Preparing to Interview at HBS

preparing to interview at HBS

See here for NEW 2021 HBS interview advice, including format, evaluation criteria and sample questions.

On Tuesday, thousands of anxious round two applicants to Harvard Business School received news of their fate as interview invites and release decisions went out. Are you one of the lucky ones preparing to interview at HBS?

As admissions head Chad Losee revealed in December, HBS interviews roughly 1 in 5 applicants. Of those candidates, the school admits just over half. If you can successfully pass the hurdle that is the Harvard Business School interview, your chances of admission skyrocket.

“Remember that by receiving an invitation to interview, Admissions is essentially saying that you are a strong candidate for business school, and now they want to better understand what you’ll be like as a section mate and a member of the community.” (HBS’s 10 Application Tips for Members of the Military)

What to expect in a Harvard Business School interview

Unfortunately, you can’t predict which specific questions will come up during your interview. But, you can expect the types of questions to fall into three broad categories representing your past, present, and future. Keep these in mind while you’re preparing to interview at HBS.

The interviewer will probe in great depth about your career goals, professional choices, and interest in the MBA program. He or she will be very familiar with your essays — so familiar that your interviewer will seem determined to find a “hole” in your story.

The anecdotes you share about your past experiences — both successes and failures — will give the interviewer some insight into your self-awareness and maturity. Your story should reveal how you confront life choices, the values and principles that help you negotiate complex situations, your beliefs, and your worldview.

Expect to receive several questions during your Harvard Business School interview that will help your interviewer gauge how life has tested you, and how you responded to that test.

Expect probing questions when preparing to interview at HBS

Remember, your interviewer has already seen your application. Therefore, many of the questions you get will leverage what he or she knows about you from your essays. While preparing to interview at HBS, think about specific questions, such as:

Why did you make a particular career choice?

If there’s a single characteristic that summarizes what the admissions team looks for in successful candidates, it would be leadership potential. Provide concrete examples and tangible evidence that you achieved something significant by leading others.

Why do you want to go to HBS?

Show that you’ve done your homework on the program, whether you’ve interviewed students, alumni, and professors, sat in on classes or regularly read several student and professor’s blogs.

Share how HBS can help you achieve your post-business-school goals. It is also important to give insights into your personal and unique motives for choosing HBS.

What books are you reading?

When preparing to interview at HBS, don’t disregard this one as a throw-away question. It offers your interviewer more insight into what you value and who you are — provided you present a thoughtful answer. It’s OK to diverge from being all business; in fact, it’s often better to reveal some other interests.

Why did you major in Art History (or your particular major)?

These sorts of questions provide an opportunity to reveal your motives, thought processes, and values.

Dress rehearsal is a must

Practicing the answers to potential interview questions out loud is very different than rehearsing them mentally.  Don’t let the interview be the first time you tell your stories out loud. Do a mock interview with a trusted friend or even alone in front of a mirror.

Rehearsing will make you feel calm and come off as more polished during the actual interview, and the conversation will flow in a much more relaxed way.

Be prepared to ask questions

Unlike most other MBA interview formats, not all interviewers encourage applicants to ask questions at the end. However, you should prepare for the possibility. Come armed with a brief list of questions that highlight your knowledge of and interest in the school. If interviewing with an alum, ask questions about their experience at the school.

Don’t panic over the post-interview reflection

The “post-interview reflection” has no official word limit and is due within 24 hours of the interview. Former MBA admissions director Dee Leopold likened this assignment to an email follow-up you might send after a meeting.

The admissions team wants to know how the interviewee perceives the interview experience. They want to see how you synthesize and digest the exchange. Additionally, they want to determine how well you can communicate without the luxury of extensive rewrites and time to polish your answer.

Though the point of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to think and work quickly, you should plan what you might write about in advance. Before you go into the interview, make a list of three or four aspects of your application you either want to highlight or reinforce in this post-interview reflection. Don’t spend a lot of time writing. While there’s no strict word limit, resist the temptation to recap every point and question.

Don’t use this essay to explain every negative moment from the interview. Likewise, don’t overload the reader with information you fear your interview didn’t convey. Again, keep the email model in mind. Corral the diverse points from the conversation into a short, readable piece that helps emphasize your strengths.

Admissions professionals often say that an MBA interview won’t get you in, but it might keep you out. As you’re preparing to interview at HBS, use these tips to boost your chances.

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See here for NEW 2021 HBS interview advice, including format, evaluation criteria and sample questions. The SBC team wishes you much luck with your HBS application and interview and would love to support your efforts. Contact one of our SBC Principals to request availability for HBS interview preparation by emailing hbs@stacyblackman.com asap. As a reminder, HBS interview prep support at SBC is available only after interview invites have been extended. Here’s the overview of SBC’s interview prep services.

 

SBC’s star-studded consultant team is unparalleled. Our clients benefit from current intelligence that we receive from the former MBA Admissions Officers from Harvard HBS, Stanford GSB and every elite business program in the US and Europe.  These MBA Admissions Officers have chosen to work exclusively with SBC.

Just two of the many superstars on the SBC team:
Meet Erin, who was Assistant Director of MBA Admissions at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) and Director of MBA Admissions at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Meet Andrea, who served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years.

Tap into this inside knowledge for your MBA applications by requesting a consultation.

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