My interview was scheduled over Video Conference on Monday, 25th January from Mumbai. It was conducted by Isabel Estalella, who was very warm and friendly, exchanged pleasantries, made me feel comfortable during the interview. She asked me if she could take notes during the interview, and I agreed.
It started as a general interview, where she asked me to introduce myself and share some information about my friends/family, how much I am in touch with my college group. It went on to ask me about my leadership experience/ a time when I was pushed to my limits at work, and about a person I did not get along with professionally.
The one question which caught me off gaurd was about my opinion on the Trade situation in China. Now, I am not somebody who follows the Chinese Trade laws, so I said that honestly and Isabel did not push it any further.
Below are the questions I was posed during my interview –
- Tell me something about yourself.
- Tell me something about your family.
- Describe your school life.
- When is the last time you met your college friends?
- How would your friends describe you?
- Describe the characteristics of your best friend.
- Tell me about a time when you were pushed to your limits at work.
- Describe one person you did not get along with professionally. What did you do about it. How did the person react?
- What are the 3 companies you would like to work with post-MBA
- Would you be open to returning to [my current company] post-MBA?
- What is your take on the trade situation in China?
- Are you comfortable talking in front of/ addressing large audiences of 70-80 people?
- How will you finance your MBA, if you don’t get a scholarship?
- What are the other schools you have applied to, and what is the situation of those applications?
- What excites you most about IESE?
- Strengths and Weaknesses
What surprised me was that there were no questions about Why MBA, Why now, why IESE, don’t you think you’re too young (I come with just 3 years experience, as opposed to the regular MBA applicant pool of 4-6 years) I guess my application had most of these answers clearly detailed.
The interview ended with a few questions from my side on the scholarship details, student exchange program and assessment day, scheduled to be held on Sunday, 7th Feb in New Delhi. I was told my final decision will be given about 2 weeks after the Assessment Day.
