The interview took place off campus at a small interview room at his office. It was at 8PM and lasted until 10PM. The experience, overall, was not astoundingly positive.
The interviewer arrived 15 minutes late and offered no apologies. He admitted that he had not read my resume, and did not know my name. He sat down and started the interview with what I consider a very odd blanket request – “So…tell me whatever it is that brought you to do whatever it is you do.” The rest of the interview was very unstructured, and not really conversational as he would sit in silence if I was not speaking. When he asked follow-up questions, they were so specific that they were difficult to answer – “So. I see you worked in country X. Tell me about a team there where one member was not contributing.” – I did not have that situation happen in that country. I felt that I had to “shoe-horn” in my credentials and selling experiences in order to get my candidacy across.
I also felt odd because I brought a level of energy and enthusiasm to the meeting that was strong, and represented my zeal for Kellogg. My interviewer was not at all interested in what I had to say and remained stone-faced 90% of the interview which caused forced me to falsely hold back enthusiasm.
That being said, the interviewer was kind, respectful, and professional. He could have been having a bad day for all I know. That being said, I do not feel that I was given a chance to perform, and worry about whatever report he may write back to the school. This, I suppose, is the challenge with alumni interviews. Overall, disappointing given the amount of work I put into the application!
I hope things go well.
