Many applicants are gearing up right now for their MBA interviews, and beginning to practice their answers to common interview questions. This is part two of a two part series breaking down 10 of the most common MBA interview questions where I will address the reasons behind why they are asked. We covered five questions here in Part I, and today we’re covering questions 6 – 10. I won’t write out answers to the questions here, but I’m instead writing down the meaning behind the questions will help you to formulate your own tailored answers.
1. What are your future goals?
When you go into your interview, you need to have a very clear picture of how you’re going to use your degree when you graduate. Are you going to found your own company? Are you going to become a management consultant? Interviewers ask you future-goal oriented questions in order to gauge the path you see yourself taking, and evaluate whether it is viable. Business leaders always set goals and think in terms of what’s coming in 5 – 10 years ahead. Interviewers want to understand that you already have thought about your career path down the road, and have a clear idea how you can achieve it.
2. Can you walk me through your resume?
Interviewers don’t want you to sit there and read through your entire resume with them – they have already read it. I often tell people that interviewers want to understand what “is not on your resume.” In other words, they want to understand the story of who you areand why you made the decisions you made. Why did you study what you studied as an undergraduate? Why did you choose to work at your first company, and switch companies to your second and third? They want to see the logic and reason behind the choices you’ve made to get to where you are.
3. Can you give me an example of a time that you demonstrated leadership?
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Business leaders need to have leadership skills, so you need to have leadership skills, and tell a persuasive story about a time you led others to success. At the end, refect upon what you learned and improved upon during the experience.
4. What is your definition of teamwork?
Group work is a seriously important aspect of any MBA program. Interviewers aren’t looking for a literal definition of teamwork here – don’t memorize something out of a dictionary. Instead, tell a compelling story about a time where you worked successfully on a team, and what you learned by working with others. Interviewers need to understand that you can learn from people who have different skills than your own, and that you aren’t a selfish person who will offend or argue with everyone on the project team. Use this question as an opportunity to showcase your people skills.
5. What would you say is your biggest weakness?
This is a very important question, and much related to the question “what makes you stand out?” Business leaders and executives are constantly evaluating their own personal weaknesses, and the weaknesses of their organization. If you aren’t able to give a clear and constructive answer to this question – interviewers will feel that you are not able to reflect on yourself and don’t have what it takes to succeed in business. It takes an honest, transparent look at yourself to be able to grow in a high pressure, high intensity environment like an MBA program, and you should show your interviewers that you’re capable of rising to the challenge when you answer this question.
This has been part two of my two part series on the top ten most commonly asked MBA questions, and the why behind the questions. You can find part one here. When you start to get into the mind of your interviewer, when you start to think about the meaning behind their questions and the process of the interview itself, that’s when you’re preparing yourself in the best way you possibly can to ace your interview.
If you have other questions or would like some personalized coaching to prepare for your upcoming MBA interview, don’t hesitate to reach out to me, David, at transcendadmissions@gmail.com.