My Top 5 Tips On Interview Preparation As a Former INSEAD Interviewer : INSEAD

There is an art to creating a personal brand that highlights your strengths and sets you apart from other applicants during an MBA interview. Keep in mind that your MBA interviewer will be bringing memories of previous interactions with other strong candidates to your brief meeting. The core of an MBA interview is to connect with interviewer on a personal level while remaining professional. Here are my top tips that you can use to significantly improve your chances of being admitted to top MBA programs.

1. Create a repository of impactful stories.
The best-prepared MBA applicants I know and have worked with excel at doing the fundamentals right. Understand that getting into a top-tier school is about more than just presenting the factual details of your application. Rather, it's about presenting your unique perspective on the personal and professional experiences that have shaped you.

In my opinion, one of the most important elements of preparing for an MBA interview is building a collection of solid formative experiences and stories. These stories highlight different facets of your personality and skills you have learned along the way in a manner that resonates with the interviewer. In an MBA interview, behavioral questions that explore past experiences, strengths, and weaknesses are common, as are discussions on diversity and contributions to the school community. Additionally, interviewers may ask about an applicant's career goals, ethical reasoning, and current events in the business world.

You may check out common frameworks like STAR(Situation Task Action Result), PAR (Problem Action Result), and CARL (Context Action Result Learning) that can help you structure your stories to highlight key moments, experiences, and learnings.

2. Know what, when, and how much you should say

Even among high potential management consulting applicants, I have experienced instances in INSEAD admissions interviews where the conversations felt prolonged, unbalanced, and disconnected. Some candidates, driven by their desire to secure a coveted spot in fiercely competitive programs, may inadvertently focus too much on highlighting their achievements, and reiterating all their resume bullets. Consequently, this can give rise to an unintended perception of arrogance or lack of consciousness during the interview.

While most interviewers will have read your resume before or during the interview (but dont assume), they will see the interview primarily as an opportunity to find out something "extra" about you, such as your interpersonal skills, motivation, maturity, and ability to work in a team. It is important to watch for subtle cues from your interviewer, such as signs of boredom or a desire for more precise answers. Recognizing these cues in time and adjusting your communication style is a skill that develops with experience and increased self-awareness.

Learning this skill early in your interview preparation will greatly increase your effectiveness. Balance and brevity in your answers can help you present yourself as a well-rounded candidate with much to offer beyond your accomplishments.

In addition, part of the skills I also consider extremely important is making sure you have covered all the topics that you wanted to touch upon that highlight the best possible aspects of your profile. Whenever I prepare applicants for interviews, I have them recall the best narratives they definitely need to cover, even if they have to take the lead and steer the conversation in the direction they want to go.

3. Research your interviewer if you can

With the exception of a few schools, most business schools provide information about your interviewers ahead of time. Standout applicants go the extra mile to research their interviewers on professional platforms or school's website. The idea is to discover additional topics of conversation that can help the applicant in creating a good impression.

In the business world, you will often conduct background research on potential business partners or clients you want to meet and convince of your proposals. An MBA interview is no different. I recommend you take some notes on a few topics that can help you connect more deeply with your interviewer (or give you some ice breaker ideas).


4. Be prepared for the most obvious questions.

If you are struggling with common questions like "Why an MBA?" "Why our school?" or "Why now?" You probably needed to dig deeper in preparing for your goals essay. I recommend that when answering these questions, you do not simply repeat what you briefly mentioned in your goals essay.

Instead, be prepared to provide multi-layered responses during the interview. Your answers should be customized to help the interviewer grasp your motivation, your thorough research regarding what the school has to offer, and your strategic approach to your goals, all in significant detail if the interviewer requests elaboration. If an applicant is ill-prepared for these fundamental questions during the MBA interview, it implies that the applicant may not have undertaken the necessary due diligence for someone who is considering investing significant money and opportunity costs in an MBA program.

5. Ask questions during the interview.

Most interviewers will allow you to ask questions at the end of the interview. Asking questions during an MBA interview is not just a formality; it is an opportunity to demonstrate genuine interest in the program, and your ability to engage in meaningful conversation. It's a chance to make a positive impression and make the interviewer feel good about your candidacy.

If the interviewer is a former student, try to engage them with a reflection on their journey at B-School. Also, learn from the wisdom of this person who has walked the same path you hope to walk

Here are a few examples of questions you could ask-

What would you have done differently if you could change one thing about your MBA experience?

How would you describe your experience at the "ABC School" and what is your most important takeaway from the MBA experience at the School?

What advice would you give to a prospective "ABC school" student?

If the interviewer is someone on the admissions committee, the following may be good references depending on who is interviewing you.

Speaking about the "XYZ(specific) diversity and inclusion initiatives" at the program, what are some possible areas where I could help advance DEI initiatives?
(Shows that you are seriously looking for areas of improvement that you can contribute to)

I am very interested in the opportunity to contribute my learnings from the "XYZ" industry to the case collection or repository. What opportunities do students have to participate in designing case studies as part of the curriculum? (Indicates that you are willing to contribute with your expertise)

I recently heard that ABC Business School has improved its national ranking, and I am incredibly impressed. What specific initiatives or programs do you think contributed to this ranking improvement? I am very interested in learning more about recent developments.


Get personalized advice tailored to your specific situation. Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need help navigating your unique circumstances in the B School admissions process. We do not cap discussion hours with our applicants
Speak with us if you are looking for a detailed and comprehensive interview preparation experience.


Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
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