InseadInterview

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Below are interview reports from those who have interviewed with INSEAD.

Further insight and strategic advice on the interview process at INSEAD can be found in the Clear Admit Interview Guide.

Please add your interview report directly above all other reports. Please also include the date you are publishing your report; the type of interview (adcom / alumni / student) and the admissions round for which you interviewed (R1 / R2 / R3).

It's free to sign up and contribute - just click here to create an account or you can e-mail your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com.

26. 1st and 2nd interviews / Alumni / Off-campus (Published May 13th, 2010)

First Interview: I had interview with a Bain partner in Shanghai. The interview was quite standard. He asked a lot of questions about why INSEAD, why MBA, long term career goal, short term career goal, why go to France, how would colleagues describe you, what is your weakness... What is the cultural difference between China and France… And I have taken some chances to ask back on some of his questions. Time was very short, I hadn’t had chance to ask a lot of questions.

Basically the interviewer is formal. I had won some smiles on his part when talking about his travelling in China. He had given some insights on the private equity market in China.

Second Interview: I interviewed with a Chinese alumni who has 10 years of experience in sales and marketing before joining INSEAD. And he is now an entrepreneur in the energy-saving space. Basically he asked about standard questions, introduction of me, my personal goals and professional goals. How to reach the goals… etc. He questioned about my leadership capabilities because I don’t have a title of manager. He asked about leadership qualities demonstrated in non-leadership positions. Then we talked in Chinese about the current state of China. Why he created the company in energy space. I asked to keep in touch. He said we keep in touch no matter what the result of INSEAD.

25. Round 2 / September 2010 intake / 1st and 2nd interviews / Alumni / Off-campus (Published March 5th, 2010)

I received the interview notification on the final night of the deadline (INSEAD is notorious) for sending out bulk of the notifications on the final day (or night depending on your location, i was in US). The MBA Admissions Coordinator, who was a really nice and thoughtful lady helped me setup the interview. I received contacts of two alumnus both of whom were working / had worked in the field I was interested in (Alternative Energy / Entrepreneurship). Here I must mention that INSEAD alumni is very impressive and very diverse. One of the assigned interviewer did Law from Stanford after completing his MBA from INSEAD and is not a partner in a major law firm. The other is pursioung his passion for environment and pursuing a degree from YALE. I have to reschedule one of the interviews to India, due to a family emergency and the Ad Com was very supportive and helpful in rescheduling the interview to India.

Well without any further ado, I will get into details of the interview. First some helpful tips:

  • Prepared to be grilled. Unlike other schools INSEAD choses alumni who have deep experience in your chosen area. Thats why they take upto 10 days to find the right alumni. Therefore its important that you do your homework.
  • Be global and local at the same time. Know the minutest details and be ready to talk about business problems at a global scale.
  • Relax and be ready for a conversational interview - you get to drive the discussion as much as the interviewer, but do not overreach
  • Read your application and resume a 100 times. Read all you can about your chosen area of study and be ready to defend why that area of study.
  • INSEAD alumni are busy ppl. Expect time delays in email response / difficulties in getting time on their calendars.

Now to the questions:

  • Why MBA? Why second MBA (I already had an MBA from a school in India)
  • Walk me through your resume? Why did I join my current company? Why US, SIngapore and India?
  • Why entrepreneurship - do you think INSEAD will make an entrepreneur out of you? (Really grilled me here, because as we all know 10 months donot maketh an entrepreneur - I defended by saying that I need alumni network, mindset and skills in all sorts of areas - that I am more likely to succeed with an MBA from an international school like INSEAD than not doing an MBA)
  • Detailed questions on energy - alternate enrergy, my proposed venture - its business model, how to raise capital, whats the market segment I am looking at, how much energy, what kind of source for energy (basically my interviewer was totally into it)
  • Questions about my family? Is my wife ready to move from US to France? (I talked about how we love to travel and have travelled to all over the world and moving to France will be an excellent opportunity. The alumnus also talked about his family, which I thought was nice to break the ice and make me conformable when the interview got a little too hot.)
  • General conversation about healthcare, India, US, differences (Here I talked about my international experiences - which I think is a big draw for INSEAD)
  • Any questions (I asked about his career progression after INSEAD, the INSEAD difference what did he gain from INSEAD)
  • I shamelessly asked for feedback on the interview !!! At first the alumnus was diplomatic and said there is no good or bad interview but he finally said that he was very hopeful for me.

Although I have extracted questions here, I must mention that the entire interview was very conversational. We were sharing opinions about alternate energy, socialing vs capitalism, US vs Europe vs Asia.

The other interview was very casual and lasted for just 5 minutes. The interviewer told as me:

  • Walk me through the resume
  • Why INSEAD? (Why not some other school like MIT or Kennedy School if I want to work in Alternate Energy) - I responded by saying that Energy is not a technology but an economic problem.
  • The interviewer asked about my background - extra curricular.
  • Within 5 minutes she said that she would definitely recommend me.

So the good cop bad cope theory for INSEAD still holds true in 2010.

Status: Accepted.

24. Round 1 / January 2010 intake / 1st interview / Off-campus (Published July 28th, 2009)

The interview took place in the office. I had sent the interviewer my entire application (it is possible to send just the first 6 pages, but I wasn't able to split the pdf file) to review beforehand. The interview was organised via email and telephone.

I would advise researching your interviewer if possible (via sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook etc.) as it is quite rare that no information can be found. Also, it seems as though INSEAD tries to pair you with interviewers from a similar background to your chosen post-MBA path (although it may just be that a high number of consultants attend the school). This interviewer had spent many years working in consulting before moving to industry. I was quite fortunate as his industry and my current profession are tangentially linked so we were able to establish good rapport pretty early in the interview.

The interview itself was quite relaxed, I was very nervous but he put me at ease very quickly. The questions covered the usual suspects (why MBA, why INSEAD, etc.) and there was a fair bit of probing. For example, in a question about your post-MBA goals it's pretty important to be able to highlight why you have those goals, and link them to how INSEAD is going to help you achieve them. The interviewer was very comfortable about probing me for further detail so it's important to be well prepared.

The interviewer's style was very conversational and I was pretty relaxed, which is great, but also potentially a pitfall as you may not be as sharp. Having said that, I felt confident in my preparation and my answers and there was nothing out of left-field. I was reassured by his responses to my answers, which were along the lines of: "yes that makes sense" and "I agree with your logic". The interviewer also asked me where else I had applied (as well as how I had progressed) and I was fortunate enough to be in a position to let him know that I had already been accepted by one school, waitlisted by another and interviewing for 2 others. I think this also helped him decide how valuable I was as an applicant.

Towards the end of the interview, I had the opportunity to ask questions. Questions to the interviewer can be tricky, and I chose to focus on his experience of the school, linking it in with my own research. I was also able to highlight the fact that I was visiting the Singapore campus the week after my interview and I think this was met with favourably.

The interview lasted about 1.5hrs and I left feeling confident that I had performed well (and relatively comfortable that he would recommend me). I sent a follow-up email to thank him for the interview and he responded that he would be happy to answer any further questions. I received the admission decision a couple of weeks later (admitted) and let him know, whereupon he sent me a congratulatory email.

23. Round 1 / January 2010 intake / 2nd interview / Off-campus (Published July 28th, 2009)

This interview took place in a coffee shop towards the end of the day, and was the same day as my first interview. I had deliberately scheduled both interviews as late as possible during the interview period to maximise my preparation time. (I was fortunate that there was an information session for my city during the period so I could use it as a reason to postpone the interviews, as otherwise both interviewers would have been happy to interview me with only a few days notice.)

I felt the first interview went very well and felt confident I would perform in the second interview. My interviewer arrived early (about the same time I did). The first question he asked me was: "Why INSEAD." My response was: "Many reasons…" and he interrupted to ask: "Yeah, like what?". The tone of the interview was much more abrupt and direct than the first interview. Again, this interviewer used to work in consulting (my post-MBA goal). When we discussed my post-MBA goals in detail (incl. geographical region), he floored me by insisting that the companies I was interested in working for had no offices/presence in the regions I wanted to work in. While I knew this to be false (having done my research), I did concede that perhaps I may have been mistaken. However, after my interview, I sent him an email thanking him for his time, as well as pointing out which specific offices existed in my preferred region for work.

This interviewer asked me only a handful of questions - Why INSEAD, which campus and why, describe a time you failed, post-MBA goals. He then asked me to ask him questions, which surprised me because he had asked me so few. I was particularly concerned as he didn't allow me to put forward a lot of the material I had prepared to standard questions and I was worried he was the type to make up his mind in 10min whether I was a good candidate or not. However, I spent 40min probing him with questions (although I could have handled it better in hindsight by linking it with some of my answers).

The interview went for just over an hour. The experience was incredibly draining as I felt he was very combative - the opposite of what I have read about on various forums. I was convinced that I had performed poorly, although after the admission decision (admitted), he gave me feedback that I had managed fine and he was being deliberately difficult. It was also interesting that I felt very confident going into this interview, while he thought I appeared extremely nervous - probably as a result of how aggressive his questioning was. I am very pleased with the result, but believe that he could have come to the same decision without being so aggressive.

22. Round 1 / January 2010 intake / 2nd interview / Off-Campus / Alumni (Published June 29th, 2009)

The interview took place at the alumnus’ office in Paris. We had an appointment in the morning and I arrived slightly ahead of schedule. To arrange this appointment, we had exchanged emails and finally phone calls. The interview started on time.

I had done my research on the WEB and find out that he was a partner at a big consultancy firm, responsible for the practice on energy sector. I therefore had prepared myself intensively, meeting with friends who were working in this sector to polish my knowhow on this topic, since I had mentioned in my application form that I wanted to move to this sector after graduation. Interestingly enough, he didn’t want me to send him my essays, saying this was private information and that he would only look at the profile and CV part. As a result, the interview was very much like a job interview.

Some of the interview questions are listed below (this part in English): - Walk me through your resume - Why an MBA - Why now - Why INSEAD

This lasted for about half an hour and then it was my turn to ask questions. This second part was conducted in French. As for interview 1, I had come with my printed list of questions and this was a good basis for further discussion. We discussed about various topics such as life at INSEAD, his job, the energy sector and this was the opportunity to use what I had learnt: I could pitch the Stern report about climate change, the Mc Kinsey report about energy productivity and some other points.

Overall the interview lasted for about 1,5 hours and at the end, I decided to wrap-up as I had the feeling it could last even longer but I didn’t want to take too much of his time. It seemed for him the right time to break as well as he told me that, as I might have felt, he would recommend me.

As for interview 1, I shared the decision with him and he also replied quickly with very kind words.

21. Round 1 / January 2010 intake / 1st interview / Off-Campus / Alumni (Published June 29th, 2009)

The interview took place in a Parisian “Café” with an alumnus. The date and place were agreed via email exchanges. Both of us were right on time and we sat at a quiet table. She apparently had read my complete application form, including my essays, which I had decided to send to her. Indeed, I was convinced my essays were strong and since she was willing to have them (although you are not obliged as per INSEAD’s intructions) this could only help strengthen her perception of the quality of my application. The interview, from beginning to end, was conducted in French. It was a quite formal interview and I at least managed to order her a coffee.

Some of the interview questions are listed below. What I can remember is that most of the questions were rather personal and we almost didn’t cover my career or current job. - Speak about yourself, what has been your life so far? - Why an MBA now, - Why INSEAD, - In your essays, you mention you’re passionate about everything you do, describe some of those passions and what drives you - You mentioned an interest for the Energy sector and your motivation to tackle climate change. What do you do in your day to day life to address climate change? Are you engaged in any not-for-profit organisation? - You work in the cellular telecommunication systems. How, as a father, are you dealing with the health hazards coming from radio emissions? - You are a musician; tell me about you and music. How long have you attended lessons, what level have you reached? Do you still play?

This lasted for about an hour. Then she told me she had covered all her questions and was open to answer any of my questions. I had prepared and printed a fair list of questions, since I wanted to demonstrate my motivation to join this MBA and to show I had done my homework. I could engage discussion on some of the famous faculty members such as Chan Kim. I could also speak about business or political leaders that had come on the campus. We spent some time on the accommodation aspects where she described me all the possible options and strategies for INSEAD students in Fontainebleau. I felt this part was more informal and we were both more relaxed. I was much more at ease than during the first part during which I had to answer many unexpected questions for which I had no prepared answers.

But she seemed pleased and at the end she concluded she would support my application 100%. The interview had last for about 2 hours.

Later, when I shared with her the news that I was admitted, she sent a very nice email, saying she was really happy for me. I found the message really sincere.

20. Round 1 / January 2010 Intake / 2nd Interview/ Off-Campus / Alumni / First shared by OutOfMyJeans (Published June 16th, 2009)

My 2nd interview was 2 days after my first one, which was incidentally on a Wednesday. This didn’t really leave me with too much time to ruminate over my bizarre 1st interview. I decided not to prepare for this one and instead go in with a relaxed attitude.

The 2nd interview was at a coffee joint at 10 AM. I had taken a half-day leave from office that day. My interviewer this time was the Marketing Director of a well-known technology company.

He arrived in a t-shirt and jeans (this is why I said suits are overkill) and his demeanor in general was extremely easy-going. For lack of a better word, I’m going to call his approach soothing. He was extremely well-spoken, polite and immediately put me at ease. We started off with my background and he asked questions whenever appropriate and had some very nice comments about my varied non-professional experience. We then spoke about my professional experience and my reasons for changing jobs and the kind of responsibilities I handle.

He then had some situational questions for me. I list them here for everyone’s consumption:

  • When you’re in a gathering, what attracts your attention first?
  • What makes you extremely angry/ passionate?
  • What is your style of negotiation?
  • How do you deal with a person who’s determined not to listen to you even though he/ she knows you are right?
  • How do you deal with a boss who is not as smart as you?

Additionally, he also had the usual INSEAD questions of why now, why MBA and why INSEAD. He was particularly pleased with me when I told him that one of my biggest motivations in joining INSEAD was to actually experience different viewpoints because I believe that different cultures breed different thought processes.

We spoke for nearly an hour-and-half and then he concluded the interview.

To read the full interview, please go to OutOfMyJeans

Cheers (Result: Accepted)

19. Round 1 / January 2010 Intake / 1st Interview/ Off-Campus / Alumni / First shared by OutOfMyJeans (Published June 14th, 2009)

I received my interwiers’ details nearly a week after the pre-selction mail. Both were pretty young (mid-30s) and were in impressive positions. One was a VP at a VC company and the other was a Marketing Director of a technology company.

My first interview was with the VP of a VC company and it was at his office. The interview was scheduled for 3 PM. I arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule and his secretary showed me to a meeting room. And here things started going downhill. He made me wait till 3.30 PM before he came in. I kept my cool and generally was going through my application and more mocking.

My interviewer was very familiar with my company and was probing me heavily on their strategy. In general, he was abrupt, brusque and at times seemed disdainful, but I plugged away. I refused to get flustered and kept correcting him if he made some wrong assumptions. There were many questions on the the decisions my company had taken, their future course of actions (for the curious ones, no, I didn’t reveal any trade secrets), etc. In between, he drilled me about my work and how it tied into the overall strategy of the company and why I was chosen by management to do certain things, etc.

In the middle of the interview he walked away for another 20 minutes to attend to another meeting. He also attended to 2 phone calls while I was talking. I found this to be a bit unusual considering all I had read about the chilled-out interviews that INSEAD alumni conduct.

I came out of the interview feeling a bit dazed not knowing what had just happened. I guess it was good in the end. So never think its over until its over. And never back down from who you really are.

To read the full interview, please go to OutOfMyJeans

Cheers (Result: Accepted)

18. Round 1 / September Intake / Off-campus / Alumni / First shared by The Parisian MBA (Published April 17th, 2009)

My second interview for INSEAD took place at the end of 2008 in a hotel bar in a very nice location of Paris with an alumni. Here is how it went:

I arrived on time but my interviewer was nowhere to be seen and I had to wait for him for about 1 hour! You can imagine my stress level rising during this 1 hour of hell. But I have to say that I sort of knew in advance that it would have been half-assed.

Indeed the day before, I had called my interviewer to remind him the date and location of the interview and to check whether he was still OK to come. But I unfortunately could not reach him, only his secretary so I left a message to her. Then I sent him an email to reconfirm and ask for his mobile phone number. No answer. Arghhh. So I would have to meet him at an unconfirmed place, unconfirmed time, no mean to reach him, not even knowing how he looked like.

And as I said, what should have happened finally happened. I waited for 1 hour in the lobby, staring at everyone, trying to find out whether he was my interviewer, asking them whether they were called Mr X, going to the receptionist and the concierge asking them whether Mr X has called for me. Nothing... To be honest I even thought to leave because I was not sure my interviewer would come and if so, I have problem with people being late to an appointment for more than 1 hour.

Fortunately or not, he finally arrived in his whole glory and apologize for his late arrival. Before going through the details of the interview, here are some basic steps to check for interviewees beforehand:

  • As soon as you know who your interviewer is, contact him/her, arrange the date and location, ask for his/her mobile phone number or anything else where you can contact him/her anytime
  • Check the location, travel arrangements and time to make sure not to be late
  • Call him/her the day before to reconfirm the date/location of the interview
  • Ask for a way to recognize him/her: picture, where he/she will be seated,…
  • Be on time

So the interview finally started. The general tone was professional and a bit more tense than my first interview in the sense that the alumni seemed disdainful in some way. It was maybe a way to test my stress (stress interview?). My overall impression was that my answers were consistent and coherent with my project and file but I also had the feeling my interviewer did not really care about my answers. I did not manage to make this interview become an exchange as I think my first interview had been.

Here are the different topics we went through:

  • Can you briefly describe your career to date and tell me why do you apply to an MBA?
  • So, now there is an economic crisis and you apply for a MBA: is it for you a way to hide from the crisis?
  • Can you explain the credit crunch crisis?
  • What do you think of the actions taken by Sarkozy and the french government to solve this crisis?
  • I see in your file that you are interested in Entrepreneurship post-MBA. With the current crisis, do you think it is a good choice to start a business right after MBA?
  • Can you describe 2 achievements at work?
  • What was your latest challenge at work?
  • Could you tell me about a mistake you made and how you coped with it?
  • I see that you have managed people in the context of projects. How do you handle people and do you make things done?
  • What are you hobbies?
  • Do you organize parties in Paris?
  • What other schools did you apply to?
  • Why would you choose INSEAD over the others?
  • Questions?

After several questions on the INSEAD program, student life, his career, the interview ended and we said goodbye.

Then I wrote a thank you note but never got an answer back (I had one from my first interviewer).

As I said, this interview had been more stressful due to the late arrival of my interviewer and his general tone.

I guess I did not succeeded that well finally because I then got waitlisted :(.

I'll describe later the waitlisted status management (if that even exists!)

Cheers,

The Parisian MBA

17. Round 1 / September Intake / Off-campus / Alumni / First shared by The Parisian MBA (Published April 10th, 2009)

The first INSEAD interview took place with an alumnus at the end of 2008 in the alumnus office. He was working as strategy consultant for Technology-oriented consulting company. Half of the interview was in English, the other half in French.

The general atmosphere of the interview was friendly. My interviewer asked some difficult questions but did it in a nice way so you do not feel uncomfortable when answering them.

It took place very early in the morning as he only had out-of-office availabilities. If you face this, really make sure you have a good night sleep beforehand!

We went through the traditional MBA Interview questions:

  • Introduce yourself
  • Describe your career to date
  • Why MBA?
  • Why now?
  • Why INSEAD?

He then asked about a challenging project I had recently. He wanted me to explain why it was challenging and what actions I took to solve this challenge.

Thereafter he asked several questions related to the economic news and telecom industry:

  • How do you understand the current economic crisis?
  • Will it have an impact on your company?
  • What are the main challenges your company is facing?
  • What is the business model of your industry?

As I mentionned my entrepreneurship projects post-MBA, he asked whether I already tried to setup somethin g and why I needed to do an MBA to do that. As I already tried to setup a business with one of my friends, I described what we did in terms of prototyping and market studies. He was very interested and wanted to know what kind of product we had been working on. The discussion continued naturally for few minutes.

Then I got the opportunity to ask questions about the INSEAD program and student life.

Overall I got a very good feeling about this interview.

The Parisian MBA

16. Round 2 / September Intake / Off-campus / Alumni (Published February 10th, 2009)

I received notification of my interview decision somewhat on the early side, about a month before the deadline. Nonetheless, I received the interviewer details from my admissions coordinator about the same time as everyone else. A couple days after receiving the details, my coordinator contacted me to let me know that one of my original interviewers (female, and I am female) would not be able to do the interview and that they would have to find someone else. It took about a week, but they found a replacement somewhat within my area.

First Interview

My first interview was with the VP of a consulting firm. His assistant arranged a meeting for us about two weeks after the date that I originally contacted him. I was asked to provide my CV and the six page profile from my application. I arrived on time (ten minutes early) and was placed in a conference room to wait for him. He showed up at the scheduled time, with my resume and profile in hand. He told me that he had gone over them fairly thoroughly and that everything seemed to be “standard”. The interview went by fairly quickly, running between thirty and forty minutes. I got the feeling that he had blocked about thirty minutes of time for the interview but I asked a few extra questions that put us over the time limit.

Questions:

  • Why INSEAD, why MBA, why now?
  • Where do I want to work after graduation (industry and location)?
  • What kind of role do I see myself in immediately after graduation and long term (both title and job responsibilities)?
  • What about INSEAD excites me?
  • Which campus do I want to study on?
  • How comfortable am I with my third language (French)?
  • How many people report to me in my current job? What is a typical project?

He then gave me the opportunity to ask him some questions about his experience. I didn’t get the impression that he was trying to grill me at all. It went by fairly quickly and easily and I felt like he just wanted to confirm that I was the person that I had represented in the application. A “check the box” interview, if you will.

Second Interview

My second interviewer had to reschedule me at the last minute due to a work emergency, which shook my nerves a little bit, but I completely understood. He is the director of marketing/strategy at a large firm (industry). The interview questions were very similar to that of my first interview, but the interviewer was a lot more animated, responding often with “that’s good” to my responses.

Questions:

  • Walk my through your resume?
  • Why MBA?
  • Why INSEAD?
  • Which campus do I want to study on?
  • How do I define leadership? Give an example of leadership in my current job.
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • Where do you want to work after graduation (location) and in what type of role and industry?
  • What kinds of teams do you work in at your current job?
  • Where else did I apply? What would I do if I didn’t get into INSEAD?
  • How well do I know my third language (French)?

Once again, a friendly conversation, where I didn’t feel like I was being grilled. After asking his questions, he started telling me about his experiences and opening up the floor for my questions. He seemed to be happy with my answers and agreed it is the right time and that INSEAD makes sense for me. The interview lasted just under an hour.

Overall Impressions

I spent way too much time stressing out about these interviews. They just want to get to know you and are not trying to stump you at all. I had heard they sometimes break into your third language out of nowhere, so I was prepared for that, but instead, both interviewers just asked me to tell them about my language background. Neither one told me flat out that they would recommend me, but I feel as though the interviews went well and I can’t think of any reason they would not recommend me. I guess only time will tell!

15. Round 1 / Off-Campus / Alumni / Accepted! (Published February 6th, 2009)

Both my interviews were off campus.

My first interviewer was with a guy who currently works in a senior position at an investment bank. We set up in the interview over lunch in the financial district.

The interview lasted about any hour. He asked:

  • Walk me through your resume.
  • Did you apply to any other schools? Why?

The interviewer then proceeded to tell me that he has interviewed numerous candidates for the school and knew what to look for. He spoke highly of his experience and thought it was a very international school. The interview went successfully and he promised to keep in touch, which he did.

My second interviewer was female who is currently in private wealth management. This interview lasted no more than 40 minutes. She asked:

  • Walk me through your resume
  • Why now? I am a younger applicant (with four years experience however, working in different countries), but she said her personal experience lead her to conclude that it is more rewarding to go when you have more experience.
  • What is my career plan? How does INSEAD fit into this plan?

The interviewer spent most of the interview trying to tell me why now is not a good time. Perhaps she was play devil's advocate.

Both interviewers were professional although one was significantly more friendly and casual than the other. I was left with a positive impression of the school.

Result: accepted

14. Round 1 / September intake / Off-campus (Published December 1st, 2008)

I had two alumni interviews in San Francisco.

First interview: The first interview was at the office of the interviewer. Very comfortable and informal.

Questions

  • standard walk me through your resume
  • why an MBA? Why international? Why INSEAD?
  • where do you see your career developing following the program.

Overall the it was a good experience. The alumni was able to answer all my questions and spoke extensively about her time at INSEAD and the experiences she had. In my case she was very interested to see why I wanted to do an international MBA since I have never lived abroad

Second Interview: This alumni interview definitely did not go so well. I felt like it was more of an inquisition then actually getting an idea of who I am and why I want to go to school at INSEAD. We met at a coffee house in downtown San Francisco.

Questions

  • Started with standard walk me through your resume. Why MBA? Why INSEAD?
  • Things went downhill from there. Asked me what I would offer to INSEAD? What clubs or organizations would you like to be involved in? When I responded, he asked me if I knew these clubs existed and had i researched and contacted people involved in them (my answer, no)?
  • Asked about career after the program? would I want to stay in France?

Ultimately, I felt the interview went poorly. The alumni is a career coach and I felt like it was less about why I wanted to go to the school and more about helping me figure out my career direction. The experience as a whole has turned me off on the school as a whole.

13. Jan 2009/ Round 1/ Interview 1/ Alumni/ India (Published May 9th, 2008)

My first INSEAD interview was conducted today. My interviewer of was an old pass-out of INSEAD and current was the Managing Director of a Private Equity firm in India. I called her a day before the interview and she suggested that we meet the following day at her office. As usual, I left home late and reached her office on the exact time. INSEAD did not have her updated contacts so it actually had taken me a good amount of time to get in touch with her to set up the meeting. Anyways, here is a sample list of questions that she asked during the interview (not in any particular order):

  • Tell me something about yourself
  • What are your major achievements
  • Aren’t you a bit too young to do your MBA? May be you should wait a few more years before doing your MBA.
  • What do you do in your leisure time
  • Why INSEAD?
  • Why didn’t you apply to US B-schools (Harvard/ Wharton) since you are interest in Finance?
  • How will an MBA help you?
  • Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
  • Why did you choose to do engineering when your current line of work is different from what you studied in school?
  • Have you had a culture shock?
  • Do you socialize? How? Do you manager to find time for it?

The interview went on for almost 2 hours. We discussed a vast range of topics including philosophy and literature. She did not give me any feedback on the interview. She said that she will provide her review to INSEAD and that INSEAD will get in touch with me. Let’s hope for the best!

12. Round 1 / January 2009 Intake / Alumni / Off-campus (Published April 28th, 2008)

My interviewer was dressed very casually, and having come from work, I was more in business attire. I provided a print out of my one page resume so that the interviewer could easily see my career progression at a glance and allow him to visualize any specific questions.

We started with the typical "tell me about yourself" and I gave a quick 5-10 minute intro on my career and relocations throughout it. A big theme of the interview was what exposure I had to culture shock in my personal and professional travels, I guess to see how I would be able to handle it in France.

Some other questions I got were:

  • "Where would you like to work?"
  • "Any thought to which specific companies in Europe?"
  • "Why Insead?"
  • "Where else did you apply?"
  • "Which would you prefer, a one or two year program?"
  • "What do you do for fun?"

Alum interviewers are always interested in what other schools you apply to, although I don't know if they specifically report it back to Insead.

It was a very casual and enjoyable interview and we even had a beer during it. Our interests were similar so we had a good discussion about strategy at INSEAD. It was tough however, to get an indication either way, because we still remained professional throughout and he didn't say anything about giving a recommendation or not. At this point, everything is out of my control, so we'll have to wait and see. Good luck to everyone.

11. Round 1 / January 2009 Intake / Alumni / Off-campus (Published April 17th, 2008)

I am a Round 1 applicant for the January ’09 class at INSEAD and I had one of my interviews yesterday (15-April). I found out that there were not too many alumni in my area, so my interviewer actually conducts interviews fairly frequently.

We had 60 minutes, so we cut to the chase pretty quickly with a “tell me about yourself” kind of introduction, specifically asking about when I graduated University (to get an idea of my age, perhaps). I had sent my interviewer a copy of my whole INSEAD application, so he commented that he actually had read about one of the anecdotes that I had mentioned. I also brought a resume/CV with me, but it wasn’t necessary and he didn’t look at it.

One of the questions I felt that I didn’t answer very well was “do you want to work for a small or a large company”. I know I want to work for a small to medium sized firm, but I don’t want to close the door on a large fortune 500 company such as the one that I work for now. I felt I certainly could have articulated this better and not made unnecessary assumptions.

Fortunately, my interviewer worked in the same industry as me, and I’m sure our interview could have lasted a long time if we started talking shop, but it’s probably better that it didn’t.

A few other questions I got:

  • What books are you reading now?
  • What do you do for fun?
  • How do your friends describe you?
  • How do your employers describe you, in reviews for example?
  • Have you applied to any other schools? (In order to determine if I was just applying for a “vacation in France”)
  • What role would you play in a group/team setting?

My questions included ones about the BOS and Professor Kim, as well as the experience of re-joining school after a long absence. My interview overall, went okay, but hopefully I can do better for my second one!

10. Round 2 / September 08 Intake / Alumni / Off-campus (Published March 27th, 2008)

Interviewed in the US mid february with an alumni, a partner at a big consulting firm. It was hard to get a time set up with him, which foreshadowed pretty well the time crunch I experienced during the interview itself.

The interview started late and he didn't have much time to give me. It went like this: he ate (lunch), I spoke. He hadn't read about me (I provided him my resume) so I essentially had to sell myself from scratch, telling him about my most recent work experiences and the things I did at my company, as well as my passions/hobbies in life.

It felt like a monologue on my part, but I certainly was a little affected by absence of true conversation. I essentially went through the typical questions myself: Why I wanted an MBA, why now and why INSEAD. He then asked me what other schools I had applied to. It was a good opportunity for me to explain why INSEAD was my top choice (international experience) as well as my desire to be on the Singaporean campus.

All in all I felt that my interview went poorly although I highlighted "why INSEAD" fairly well and why I was a great fit for it. It was a little less than 30 minutes and not the friendly more casual type other people have experienced. An interview, nothing more, nothing less.

9. Round 2 / September 2008 Intake / Alumni (Originally at Applying to INSEAD. Published on 19th Feb 2008)

Just got done with my first interview. It lined up very much with what others had to say about their experiences. The interview was casual and conversation-like. Here were the questions asked:

  1. Tell me about yourself. Walk me through your resume.
  2. Give me a few examples that demonstrate your strengths & weaknesses.
  3. Why INSEAD? Why not American schools (I'm in the US)? Why not Indian Schools (I had mentioned that I want to pursue an entrepreneurial career)?
  4. Why MBA? I was surprised this came after #3, but perhaps I botched #3.
  5. What do you want to do right after your MBA?
  6. Which campus - Singapore or Fonte? And why? I said both :-)
  7. Any questions?

The interviewer indicated that he would positively recommend me. Throughout the interview, I was focussed on the storyline of my essay's and did not back away from it. My second interview is scheduled for today.

8. R2 September 2008 Intake with Alumni (Published 1st Feb 2008)

I had my alumni interview today. Have just been sent one interviwer name. It was quite simple and conducted in a very informal and relaxed manner. Lasted about 40 minutes. Out of these 40 minutes about 15-20 minutes were spent on my questions for the alumni.

I was about 25 minutes early and as I let my interviewer know through his receptionist he came out to get me withing 5 min. Therefor my interview started 20 min before scheduled time. He asked me to tell him about myself, about my company and how long I have been there. Future goals - short term and long term. Strengths & weaknesses what areas of the curriculum I am interested etc, Why Insead, Why Now. The questions were basically based on the Insead essay questions. Nothing very tricky ot tough. The interviewers mannner was very friendly and congenial. I came out quite happy.

7. R2 (January 2008 Intake) With Alumnus. Original published by http://nomad-insead.blogspot.com/ (Published July 30, 2007)

I met with my second interviewer today. I made sure I arrived at least 10 minutes before time to enjoy the beautiful view from his kick-ass, big consulting firm, office.

He came to greet me at the exact time (to the minute). He didn’t know what the meeting was for: I think he didn’t know if it was for a job interview or an INSEAD interview. So I told him that it was for an INSEAD interview (maybe I should have just played along and said that it was for a job interview haha ..).

I don’t think he read any part of my application package so I handed him a copy of my resume and a copy of my complete INSEAD application.

He asked me about what I do at work, I told him about it, when I joined, what I have done so far and what I am presently working on. He asked some specific questions about work, he wanted to know a bit more about my project management experience.

He then asked me why INSEAD, I gave him my reasons. He asked me where I see myself in 10 years and I told him about how I see myself progress from post MBA graduation to 10 years down the road.

Later on, he asked how I handle failure and I answered his question. He then asked how I keep the team and management happy and secure when facing failures and I answered his question.

Now my turn: I asked him why he chose INSEAD (the guy is a consultant to the core … he worked for Bain post bachelor, got sponsored to go to INSEAD, went back to Bain and became a partner about 9 years post MBA) and what he liked and didn’t like about INSEAD.

I then asked him a tricky question, I didn’t how he would take it … I figured how many times do you get the chance to sit down with a partner at Bain & Co (just like how many times do you get the chance to sit down and talk with a kick-butt entrepreneur, my first interviewer) so I thought I should ask him the questions I want answers for … right?

So I asked why would anyone working in a specific industry for over 20 years listen to you? Just because you are a consultant and most importantly when you may have no experience whatsoever in that industry.

I knew and heard the answer before but I never heard the answer from a consultant with more than 15 years of experience, the answer was the same … you can find it everywhere.

I asked him what he likes and doesn’t like about his job. He really enjoys his work, I can clearly see it: The guy is a fan of his company and loves what he does. He enjoys the constant learning, the challenge, the opportunity to work on important client issues, etc…

He is very eloquent, very sharp. He was very nice but I could tell he is super busy. After 30 minutes, he told me he had to go … I wanted to ask him one more question … too bad.

At the end, he said: “You are going to like INSEAD, you are going to enjoy your time there.” He gave me his business card, wished me good luck, and asked me to keep him posted.

He didn’t say that he would recommend me but I sure hope he does …

You can find the answers to the questions above in my blog, I didn't mention my answers here because I don't think they are much relevant to these posts.

http://nomad-insead.blogspot.com/

All the best to all of you,

Youssef.

6. R2 (January 2008 Intake) With Alumnus. Original published by http://nomad-insead.blogspot.com/ (Published July 28, 2007)

I met with my first interviewer on Friday morning, July 27th, at his office:

He straight away asked me to talk about myself which I did for about 10 minutes starting with my childhood in Morocco. You may want to have a story line figured out before you go for your interviews (not a speech or else you may come out as fake).

Everyone has his own style but my story was pretty personal and didn’t have any business buzz words. I was frank about couple of things that could have been negative but in this case they were very positive as he agreed with some of my point of views.

He then asked me why INSEAD and I told him my reasons. He asked me if I applied to other schools and I told him that I would consider applying to the top US schools if I don’t get into INSEAD.

After 15 minutes, he smiled and told me that he is going to recommend me and we talked for another 45 minutes.

I asked him couple of questions about INSEAD, what he liked and what he didn't.

In a nut shell, INSEAD was pivotal to his career because that is where he met his first business partner. They went straight after graduation to Silicon Valley, started and sold a fiber optic business to a large fiber optic company in the late 90s. He then moved back to Toronto and started his present business.

As far as the content of the program, the financial courses and tools he learned were extremely handy as it helped him run his business with everything from valuations to forecasting.

He said that the pace is pretty intense and that because of the short duration of the program, he learned the basics of everything but didn’t have much time to master some subjects.

It was a very relaxed and friendly interview, he was very nice, gave me his card, wished me the best, and insisted that I keep in touch with him.

One thing I won't forget is this: He said that INSEAD and the people he met at INSEAD showed and proved to him that you do NOT need to have much money and have much experience to start and successfully run a business.

If I can go and graduate from INSEAD with this realization, one year and all the money spent doing it would definitely be worth it!

I am meeting with my second interviewer next week and will post my interview report then.

Good luck to everyone,

Youssef.

5. R3 with Alumnus. Original published by http://www.offcourse.wordpress.com (Published March 29, 2007)

This week I had the first of my two INSEAD interviews. My interviewer was an INSEAD alumnus who graduated some years ago and the interview took place in the company where he works.

I think the interview went well, despite the fact that it was a little short. It turns out that his company was just in the middle of a big acquisition... So, the interview lasted about 30 or 40 minutes. Or perhaps this is just the standard time for an interview... Guess I will have to wait until my second interview to have an answer.

Anyhow, the interview went like this:

First, he asked me to walk him trought my professional career. We spent some time on this issue, as he wanted me to explain clearly every move I made since I left college. I also had to explain my job functions (he focused particularly on leadership experience).

Of course, he also made the obvious question of why is a pharmacist applying to a B-school. He agreed that INSEAD is a great B-school for someone without a business background.

Afterwards, he made the standard questions - Why INSEAD and why now. I advise everyone who is going to interviews to prepare very well this responses. He liked the fact that I have very specific and rational reasons to join INSEAD and that I was very motivated. The latter was not difficult, as I am indeed very motivated and it is hard not to show!

We also talked about the Singapore campus (why do I want to go there) and the period after INSEAD - if I'm thinking to return home or stay abroad.

And that was it. 30 minutes flown by and I left the interview with a good feeling. I just hope my interviewer felt the same way!

My next interview will probably be next week. This time it won't be in a professional environment, so I think it will be a little different and, perhaps, longer. This way I could ask some questions that I have in mind.


4. Published February 15, 2007 - R1 with Alumnus. Originally published by necromonger@INSEAD

I thought I should post my experience of the second interview with INSEAD alumni. While this comes late for R1, I guess R2/3/4 may find some of this a little useful.

My second interview was with a partner in a pretty large firm, he specializes in consulting technology companies on mergers, acquisitions etc. He was very cordial right from the point of my asking for an interview until the end. He offered to buy me lunch, and the good thing was that the meeting place (a cafe) was just 10 minutes from home.

I was on time (BTW great view from his office floor!) and we went to the cafe and sat down. I made the mistake of ordering a big pizza (tip 1: if you're on a lunch/dinner interview, order something light and non-sticky to eat) while he settled for salad. The interview began with the question of why INSEAD - and I won't repeat myself here, but I had clear, strong reasons on why INSEAD. Interestingly, he and my previous interviewer never once asked me "why now" (when you consider I have over 11 years of experience), perhaps something told them I had my reasons. We touched a broad range of topics about business, challenges of doing business in emerging economies like India and China, developments in the technology industry etc. We did discuss a couple of times about what I planned to do after studies - and I think I conveyed the idea clearly that I wasn't looking for a company to join, but was more interested in the roles that would present myself to me. For example, I would not try to join an entry level MBA job in Goldman Sachs just because it is Goldman. My career step should make sense to me, and the job should be something I want to do - not just a blind status symbol.

I then asked him about his experience in INSEAD, and what it did to his career. He spoke quite a bit about his experience (he loved the time there) and how it helped his career. During the meeting he did speak in a tense as if I were in the school - but I did not try to infer too much from it. We also spoke about what he enjoyed at school and what was challenging (mandatory group assignments with no leader, and what if the group does not get along?). He asked me what I would consider as my top challenges on going back to school etc. Overall, a very friendly, cordial interview. He was both impressive and to the point, and I actually enjoyed the discussions over the lunch (though I hated the pizza). We ended the interview with some light hearted talk. He gave no specific indication if he would recommend me (neither of my interviewers did). After the interview, I sent a thank you note and some additional URL links which bolstered my case and he wished me luck.

After I received my admission, I sent him a note mentioning my admit and thanking him again for the time, and he sent a rather nice reply. I plan to e-mail him once more after I join and tell him my first impressions! And that ends my second interview saga.

Now a few things I believe will help those called for interview

1. No two interviews are the same, so don't go with preconceived notions. Expect to be asked why MBA and why INSEAD - but apart from that it's an open field.

2. Be comfortable - from the different experiences I have heard and then my own, it is usually friendly. After all, the alumnus is trying to find out if you would be an good alumnus to have! Be confident.

3. I did not hesitate to say I wanted to be in INSEAD.

So, if you have an interview, don't sweat - go ahead, have a good conversation, and I wish you a good interview!

3: R2 Interviews in Brazil -- held February 10, 2006 (more info at: weltegewandt) (Published April 30, 2006)

Fortunately, I was able to schedule both interviews on the same day and so saved myself a ton of hassle, but it also meant that i couldn't use one interview to prepare for the other, since they were back-to-back. The questions were pretty standard and as long as you know your essays and know for sure why you're applying to the programs, there's not much difficulty to be encountered there.

My first interview was with a female alum, the second with a male. Both had a consulting history, although the woman had recently switched industry and is now strategic director of one of the Brazilian airlines. Both were in their early 30s; both were incredibly likable and interesting. I don't know if this is a general indication of INSEAD or maybe just because they're both a little older than the peer group I'm used to, but I really, really enjoyed talking to them and felt like we could have kept our discussion going for hours. In a manner of speaking we did: my first interview lasted a little over an hour, my second a full two and a half hours.

Anyhow, here the questions:

  • why MBA and why now (big emphasis on this -- I was specifically asked to justify several times why it wouldn't be better to do the MBA at a later time; maybe because I'm slightly younger than the average INSEAD student?)
  • post-MBA plans, long-term goals
  • walk me through your resume
  • international experience
  • Which other schools did you apply to?
  • And: how likely are you to attend if accepted?

The last question was a tough one. Perhaps other people are better at faking it, but I was pretty honest with my interviwers and let them know that I couldn't guarantee anything because there were too many undefined parameters in play. Still, I did make clear that I was very passionate about INSEAD and that I applied to the program because I could definitely see myself studying there, and that if I was admitted, I would like to get in touch with them to clarify any lingering doubts or uncertainties I had in regard to making my matriculation decision. Both interviewers were fine with that answer and one even went so far as to say that he would make sure to fill out the interview report on that question in such a way as to not hurt my chances of admission.

Final Status: accepted to the Fontainebleau program.

2: R2 Interview with Alum (Published April 13, 2006)

I had my first interview with INSEAD 20th February. The alum who conducted it was a graduate in 2003 and is a Malaysian. Overall, I think the interview went well. It was very casual, and I felt a bit overdressed with a tie on. He was dressed in business attire sans tie and coat.

The questions mainly centered on "Why MBA?", "Why Now?" & "Why INSEAD". I felt that I ended telling much of my life story while answering the first two questions. The third one was quite tough as I had to justify why INSEAD would be the logical choice for me. In the end, I think I did a fairly reasonable job. We had it at a cafeteria and when it closed, we moved outside to continue at a table near a garden. I managed to get a lot of information on the actual program and it reinforced further that INSEAD would be a great school in which to study at. On reflection, it seemed to me that he was trying to gauge firstly my reasons for doing the MBA, and secondly, whether I would fit into the schools. The question on the third language also arose, and I told him that I had basic German after studying it in school. He recommended that I try and qualify for it (i.e. do the test) before going to Fontainebleau so that I can devote the rest of the time outside classes and study groups to socialising and also for job hunting.

2nd Interview was conducted on 28th February (last day for interviews) and I was a bit more nervous for this interview as I haven't spoken to the interviewer before but only to his secretary. It became worse when she (the secretary) called to postpone the 11.30 monday morning interview and rearranged it for Tuesday afternoon.

The interviewer came down (about 15 mins late) to his office reception area and suggested that we go to a coffee shop at a nearby mall. As it was an order/pay first system, I faced a conundrum whether to offer to pay. I knew that for sure he would pick up the tab (it's only coffee and he's a high ranking executive) but I wasn't sure whether I should at least make the offer (or whether that would seem too over-eager), so in my hesitation he promptly paid which left me no option but to offer a sheepish "thanks".

We then moved to a crowded sitting area and it made me a bit uncomfortable initially. However like the first interview, our discussion went well. It was almost like a casual chat but was more detailed as he had not read my essays (my first interviewer specifically asked for them). It started off with questions about my career so far, and where I see it headed. He seemed to want to find out more detail on my work ("describe how your typical work day is like" and "how have you progressed in terms of work over the past few years" or something along those lines). I guess he wanted confirmation that what I put down on my resume was true and not just some fabrication. One tough question he asked which I didn't expect was "how do you make money in your business?". I think I gave a fairly good answer which he seemed satisfied with.

He then went on to Why INSEAD type questions and also "Why Now" but thankfully the first interview prepared me for these and I think I gave out genuine reasons based on my personal circumstances. He mainly agreed that I had made the right choice and that my reasons were well based. He then asked about which other schools I'd apply to so I told him about the Harvard & Wharton dings (which I know was a bit risky - as I had applied to them first, but I had to show him that right now INSEAD was my number one choice). I also told him that I initially had doubts about a 1 year program but upon further research and speaking to alumni I found out that INSEAD's program just crammed it all within a year and you don't miss out on too much. In the end I think we finished off on a good note with him giving an account of his experiences in INSEAD. He graduated in 97 so his experiences were not too recent but nevertheless it again cemented my belief that the school is right for me.

Overall, the second interview was a bit more formal than the first Interview (which was more like a casual chat about my life and also my goals). However it still had a very casual feel which I really liked, and it was over within an hour. I think I did an ok job connecting with both interviewers. Perhaps the first one was easier as we got along better being in a similar age group. I also left both interviews thinking that INSEAD graduates quite "cool" MBA grads.

1: R2 Interview with Alum (Published February 26, 2006)

INSEAD requires two interviews, and I have completed 1 of 2. I met my interviewer at his office in the afternoon. Of course I made a wrong turn on the way and had to call him to clarify my MapQuest? directions. I was pretty embarrassed about it, but he didn't seem to mind. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and very conversational.

My interviewer started with the "Why INSEAD" question. I explained my career goals, since they have an international theme, which I said led me to research MBA programs with an international focus and then to apply to INSEAD. I emphasized my attraction to the incredibly diverse student body and the opportunity to study in Singapore and take courses specific to management in Asia. He added some commentary and vignettes about how diverse the student body really is. We talked about what I wanted to do immediately after my MBA vs. long-term. I named some specific companies I wanted to work for post-MBA, and he confirmed that they recruited at INSEAD. He said I had already answered why an MBA and my career goals, so he skipped those questions. He asked if I had started a third language and since I haven't, he encouraged me to do as much pre-work as possible.

He then asked about my progression within my current job. One follow-up that took me by surprise was whether my company had offered to pay for my MBA. I assumed that he was trying to assess my performance at work, so I gave examples that supported strong performance, e.g. that my company wanted me to return after my MBA.

Finally, he asked what I do outside of work and then if I had any questions for him. One question I asked was what extra-curricular activities he was involved in at INSEAD. I would not advise asking this since apparently INSEAD is not very "clubby". He explained that there is no time for clubs.

At the end he said he thought I was a good fit and would recommend me to the AdCom?. This took a lot of guesswork out of the equation which is great since I tend to dwell on the things that I should or shouldn't have said during the interview. A former colleague and INSEAD alum told me to really emphasize how what INSEAD offers is particularly relevant to me. I have specifically international career goals and really emphasized how being in the INSEAD environment would be of benefit to me. I often compared INSEAD to US MBA programs and how I thought INSEAD fit better for various reasons. That reminds me, he also asked if I applied to other EU schools like LBS, IMD, IESE. He also asked what I would do if I didn't get into any MBA programs. I was taken a bit by surprise because I already have some choices, but of course, I didn't say that and just said I would apply again because

I was sure this was the right avenue for me. Hope this helps! Good luck!

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