How to crack GD-PI/WAT rounds of top B-schools

MBA Personal Interviews

Yes, all interviewees would be looking at your overall personality, attitude and aptitude; they’d want candidates who can be groomed into leaders of tomorrow. Ideally, there would be a suitable match for every candidate based on his or her X-factor. You need to prepare for the CTC.

Generally speaking, there are three things (CTC) that every organization looks for in an aspirant, they are:

• Communication Skills: Ability to communicate, listen and present appropriately
• Technical skills: Not just your prowess on an excel sheet! They’re looking for your knowledge in your subject area of education, and application of that knowledge
• Conceptual skills: Ability to comprehend, relate, workout, create and expand ideas and knowledge

 Personal Interview Tips

Keep the following in mind for personal interview rounds of MBA colleges in the upcoming months, and you’ll come out with flying colours.

1. Prepare like a champion: Have you seen Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar winning movie, ‘Rocky’? The protagonist prepares for every fight as if it were the championship bout, even if the opponent was too weak. For every little GD and interview, you should prepare like that.

2. Career Planning and Goal Setting: All of us today have dreams and aspirations of a great career. We benchmark our future with achievers of the times gone by, and make a constant endeavour to reach the higher-goals. Plan ahead, and know what would be required of you at each passing phase.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice: The most important advise that anyone can give you for clearing an interview is to practice as much as you can. Whilst we do not suggest that you mug-up the answers to standard Qs and As, but you start planning it in your head as to what you would be saying. Start visualising the bare details and you would see that appropriate answers would start coming to you.

4. You’ve got to get the look!

To get the part, you’ve got to look the part. Work on it!

Personal Interview Check List:

• Clothes and personal grooming (shoes, clothes, accessories, etc) should be ready a day before
• Interview folder arranged and reviewed a day before
• Personal grooming and hygiene (nails, hair, shaving, etc.)
• Location for interview checked a day before
• Travel plan for interview finalised with weather consideration
• Backup clothes, folders, certificates photocopied etc. ready

5. The regular YOU and the situation: Make sure that you thoroughly research the organisation, the industry, and the job profile. Whatever you do, you cannot appear blank at the time of the interview. Your basics about yourself – the attire, the folder, mannerisms – and content – your general knowledge, analytical skills, and specific research about that role and company – just cannot be compromised with. Have your elevator pitch about yourself ready. Practice till you reach perfection.

Get into the habit of thinking answers in a framework, such as SARA

• Set up the (S)ituation based on the question asked in your mind
• Explain the (A)ction required finding or providing a solution
• Share the (R)esult with the interviewer
• (A)nswer further based on the response to the result

Conclusion

All said and done, the personal interview round is about you. During the 10-20 minutes of the interview, you are the master of your own destiny. Paint a picture, and visualize yourself sitting there. You’re expected to provide intelligent, well-thought-out answers and exude competent confidence. Though you can’t control every situation, you can prepare to handle it. There will be butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, and wobbling knees. However, you must give your best interview and get the college you want.

Woody Allen once famously said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” You’ve come this far. You’ve prepared hard and managed to get an interview cal. You’ve shown up for the interview. So, 80 per cent of the success is already done. Now, it’s time for the remaining 20 per cent. 

All the best!