Great Resource for MBA Interviews

The following post with video is provided by ZoomInterviews – a terrific resource to keep in mind when interviews roll around.  Here is a sample of the interview support they provide.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7USGEPmIgw[/youtube]

Question: Can you walk me through your resume?

The ”˜Walk Me Through Your Resume’ (WMTYR) question (or ”˜Tell me about yourself’), typically asked as the opening question by an admissions interviewer, is critical to setting the tone for the rest of the interview.  When the WMTYR is delivered effectively, the interviewer will build a strong impression of your background and experience, which in turn positively frames the conversation you’ll have with him or her.  Keep in mind that your WMTYR answer should focus on key messages.  You’re not just giving a chronological history of your academic and professional work, but sharing specific aspects of your candidacy that convey your strong fit with a school. 

The steps below will help you construct an effective WMTYR answer, with clear messaging and clean transitions from one stage of your career to the next:

1) Highlight your undergraduate education – Starting with your undergraduate experience, briefly explain why you chose your major, what skills you acquired through your studies and 1-2 key accomplishments you had.   
2) Focus on skills and accomplishments in your job – For your first job, explain in one sentence why you chose this position, emphasizing the skills you learned and, again, the 1-2 key accomplishments you achieved.  Think about the key message you want to convey to the interviewer about this first job.
3) Present job transitions as deliberate steps – If you took subsequent jobs, explain your rational for making the transition to the next job.  Your explanation should show that you have planned your career carefully and put considerable thought into each career move.  Make sure to avoid disparaging your prior firm or expressing dislike for the work as a reason you decided to move on.  Keep your answer focused on what you looked to gain in your next move.
4) Show how your career has developed over time –  You want to help the interviewer understand how your career has evolved and why an MBA is not only the natural next step in your professional development, but an important tool that will help you reach your career goals.

Following the above steps may make it seem impossible to keep your WMTYR answer to under 2-3 minutes, but that is exactly what you want to do.  When you understand what the key messages are that you want to convey, you’ll better be able to articulate those messages with out rambling and including too much extraneous detail in your answer.  Your experience is your own.  Take advantage of the opportunity to share it with your interviewer through your Walk Me Through Your Resume answer.

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