- persuade un-collaborative member to cooperate

QUESTIONS GATHERED DURING ROUND ONE INTERVIEWS

INITIAITVE

Describe a situation when you introduced a new idea to a team.

LEADERSHIP

Describe a situation when you were not in a leadership position but had to coordinate activity of other members of your team. How did you do that? Did you experience any difficulties with any of your team members? How did you address those difficulties?
Tell me when you have ensured that a task has been completed, when others seemed less focused than you on completing it.
Explain a time when you persuaded others to your way of thinking, when at first they didn’t agree with your idea.

TEAMWORK

Describe a time when you worked towards an important goal and had to address conflict between two or more team members. (The interviewer specifically pointed that the question does not imply a conflict between me and my team member.)
Describe the time when you solved a conflict between any two members of your team.
Describe a time when you got an uncollaborative member committed to the team.

Information compiled from Vince's clients plus Adam's comments
(found at http://adam-markus.blogspot.com/2009/10/wharton-mba-admissions-interview.html; accessed 2010/11)
and Clear Admit
(found at http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=WhartonInterview; accessed 2010/11)

VINCE'S NOVEMBER 2010 UPDATE

WHARTON RADICALLY CHANGED IT'S INTERVIEW STYLE
ALL INTERVIEWS NOW LAST 30 MINUTES. YOU WILL BE ASKED THREE BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
VINCE WILL PROVIDE SOME HINTS AND ANALYSIS SOON
FOR NOW, PLEASE REFER TO THESE REPORTS AND BLOG POSTS

/// info below for reference only ///

Tips on the Wharton MBA Admissions Interview

Invited to an interview? Here are some tips directly from the Admissions Committee to to help prepare you…

PURPOSE

Interviews provide additional information about your candidacy that is included in the final reviews of your application. As such interviews, are not the decisive factor in your admissions decision. In most cases, interviews are fairly consistent with the application.

STRUCTURE

Interviews are blind, which reduces bias as your interviewer will have no preconceived ideas of your ability or personality based on your written application.

Interviews may include behavioral questions. Questions may center on specific examples or detailed descriptions of events, projects or experience that demonstrate how situations you’ve faced in the past have been handled and what you learned from them. Behavioral interviewing assumes that past performance predicts future behavior.

No advance preparation is required. Questions are straightforward and cover topics such as why you seek an MBA, why you feel you are a good fit for Wharton (vice versa), what your career goals are, how you spend your spare time, what you value, about what you are passionate, etc. You will not be asked analyze a case study or demonstrate your mastery of particular subjects.

All interviews carry equal weight. There is no advantage to interviewing on-campus or with an admissions staff member. Arrange the type of interview that is most convenient for you.

GENERAL TIPS

Interviews are dialogues or exchange between two people. Steer away from pre-rehearsed speech and over reliance on your résumé. We are interested in getting to know you as an individual, so follow the cues of the interviewer.

The exact length of the interview does not indicate how well the interview went. While we schedule 30 minute interviews, they may vary a bit. Deviations from the schedule are random and unrelated to the candidate.

Do not expect the interviewer to give you feedback – literally or figuratively. Be careful to avoid any interpretation of verbal or non-verbal communication, as both may mislead you.

Interviews are not a popularity contest. The interviewer is assessing your fit for the Wharton MBA program, not whether or not the two of you would make good or best friends.

The key is to relax, be genuine, and enjoy the opportunity for us to get to know one another.

05 Nov 2008 02:07 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink
http://adcomblog.wharton.upenn.edu/admissions/2008/11/tips-on-the-wharton-mba-admissions-interview.html

Wharton Interview Reports

Please read http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mbaresource/

Past clients who interviewed with alumni in Tokyo were typically asked asked the following range of questions

2009 R2 Tokyo w/ alumni

He said that there are questions he must ask because the school told him to but he did not tell which one. I hope this information will help you next year.

Tell me about yourself (including your past & future)
Tell me about your leadership story
Do you have any subordinates and what is your relationship?
What do you hate to do?
Was it difficult to go to Nagoya?
What is the most difficult part of your job?
When are you most happy? Examples?
What would you change about your company
Anything you want to add

Past clients who interviewed with adcoms in Tokyo were typically asked asked the following range of questions

2009 R2 Tokyo hub #1

Wharton, 2nd Round Admissions Interview log

2009/02/27 1700-1730, Abeam Consulting Office, Tokyo

Interviewer: J.J. Cutler (Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid)

Interview Style: friendly

I was originally informed only the time that the interview starts, so arrived at the office 20 minutes ahead. After waiting 5 minutes, the last interviewee came out, and Ms. S, administrator of Japanese admissions, stayed with me around 10 minutes, talking about stock prices and past alumni from my company.

Mr. Cutler arrived just on time, and took me to his interviewing room. We sat facing each other on a rectangle of tables. I was informed that the interview is 30 minutes and a blind one. Also he revealed he had interviewed a lot of Keio Univ. graduates today.

Questions Asked

Please let me know who you are, using your resume.

How long were you at London, at what age did you come back?

In what role do you work?

Why do you want an MBA?

Why Wharton? Have you visited our campus? (I answered I visited twice as professional, once as an applicant)

What are your future goals?

What do you do in your private time?

It’s your time to ask me questions. I asked

His experience as alumni:
His greatest experience at Wharton:
Cultural changes in the Wharton community given the financial crisis

2008 R1 Tokyo hub #1

I was top at bat for the Wharton Tokyo Hub Interview and would like to share with you the details for your reference as follows:

Date: Monday, Nov. 17, 2008

Time: 09:15 - 10:00

Interviewer: J Z, Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

Questions:

GENERAL

+ Tell me about what you have been doing.

+ Why do you need an MBA?

+ Why Wharton out of so many schools?

+ What do you do in your free time?

+ Do you have any quality or contribution to Wharton based on something outside of work? Or in another words, anything you do for fun that will be of value to Wharton?

+ What do you wish to improve during your time at Wharton?

+ Anything you want to add on or clarify in your overall application?

+ Any other questions? (I was asked this TWICE)

2008 R1 Tokyo hub #2

I sat for my Wharton interview with Ms. Jackie Zavitz Tuesday in the afternoon.

The interview lasted for exactly 30 minutes (She was checking time on her lap-top). She was jotting down notes as we talked. The interview was conducted in a friendly atmosphere (although not nearly as friendly as Kellogg adcom).

Questions asked (in the order)

- Tell me about yourself based on the resume. (She asked for details on some of the entries. I covered my leadership experience here.)

- What are the major differences between the drug markets in the U.S. and Japan?

- Are drugs aimed at specific therapeutic areas treated differently by the government?

- What do you see as the biggest problem with the U.S. healthcare system?

- Why MBA? (I covered why now and my short-term goal here.)

- What is your long-term goal?

- Why Wharton?

- Other than your professional expertise and interests, what can you bring to the Wharton community?

- Q and A (She did not let me go easily, and I needed to ask her 4 questions.)

- Any changes in your application since submission?

2008 R1 Tokyo hub #3

I also got the Wharton Admission Interview with Ms. Jackie Zavitz yesterday. The interview was no more than 25 minutes. Jackie was friendly but the interview was much more business-like compared with the Tuck interview that I took previously.

Questions asked:

- Tell me about yourself

- Tell me about the detail of the company(American company) that you invested.

- What was your roll in creating the partnership?

- Can I guess the company (Japanese leading manufacturer) that you are currently working with?

- Why MBA?

- Why you think the trading business of your company is loosing its value?

- Why Wharton?

- What do you do for fun?
- What activity do you what to participate outside classroom?
- Q and A (as I only have three questions to ask, I started my questions by stating "I have three questions" so that I would not have hard time as Tsukada-san had.....)

- Any changes in your application since submission?

Past clients who interviewed with student adcom members on campus were typically asked asked the following range of questions

2007-2008

On-campus with 2nd year student. As I had seen/heard before, there was no eccentric/grilling question. Interview was conducted in a very friendly atmosphere.

Walk me through your resume - she asked me why/how I decided to change my job in both shanai-idou and tenshoku.
What is your typical weekday? - I said, "I am talking with spreadsheets almost all the day". Although she laughed, I regretted this answer... I should have prepared nicer answer.
What are your ST/LT goals? - after talking about these, I continued "Why MBA?" and "Why Wharton?"
Teamwork experience - I told her a couple of episodes briefly, starting from my biggest teamwork failure experience
Leadership experience - I mentioned here my small, personal leadership experience, rather than like leading a big team/project
What is the most important component of leadership? - Since this question was vague to me, I replied to her it depends on the situation and asked to clarify it; start something new? help somebody? lead a team/project? I think this worked well.
How do your friends describe you? - I mentioned both good and bad.
How can you contribute in classes? - I re-summarized my career path briefly and used its uniqueness as an answer.
Any specific class you are interested in? - Since I had read Wharton Resource Guide thoroughly when preparing essays, this was a pretty easy to answer. I honestly, passionately discussed what I want to learn. VINCE'S NOTE: HERE IS THE LINK TO THE GUIDE MENTIONED ABOVE: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mbaresource/ READ IT!!!
What do you do on weekends? - I answered most regretful, very "futsu" answer; readings, movie, playing basketball etc. since I could not immediately come up with recent interesting weekend episodes. I also mentioned "writing essays", and she laughed.
Q and A - I asked her about GIP and GCP program. Also, since she was an international student, ask for any advice for prospective international student.

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

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

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1-to-1

2011-01-06T13:45:00.001+09:00

ONE-TO-ONE MOCK TRAINING SESSIONS

I can schedule one-on-one mock interviews at your convenience
Here is my calendar of available appointment slots on Google Calendar ▸ http://j.mp/BookVince
Please let me know when you are ready to start
My comprehensive clients start preparing for interviews the day after they submit their application
If your interviewer has your essays (Cambridge, HBS, Insead, LBS, MIT, NYU, Oxford) please send me your complete application
For most other schools that use "blind interviews" (Wharton, Columbia, Chicago, Kellogg, Tuck), I only need your resume. You can email it to me or just bring to our session

FEES

Please check my website http://www.vinceprep.com/services/interviews

HOW TO SCHEDULE

Please email your preferences to Interviews@VincePrep.com
Next, I will invite you to the session via Google Calendar
Please click "yes" to confirm your attendance

HOW TO FIND VINCE

Please read and print all info here http://vinceprep.com/Contact.html

WHAT TO BRING

Please remember to bring a printed copy of your resume
You are also welcome to bring a voice recorder
I will provide a video recording

HOW TO PAY

I prefer to receive cash at the beginning of our session
You can also arrange payment ahead of time via bank transfer

HOMEWORK

Before we met, please read Vince's interview blog http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com
Then, please think about your strengths and weaknesses http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/strengths-and-weaknesses.html
Finally, please prepare your answers to questions found here

http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/2008/01/curriculum.html and
http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/core10.html

A GENTLE REQUEST

Please note our session will start at the appointed time
Please do not arrive early, as I have no receptionist or waiting area
Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation

END

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UCLA

2010-11-26T02:42:00.000+09:00

Tips on the MBA Admissions Interview

For those of you who are invited for an MBA admissions interview at UCLA Anderson or another top business school, here are some insider tips to help prepare you. Much of this same advice will apply to other programs to which you have applied.
PURPOSE: Interviews are one of many factors included in the final review(s) of your application and admissions decision. In most cases, interviews are fairly consistent with the application. In others, they may add additional insights into one's personality, interests, or reasons for pursuing an MBA.
STRUCTURE: Interviews are blind so that your interviewer has no preconceived ideas of your ability or personality based on your written application. You begin the interview
Interviews are largely behavioral. Discussion may center on specific examples or detailed descriptions of events, projects or experience that demonstrate how situations you’ve faced in the past have been handled and what you learned from them. Behavioral interviewing assumes that past performance predicts future behavior.
No advance preparation is required (particularly if you wrote your own essays!). Questions are straightforward and cover topics such as why you seek an MBA, why you feel you are a good fit for UCLA Anderson (vice versa), what your career goals are, how you spend your spare time, what you value, about what you are passionate, etc. You will not be asked analyze a case study or demonstrate your mastery of particular subjects.
All interviews carry equal weight. There is no advantage to interviewing on-campus or with an admissions staff member. Alumni are terrific interviewers and, like admissions staff, are interested in admitting the best applicants to the program. Arrange the type of interview that is most convenient for you.
GENERAL TIPS: Interviews are a dialogue or exchange between two people. Steer away from pre-rehearsed speech and over reliance on your résumé. We are interested in getting to know you as an individual, so follow the queues of the interviewer.
The length of the interview does not indicate how well the interview went. While we schedule 30 minute interviews, they may vary a bit. Deviations from the schedule are random and unrelated to an individual candidate.
Do not expect the interviewer to give you feedback – literally or figuratively. Be careful to avoid any interpretation of verbal or non-verbal communication, as both may mislead you.
Interviews are not a popularity contest. The interviewer is assessing your fit for the UCLA Anderson MBA program, not whether or not the two of you would make good or best friends.
In short, if any rule applies, it is that you be genuine in the interview. Let us get to know you as an individual and not as someone who fits a preconceived image of who you think we want to meet.

(found at http://mbablogs.anderson.ucla.edu/mba_admissions/2010/11/tips-on-the-mba-admissions-interview.html; accessed 2010/11)

Vince's Interview Intensive Seminar

2010-10-27T23:11:00.005+09:00

Please go this this page for the latest information. Thank you for your interest.

http://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/seminar

Curriculum

2010-10-26T22:05:00.000+09:00

Whether you are attending my Interview Intensive Course or merely coming to meet me for one-to-one mock interview training, I suggest you begin your preparation with these four topics:

Self-introduction
Goals
Strengths and weaknesses
Questions for your interviewer

These four topics (self-intro, goals, strengths and weaknesses, and questions for your interviewer) represent 30-50% of most interviews, but they count for more than 50% of your final interview "score". In other words, you can and should practice as much as possible to ensure that you

Make a positive first impression (interesting self-intro)
Appear credible (ambitious but realistic goals / why MBA story)
Show self-awareness (strengths and weaknesses as shown through well-organized BEI stories)
Demonstrate your critical insights into MBA life (by asking great questions)

My Interview Intensive Course includes a mix of lecture (theory) and practice (application). Over the years, clients have told me that they greatest value of my class is the chance to practice with peers. Many of your interviews will be with alumni. It is also helpful to hear the good (and bad) ways that others answer the same core questions.

During our four hour class, you will spend more than two hours talking and listening.

You will practice these four topics with each other. I will facilitate / cold call / give my feedback. You will also give each other advice / critical feedback / constructive criticism.

1. SELF-INTRODUCTION

First, let's focus on your self-introduction.

"Walk me through your resume." (WMTYR)

Some interviewers (most notably, Wharton) often start the conversation with: "Walk me through your resume." OR "Summarize your professional life since graduating from university."

The best strategy for this type of self-introduction question is to show each period of your career as a choice. "I joined my company because I wanted to work in an international setting and believed that the ABC industry would provide me with the best chances to use my XYZ skills. I joined the Finance Department in order to learn accounting and profit-based decision-making. Later, I moved to (another department) in order to learn (another set of skills)...."

Try creating an (invisible) "why" column on your resume. In other words, list keyword to show your motivation for each choice. What skill/knowledge did you hope to gain by choosing your university major? What interested you in your industry? Why did you chose your particular company? What skill did you hope to acquire in your first / second / current position?

You might also want to create a macro analysis / summary of your career to date. For example, " I have worked in two different functions. First, I learned sales skills since I knew they would be useful in any business situation. After earning the top sales award in 2007, I was promoted to my current position in corporate planning."

VINCE'S NOTE: Clients have asked me if you should give this answer in chronological order. Absolutely! In other words, if your resume lists professional experience above educational experience (as I suggest) you are actually walking your interviewer UP your resume from college graduation up to your current position.

more tips here http://delicious.com/admissions/WMTYR

"Tell me about yourself" (TMAY)

Another common way for an interviewer to start the conversation (after small-talk / ice-breakers) is to say, "Tell me about yourself".

She is asking for quick "snapshot" images of your professional and personal achievements and interests. Your life as a list.

Vince's TEMPLATE

Professionally, I…

One macro sentence (# of years / functions / skills)
One recent accomplishment or highlight such as being awarded company sponsorship or completing an important project

Personally, I…(list 2 to 3 interests)

1st hobby / interest (perhaps showing how you use your "mind" such as studying history, a science, or third language)
2nd hobby / interest (perhaps showing how you use your "body" such as sports)
3rd hobby / interest (perhaps showing how you use your "spirit" such as the arts, cultural activities)

VINCE'S NOTE: Some clients ask if you should only mention current / ongoing interest. Not necessarily. I personally would talk about music even though I am not currently in a band. I enjoy strumming my guitar to make my son laugh. And I certainly take every opportunity to listen to live and recorded music. Most of all, some of my best lifelong friends are those I have made through music. So I would mention it as my first personal interest.

2. GOALS

What is your ideal post-MBA position and why?
What are your short and/or long-term goals? (Strategy: also practice answering if asked in general about your goals w/o the interviewer specifying short or long-term)
Why do you need an MBA? (Strategy: give three reasons, balancing hard and soft skills)
Why now? (Strategy: balance external "pull" and internal "push" factors)

3. Behavioral Event-based Interviews (BEI)

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?

FAQ

Q: Personal or professional example?
A: Professional is best. Remember the purpose of a BEI question - your interviewer is trying to get a sense of how you will act in study groups, project teams, etc. Work examples are more similar to MBA life than college or non-work experiences. If the question relates to team work, try to think of team projects that involved cross-functional members where no one was the absolute "boss" or leader (like MBA).

Please find other FAQs are here:

http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/faq.html

4. Questions for your interviewer

http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/3questions.html

VINCE'S NOTE: Some clients have asked me to show a "best case example" / role model answer in the class. Since I cannot always guarantee that one of the four class participants will already be an "interview master", I suggest you watch this video of one of my past clients who aced his Kellogg interview.

END

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Self-introduction

2010-10-25T18:37:00.006+09:00

1. SELF-INTRODUCTION

First, let's focus on your self-introduction.

"Walk me through your resume." (WMTYR)

Some interviewers (most notably, Wharton) often start the conversation with: "Walk me through your resume." OR "Summarize your professional life since graduating from university."

more tips here http://delicious.com/admissions/WMTYR

"Tell me about yourself" (TMAY)

Another common way for an interviewer to start the conversation (after small-talk / ice-breakers) is to say, "Tell me about yourself".

She is asking for quick "snapshot" images of your professional and personal achievements and interests. Your life as a list.

Vince's TEMPLATE

Professionally, I…

One macro sentence (# of years / functions / skills)
One recent accomplishment or highlight such as being awarded company sponsorship or completing an important project

Personally, I…(list 2 to 3 interests)

1st hobby / interest (perhaps showing how you use your "mind" such as studying history, a science, or third language)
2nd hobby / interest (perhaps showing how you use your "body" such as sports)
3rd hobby / interest (perhaps showing how you use your "spirit" such as the arts, cultural activities)

Other templates and tips

Interviewing
How to Answer the ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Interview Question
Don’t be afraid of this question; instead use it as an opportunity to position yourself for success.

When I was a human resources executive doing hiring interviews, I almost always began my interviews with candidates by requesting, “Tell me about yourself.” I did that for a number of reasons, the most important of which was to see how the candidates handled themselves in an unstructured situation.

I wanted to see how articulate they were, how confident they were and generally what type of impression they would make on the people with whom they came into contact on the job.

I also wanted to get a sense of what they thought was important.

Most candidates find this question to be a particularly difficult one to answer. That is a misplaced view. This question offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the interview on your strengths. Be prepared to deal with it. These days, it’s unavoidable. Like me, most interviewers start off their interviews with this question. A lot of interviewers open with it as an icebreaker or because they're still getting organized, but they all use it to get a sense of whom you are.

The Wrong Response

There are many ways to respond to this question correctly and just one wrong way: by asking, “What do you want to know?” That tells me you have not prepared properly for the interview and are likely to be equally unprepared on the job. You need to develop a good answer to this question, practice it and be able to deliver it with poise and confidence.

The Right Response

To help you prepare, I spoke to a number of career coaches on how best to respond when faced with this question. Heed the career advice that follows to ace this opener:

The consensus of the coaches with whom I spoke:

Focus on what most interests the interviewer
Highlight your most important accomplishments

Focus on What Interests the Interviewer

According to Jane Cranston, a career coach from New York, “The biggest mistake people being interviewed make is thinking the interviewer really wants to know about them as a person.

They start saying things like, 'Well, I was born in Hoboken, and when I was three we moved …’ Wrong. The interviewer wants to know that you can do the job, that you fit into the team, what you have accomplished in your prior positions and how can you help the organization.”

Nancy Fox, of Fox Coaching Associates, agrees. She notes that “many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.” She recommends starting with your most recent employment and explaining why you are well qualified for the position. According to Fox, the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. “In other words, you want to be selling what the buyer is buying.”

Think of your response as a movie preview, says Melanie Szlucha, a coach with Red Inc. “The movie preview always relates to the movie you're about to see. You never see a movie preview for an animated flick when you're there to see a slasher movie. So the ‘tell me about yourself” answer needs to directly fit the concerns of your prospective employer.”

Previews are also short but show clips of the movie that people would want to see more of later. They provide enough information about the movie so that you could ask intelligent questions about what the movie is about. Hiring managers don't want to look unprepared by reading your resume in front of you, so Szlucha advises that you “provide them some topics to ask you more questions about.”

Highlight Your Most Important Accomplishments

Greg Maka, managing director at 24/7 Marketing, advises job seekers to "tell a memorable story about your attributes.” For example, if you tell an interviewer that people describe you as tenacious, provide a brief story that shows how you have been tenacious in achieving your goals. “Stories are powerful and are what people remember most,” he said.

One great example is that of Fran Capo, a comedienne who bills herself as “the world’s fastest-talking female.” She offers the following advice: “Whenever I go on auditions or interviews, I have a "set" opening I use. ... I tell the interviewer what I do in one sentence and then say, ‘And I also happen to be the Guinness Book of World Records’ fastest-talking female.’ Then I elaborate.” According to Capo, the main thing in anything you do is to be memorable, in a good way. Your goal when you answer the ‘tell me about yourself’ question is to find a way stand out from everyone else.

And, Be Brief

Maureen Anderson, host of "The Career Clinic" radio show, stresses the importance of keeping your answer short: “The employer wants to know a little bit about you to begin with — not your life story. Just offer up two or three things that are interesting — and useful. You should take about a minute to answer this question.”

To make sure it is succinct and covers what you want it to cover, she suggests that you “write your answer out before the interview, practice it, time it and rehearse it until it sounds natural. Then practice it some more. The goal is to tell the employer enough to pique their interest, not so much that they wonder if they’d ever be able to shut you up during a coffee break at the office.”

Rather than dread this question, a well-prepared candidate should welcome this inquiry. Properly answered, this question puts the candidate in the driver's seat. It gives her an opportunity to sell herself. It allows her to set the tone and direction for the rest of the interview, setting her up to answer the questions she most wants to answer.

(found at http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-to-answer-tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question; accessed 01/2011)

Interviewing

10 Good Ways to 'Tell Me About Yourself'

'If Hollywood made a movie about my life, it would be called...' and nine more memorable answers to this dreaded job interview question.

You know it’s coming.

It’s the most feared question during any job interview: Do you think I would look good in a cowboy hat?

Just kidding. The real question is: Can you tell me about yourself?

Blecch. What a boring, vague, open-ended question. Who likes answering that?

I know. I’m with you. But unfortunately, hiring managers and executive recruiters interviewing and you’re out networking in the community — you need to be ready to hear it and answer it. At all times. ask the question. Even if you’re not

Now, before I share a list of 10 memorable answers, consider the two essential elements behind the answers:

The medium is the message. The interviewer cares less about your answer to this question and more about the confidence, enthusiasm and passion with which you answer it.

The speed of the response is the response. The biggest mistake you could make is pausing, stalling or fumbling at the onset of your answer, thus demonstrating a lack of self-awareness and self-esteem.

Next time you’re faced with the dreaded, “Tell me about yourself…” question, try these:

“I can summarize who I am in three words.” Grabs their attention immediately. Demonstrates your ability to be concise, creative and compelling.
“The quotation I live my life by is…” Proves that personal development is an essential part of your growth plan. Also shows your ability to motivate yourself.
“My personal philosophy is…” Companies hire athletes – not shortstops. This line indicates your position as a thinker, not just an employee.
“People who know me best say that I’m…” This response offers insight into your own level of self-awareness.
“Well, I googled myself this morning, and here’s what I found…” Tech-savvy, fun, cool people would say this. Unexpected and memorable.
“My passion is…” People don’t care what you do – people care who you are. And what you’re passionate about is who you are. Plus, passion unearths enthusiasm.
“When I was seven years old, I always wanted to be…” An answer like this shows that you’ve been preparing for this job your whole life, not just the night before.
“If Hollywood made a move about my life, it would be called…” Engaging, interesting and entertaining.
“Can I show you, instead of tell you?” Then, pull something out of your pocket that represents who you are. Who could resist this answer? Who could forget this answer?
“The compliment people give me most frequently is…” Almost like a testimonial, this response also indicates self-awareness and openness to feedback.

Keep in mind that these examples are just the opener. The secret is thinking how you will follow up each answer with relevant, interesting and concise explanations that make the already bored interviewer look up from his stale coffee and think, “Wow! That’s the best answer I’ve heard all day!”

Ultimately it’s about answering quickly, it’s about speaking creatively and it’s about breaking people’s patterns.

I understand your fear with such answers. Responses like these are risky, unexpected and unorthodox. And that’s exactly why they work.

(found at http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/10-good-ways-to-tell-me-about-yourself; accessed 01/2011)

more tips here http://bit.ly/How2TMAY

Goals

2010-10-25T16:39:00.004+09:00

2. GOALS

What is your ideal post-MBA position and why?
What are your (short and/or long-term) goals? (Strategy: practice answering if asked in general about your goals w/o the interviewer specifying short or long-term)
Why do you need an MBA? (Strategy: give three reasons, balancing hard and soft skills)
Why now? (Strategy: balance external "pull" and internal "push" factors)

Why Now Template

Because I want to achieve [ONE SENTENCE GOAL],
I need to build on skills [A] and [B]
by learning new skills [C] and [D]

Externally, now is a good time for me to capture opportunity [X]
and/or prepare to handle threat [Y]

HINT - emphasize opportunities for Americans, threats for Japanese

Q and A

2010-10-24T21:28:00.004+09:00

Q: HOW CAN I ASK GOOD QUESTIONS AT THE END OF MY INTERVIEW?

A: TWO WAYS.

FIRST, PREPARE TWO OR THREE QUESTIONS AHEAD OF TIME THAT HIGHLIGHT YOUR STRENGTHS AND RELATE TO YOUR GOALS.
SECOND, KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN FOR INSPIRATION. IF YOUR INTERVIEWER SAYS SOMETHING DURING THE INTERVIEW THAT INTERESTS YOU, ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The last 5-10% of every interview is perhaps the most important. You need to leave a strong final impression by asking good questions.

Your interviewer may ask

Do you have any questions for me?
What else can I tell you about School X?

TIP: be ready to ask at least 3 questions to confirm your belief that "school x" is your best match.

Make sure your questions are:

not easily answered by checking a website
directly related to you and your goals
relating to topics your interviewer is likely to know.
appropriate to your interviewer (alum vs. current student vs. adcom member).

Nearly every interviewer gives you the chance to ask questions. If you fail to ask good questions, they will assume you are not very interested in attending their school. Think about it. MBA is going to be one of the biggest investments you will ever make. If you were buying a car or a house, wouldn't you have LOTS of questions to ask before making such an important purchase?

Questions for Adcom (professional staff, either at an off-campus "hub" interview location or on-campus)	Questions for Current Student (adcom volunteer on campus)	Questions for Alumni Interviewer (in your home country)
1. Ask about trends that affect your goals. For example, a client recently asked adcoms to confirm a rumor he heard that the school would open a new program on another continent. Since my client's long-term goals involve expanding to that market, he could ask about while reinforcing his future vision.	1. In general, you want to know her advice (based on her current / recent experience as a student at your "dream school).	1. You want to ask alumni for advice based on their experience before, during, and after attending your "dream school".
2. Ask questions about the school's future plans / mission / direction (but be sure to ask in the context of your goals).	2. What surprised you most after enrolling in School X? (In other words, how have your perceptions changed as you moved from applicant to student?)	2. How did attending School X affect your career?
3. Ask how the school is related to the alumni community in your city / country. Ask about ways the want alumni to be more active (if you can show your potential contributions).	3. Why did you chose this school?	3. How have you leveraged School X' alumni network in your professional (and/or personal) life?
4. If you know your interviewer's name before meeting her, use Google, LinkedIn, etc. to find out if the interviewer herself is an alumna of the school. If so, you can ask some "alumni-type" questions since she has a dual perspective (former student; current staff member).	4. What has been your most valuable academic experience, and why?	4. What surprised you most after enrolling at School X?
5.Ask if there are ways to contribute case studies or other curricula (based on your experience).	5. What has been your most valuable non-academic (club, experiential learning) experience?	5. Where else did you apply? Why did you chose School X?

Getting In October 23, 2008, 4:53PM

The Admissions Interview: Your Questions

http://www.businessweek.com/print/bschools/content/oct2008/bs20081023_316382.htm

A good admissions interview involves asking questions as well as answering them. Here's how to be prepared

By Dan Macsai

During every business-school admissions interview, there's a moment where the tables turn. Usually, it's near the end, after you've been probed ("What sets you apart?") and prodded ("How was the workforce?"), and you're ready to head home. "So," the questioner chirps, "do you have anything to ask me?"

This is, of course, an optional request. But it's also an opportunity to make an impression, or blow your chances, says Randall Sawyer, director of admissions at Cornell University's Johnson School of Business. "You have to be prepared," says Sawyer. While asking smart, informed questions can set you apart, soliciting information that's readily available on a school's Web site ("What's your class size?") might irritate your interviewer.

What constitutes a "good" question? BusinessWeek recently spoke with several private consultants and deans of admission, all of whom recommended a variety of questions. Following are a selection, and some tips on how to ask them. And remember, these are general guidelines; the most impressive inquiries are case-specific.

What to ask deans, board members, and other officials:

In your opinion, what really sets this school apart?

Officials know this is an important inquiry, especially if you're choosing between multiple schools. To win points, Sawyer suggests prefacing your question with some original thought (e.g., "I've read that Professor X just received the Nobel prize" or "As an entrepreneur, I was impressed with your 'Fund My StartUp Program"). Otherwise, you may get the retort: "Well, what do you think sets this school apart?"

Can you talk a little about the student job search?

When you're about to drop $100,000-plus on an MBA, you're entitled to ask about career prospects, especially during the current financial crisis. But tread carefully, says Chioma Isiadinso, the CEO of Expartus, an admissions consulting company. Putting an official on the spot ("Can your school find me a job?") is awkward and offputting. Before you broach the subject, show enthusiasm ("I've heard great things about your alumni network") and emphasize that you're willing to be proactive.

For students, current and former:

How have you most benefitted from attending this school?

This question is crucial, especially if the interviewer pursued your concentration. According to Sawyer, it shows that you're "in the game, and interested in success." Be careful with phrasing, though: "How have you most benefitted?" is much more engaging (and much less skeptical) than "Have you benefitted?"

What was your favorite class? Who were your favorite professors?

O.K., these two are pretty obvious. But they're still good bets, says Dawna Clark, director of admissions at Tuck School of Business. Students (and former students) love to impart wisdom, especially with like-minded interviewees. Give them time to shine, and everyone wins: They'll get to relive a positive academic experience, and you'll pick up some inside information.

What's a typical day like?

Beyond engaging your interviewer, this question shows you care about more than academic factoids, says Linda Abraham, president of Accepted.com, an online hub for college counseling. After all, you're applying for an experience. It's only human to care about the little things, like when and where you'll eat, sleep, learn, and let loose.

For anyone:

Is there anything else I can further address?

This should be your final question, says Beth Flye, the assistant dean and director of admissions at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. It's proactive, it's accommodating, and it's a great way to hint that you're eager to attend (as opposed to, say, asking when you'll get your acceptance letter). Also, on the off-chance that you made a mistake on your application, this request could spawn a shot at redemption.

Macsai is a writer for BusinessWeek.

http://www.businessweek.com/print/bschools/content/oct2008/bs20081023_316382.htm

Admissions Tip: Interviewing the Interviewer

Posted by Clear Admit on November 8, 2010, at 3:00 am
http://blog.clearadmit.com/2010/11/admissions-tip-interviewing-the-interviewer-5/

We’ve been offering a good deal of advice lately on how to conduct oneself and prepare responses to MBA interview questions. Today we’d like to highlight the importance of thinking about what you might ask. Virtually all business school interviewers conclude their discussion by offering the applicant a chance to ask some questions about the program. While it might be tempting to claim that you’ve already learned all you need to know about the school, this is actually a great opportunity to gain additional insight, show your enthusiasm about a specific element of the curriculum or community, and demonstrate that you appreciate the opportunity to learn from your interviewer’s experiences.
Here are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind while thinking about what you might ask:

Focus on the positive. Now is not the time to conduct due diligence or express skepticism about a school’s academic program or career resources. You’re still marketing yourself to the adcom at this stage of the process, so you’ll want to project enthusiasm and demonstrate a desire to become more familiar with a program’s merits and your potential fit.
Avoid the obvious and the obscure. Because this is an opportunity to tap the interviewer’s unique knowledge and point of view (and he or she will assume that you did your basic research before applying), it’s best to avoid asking questions that could be answered by perusing the school’s website or speaking with anyone you might happen to encounter on campus. On the other hand, you don’t want to ask something so obscure or specific that your interviewer might not have an answer. Seeking the interviewer’s opinion on or impression of some element of the program often makes for a discussion that both parties will find interesting and enjoyable.
Mind your audience. Remember that students, alumni and admissions staff will all have a different perspective on and level of familiarity with the program, and that it’s wise to pose inquiries tailored to his or her experience with the school. For instance, alumni interviewers generally feel strongly about their schools but might not have the most current information on the academic programs and campus culture, so a good question might focus on the classes they have found most useful in their post-graduation career.

END

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Homework

2010-10-24T20:44:00.002+09:00

1. Please read Vince's interview blog: http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/search/label/seminar

2. Please prepare and practice your answers to the following core topics, which you will also practice in front of Vince and other seminar participants
    * self-introduction (two styles: WMTYR and TMAY, see Vince's blog for details)
    * keywords and examples of your strengths and weaknesses
    * keywords and examples of your teamwork and leadership styles
    * why MBA / goals / why now / why school x (in this case, Kellogg!)
    * how you plan to contribute to school x
    * questions you plan to ask your school x interviewer

3. Please email Vince your answers to the following three questions the night before our class
    * What are your biggest concerns about your interviews?
    * What specific (types of) questions scare you the most?
    * How else can Vince help you prepare for and pass your interviews?

Please refer to previously asked FAQs here
http://mbainterviews.blogspot.com/search/label/FAQ

4. Please print and bring 5 copies of your resume to the class

5. You are also welcome to bring a voice recorder, but please note that all information presented in the class is completely confidential. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

--END
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Interview criteria

2010-10-24T19:23:00.001+09:00

What are they looking for?

KELLOGG'S INTERVIEW CRITERIA (as of 2009)

1. English Ability

Comprehension
Conversational Ability

2. Interpersonal Skills

Maturity
Team Skills
Communication Skills
Listening Skills

3. Impact on Student Life

4. Career Progression

5. Career Focus

6. Intellectual Ability

7. Leadership Potential

8. Overall impression of applicant

COLUMBIA INTERVIEW CRITERIA
(as of 2002)

1. Personal Presentation and Communication Skills
Is the applicant poised, energetic, nervous, articulate, perceptive, enthusiastic etc.?

2. Leadership/Teamwork Skills
Ask the candidate about leadership style, examples of taking taking initiative, effectiveness in a team, etc.

3. Goals
What are the candidate’s post-MBA goals? Are they realistic?

4. Knowledge of and interest in CBS
Is the applicant aware of CBS’s program?
What is his or her level of commitment to CBS in comparison to other schools? Where else did he or she apply?

5. Red Flags
Any concerns or possible problems? Please give examples.

6. Points of Interest/Strengths
What, if any, unique qualities or experiences make this candidate stand out?

7. Recommendation
Would you want the applicant as a classmate or colleague?
Consider intellectual ability, contribution to the program, hirability, and commitment to CBS

LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL – FULL TIME MBA PROGRAMME INTERVIEW SCORE SHEET (from 2004)

Communication / English Language Skills

Team Skills (from your interpretations of essays / interview)

Proactive contributor to teams/groups?
Thinks about how teams work together and succeed?
Understands contribution he/she makes to teams?
Has insight into his/her weaknesses as team member?
Able to resolve personal conflicts between self and others?
Helps to resolve personal conflicts between others?

Leadership Skills

Level of insight into their own leadership style?
Grasp of own leadership strengths / weaknesses?
Has identified some leadership development goal(s)?
Able to see themselves as future business leader?

Motivation/Drive and Energy

Estimated level of motivation / drive?
Has long-term career and personal goals?
Manages self to sustain energy levels?

Intellectual Skills

Evidence of strategic perspective?
Able to analyse/evaluate business situations?
Has own ideas?
Able to link ideas and communicate concepts?
Original approach to problems?

International Perspective

Exposure to cultural diversity?
Interest in people with different backgrounds / perspectives?
Aware of positive/negative impact of cultural diversity?

Expectations and Interest in LBS MBA

Convinced you of strong interest in taking an MBA?
Convinced you of strong interest in LBS MBA specifically?

LBS Contribution and ‘Fit’ - In your view:

Did the candidate ask good/relevant questions?
Do you think this candidate will contribute to the LBS MBA?
Will the candidate work well with a group?
Will the candidate contribute to the Campus Community? (clubs etc)
Is LBS the right choice for this candidate?

Post MBA Career Objectives: What does the candidate wish to achieve by doing an MBA? (tick more than one if applicable)

Vertical move
Change career direction
Run own company
Move into consulting
Move into banking
Move into industry

More links here http://delicious.com/admissions/criteria (not interview specific, but still helpful)

HBS Admissions Criteria

Genuine business talent cannot be narrowly defined. Instead of looking for an "ideal" candidate, HBS invites MBA applicants who exhibit a variety of skills, accomplishments, and temperaments. The true common characteristics of our students are demonstrated leadership potential and a capacity to thrive in a rigorous academic environment.

Indeed, to create the most stimulating environment possible for all students, we consciously select a diverse student body, one that not only reflects a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities, but a wide range of personal interests and professional ambitions.

A Habit of Leadership
We recognize — and welcome — leadership that may be expressed in many forms, from college extracurricular activities to academic or business achievements, from personal accomplishments to community commitments. We appreciate leadership on any scale as well, from organizing a classroom to directing a combat squad, from running an independent business to spearheading initiatives at work. In essence, we are looking for evidence of your potential - a portfolio of experiences, initiatives, and accomplishments that reflect a habit of leadership.

Capacity for Intellectual Growth
Harvard Business School is a demanding, fast-paced, and highly-verbal environment. We look for individuals who will thrive on sophisticated ideas and lively discussion. Our case-based method of learning depends upon the active participation of prepared students who can assess, analyze, and act upon complex information within often-ambiguous contexts. The MBA Admissions Board will review your prior academic performance, the results of the GMAT or GRE, and, if applicable, TOEFL IBT and/or IELTS, and the nature of your work experience. There is no particular previous course of study required to apply; you must, however, demonstrate the ability to master analytical and quantitative concepts.

Engaged Community Citizenship
So much of our MBA experience - including the case method, section life, and student-organized events - requires the active collaboration of the entire HBS community. That's why we look for students who exhibit the highest ethical standards and respect for others, and can make positive contributions to the MBA Program. The right candidates must be eager to share their experiences, support their colleagues, and teach as well as learn from their peers.

Please note that there is no minimum work experience requirement for the MBA Program. Successful candidates are able to demonstrate strength in the criteria outlined above, regardless of their number of years of work experience. They include college seniors with significant leadership experience, as well as individuals with as little as one to two years of full-time work experience.

It is important for you to assess your own readiness when deciding when to apply.

END

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