I reached the interview site early and was ushered in 10 minutes before the scheduled interview time as I was the first candidate being interviewed. The interview lasted 30 minutes and was pretty informal–more of a conversation than an interview. The interviewer seemed to know about my goals and was looking to gain greater perception about my motivations/interests.
1. How did you come about securing a job just after graduation (undergrad)? Tell me a bit about your education.
2. How did you come to know of your second job? What factors made you take it up?
3. Why do you think you are ready for an MBA at this point of time?
4. How will you differentiate yourself from other students at Stern? What will you contribute to the class?
5. During the first few months at Stern, what strategy will you adopt?
6. Which firms are you targeting and which firm is your dream employer? Why?
(I listed many firms – some that hold campus sessions and others more niche to my segment)
Follow-up question – for the smaller niche firms, how will you go about applying for internship/placement?
7. Why Stern? How can Stern help in your chosen industry?
8. Why do you want to change your industry? (I had mentioned the same in my essay)
After about 20 minutes, he asked me if I had any questions I wanted to ask (I asked a couple). He replied in detail and the conversation forked out further into how best I can leverage the school’s resources. I knew the interview is always informal and chatty but was still surprised as I was given a lot of opportunity to speak my mind and the interviewer listened patiently to what I had to say. Key takeaway – get as much firsthand information about the school as possible over and above those mentioned on the website. Knowing key programs, quirks, strengths and distinctive characteristics of the school makes for good appendages to your answers. Tying in Stern’s resources to your story and how you can benefit (and also how you will contribute) is key to acing the interview. I was told to wait for about 2 weeks for the decision. Received mine in about 1.5 weeks. [Admit]
