My interview was this afternoon at the interviewer’s office.
It lasted exactly 1 hour (he said he wasn’t supposed to go any longer than that).
Very conversational, informal. He had a list of questions but he only referred to it a few times. Basically we just talked and, every once in a while, he interjected with questions he felt he needed to fit in.
On the same note, I had to struggle to fit in the stories and experiences I wanted to talk about because he didn’t specifically ask about them.
He started by telling me his background from pre-MBA to now. Then:
- I am just reading your resume now so walk me through it in 7-8 minutes.
- Tell me a horror story/failure in your professional life.
- Why MBA (I fit my goals into this because he hadn’t asked about them yet)?
- Why Kellogg/How will Kellogg help you do what you want to do?
- What do you think is unique about Kellogg’s curriculum compared to the other schools you are applying to?
- (Specific to my background) Do you want to focus on government issues in your practical opportunities at Kellogg?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What are qualities of a good leader?
- Do you have a leader/mentor who has these qualities?
- What do you do outside work?
- What have been the size/makeup of the teams you worked on?
- How long have you been thinking about an MBA?
- What is your backup plan if an MBA doesn’t work out this year?
At the end he said we only had 10 minutes left so I could ask my questions. I asked some basic questions and he took the chance to provide more details of his experiences at Kellogg.
He asked if I knew what the next step was and I told him I thought they would review my application once he submitted his report, which he said he would do very soon. He offered to help me any way he could in the future.
That was about it.
My insight/advise – I prepared extensively from the questions listed below but found it mostly a confidence builder. I felt comfortable with my story and prepared for any likely question but I mostly just ended up having a discussion with my interviewer about Kellogg and trying to fit in my strong points as much as I could. Obviously, every alumni interviewer will be different but most Kellogg alumni I have met have been very down to earth and that seems to translate into the interview experiences (as long as you are prepared and can show interest in and knowledge about Kellogg). This just confirms the Kellogg reputation as a place with friendly, collegial people.
Hope this helps since all the other accounts helped me!
