I met my interviewer at a coffee shop, and he was immediately very friendly and casual – extremely easy to talk to. I provided a copy of my resume. He began by letting me ask about his background. He and I both work in the retail industry, so it was good to establish some common ground at the beginning. then he pulled out a worksheet and ticked through some standard questions.
- walk me through your resume
- what is an ethical dilemma that you’ve faced? Do you wish you’d acted differently now?
- Why business school? Why now?
- Why Columbia?
- talk about a situation in which you demonstrated leadership
The interview lasted about an hour – I talked a lot, but he was very encouraging and supportive. Overall, it was a really good interview – not formal or awkward at all.
