MBA Interview Questions

Justify your decision to pursue the MBA programme?

 Don't tell the panel that you are looking for a "challenging job in a good firm with lots of money, status and glamour". Instead, you must convey to the interview panel that you have made a rational and informed decision about your career choice and your intended course of higher study. There are broadly four areas which your answer could touch upon* Career Objectives: You could talk about your career objectives and how the two year MBA programme will help you achieve them. * Value Addition: Value addition will essentially be in two forms knowledge and skills. * Background: This is where you connect your past to your future. If you are an engineer, try and say that the MBA course and your engineering degree will help you do your job better in the company that you will join. You should be able to convincingly justify how your engineering qualification will help. * Opportunities and Rewards: You could also at this stage mention the opportunities that are opening up in organizations for management graduates. At this stage mentioning superior monetary rewards for management graduates may not be a bad idea.
Why do you think you would enjoy your chosen area of study (Eg: Marketing)?
Marketing is key to the success of any organization and the function has always appealed to me, because it requires a combination of creativity, strategic and analytic ability - all qualities that I feel I possess. Through discussions with some of my seniors, I have a pretty good idea of what it's like to work toward taking up a marketing job, and I know I will enjoy the work.
How do you spend your spare time?

I have a good collection of books of different genre and enjoy reading. In addition, I love driving during late evenings or on rainy weekend afternoons. Also, for the last two years I've been volunteering at the local children's hospital on Saturday mornings.
What are your weaknesses?

I used to be somewhat disorganized, but eventually this got me into trouble when I missed an appointment I hadn't written down. It was clear that I had to learn how to be more organized. So, with the help of my senior colleague we worked out a system that I still use today. Not only do I stay on top of things, but I'm more efficient, too. The first thing you need to do prior to interviewing is assess yourself. This includes listing your strengths and weaknesses, your accomplishments and achievements, reviewing your strong and your weak subjects, and recording some of the key decisions you have made in your life. You should then review your interests, the disappointments you've encountered, your work environment likes/dislikes, your business and personal values, your goals, needs, restrictions, and life style preferences. It would help if you're ready to practice answering the following potential questions

QUESTIONS AT THE INTERVIEW

Even if each interviews is unique, there is great similarity in the subjects touched upon. The principal things your interviewer will be looking at are:

• your previous education
• your professional experience
• your extra-professional activities
• your character and your values
• your motivation for doing an MBA and, more specifically, at the school with which you're interviewing.

Your previous education:

• Which school did you attend and why that one'?
• Would you choose the same studies again ifyou could do it over again?
• What was your major and why?
• What overall grades did you get? Did you get honors?
• Which courses were you best at? Why?
• What did you like most about this part of your education?
• What did you least like about this part of your education?
• What extra-curricular activities did you participate in? Why and what was your contribution?
•  How did you pay for your education'?

Your professional experience:

•  Can you briefly describe your career progress to date?
•  What are your long term career aspirations and why?
•  Please discuss the factors, both professional and personal, influencing the career decisions you have made so far.
•  Can you briefly describe the key responsibilities of your current job?
•  What are the key challenges of your job?
•  While recognizing that no day is typical, please describe a representative working day.
•  Why did you choose this profession? Why this company?
•  What do you like best/about your current job?
•  Describe your most successful accomplishment at work.
•  Describe a failure on the job.
•  What could you do to be an even more effective member of your organization?
•  Describe a situation in which you have been in the position of leading a group.
•  What have you done to develop those under your responsibility?
•  What specifically have you done to help your company change'?
•  How does your performance compare with that of your peers at a similar level?
•  Describe your relationship with your boss. What is good and bad about it?
•  Where is your industry heading in the next five years? (all the more important if your interviewer works in the same domain).

Your extra-professional activities:

• How do you spend your time outside of work? What activities do you enjoy most and why?
• Describe a situation where you have been in a position of leading a group in those activities,
• Describe your key accomplishments in these activities.
• Describe any failure in these activities.
• What is the last book you read? What did you think of it?
• What is your favorite sport? What aspect of it appeals to you'?

Your reasons for doing an MBA and more specifically the reason you are doing this interview:

• Why do you want to do an MBA? Why now?
• Where do you expect to be in 5 years?
• What do you expect to get from an MBA?
• Why do you want to come to our school in particular?
• Which other schools are you applying to?
• How did you choose these schools? Why so many/few?
• Which school is your first choice?
• What if you are not accepted in the schools you are applying for? ifyou didn't get into any programs?
• What specific questions do you have about our school?
•  What would you contribute to our school that is distinctive

Your character and your values

• Tell me about yourself.
• How would your friends describe you?
• What are your main strengths and weaknesses?
• What have you done that you are proud of?.
• Who are your heroes? Why?
• Describe any significant experience abroad. What did you learn from this?
• Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced. How did you resolve it?
• Why business school?
• Why did you decide to apply to this business school?
• What makes you stand out among other candidates?
• What can you contribute to our program?
• What are your expectations of this program?
• How do you plan to use your degree?
• Where do you see yourself in ten years?
• Can you walk me through your resume?
• Can you give me an example of a time that you demonstrated leadership?
• What is your definition of teamwork?
• What would you say is your biggest weakness?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• How would your colleagues describe you?
• What are your hobbies? 
  

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