Congratulations! You have been invited for an interview post an MBA. Now what?

by Sonali Dheri

An interview post an MBA is a different breed! You not only have to prove your worth, but also illustrate what all you’ll do with the degree once you enter the professional space. It’s fundamentally a school and a job interview mixed into one.
A great interview can tilt the scale in the right direction. You remain focused and unflustered, articulate your thoughts well and develop a great rapport with your interviewer! On the other hand, an average interview might not have much impact, unless your application is hanging on by a thread.
In typical interviews, post an MBA, certain questions are intended to gauge your clarity of thoughts and career aspirations. It’s natural for you to go in with sweaty palms and a bit of shakes as you have a lot riding on your interview. But with a little groundwork, you can be all geared up to answer any question they throw at you and prove that you’re as impressive in person as you are on paper!

For starters...
Relax, Take it easy!
Nervousness will only trip you up, bust your self-confidence, and perhaps make for an uncomfortable, awkward interview. To relax anxious nerves, try learning some deep breathing exercises to calm you down just before your interview or even during it. Also, being well prepared is another guaranteed way to cut back on anxiety and build confidence.

Be on time, Look professional!
The significance of punctuality needs no additional emphasis. Arriving late for the interview sends out wrong signals and you start-off on the wrong foot. Keep ample buffer time for traffic snarls and reach your venue at least 20 minutes before the allotted time. Also, dressing professionally is a given! It will translate that you are a serious candidate and present you in a professional light.
Finally, it's time to prepare for the most frequent interview questions. Chances are you'll be definitely asked a few of them at least, so going prepared will help you look like less of a dunce.

What to Expect?
Interviews aren’t inclined to be unyielding or formal. This doesn't imply they won't feel like a job interviews. It simply means that they’ll want to get a sense of you as a complete person. Your interviewers might ask explicit questions about your personality and goals. They basically want to check your communicative and inter-personal skills & know your vision as an MBA graduate. Interviews are two kinds, “blind” and “comprehensive.” Even though their styles differ radically, the most significant thing to remember is that you already have the answers, because the questions are always about you.

So here are some popular interview questions you’ll most definitely field post an MBA.

1) Tell us something about yourself
This open-ended classic has the clout to push you into an infinite abyss. So do not take it lightly! A powerful, well though out reply establishes your standing as a gifted, motivated and interesting individual at both the personal and academic level. You can share anecdotes about where you come from, your education and why you made those choices. Finally, you can talk about your career. Everything you state should naturally build towards the thought that led you to make the choices that you actually made. Your response should be short and concise, demonstrating your knack to synthesize and construct your thoughts well.

2) Why did you pursue MBA?
If you still haven't figured this out then you are in trouble! Basically, reiterate what all you wrote in your essays, but go broader and deeper. By which we mean, explain in detail those aspects and motivations that drove you to pursue the degree. Your answer may differ depending on your background. Apart from the obvious fat salary-packages, talk about how the degree polished your soft skills and technical knowledge to function well in your preferred industry or domain. You can also discuss the value-additions and your career goals that an MBA has provided you with. The interview panel might also ask you questions about your B-school. This is your chance to amaze them! You should be familiar with the institute’s history, ranking, its flag-ship programs, faculty members and placement records. Your response should reverberate that you know it all well.

3) Talk about Your Career Goals:
You might have no clue, but it's imperative to have a preliminary idea! Perhaps you want to pursue investment banking, or go the entrepreneurial way and open up a start-up. Whatever be the case, draft your plan and elaborate how MBA is going to be instrumental in helping you take your first step. It's absolutely okay to have multiple career goals, as long as you can show how you’ll apply the expertise you have acquired.

4) What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
Very few like answering this! Describing your strengths is like a cakewalk. Who doesn’t love talking about qualities that demonstrate the right side of them? But talking about your weakness is always a challenge as you are being asked to disclose your vulnerable side. This question evaluates your true judgement of yourself and how well you know your areas of strengths and weaknesses. You might want to talk about a genuine weakness but camouflage it with a positive spin. Focus less on the weakness and more on how you’re constantly striving to tackle it and use it to your advantage. Interviewers are aware that no one is perfect so trying to outsmart them is a bad idea.

5) Why should we hire you?
Why not? Express in modest, reasonable terms why you are eminently competent for the open position. Share anecdotes about your personal and academic accomplishments and how they make you a strong contender. Discuss your long term plans and how you’ll make full use of your credentials to achieve your goals. You may sound self-seeking; but you're actually telling employers that they won't be making a wrong choice by hiring you.

6) Any questions for us?
"No" would be an awful reply! Well-thought out questions demonstrate a few important things about a candidate: you’ve researched well about the company, you envision yourself as their future employee and you can put together thoughts even under pressure. But don’t do too much! Limit your list to 1-2 good ones and have some backups.
In a nutshell, every interview and every experience is unique! You may or may not be asked one of these questions. But what matters at the end is how honest and rational you’ll be.

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